Trump announces reforms to accelerate access to psychedelic drug treatments 18. April 2026 (17:03) President signed executive order directing FDA to expedite review of psychedelic drugs including ibogaineDonald Trump on Saturday announced reforms intended to speed up access to medical research and treatment based on psychedelic drugs.The president signed an executive order directing the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite review of drugs such as ibogaine, a drug that US military veteran groups have said can help treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ICE deported 174 Daca recipients through most of last year, agency head says in letter 18. April 2026 (16:00) So-called Dreamers – undocumented immigrants who arrived as children – were allowed to stay in US under Obama-era programFrom January through September 2025, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported 174 people that were renewing their protections from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) program, the head of the agency has said in a letter reviewed by the Guardian.The letter, written by ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, and sent to the Illinois congressional representative Delia Ramirez, also confirmed that a total of 270 Daca recipients were arrested during that same timeframe, or over the first nine months of Donald Trump’s second presidency. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Olly Robbins ‘thrown under bus’ by No 10, says ex-Foreign Office chief – UK politics live 18. April 2026 (15:05) 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...(The Guardian)
‘We can’t wait’: Venice already seeking floods plan B five years after barriers’ launch 18. April 2026 (15:00) Rising sea levels and ecological damage caused by heavy use of flood defence system force city authorities to consider next moveThe Arsenale, the colossal shipyard that was the engine of the Venetian Republic’s domination for seven centuries, remains the nucleus of the city’s control over the water. Its northern section is made up of cavernous brick warehouses called capannoni, which in the 16th century could produce a warship a day through a rigorously ordered assembly line.Now, one of them houses the operations centre of the Mose, the sprawling flood defence system that protects the city. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump’s antipathy for Pope may have roots in childhood Protestant church 18. April 2026 (15:00) Manhattan church led by Norman Vincent Peale was known for opposing presidency of JFK – and Catholics in generalDonald Trump’s attacks this week on Pope Leo, for his criticism of the US attack on Iran and the US president’s decision to post an image of himself as Jesus Christ on social media, make a good deal more sense considering Trump attended services as a young man at the Protestant Marble Collegiate church in Manhattan, which was led at the time by an anti-Catholic pastor.That church’s pastor in Trump’s youth, Norman Vincent Peale, who would later officiate at Trump’s first wedding, is best-known today as the author of the Christian self-help book The Power of Positive Thinking, but when Trump was 14, Peale made national headlines as the leader of a group of Protestant churchmen who loudly objected to the presidential candidacy of John F Kennedy, on the grounds that he was a Catholic. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran closes strait of Hormuz again ‘until US lifts blockade’ 18. April 2026 (14:47) 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...(The Guardian)
‘Whatever life throws at us, we don’t walk alone’: how a London synagogue attack birthed an act of solidarity 18. April 2026 (14:29) After the attempted arson attack on a London synagogue, communities remain determined that ‘building higher walls’ will not stem rising tide of antisemitism“How good and how wonderful it is when friends sit together,” reads a quote from the Psalms painted high on the wall inside Finchley Reform Synagogue (FRS). For the congregation gathering in a cheerful hubbub before its Shabbat service on Friday evening, that felt like an especially apt sentiment.Three days after the synagogue was the victim of an attempted firebombing, hundreds of members made an extra effort to get together in determined if slightly nervy solidarity, joined by guests including local politicians, other faith leaders, police officers – and one particularly special group of neighbours. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fourth suspect in London arson attack on Jewish ambulances remanded in custody 18. April 2026 (14:21) Judex Atshatshi, 18, appears in court over what prosecutors say they believe was targeted attack on Jewish communityA fourth suspect charged after four Jewish community ambulances were torched in north-west London has been remanded in custody.Judex Atshatshi, 18, a British national from Dagenham, east London, appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Saturday, charged with arson with intent to damage property and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Counter-terror police investigate arson attack in north-west London 18. April 2026 (14:05) Met describe ‘similarities’ with other recent attacks after business in Hendon was targeted on FridayCounter-terrorism police are leading an investigation into an arson attack on a business in Hendon, north-west London.The force said that, while it was not yet being linked to arson attacks on a nearby synagogue and Jewish ambulance charity, counter-terrorism officers were being deployed owing to “similarities” between the incidents. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Survivors of alleged sexual abuse by former owner of Harrods want enablers to face justice 18. April 2026 (14:00) Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors group claim there are ‘dozens of individuals who must be held to account’A group of 50 survivors of alleged sexual abuse by Harrods’ former owner Mohamed Al Fayed are calling for “meaningful consequences” for those who they claim facilitated and ignored the abuse.“If they think the money is the important factor they are so far off the mark,” said Jen Mills, a member of the Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors group. They claim there are “dozens of individuals who must be held to account”, from a range of eras. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
