Daily Archives: 17. April 2026


17.04.2026 - 21:39 [ CBS News ]

We took a boat into the Strait of Hormuz. Here‘s what we saw.

That is where we met Sharif. His real name is not being used. Sharif is from Egypt and has spent decades working along this coastline. In normal times, he told us, tourists would be lining up for him to take them on trips out to sea. Now, there was almost no one.

After some negotiating, he agreed to take us. We paid $120 for two hours.

His boat was a traditional dhow: wooden, worn, painted brown. The kind that has been used in these waters for generations. Inside, embroidered cushions lined the seats.

We climbed aboard…

17.04.2026 - 21:27 [ YourParty.uk ]

Independent candidates Supported by Your Party

Your Party is proud to support the community and independent candidates across the country in the upcoming elections. Electing these members of your community is the first step in building a real alternative, a politics rooted in and accountable to our communities, not billionaires and the professional political class. Together, we will campaign against cuts, stand up for public services and council housing and advocate for full divestment from Israeli apartheid.

These local elections are a huge opportunity to elect socialist councillors, build our bases and make change happen – please support and vote for them on May 7th!

17.04.2026 - 20:56 [ theGuardian.com ]

After the latest Mandelson revelations, Starmer needs to get a good lawyer. Wasn’t he supposed to be one?

During the opposition years, his defenders countered that a stolid technocrat was exactly what the country needed. They sold the former head of the Crown Prosecution Service as the polar opposite of Boris Johnson, who was driven from Downing Street in part by Starmer’s own forensic questioning. If only Starmer had lived up to the billing of his detractors, reluctantly conceded by his allies, he wouldn’t be in the hole he finds himself this weekend.

Instead, he now has to rely on a defence that is lawyerly in the worst sense of that word. To have knowingly misled parliament is, in political terms, a capital crime. So the PM has to proceed on two tracks, one for “knowingly” the other for “misled”.

17.04.2026 - 20:38 [ BBC ]

Starmer sacks top Foreign Office official after Mandelson vetting revelations

The BBC understands Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper lost confidence in Sir Olly Robbins and was effectively sacked after a Guardian investigation revealed Mandelson had not been security cleared.

The PM is facing calls to resign amid claims he misled MPs when he told them „full due process“ had been followed.

Senior minister Darren Jones said Sir Keir had not been told of the vetting recommendation until Tuesday this week, had not misled MPs and would not be resigning.

17.04.2026 - 20:21 [ UnioneSarda.it ]

Epstein-Fall, neue hochrangige Rücktritte in England. Starmer unter Druck: „Er sollte zurücktreten.“

(April 16, 2026)

„Es ist unverzeihlich, dass kein Minister, nicht einmal Downing Street, informiert wurde“, kommentierte Premierminister Keir Starmer. Doch Starmer selbst geriet ins Visier der Opposition, die seinen Rücktritt fordert. Der Chef von Downing Street scheint jedoch nicht zurücktreten zu wollen. „Er wird nicht zurücktreten“, versicherte Starmers engster Vertrauter, Darren Jones.

17.04.2026 - 20:13 [ theGuardian.com ]

Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision

(Thu 16 Apr 2026 19.16 CEST)

In September, in a letter co-signed with foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, Robbins told MPs that “conducted to the usual standard set for developed vetting.

The Guardian understands that Robbins was told he had to resign after Starmer and Cooper lost confidence in the civil servant.

Mandelson’s failure to secure vetting approval has not previously been publicly revealed, despite intense scrutiny over his appointment and the release by the government of 147 pages of documents supposed to shed light on the case.

17.04.2026 - 19:51 [ Global Sumud Flotilla ]

Global Sumud Flotilla Confirms Programme Details and Media Access in Advance of Sicily Launch

Barcelona / Brussels / Rome / Sicily – As the first boats set sail from Barcelona heading east, accompanied by Open Arms and Greenpeace‘s Arctic Sunrise, a week of mobilisations begins both inside and beyond Italy. Public events, press conferences, institutional meetings, cultural initiatives and more will take place in Augusta, Catania, Castellammare del Golfo, Siracusa and Rome (Italy), as well as in Brussels (Belgium). At every stage, new boats and new participants from around the world will join the mission.

These events will take place against a backdrop of rising political tensions in Italy and Europe, as the international diplomatic landscape shifts amid mounting political pressure, parliamentary questions, and the recent decisions of the Italian government regarding military cooperation with the Israeli regime.

In this context, every port the flotilla passes through brings with it visibility, participation and political consequences, as the flotilla enters the next phase leaving Italy from Siracusa on April 24.

