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Global famine fears rise as Hormuz crisis threatens ‘eight-year,’ Suez-scale disruption
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Analysts warn global famine fears are rising as food prices climb and fragile supply chains are strained during the Strait of Hormuz crisis, raising the risk of a prolonged, Suez-scale, eight-year disruption.
As the conflict entered Day 62, the U.S. maintained its naval blockade of traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, while Iran continued to effectively close the Strait.
«Best case, there is an agreement between the U.S. and Iran within the next few weeks, and the Strait reopens,» Lars Jensen, CEO and partner at Vespucci Maritime, told Fox News Digital.
«And it has to be a deal where there is trust that Iran is sufficiently satisfied with the deal such that they do not suddenly close the strait again.
AIRLINES MAY CUT FLIGHT SCHEDULES AS IRAN TENSIONS DRIVE UP FUEL COSTS, EXPERTS WARN
A cargo ship sails in the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz April 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
«Even in that case, it will still take months for the supply chains to revert back to normality.»
President Donald Trump announced April 21 he would delay renewed strikes on Iran until it presents a proposal for long-term peace, effectively extending a 14-day ceasefire indefinitely.
Trump said Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports has been effective, urging Tehran to «just give up» as tensions escalate over the waterway.
«Worst case, we can look at the eight-year closure of the Suez Canal from 1967 to 1975,» Jensen said.
ISRAELI OFFICIALS REPORTEDLY WARN IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILES COULD TRIGGER SOLO MILITARY ACTION AGAINST TEHRAN
The SKS Doyles crude oil tanker moves along the Suez Canal towards Ismailia in Suez, Egypt, on Dec. 21, 2023, amid a sharp decline in tanker traffic through the Red Sea due to attacks disrupting global trade routes. (Stringer/Bloomberg)
«Despite its importance to the global economy, it proved impossible to reopen the canal for those eight years,» he said.
The Suez Canal, shut from 1967 to 1975 after the Arab-Israeli conflict, has faced recurring disruption, including Red Sea attacks since 2023, driving up insurance costs, creating a «shadow blockade» and curbing traffic.
For Hormuz, Jensen says fertilizer, which is central to agricultural production, is the most critical factor, and any sustained disruption could quickly ripple through global food systems.
«Fertilizer is the most important element. Thirty percent of the world’s seaborne fertilizer comes from the Persian Gulf,» Jensen said. «Fertilizer prices are already rising fast,» he warned.
IRAN FIRES LIVE MISSILES INTO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TRUMP ENVOYS ARRIVE FOR NUCLEAR TALKS
A ship is seen passing through the Strait of Hormuz during a two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8, 2026. (Shady Alassar/Anadolu/Getty Images)
«In wealthy countries, it means more expensive food come harvest season, and, in poor countries, it means that farmers right now cannot afford fertilizer,» Jensen added.
«This will lead to the harvest being lower later in the season, leading to rapid increases in food prices in very poor countries. And such a situation increases the risk of famine and conflict.»
Diplomatic efforts remained fragile between the U.S. and Iran as of Thursday, with limited signs of progress.
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According to reports, a giant banner hangs on a building in Tehran’s central Enqelab Square declaring, «The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed; the entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground.»
«Cargo vessels are not going through for the simple reason that commercial companies do not want to see their seafarers potentially killed,» Jensen added.
conflicts, middle east, war with iran, iran, trade
El Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica confirmó que Costa Rica no registra casos de enfermedad por virus Bundibugyo, una de las variantes del virus del Ébola que actualmente mantiene en alerta a organismos internacionales de salud debido a un brote activo en África central.
La institución indicó que tampoco existen casos reportados en la región de las Américas y aseguró que, por ahora, el riesgo para la población costarricense continúa siendo bajo. Sin embargo, las autoridades señalaron que mantienen vigilancia epidemiológica constante y pidieron a la ciudadanía reforzar las medidas preventivas.
La advertencia ocurre en medio de la creciente preocupación internacional por la situación que enfrentan la República Democrática del Congo y Uganda, donde se detectó un brote de la cepa Bundibugyo, una variante rara del Ébola para la que actualmente no existe vacuna ni tratamiento específico aprobado.
De acuerdo con la Organización Mundial de la Salud, hasta mediados de mayo se contabilizaban al menos ocho casos confirmados por laboratorio, 246 casos sospechosos y cerca de 80 muertes sospechosas en la provincia de Ituri, en el este del Congo.
No obstante, reportes más recientes advierten que la cifra podría ser considerablemente mayor. Medios internacionales y organismos humanitarios señalan que el brote ya habría provocado unas 139 muertes y cerca de 600 casos sospechosos o probables entre Congo y Uganda, mientras las autoridades sanitarias continúan investigando nuevas cadenas de transmisión.
La OMS declaró el pasado 16 de mayo la situación como una Emergencia de Salud Pública de Importancia Internacional, debido al riesgo de expansión regional y a las complejas condiciones en las zonas afectadas.
El brote preocupa especialmente porque se desarrolla en áreas con presencia de grupos armados, desplazamientos masivos de población y sistemas sanitarios limitados, lo que dificulta el rastreo de contagios y la atención de pacientes. Además, el virus ya fue detectado fuera de la zona inicial del brote y se confirmaron casos importados en Uganda.
Las autoridades sanitarias internacionales también han advertido que la enfermedad habría circulado durante semanas sin ser detectada, debido a que la cepa Bundibugyo no suele incluirse en pruebas estándar de Ébola y porque inicialmente se confundió con otras enfermedades hemorrágicas.
