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Apr 18, 2026 - World

Sir Simon McDonald said No 10 ‘wanted a scalp’ but removal of Robbins from Foreign Office felt ‘wrong’Keir Starmer faces ‘judgment day’Five unanswered questionsOn Friday the Cabinet Office released a template page from the summary document produced by UKSV after Mandelson’s vetting. The document would be used by a vetting officer to summarise their findings.It lists three rankings for possible “overall concern”: low, medium and high. In the next box, there is a space for a vetting officer to list the outcome of the assessment with their “overall decision or recommendation”. Again, there are three options: clearance approved, clearance approved “with risk management” or clearance denied.If it [the vetting process] did amount to failure then that fact, that ultimate conclusion would have to be conveyed to the political level, but the fact that it was not indicates to me that the fact was rather more complicated than No 10 would wish to present. Continue reading...

Apr 18, 2026 - World

Average tax refunds are up only about $350, or 11%, over last year, according to the Treasury Department. That's far lower than the original projections of nearly $1,000.

Apr 18, 2026 - World

Iranian military’s command says the strait has ‘reverted to its previous state’; Macron confirms death of French UN peacekeeper Separate to the Pakistani army chief’s trip to Iran (see post at 07:53), the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and foreign minister Ishaq Dar also concluded a trip to the Middle East after visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey for talks.“We have just concluded the last leg of our engagements following productive and fruitful visits … where we held meaningful bilateral discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation across key areas,” Dar said on X. Continue reading...

Apr 18, 2026 - World

IRGC reportedly fires on tanker as it tries to pass through strait after brief window when strait had reopened• Middle East crisis – live updatesIranian officials say they have reversed the reopening of the strait of Hormuz and reimposed restrictions on the vital shipping lane after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iranian ports.A UK maritime agency reported that Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) ships had fired at a tanker as it attempted to pass through the strait on Saturday. Continue reading...

Apr 18, 2026 - World

The US Navy said that both ships have adequate food supplies and are providing 'healthy options' to all crew members.