Follow the vessels‘ movements on the Flotilla Tracker.

17.04.2026 - 19:31 [ Mediapart.fr ]

Garde à vue de Rima Hassan : comment des policiers ont pisté l’eurodéputée

Visée par une enquête pour apologie de terrorisme ouverte le 27 mars 2026, la députée européenne LFI a fait face à une débauche de moyens policiers. Sa ligne téléphonique a été tracée pour consigner tous ses déplacements depuis le 1er janvier. « Il n’existe aucune justification à ces mesures », s’indigne son avocat.

17.04.2026 - 19:28 [ Middle East Monitor ]

France under fire over alleged surveillance of pro-Palestine MEP

Hassan had been under surveillance since January 2026, with authorities reportedly geolocating her phone and closely tracking her movements and daily schedule, reported Mediapart, a French investigative online newspaper.

Opposition lawmakers have condemned the alleged surveillance as a “state scandal.”

Antoine Leaument, a lawmaker from the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), called on Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin to provide an immediate explanation regarding the claims.

17.04.2026 - 19:21 [ Mediapart.fr ]

Questions persist over prosecution of radical-left French MEP Rima Hassan for ‚condoning terrorism‘

(April 4, 2026)

On Thursday, expressions of support came almost entirely from LFI and the far-left. For the anti-capitalist NPA, Olivier Besancenot expressed his “solidarity with Rima Hassan” on X, as did Nathalie Arthaud, the spokesperson for the Trotskyist Lutte ouvrière (LO).

Two former LFI members, Alexis Corbière and Clémentine Autain, also spoke out. “A member of the European Parliament placed in police custody for a retweet? Freedom of expression applied selectively is not the Republic,” said the latter. “The disproportionate repression of expressions of support for Palestine is clear, it must stop,” wrote the former.

On Friday, a handful of elected representatives from other parties began to join the chorus of criticism, including the communist MP Elsa Faucillon, who deplored a “relentless campaign revealing the mobilisation of the state apparatus against any solidarity with Palestine” and the Green MP Benjamin Lucas, who denounced “double standards”. Another Green MP, Sandrine Rousseau, expressed her “support” for Rima Hassan.

More surprisingly, the socialist MEP Chloé Ridel, a close ally of the Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure, also commented: “Everything about the police custody imposed on the European Member of Parliament Rima Hassan is disproportionate and violates her parliamentary immunity, whatever our disagreements. Was Louis Sarkozy [editor‘s note, son of former president Nicolas Sarkozy and a political commentator] placed in custody when he said about Palestinians ‘let them all die’?”

17.04.2026 - 18:34 [ Jeremy Scahill / Drop Site News ]

Exclusive: Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Al-Moussawi Says “We Will Be Respecting the Ceasefire”

Al-Moussawi’s statement that this ceasefire is based on the original Iranian deal reached with the U.S. contradicts claims by Trump and Netanyahu that Lebanon would not be included, and by the U.S. State Department that the Lebanon ceasefire be a wholly separate deal.

„They went back to the same ceasefire agreement that has been reached to in Islamabad by the Iranian initiative,” Al-Moussawi told Drop Site. „We will be respecting the ceasefire and we will deal with it cautiously, actually. And the Israelis have to abide by it completely, comprehensively in all of the Lebanese territories, including the areas bordering Palestine. And it should include total cessation of the hostilities and restraint to the movement of the Israelis to stop their assassinations. And it should hopefully be a beginning of a course of the Israeli withdrawal from our occupied territories.“

17.04.2026 - 18:30 [ Drop Site News ]

Rep. Angie Craig‘s Campaign Is Quietly Distancing the Minnesota Senate Hopeful From AIPAC

As the Minnesota Democratic primary to succeed the retiring Sen. Tina Smith in the United States Senate heats up, Rep. Angie Craig is privately distancing herself from AIPAC. While courting the crucial endorsement of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party, Craig’s campaign staffers have told DFL delegates that the pro-Israel lobby is not funding her candidacy, according to messages obtained by Drop Site News. AIPAC has held at least a dozen fundraisers for Craig, however, over the course of the past year.

Craig’s behind-the-scenes communications are an indication of AIPAC’s growing toxicity in primary races as it advocates blanket U.S. support for a state committing an unpopular and brutal genocide in Gaza. In two recent races, AIPAC’s millions in support, once firmly understood as a moniker of credibility with the DC political class and financial protection from grassroots-funded challengers, has proven it can do more harm than good.

