Latest news for 14 April 2026

UNITED STATES

The long way around?

According to USNI News, the USS George Bush carrier group is circling around Africa rather than cutting straight through the Red Sea towards Iran. (USNI News)

Comment: It suggests the US wants this ~$20B armada to avoid getting targeted by the Iran-backed Houthis en route. Meanwhile, at least one sanctioned China-bound vessel (the Rich Starry) has now crossed Trump’s Hormuz blockade without incident — it technically wasn’t in breach, as it loaded at the UAE rather than any Iranian port.

CANADA

Majority.

Prime Minister Carney’s Liberals have won at least two by-elections, delivering a parliamentary majority to more freely pass legislation until the next election (likely 2029). (Guardian)

Comment: This result strengthens Carney’s hand, allowing him more room to manoeuvre in response to US trade wars, economic headwinds, and beyond

CHINA

The Spanish angle.

Spain’s Pedro Sánchez has become the latest Western leader in the conga-line of visitors to China, marking his fourth such visit in as many years. (Independent)

Comment: Why so many visits to the Middle Kingdom? He’s hoping to a) boost Spanish exports amid a yawning trade deficit, b) secure Spain’s supply of the critical minerals for its energy transition, c) hedge against an unpredictable US, and d) (ahem) maybe also distract from the fact his wife just got charged with corruption, escalating a long-running scandal back home.

FRANCE

Execs paid jihadis.

A French court has found the ex-CEO of the world’s largest cement-maker (Lafarge) and eight other former employees guilty of financing terrorist groups in Syria — Lafarge paid over $6M in protection money to groups like ISIS to keep a local factory running during Syria’s civil war. (DW)

Comment: It’s the biggest corporate terrorism-financing case in history, and another reminder of the risks — both corporate and national — of doing business in conflict zones. These particular executives were apparently negotiating directly with ISIS while the group was beheading Westerners for the cameras. But plot twist: the French concreters also paid Al Nusra… yes, the very same group that later rebranded, ousted the Assad regime, and whose leader (al Sharaa) is now Syria’s president!

INDIA

Finger on the inflation pulse.

Inflation hit 3.4% in March, up from 3.2% the month prior. It’s still comfortably below India’s 4% midpoint target, but is the highest rate in over a year, driven partly by local seasonal food supply disruptions for now. (Bloomberg $)

Comment: The worry is, combined with forecasts for a weak monsoon season, India’s farmers might cop a triple-whammy: energy and fertiliser disruption via Hormuz, and a water disruption at home.

BRAZIL

Agree to disagree?

Brazil has announced a new US security partnership aimed at cracking down on the trafficking of drugs and weapons. (Al Jazeera)

Comment: It looks like a) a bit of compromise amid US pressure to designate Brazilian cartels as terrorists, b) a way for President Lula to blunt his conservative opposition’s tough-on-crime electoral message, but also c) a reminder that capitals can (and should) still cooperate on shared scourges, even when political ties sour.

GHANA

Reparation talks.

Ghana’s foreign minister has claimed France is open to holding talks on the touchy topic of slavery reparations, though Élysée Palace officials are only confirming they’ve discussed returning cultural objects and human remains. (Reuters)