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Received today — 5 May 2026 El País in English
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  • Strait of Hormuz fills up with loaded tankers without a clear destination Caio Mattos · Ignacio Fariza
    The energy world has been transformed over the past two months. The crude oil market has gone from a substantial surplus that forced the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to curb its own output to prevent prices from plummeting, to a critical situation: overnight, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, almost a fifth of global production has vanished. Nearly half of that amount has been offset, both by increased shipments through the few pipelines connecting the Persian
     

Strait of Hormuz fills up with loaded tankers without a clear destination

5 May 2026 at 10:41

The energy world has been transformed over the past two months. The crude oil market has gone from a substantial surplus that forced the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to curb its own output to prevent prices from plummeting, to a critical situation: overnight, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, almost a fifth of global production has vanished. Nearly half of that amount has been offset, both by increased shipments through the few pipelines connecting the Persian Gulf countries to the outside world and by the still-nascent production increases at fossil fuel giants outside the region. But the shortfall remains enormous.

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© Stringer (REUTERS)

A ship in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Omani's Musandam province, on April 12, 2026.

El Chapo managed to communicate with his sons from US maximum-security prison

5 May 2026 at 10:39

Not even the most secure U.S. prison could fully contain Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. His desire to send messages related to criminal activities to his sons, leaders of a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, ultimately overcame the strict restrictions imposed in his confinement in a Colorado maximum-security facility.

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Mexican army personnel in Culiacán, Sinaloa, on May 1, 2026.

© Reuters

Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán upon his arrival in the US in 2017.

Spanish man returns home after more than six months in ICE detention: ‘Your life slowly fades away’

5 May 2026 at 09:32
Miguel Barreno López, on Sunday at the Madrid airport.

Around 6:30 a.m. on October 28, Miguel Barreno López, a citizen of Spain, was driving to the Indian food factory where he worked near Carol Stream, a suburb of Chicago. He was with three other people, all Nicaraguans. Suddenly, a vehicle pulled up alongside them and forced them to stop. Barreno immediately sensed what was happening. “These aren’t police officers,” he thought to himself. They were agents of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the police-like units to which the administration of President Donald Trump has given free rein to pursue and detain undocumented immigrants. Thus began “a nightmare” from which he only began to see the end after reporting his situation in a phone call to EL PAÍS.

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Miguel Barreno López, on Sunday at Terminal 4 of Adolfo Suárez Airport.
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  • Asim Munir, the Pakistani field marshal negotiating peace between the US and Iran Guillermo Abril
    Donald Trump announced a new extension on social media on April 21, shortly before the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was set to expire. In his message, he named the key individuals who had worked to save the situation from collapse: “Upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”Seguir
     

Asim Munir, the Pakistani field marshal negotiating peace between the US and Iran

5 May 2026 at 08:44

Donald Trump announced a new extension on social media on April 21, shortly before the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was set to expire. In his message, he named the key individuals who had worked to save the situation from collapse: “Upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”

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© AP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, welcomes Asim Munir in Tehran, April 15.
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  • Over 1,000 beagles rescued from US research facility Jordi Alonso Martínez Yañez
    About 1,500 beagles bred for scientific experimentation are being removed from Ridglan Farms, a facility in Wisconsin that has been breeding dogs for laboratories for more than 60 years. The removal, which began this weekend, is the result of an agreement between rescue organizations and the company, amid protests, investigations into abuse, and a legal commitment that will require the company to cease operations by July 2026.Seguir leyendo
     

Over 1,000 beagles rescued from US research facility

4 May 2026 at 19:33
Protesters demand an end to animal testing.

About 1,500 beagles bred for scientific experimentation are being removed from Ridglan Farms, a facility in Wisconsin that has been breeding dogs for laboratories for more than 60 years. The removal, which began this weekend, is the result of an agreement between rescue organizations and the company, amid protests, investigations into abuse, and a legal commitment that will require the company to cease operations by July 2026.

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  • ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán requests extradition to Mexico from the United States Andrés Rodríguez
    Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, has sent another letter to Judge Brian Cogan requesting extradition to Mexico. According to the document, the once most-wanted man in the world insisted on receiving “equal treatment under the law” in his case and also requested to be tried in his home country on the pending charges against him. The drug lord has been serving a life sentence since 2019 for various drug trafficking offenses and has been incarcerated at the ADX Floren
     

‘El Chapo’ Guzmán requests extradition to Mexico from the United States

4 May 2026 at 18:45

Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, has sent another letter to Judge Brian Cogan requesting extradition to Mexico. According to the document, the once most-wanted man in the world insisted on receiving “equal treatment under the law” in his case and also requested to be tried in his home country on the pending charges against him. The drug lord has been serving a life sentence since 2019 for various drug trafficking offenses and has been incarcerated at the ADX Florence supermax federal prison in Colorado since then.