El virus del Ébola se transmite por contacto directo con sangre o fluidos corporales de personas infectadas, como saliva, vómito, sudor, orina o heces. También puede propagarse mediante objetos contaminados, incluyendo ropa, superficies o sábanas expuestas a dichos fluidos. Las autoridades reiteraron que el virus no se transmite por el aire.
Los síntomas pueden aparecer entre dos y 21 días después del contagio. Inicialmente se presentan fiebre, dolor de cabeza intenso, debilidad y dolores musculares. En etapas avanzadas pueden producirse vómitos, diarrea, dolor abdominal, hemorragias y deterioro severo del estado general.
Según la OMS, las tasas de mortalidad de brotes previos de la variante Bundibugyo oscilaron entre el 30% y el 50%, aunque otras cepas del Ébola pueden alcanzar mortalidades mucho mayores.
Ante este panorama, el Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica informó que se revisan continuamente los protocolos de preparación y respuesta para eventuales casos sospechosos, así como los mecanismos de vigilancia epidemiológica en puntos de ingreso al país.
La institución recomendó mantener medidas preventivas básicas, entre ellas el lavado frecuente de manos, evitar contacto con personas enfermas y reforzar el uso de equipo de protección en servicios de salud.
Asimismo, pidió a la población mantenerse informada únicamente mediante canales oficiales para evitar desinformación o alarmas injustificadas relacionadas con el virus.
General Health,Medicines,Africa,Health / Medicine
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Senate GOP erupts over Trump DOJ ‘anti-weaponization’ fund, punts ICE, Border Patrol funding
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Senate Republicans are pressing pause on their push to fund immigration enforcement after a tense, closed-door meeting.
But it’s not over internal divisions. This time, the fury is directed toward the Trump administration and the surprise «anti-weaponization» fund created by the Department of Justice (DOJ). It comes as Republicans were near the finish line for their $72 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.
For now, Republicans are calling it a day and leaving Washington, D.C.
«We will pick up where we left off,» Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.
REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN
Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate GOP leaders are pushing forward with budget reconciliation to fund the final piece of government that had been shut down by Senate Democrats’ opposition to President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu)
That makes President Donald Trump’s June 1 deadline effectively impossible to meet, but Republicans contend that it’s the administration’s actions that have further complicated an already rocky process.
«The message to the administration is this: we were on a glide path to passing this bill until these announcements,» a top Republican aide told Fox News Digital.
The timing of the settlement between Trump and his family and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the subsequent creation of the fund derailed Republicans’ sprint to the finish line.
«We don’t know where the votes are on reconciliation right now,» Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said.
SENATE REPUBLICAN THREATENS TO DERAIL ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE OVER TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR REQUEST
The White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s comments Thursday when asked if he would be amenable to no ballroom security funding and restrictions on the DOJ’s nearly $1.8 billion fund, or veto the package outright.
«I don’t need money from the ballroom,» Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, and touted that the actual construction was being done through private funding.
«But this is being made as a gift from me and other people that are great patriots that spent a lot of money,» he continued. «We’re building what will be the finest ballroom anywhere in the world. If they want to spend money on securing the White House, I think it would be very — very much a good expenditure. But the ballroom is being built.»
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was dispatched to the Hill Thursday morning to tamp down lawmakers’ concerns over the «anti-weaponization» fund, which several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have dubbed a «slush fund.» But instead, he was berated behind closed doors.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department told Fox News Digital that Blanche had a «healthy discussion on the settlement.»
«He made clear that the Anti-Weaponization Fund announced Monday has nothing to do with reconciliation. Indeed, not a single dime from the money the president is seeking in reconciliation would go toward anything having to do with the fund,» the spokesperson said. «We will continue to work with the Senate to get critical reconciliation funds approved.»
TRUMP DEMANDS SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN’S OUSTER FOR AXING BALLROOM SECURITY FUNDING
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was dispatched to the Hill Thursday morning to tamp down lawmakers’ concerns over the «anti-weaponization» fund. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Sources told Fox News Digital that over two dozen Republicans demanded answers from Blanche on what kind of guardrails could be put into the fund, and specifically if those convicted for assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots could be excluded.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., erupted at Blanche, and Thune was uncharacteristically frustrated by the situation.
Several Republicans leaving the meeting had little to say about what happened inside, while others reiterated that they were focused on funding ICE and Border Patrol and nothing else.
Those concerns were validated with several people who were pardoned by Trump earlier this year, including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who declared that he would make a claim this week.
There have been discussions of including those guardrails into the reconciliation package, given that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the DOJ, is a major part of the process.
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«I did raise that issue, and that seemed to be what [Blanche] was saying, but you know, we haven’t seen language,» Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said.
Further complicating matters are plans Senate Democrats had for the package with their flurry of amendment votes.
Sources told Fox News Digital that one of the first amendments in the pipeline would have prevented any of the DOJ’s funds from going to convicted rapists and forced the package to be sent back to committee, sending the GOP back to square one on a politically perilous vote.
«This was all 100% avoidable,» a senior Republican aide told Fox News Digital.
politics, republicans elections, justice department, senate elections, democrats senate
INTERNACIONAL
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Con Villarruel en duda, Milei asistirá al Tedeum con todos los ministros y después encabezará una reunión de Gabinete
El PRO redobló las críticas contra La Libertad Avanza y elevó la tensión: «Cuando ellos estaban callados, nosotros combatíamos al kirchnerismo”
Victoria Villarruel volvió a diferenciarse del Gobierno y cuestionó la compra de un avión
Los bancarios lograron un nuevo aumento alineado con la inflación y el sueldo inicial marca otro récord
Santoro le pide celeridad la Corte por el financiamiento universitario: “A ver si nos podemos apurar un poquito”
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