Chief-Exec.com

China says US blockade of Iran ports 'dangerous and irresponsible'
China said on Tuesday that a US blockade around Iranian ports was "dangerous and irresponsible", after US President Donald Trump threatened to sink any boats that sought to leave or dock there. Earlier, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah urged Lebanon to pull out of direct talks with Israel set to take place in Washington, the first such talks in decades. France 24, April 14

China-linked tanker challenges US blockade of Strait of Hormuz
A Chinese-linked tanker appeared to be following the Elpis, the first vessel to challenge the US blockade, on Tuesday. The Rich Starry announced it had a Chinese owner and crew, setting up a major dilemma for President Trump as he tries to enforce the blockade. He will not want to anger President Xi directly: he is due to visit Beijing next month for a high-profile and delayed summit. The Rich Starry was most recently at anchor in the United Arab Emirates and was listed as heading to Sohar in Oman. Its owner, Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd, is also under US sanctions … The Comoros-flagged oil tanker, the Elpis, became the first vessel to challenge the new US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The Elpis sailed through the strait on Monday evening after leaving the Iranian port of Bushehr. It then apparently stopped in the Gulf of Oman. The Times, April 14

Starmer accused of ‘corrosive complacency’ on UK defence by former Nato chief
Britain’s leaders have shown a “corrosive complacency” towards defence, putting the country “in peril” while it is “under attack”, a key government adviser has warned, in a stinging rebuke of Sir Keir Starmer’s military policy. Lord George Robertson, former Nato secretary-general and author of the government’s strategic defence review, told the FT that there was a gap between the prime minister’s rhetoric and action on defence - saying Starmer was “not willing to make the necessary investment”. The former Labour defence secretary will use a lecture in Salisbury on Tuesday to warn that the Iran war “has to be a rude wake-up call”. He will accuse “non-military experts in the Treasury” of “vandalism”, adding: “We cannot defend Britain with an ever-expanding welfare budget.” Financial Times, April 13

Mark Carney secures majority government in Canada after special election win
The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has secured a parliamentary majority for his Liberal government, CBC News reported. The victory will help him push through a legislative agenda he says is needed for an increasingly divided geopolitical world. Three special elections were held on Monday in Ontario and Quebec, with two in districts - known as ridings - that have long voted Liberal. The party has secured the riding of University-Rosedale, CBC News said. The results of the other two elections were still being counted. The win takes Carney’s Liberals to 172 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons. The University-Rosedale seat was previously held by the former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, who resigned after being appointed economic development adviser in Ukraine. Carney has said a majority would help him deal more effectively with the trade war with the US started by Donald Trump. Andrew McDougall, an assistant professor in Canadian politics at the University of Toronto, said: “He will be able to pass legislation without having to go to the opposition to secure enough votes.” The Guardian, April 14

OpenAI investors question $852bn valuation as strategy shifts
OpenAI’s $852bn valuation is under increasing scrutiny from its own backers as the group switches focus to the enterprise market and tackling competition from Anthropic. A recent flurry of deals, initiatives and abandoned projects is designed to reorient the company around a new strategy: defend ChatGPT’s dominance among consumers, while taking on Anthropic in the higher-margin market for corporate AI tools. Some OpenAI investors told the FT the changes could leave it vulnerable to Anthropic and a resurgent Google, while preparing for a blockbuster initial public offering as early as this year. Financial Times, April 14

Italian PM condemns ally Trump over 'unacceptable' Pope criticism
Donald Trump's remarks about Pope Leo XIV were "unacceptable", Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said. The US president accused the pontiff of being "WEAK on Crime and terrible for Foreign Policy" in a long Truth Social post, later telling reporters he was "not a big fan". "The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn every form of war," Meloni said in a statement. Meloni, who is a Catholic and heads a right-wing coalition government, is a close ally of Trump and had so far been reluctant to condemn the US president's harsh criticism of Pope Leo. BBC news, April 13