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© Miguel Tovar (Getty Images)

Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán during his arrest in Mexico City on January 8, 2016.
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  • Rosalía: ‘You need to be able to joke around and have a sense of humor in life’ Beatriz García
    Thirty-three-year-old Rosalía connects and her face appears on the screen. Focused on her Lux Tour, she reflects on the “honor” of being the face of Calvin Klein’s new perfume, Euphoria. The brand first launched its iconic fragrance in 2005. Back then, Natalia Vodianova was photographed by Steven Meisel, the great architect of the unmistakable visual stamp ‘Calvin’ and she became the perfume’s ambassador. Now Rosalía is taking over the role and she does it in her own unique way: she dances sensu
     

Rosalía: ‘You need to be able to joke around and have a sense of humor in life’

4 May 2026 at 15:54

Thirty-three-year-old Rosalía connects and her face appears on the screen. Focused on her Lux Tour, she reflects on the “honor” of being the face of Calvin Klein’s new perfume, Euphoria. The brand first launched its iconic fragrance in 2005. Back then, Natalia Vodianova was photographed by Steven Meisel, the great architect of the unmistakable visual stamp ‘Calvin’ and she became the perfume’s ambassador. Now Rosalía is taking over the role and she does it in her own unique way: she dances sensually in the spot, to the rhythm of her song Dios es un stalker.

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© Carlijn Jacobs / CORTESÍA DE CALVIN KLEIN

The singer Rosalía.

Ai Weiwei: ‘The Venice Biennale should not make value judgments about political positions. Otherwise, it’s censorship’

4 May 2026 at 15:34

If there is an artist with the credentials to speak about freedom of expression and censorship, it is Ai Weiwei. And his response to any kind of restriction — regardless of who is being targeted by attempts to silence a voice — is a firm no.

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© Lucky's Production / Fondazione Maxxi

Ai Weiwei poses at the MAXXI Museum in L'Aquila.

When the USSR won the race to the Moon, although they missed a note in ‘The Internationale’

4 May 2026 at 15:22

[Excerpt from the book Robots hacia la luna by science writer Rafael Clemente, in which he recounts in detail the incredible history of lunar exploration]

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© Sovfoto (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Replica of the Soviet lunar probe, 'Luna 9' on display, in 1966.

Hormuz, the island that gives its name to the strait, reacts to the blockade: ‘Everything has collapsed’

4 May 2026 at 15:01

The island of Hormuz is one of the few places in Iran where women wear burkas. Due to the island’s proximity to the Arab countries on the other side of the Persian Gulf, wearing this garment—which covers the entire face and is more common among Sunni Muslims than Shiites—is a deeply ingrained custom. However, instead of fabric, the burkas here are made of colorful masks in various shapes and sizes, adding a spectacular touch to this small volcanic island, rich in salts and minerals, which gives its name to the strait. The island’s unique character has allowed its inhabitants to make a living from tourism, supplementing their traditional source of income: fishing. But the blockade of the strait, a consequence of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, has placed the population of around 10,000 inhabitants on the front lines, plunging them into despair. Many have chosen to flee the area due to the collapse of their economy and the threat of attacks.

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© Stringer (REUTERS)

Iranian cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz last week.

The return of premature babies evacuated to Egypt from Gaza: ‘I will never forget that message saying my daughter was alive’

4 May 2026 at 14:09
Ibrahim Badr with his father in a displaced persons camp in Gaza City in April.

Ibrahim Badr runs, oblivious to the misery and uncertainty surrounding him, among the tents of displaced families set up in a courtyard of the Islamic University of Gaza City. He is two and a half years old and has an unmistakable Egyptian accent that reveals he learned to speak in the neighboring country, far from his entire family and Gaza.

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Sundus al-Kurd and her daughter Bissam, in Gaza City, in April 2026.Ibrahim Badr in his grandmother's arms, in Gaza City, in April 2026.

Martin Baron, winner of the 2026 Ortega y Gasset Journalism Prize: ‘I believe in citizens’ obligation to be informed and discern the truth’

4 May 2026 at 11:47
Martin Baron, winner of the Ortega y Gasset award, in his New York apartment.

Martin Baron, 71, retired from his position as editor of The Washington Post five years ago, but he still speaks about journalism in the first person plural with phrases like “we must do our job” or “this or that is our responsibility.”

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Martin Baron, former editor of 'The Washington Post', in New York this week.Martin Baron, winner of the 2026 Ortega y Gasset award, at his home in New York, on April 28.
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