Untouchable Putin just sailed a yacht through the strait – he’s laughing at Trump

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Vladimir Putin’s emboldened plays at sea have moved to the Middle East.

On Tuesday, the Nord, a 142-metre-long (465ft) Russian superyacht, cruised through the hotly contested Strait of Hormuz despite an ongoing blockade.

The ship’s casual passage through one of the most sensitive maritime chokepoints has sharpened questions about Western resolve and shown how brazen the Kremlin is in acting at sea.

Shorts – Quick stories Scroll to previous short Scroll to next short What social media ban for under-16s could look like Austrian man on trial for Taylor Swift concert terror plot Healthy life expectancy falls by two years in past decade The toys recalled after asbestos found in play sand Deal ‘within sight’ to end Birmingham bin strike 1 2 3 Caption: File photo dated 15/03/19 of social media sites on a mobile phone. Campaigners have warned lawmakers against “rushing into” a ban on social media for under-16s after it emerged the Government has carried out no internal modelling of its key impacts.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) revealed it has “not done any modelling or analysis” on the impact such measures would have in areas such as mental health, access to news and how young people might bypass any restrictions. Issue date: Sunday April 19, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Nicholas.T.Ansell/PA Wire

NEWS Under-16s face social media restrictions

Social media restrictions for children under 16 are set to be introduced by the Government. Peers voted in support of a total ban for a fourth time on Monday after MPs rejected the plans earlier this month.

With the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill at risk of running out of parliamentary time, the Government announced a commitment to introduce restrictions for under-16s. 1 2 3 The measures the Government is considering introducing A Government consultation is collating public views on a range of measures, which include: A minimum age for children to access social media – and what this age would be.

Design features that encourage excessive use such as infinite scrolling and autoplay.

Guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools on a statutory footing.

Better support for parents, including simpler parental controls. 1 2 3 Caption: PETERBOROUGH, UNITED KINGDOM – NOVEMBER 24: Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson talks with pupils during a visit to Welland Academy on November 24, 2025 in Peterborough, England. The Prime Minister is visiting the school in Cambridgeshire to highlight the importance of the Free School Meals program, and the government’s efforts to address the cost of living crisis. (Photo by Joe Giddens – WPA Pool / Getty Images)

It’s not a question of whether we take further action to protect young people, it’s the shape of that action, what that looks like Bridget Phillipson – Education Secretary Read more 1 2 3 WORLD Austrian man pleads guilty to Taylor Swift attack plot Caption: The defendant, an Austrian identified as Beran A, one of the men suspected of planning an attack on Taylor Swift’s Vienna concert in 2024, is escorted by security personnel during a break in a courtroom for his trial in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, April 28, 2026.REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

A 21-year-old Austrian man has pleaded guilty to plotting an attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in August 2024.

The jihadist plot was foiled by authorities at the 11th hour and led to the cancellation of Swift’s Eras Tour shows in Austria. 1 2 3 What do we know about the case? The defendant, identified only as Beran A, due to Austrian privacy laws, told the judge: “Yes” when asked if he pleaded guilty to the concert attack charges. He is accused of planning to target people outside and inside Vienna’s Ernst Happel stadium, using knives or homemade explosive devices.

He is also accused, alongside a Slovak national known only as Arda K, of plotting attacks in the Middle East that were not carried out.

Beran A is further accused of giving moral support to a man identified as Hasan E, who was arrested in connection with a knife attack in Mecca.

Other charges he faces relate to terrorism, including membership of a terrorist organisation.

He faces a 20-year jail sentence. 1 2 3 What did Swift say? Having our Vienna

shows cancelled was devastating… The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows Taylor swift writing on instagram

two weeks after the plot was foiled Caption: FILE – Taylor Swift performs during “The Eras Tour” at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Aug. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

1 2 3 4 Number of years Brits that can expect good

health is declining Over the past decade, the

amount of time we are expected

to remain healthy for has fallen

warning the country is “going backwards”. Caption: Deputy manager Kuldeep Singh speaks to an elderly resident at Applegarth Care Home, as the care sector braces for crisis over the British government’s plans to reduce migration numbers, in Maidenhead, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Read more 1 2 3 4 The story in numbers 73% The proportion of life a woman spends in good health declined from 77 per cent to 73 per cent between 2012 and 2014.

For men, it declined from 79 per cent to 77 per cent.

51 years In Blackpool, the healthy life expectancy (HLE) was just 51 years old for men.

Women in Hartlepool had the same shockingly low HLE. 1 2 3 4 British health is getting worse Unlike other comparable countries seeing steady improvement, the Health Foundation’s research found the British population’s health is poor and worsening.

In more than 90 per cent of the UK, the HLE was now lower than the state pension age, the study found. Caption: Deputy manager Kuldeep Singh holds the hand of an elderly resident at Applegarth Care Home, as the care sector braces for crisis over the British government’s plans to reduce migration numbers, in Maidenhead, Britain, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

LIFESTYLE At 68, my good health isn't down to expensive supplements – it's something more achievable 7 min read 1 2 3 4 Experts ring alarm bells These findings reveal a stark truth – the UK’s health is going backwards. The lights on the dashboard are flashing red. More people than ever before are living with chronic health conditions. Dr JENNIFER DIXON, HEALTH FOUNDATION’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE Caption: Maribel Ezcurra, 77, a retired milling machine mechanic, practices tai chi with fellow seniors in a park in the Playa neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