Hungary ousts Orban as Magyar's party wins supermajority in parliament
Hungarian voters on Sunday ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orban after 16 years in power, rejecting the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement that he embodied in favour of a pro-European challenger in a bombshell election result with global repercussions. It was a stunning blow for Orban - a close ally of both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin - who quickly conceded defeat after what he called a "painful" election result. US Vice President JD Vance had made a visit to Hungary just days earlier, meant to help push Orban over the finish line. Election victor Peter Magyar, a former Orban loyalist who campaigned against corruption and on everyday issues like health care and public transport, has pledged to rebuild Hungary's relationships with the European Union and NATO - ties that frayed under Orban. European leaders quickly congratulated Magyar. His victory was expected to transform political dynamics within the EU, where Orban had upended the bloc by frequently vetoing key decisions, prompting concerns he sought to break it up from the inside. France 24, April 13

Trump announces naval blockade of Strait of Hormuz as Iran peace talks fail
Donald Trump said the US would launch a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the failure of negotiators to reach a deal with Iranian officials in marathon talks in Pakistan over the weekend. “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday morning. Trump also said he had asked the US Navy to “interdict” any ship that had paid a toll to Iran for passage through the strategic waterway for oil and gas shipments - meaning the vessels are at risk of being seized by the American military. “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” Trump wrote. The US Central Command said American forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports from 10am eastern time on Monday. Financial Times, April 12

Britain will not join US blockade of Strait
The prime minister has ruled out joining the US blockade of the Strait of Hurmuz. Sir Keir Starmer insisted the UK would not be “dragged into the war” and reiterated that his priority was the reopening of the vital shipping lane. He said: “All the time the strait is shut or not free for navigation in the way it should be, that means that oil and gas is not getting to market. That means the price is going up. That means everybody listening to this is facing higher energy bills. And I don’t want that to happen.” The prime minister said he was “very concerned” about the impact of the war on the cost of living. “The increased costs are largely because of Iran’s actions in closing or partially closing the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. The Times, April 13

Britain could adopt single market rules without MPs’ vote as part of UK-EU reset
Ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote. In a major development in the prime minister’s push for closer ties with the continent after the Iran war, the Guardian understands ministers are bracing to face down opposition to “dynamic alignment” with the EU from those who “scream treason” over the powers in a new EU-UK reset bill. After weeks of Donald Trump’s war with Iran that have exposed the fragility of the UK’s damaged special relationship with the US, ministers argue the move will add billions to the UK economy, help temper the cost of the conflict and boost sluggish productivity. A new bill, which will bring into force the food and drink trade deal with the EU, will contain powers enabling the government to dynamically align with Europe on areas where it has already made agreements. But it will also allow the UK to quickly implement evolving single market rules if it determines it is in the national interest, without having to face full parliamentary scrutiny each time. The Guardian, April 12

Donald Trump lashes out at Pope Leo on social media for criticism of Iran war
Donald Trump has accused Pope Leo of being “weak” on crime and “terrible” for foreign policy, in a scathing attack that underlines the rising tensions between the US president and the head of the Catholic Church. In a Truth Social post late on Sunday, Trump said Pope Leo, the first US-born pontiff, should stop “catering to the Radical Left and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician”. “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump posted. “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do.” Pope Leo has been outspoken in his criticism of the US-Israeli war against Iran, describing Trump’s threat last week to wipe out Iranian civilisation as “truly unacceptable”. At a worldwide peace vigil at St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Saturday, the pope warned of a “delusion of omnipotence” that is “becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive”. Although he did not mention the war in Iran directly, his remarks were interpreted as some of his most critical of the US president. Financial Times, April 13

Tice £91,000 tax row is 'minor administrative error', party claims
A row over tax paid by Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice's property company was "a minor administrative error", his party has claimed. The company, which Tice founded and owned, failed to pay £91,000 in tax before dividends were paid to him and his offshore trust, according to the Sunday Times. Tice has called the failure a "technicality" and said "overall HMRC received the correct amount of tax due". Labour has called the row "a major scandal which goes to the heart of Richard Tice's integrity and credibility". A HM Revenue and Customs spokesperson said: "We neither confirm nor deny investigations and we cannot comment on identifiable individuals." Tice's company, Quidnet REIT Limited, invests in property. The Sunday Times reported that it "did not pay a required 20 per cent levy on [its] dividends … before channelling profits to Tice and his trust registered in Jersey". Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesperson conceded that this was "a minor administrative error" but told Sky News it was a "non-story". BBC news, April 12