UR MAG

By Tuvan Gumrukcu

ANTALYA, April 18 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Saturday the Strait of Hormuz had yet to ‌return to normal operations despite a ceasefire in the Iran ‌war, urging Tehran to allow global shipping to fully resume.

"We are at a critical ​diplomatic moment with a ceasefire now in place ... but we don't yet have normal passage through the strait," Cooper told Reuters on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Antalya.

A convoy of tankers was crossing the strait ‌on Saturday, the first major ⁠movement of ships in the crucial waterway since the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran on ⁠February 28.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Saturday that Tehran had agreed to "the managed passage of a limited number of oil tankers and commercial ​vessels through ​the Strait of Hormuz". It added ​that the strait will remain ‌under strict Iranian control if the U.S. does not ensure full freedom of navigation for vessels travelling from and to Iran.

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Cooper said the U.S.-Iran truce needed to develop into a lasting peace, adding that restoring shipping through the waterway was urgent for the global economy.

"We need the Strait ‌of Hormuz open ... because this helps all ​of our economies right across the world ​that are currently being held ​hostage," she said.

Cooper said more than 50 countries had ‌backed efforts to support freedom of ​navigation, with over ​a dozen prepared to provide maritime support, including demining and reassurance for shipping, once the conflict ends.

She said there was still “considerable work ​to do” to ‌turn the ceasefire into an enduring settlement and urged all sides ​to uphold the truce.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Jonathan ​Spicer, Louise Heavens and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

The Dallas Stars, despite reaching the conference finals the past three seasons, have a poor record in Game 1s.

The effort in their Saturday, April 18 playoff opener was poorer than usual.

The Stars were routed 6-1 at home by the Minnesota Wild and find themselves trailing after the first game of the series for the ninth time in their last 11 openers.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said "to a man," the Wild were better than his team, which didn't happen a lot during the regular season.

"You can't get your game going if you're not going to win battles," he told reporters. "You can take any metric and if you lose skating battles and puck battles, you're always on the receiving end of everything negative."

The Stars, under previous coach Peter DeBoer, overcame a 5-1 loss in their 2025 playoff opener to beat the Colorado Avalanche in seven games, so they are far from in trouble.

"There's room for growth," Gulutzan said.

Here are the winners and losers from the opening night of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs:

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WINNERS

Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild

Coach John Hynes chose the rookie over veteran Filip Gustavsson for Game 1. Wallstedt made 27 saves for a victory in his first playoff game. In fact, coaches made the right decisions in net in other games. Carolina veteran Frederik Andersen got the start over Brandon Bussi and had a 22-save shutout. Stuart Skinner kept the Penguins in the game during their loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Porter Martone, Philadelphia Flyers

What a move on his goal, which ended up being the game-winner at Pittsburgh. He skated hard into the zone, stopped, circled back and ripped a shot past Skinner for a 3-1 lead. Martone is 19 and just signed after his Michigan State season ended.

Wild power play

The Wild had the third-best power play in the regular season behind Dallas and the Edmonton Oilers. It connected twice in Saturday's game, with both goals by Joel Eriksson Ek.

LOSERS

Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars

He waspulled in his last playoff gamein 2025 by DeBoer and gave up five goals on Saturday. Gulutzan never considered pulling Oettinger, saying he didn't think goaltending was an issue in the loss.

"I'm going to be a lot better next game," Oettinger said.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

The Flyers did what they could to get Crosby off his game. He took two penalties in the game, the first one for pulling off Jamie Drysdale's helmet. He was sent off the ice for a retaliatory slash on Travis Sanheim, who had cross-checked him. That meant Crosby was unavailable as the Penguins were pressing to rally from a 3-1 deficit late in the third period.

"We have to stay out of it a little more and trust that when they try to stir it up that they're going to be penalized for it," Crosby told reporters.

Artem Zub, Ottawa Senators

The Senators defenseman delivered a big hit on Carolina's Seth Jarvis but took the worst of it. He exited the game, leaving Ottawa short-handed on defense in a 2-0 loss. There was no update on his condition after the game.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NHL playoff openers winners and losers: Stars crushed in Game 1

Two soldiers from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, were injured in a brown bear attack on Friday during a training session.

