Flagship

Artemis II heads for moon orbit

Four astronauts launched from Cape Canaveral in humanity’s first crewed mission to the moon since 1972. Artemis II blasted off at 6:35 pm local time, its huge Space Launch System rocket carrying the capsule Orion into orbit. Orion will fire its own engines today and reach lunar orbit in four days, which could take the crew further from Earth than any human has ever traveled. The astronauts will not land on the moon, but NASA plans to do so with Artemis IV in 2028; the eventual goal is for a permanent base there. The timeline is tight: the US is in a modern-day space race with China, which aims to send its own taikonauts to the moon by 2030.

Trump digs in on Iran war

US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages” in an address to the nation, while adding the war would be over within three weeks. The apparently contradictory statements did not reassure investors — oil prices jumped and stocks fell after his speech. One India-focused fund manager argued in a post that Trump’s head-spinning remarks had driven him to instead consider underlying indicators, including ship-insurance premiums, the differential between benchmark crude and certain contracts’ pricing, and the number of vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz: “Everything else is noise.” The US energy secretary followed Trump’s address by saying the disruption to markets was “temporary,” but US consumers have seen prices at the pump rise 37% already.

Global ministers meet on Hormuz

The UK will today host a meeting of more than 30 global foreign ministers to discuss a diplomatic solution to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused allies of doing little to restore access to the waterway, while recently upping pressure for them to take it by force if necessary — a possibility which the UAE is reportedly considering. European nations, much more exposed to external energy shocks than the US and reluctant to get involved in the conflict, are pushing for diplomatic solutions, drawing Trump’s ire. Meanwhile, the strait’s closure has prompted some Gulf oil producers to consider building new pipelines to bypass the chokepoint, even if such projects could take years.

Energy shocks slam African nations

Soaring fuel prices across much of Africa are threatening a resurgence of inflation, just as many countries managed to contain rising prices. Though oil and gas production have jumped on the continent in recent decades, most countries still import the majority of their refined fuels, leaving them vulnerable to external shocks. Some nations have pushed for energy independence — Nigeria recently unveiled a refinery that could become the world’s biggest — but the effort may take years. So in the short term, many have opted to ration energy, despite that choice risking its own devastating outcomes: The oil price shock could “trigger sharp and persistent employment losses” in crude-importing nations, a recent IMF report said.

Iran war hits helium exports

The war in Iran is choking supplies of helium, vital for technologies from AI chatbots to MRI scanners. The gas is the second-most abundant substance in the universe, but rare on Earth; it is so light that it escapes into space easily, and is only produced here by radioactive decay. Supercooled liquid helium allows superconducting magnets — such as in MRIs — to work, and maintains stable temperatures for chipmaking; it has few natural substitutes. Much of what does exist comes from gas fields in the Gulf, and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to Qatari infrastructure have cut exports. Prices have already risen and some producers are unable to fulfill orders, The Wall Street Journal reported.

China seeks Iran peacemaker role

China’s involvement in a Middle East peace proposal alongside Pakistan points to Beijing’s growing geopolitical ambition — as well as limits of that ambition, analysts said. The countries’ five-point plan calls for a ceasefire and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Though China can bear the brunt of the short-term supply disruptions sparked by the Iran war, its huge fossil fuel imports leave it vulnerable, and in favor of a quick resolution, Trivium analysts noted, while Tehran has repeatedly indicated it wants Beijing involved in ceasefire talks. But “Beijing is unlikely to offer security guarantees or shoulder the burden of implementation,” and its ties to Tehran “may give it leverage, but they also invite suspicion,” a Bloomberg columnist said.

Iran war’s impact on Ukraine conflict

The Iran war and the consequent global surge in energy prices is having a ripple effect on the war in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw aid for Kyiv unless European allies helped reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times said; the move led some nations to offer “appropriate efforts.” The Kremlin is reportedly backing Tehran with satellite targeting, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a long Gulf war benefits Russia, as rising energy prices replenish Moscow’s coffers. On the other hand, Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure have severely limited Moscow’s exports, further raising global prices. Zelenskyy offered a pause in attacks on facilities and an Easter ceasefire; Russia launched 172 drones on Ukraine overnight.

At the end of her tenure as CEO of GSK, Dame Emma Walmsley is clear-eyed about what the job required. On this week’s episode of The CEO Signal, co-hosts Penny Pritzker and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson spoke with Walmsley late last year, just as she was preparing to step down as CEO of GSK after planning her own succession.

After more than a decade leading one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies through significant change, reshaping its strategy and structure, and navigating activist campaigns, she reflects on what the job actually demands and how that understanding evolves over time.

Hear what she has to say and more on The CEO Signal — watch the full conversation now.

Shell eyes Venezuela gas investment

Energy giant Shell is in talks with Venezuela to develop gas fields off the country’s coast, the latest sign of increased investor appetite in the country. Venezuela’s oil production remains far below its 1990s peak despite having the world’s biggest crude reserves. Still, investors are feeling bullish as the country begins to show some signs of stability. Oil exports have jumped since Washington ousted its former president in January and lifted restrictions on the sector, reeling from years of mismanagement and underinvestment. “The recovery in Venezuela won’t happen in a year or two. It could take a while,” a Colombian investor told The Wall Street Journal. “So it’s an opportune time.”

Hungary’s electoral transparency tested

Hungary goes to the polls next week, with the country deeply doubtful over the trustworthiness of the electoral process. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is seeking a fifth consecutive term, but a majority of voters believe the elections will be dishonest. Whereas people in most countries rank the economy as their most pressing domestic issue, in Hungary it is politics and the government, Gallup research found. Orbán has aligned himself with the Kremlin — reports this week said his foreign minister tried to ease EU sanctions for Moscow’s benefit — but Hungarians generally lean toward Europe rather than Russia. His party trails in the polls, but a cowed media and gerrymandered constituencies “tilt the playing field heavily in his favor,” Politico reported.

India embarks on yearlong census

India began a yearlong effort to count the world’s (presumably) largest population. A 2011 headcount recorded 1.21 billion. COVID-19 delayed the 2021 edition, but estimates now place the figure at 1.47 billion. That probably isn’t too far off the mark, but any errors could starkly affect parliamentary seat allocations if redrawn. Those changes will likely be greater this time, given the 15-year gap and the move to a digital census system; only about half of Indians have access to smartphones, requiring a huge logistical effort in which three million people will be enlisted in the count. This census is also particularly controversial, including questions on respondents’ caste for the first time in nearly a century.

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• France’s president arrived in Seoul for talks with his South Korean counterpart, following a visit to Tokyo.
• Britain publishes preliminary data on its 2025 greenhouse gas emissions.
• Worshippers dressed as skeletons perform the “Dance of Death” during a Holy Week procession in Verges, Spain.

In Minor Keys at the Venice Biennale 2026. Cameroon-born curator Koyo Kouoh died last summer as she was putting together this main exhibition of the 61st Biennale; it will host 111 participants, including individual artists and collectives. Kouoh promised “a radical reconnection with art’s natural habitat and role in society.” Plan your visit here.