17.04.2026 - 18:03 [ Common Dreams ]

In Dead of Night, Johnson Tries—But Fails—to Ram Through Domestic Spying Bill for Trump

In the 228-197 final vote, a total of four Democrats—Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Thomas R. Suozzi of New York—joined with all but 25 Republicans who voted to pass a 10-day extension. Twenty GOP members voted against it, while five did not vote.

Ahead of the votes—including on separate versions asking for a 5-year and then 18-month extensions of Section 702—opponents of any clean extension, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), said anyone opposed to warrantless spying on Americans must vote no.

17.04.2026 - 17:43 [ Bangor Daily News ]

Jared Golden: I won’t seek reelection. Here’s why.

(November 5, 2026)

With that in mind, my calculus is straightforward: I know that if I were to continue my campaign, I would prevail. My record of winning the most challenging district held by any Democrat — of outperforming the top and bottom of the ticket four times — speaks for itself. Regardless of what angry partisan commentators may say, I retain the trust of the coalition of Democrats, independents and Republicans that has repeatedly defied the trends of political polarization by electing me.

I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning. Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son.

17.04.2026 - 17:37 [ MainePublic.org ]

Rep. Golden casts pivotal vote against resolution limiting Trump‘s war powers in Iran

In a statement, the Marine Corps veteran said the U.S. and Iran are currently negotiating „over critical questions of national security and international order“ during a tenuous ceasefire.

„I believe we must maintain a strong negotiation position over Iran’s nuclear program, freedom of movement in the international waters at the Strait of Hormuz, and how to achieve a durable peace between our two nations,“ said Golden, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. „At this moment, a resolution like this would weaken our hand.“

17.04.2026 - 17:32 [ Antiwar.com ]

House Narrowly Defeats Iran War Powers Resolution as Thousands More US Troops Head to Middle East

The bill failed in a vote of 213-214, with just one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (ME), joining Republicans to kill the legislation. Only one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), voted in favor, while Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), who supported a previous War Powers Resolution, voted “present.” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who previously suggested she might support the bill, didn’t vote.

17.04.2026 - 17:12 [ CNN ]

Oil drops 11%, Dow soars 900 points after Iran says Strait of Hormuz is ‘completely open’ during ceasefire

Oil prices dropped sharply and US stocks surged Friday after the Iranian foreign minister said the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely open” for commercial transit during the remainder of the ceasefire.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell 11.2%, to just below $88.25 per barrel. WTI, the US benchmark, sank 10.9% to $81.20 per barrel. Oil prices traded at their lowest levels in five weeks.

17.04.2026 - 17:03 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Merz begrüßt Öffnung der Straße von Hormus

Nach der Öffnung der Straße von Hormus durch Iran hat Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz von einer „guten Nachricht“ gesprochen. Zugleich forderte er eine dauerhafte und zuverlässige Freigabe der Meerenge.

Durchfahrten müssten „in vollkommener Übereinstimmung mit dem internationalen Seerecht“ möglich sein, sagte Merz in Paris. Es dürfe keinerlei Einschränkungen geben. Die Freigabe der Straße von Hormus gilt laut Iran für die Dauer der Waffenruhe im Libanon, die nach jetzigem Stand am 26. April ausläuft.

17.04.2026 - 16:36 [ PressTV.ir ]

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic following Lebanon ceasefire

The reopening of the vital waterway was confirmed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who emphasized that maritime operations would safely resume under Iranian oversight.

„In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran,“ Araghchi stated.

The Strait had been effectively blocked to vessels affiliated with adversaries and those cooperating with them, a strategic maneuver by Tehran aimed at maintaining security in the waterway during unrelenting US-Israeli aggression that began on February 28.

17.04.2026 - 16:33 [ Daily Pakistan ]

Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz following Lebanon ceasefire agreement

Iran has announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the ceasefire in Lebanon.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on social media that in light of the Lebanon ceasefire, all commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be fully allowed for the remaining duration of the truce.

17.04.2026 - 16:30 [ CNN ]

Iran War Live Updates: Iran Declares Strait ‘Open’ After Lebanon Deal, but Trump Says U.S. Blockade Continues

What We’re Covering Today

Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s foreign minister said on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open” for all commercial ships after the cease-fire in Lebanon, but President Trump said a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would continue until negotiations with Tehran over a peace deal are “complete.” Read more ›

Negotiations: Mr. Trump said Thursday that in-person U.S.-Iran talks could occur this weekend, though there were few signs of an immediate breakthrough. Read more ›