1 2 3 4 Why have so many children’s toys been recalled for asbestos? More than 30 children’s toys have been recalled from major UK retailers including M&S and Primark since the beginning of the year. Caption:

Photographer: Ciejek, Monika (Office for Produ

1 2 3 4 What you need to know Dozens of children’s sand-based toys have now been recalled over fears they may be contaminated with asbestos. Caption:

Caption: girl playing with purple sand

In January, Hobbycraft withdrew its Giant Box of Craft kits after a customer alerted it to asbestos traces in the bottles of sand. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) issued new guidance on the most reliable tests, which has led to an increase in contamination concerns. 1 2 3 4 Calls for further regulation The OPSS needs to take action and ensure proper checks are being carried out to keep dangerous products off the shelves. It should also examine whether toys containing asbestos are being sold on online marketplaces SUE DAVIES, HEAD OF CONSUMER PROTECTION POLICY AT WHICH? Caption:

1 2 3 4 Why is this so concerning? Dangerous exposure to asbestos fibres can cause cancer and a severe lung disease called asbestosis.

The importation of asbestos has been banned in the UK for decades, since its serious health risks were flagged.

Up until the 80s and 90s, it was widely used in insulation, car brakes and roofing.

So far, contamination fears have each been raised individually through independent testing by manufacturers and retailers.

Now, campaigners have called for a government-led testing effort to address the issue with sand-based kids’ toys. 1 2 3 strikes Deal ‘within sight’ to end Birmingham bin strike A cat rummaging through furniture and uncollected refuse bags in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham, amid an ongoing refuse workers’ strike in the city (Photo: Jacob King/PA Wire)

The council and union are close to striking a deal after a breakthrough in the bitter year-long dispute over jobs and pay. 1 2 3 Why are refuse workers on strike? Members of the Unite union walked out in a dispute over pay in March 2025. They argued council plans to remove a role in its waste recycling and collection service would lead to pay cuts. Caption: A cat rummages through furniture and uncollected refuse bags in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham, amid an ongoing refuse workers’ strike in the city. Nearly 400 council bin workers in Birmingham began indefinite strike action as part of a row over jobs and pay, with the Unite union saying the city council could end the dispute “by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay”. Picture date: Monday March 17, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jacob King/PA Wire

Refuse workers and supporters attend a mass picket and rally at a depot earlier this month (Photo: Guy Smallman/Getty Images) Rubbish piled high on the streets of Birmingham, causing frustrated residents to complain of rodents, strong smells and other health hazards. 1 2 3 An end is in sight Council leader John Cotton said he is hopeful the deal will be agreed.

“I want our workforce to be able to return to work and help us deliver the quality refuse and recycling services the people of this city deserve,” Cotton said. Furniture and uncollected refuse bags in Yardley, east Birmingham (Photo: Jacob King/PA Wire) NEWS Army experts called in to tackle Birmingham bin strike as stench of waste coats air 5 min read

The yacht, which has been linked to sanctioned Russian steel magnate Alexei Mordashov, successfully navigated the strait despite ongoing restrictions on shipping through the vital waterway during the US-Iran conflict.

Mordashov, who has close ties to Putin, is not listed as the formal owner of the Nord; however, shipping data indicates the yacht was registered to a Russian firm owned by his wife in 2022.

The United States and EU sanctioned the Russian billionaire following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The passage is significant. Russian-flagged Nord managed to clear the strait despite private vessels largely avoiding it because Iran has severely restricted traffic and Donald Trump announced US forces would impose a blockade on Iranian ports.

The ship’s roughly 400-mile journey from Dubai to Muscat in Oman has therefore exposed a selective enforcement of Trump’s blockade.

Emma Salisbury, a maritime security analyst, suggested that failure to intercept his yacht undermines the credibility of international sanctions.

“The Trump administration is being selective about what rules it enforces in the Gulf, to the benefit of Putin and his circle,” she said.

Since mid-April, Washington has imposed strict controls on shipping through the Gulf as part of its standoff with Iran. Traffic through the strait has dwindled from over 100 vessels a day to a fraction of that level. Against that backdrop, the sight of a $500m (£370m) luxury yacht gliding through restricted waters stands out.

While Russia is not directly involved in the Gulf standoff, its strategic alignment with Iran means Putin does have an interest in the conflict. The Russian President has publicly backed Tehran, praising its resilience and signalling that Russia would act in the region’s interests.

Vladimir Putin with Mordashov in 2006. The West and EU have sanctioned Mordashov since the start of the war in Ukraine (Photo: Alexander Nikolayev/AFP)

Iran has long been a partner of Russia during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sharing military supplies and technologies, such as attack drones.

The US has claimed its naval blockade can be lifted for vessels of its choice. It remains unclear how the Mordashov-linked yacht was able to pass freely through the heavily monitored corridor, or whether US naval forces chose not to act. But experts have suggested this may be an indication of back channels at work.

Lars Bergqvist, a former United Nations military observer, said the voyage was symbolic.

“Putin could show the world that he has a good relationship with Iran,” he said. “And Trump wouldn’t stop him either.”

Sanctions have been a key tool for retaliation or diplomatic pressure against both Russia and Iran. But sanctions depend on visible enforcement. When high-profile assets appear to slip through the net, with the indication of back-handed deals, the effectiveness of sanctions risks being diluted.

As tensions in the region continue to simmer and a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran disrupts normal shipping flows, a single yacht’s voyage through the strait tells a tale of power, privilege, and the selective enforcement of the White House.