"The incident involved two soldiers participating in a land navigation training exercise," a news statement from the 11th Airborne Division, of which both soldiers are a part, said. "Both individuals sustained injuries and are currently receiving appropriate medical care. For privacy reasons, we are not releasing names or specific details about their conditions until next of kin has been notified."

Further details on the extent of the soldiers' injuries were not made available as the investigation is ongoing, officials said.

Both soldiers carried and deployed bear spray during the land navigation training exercise, according to the statement provided to CBS News.

It was likely a defensive attack by a bear recently emerging from a den after hibernating during the winter, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said after an investigation. Officials said they weren't able to locate a bear when scouring the remote region.

"We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time. ADF&G will continue investigating the circumstances that led to the attack and try to learn everything we can about what happened to increase public safety around wildlife in Alaska," Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said in a statement. "In this case, having bear spray with them in the field may have saved their lives."

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is home to more than 40,000 people, of whom more than half are active duty military members. In addition to the 11th Airborne, it is also the home of the 673d Air Base Wing and U.S. Army Alaska.

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It is not unheard of for soldiers to be attacked by bears at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. In May 2022, a soldier, identified as Staff Sgt. Seth Michael Plant, 30, was killed when he was attacked by a bear west of the Anchorage Regional Landfill,according to the base.

Bear attacks are fairly common in Alaska due to the large population. There are about 100,000 black bears and 30,000 brown bears in Alaska, according to the Department of Fish and Game.

There were 68 people hospitalized following bear attacks in the state from 2000 to 2017, according to astudyby Alaska's Section of Epidemiology. The vast majority of attacks – similar to the one on Thursday – are by brown bears, about 96%, according to the study.

There were 10 fatalities resulting from eight separate attacks over that time period, the study showed.

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Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of a “cover-up” after he doubled down on his denial that he knewPeter Mandelsonhad failed crucial security vetting – despiteThe Independentreporting concerns to No 10 seven months ago.

The “furious” prime minister insisted he only found out aboutthe vetting failurethis week and said it was “staggering” and unacceptable that he was not told sooner.

ButKemi Badenochsaid that was “preposterous” whenThe Independenthad approached Downing Street about the issue last September, when the disgraced peer was sacked from his US ambassador job.

The Tory leader said the revelation meant it was clear the prime minister had misled parliament when he claimed – three times – that due process had been followed during his appointment, and once again called for him to quit.

She told a press conference in Westminster: “The prime minister is now asking us to believe that no one in government thought to tell him or his team that Mandelson had failed vetting, that the first he heard about it was on Tuesday night. This is preposterous.”

She added: “We know that No 10 was told that Mandelson had failed his vetting because journalists told them in September last year.

“This leaves us with two possibilities: either the prime minister is lying or he is so incompetent that he is unfit to run the country. Either way, his position is untenable.”

The Independentoriginally revealed the story last year – and discussed it with Sir Keir’s then-director of communications,Tim Allan, who responded: “Vetting done by FCDO [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] in normal way.”

Months later, in February, Sir Keir told the House of Commons that there were no issues with the vetting process, and on Friday, he claimed he had not been told of the failure of Lord Mandelson to pass it until this week.

ReferencingThe Independent’s story in September, Ms Badenoch said: “I did see David Maddox's image of the message which he sent to Tim Allan... one of the most senior officials in No 10.

“That is very significant. Back in September, these questions were asked. I find it very hard to believe that the director of communications did not tell anyone or even ask anybody before answering. He did not deny the claims.

“That is one of the reasons why I think that they knew more than they are pretending to know. Now, I think it is very significant that we are seeing that questions were asked and answers were denied. This is a cover-up, one way or another.”

The binding parliamentary vote, which is forcing the government to release documents about Lord Mandelson’s appointment, should also cover what happened “afterThe Independentasked those questions”, she said.

She also called for all the papers to be made public by the end of next week – including the reasons the former Labour grandee failed the vetting, and added: “I am very concerned now that a lot of documents are not being released because they will show the extent of this cover-up and just how incompetent the operation in No 10 going right up to the prime minister has been.”

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A memo released by Downing Street on Friday night appeared to back the prime minister’s assertion that FCDO officials were responsible for clearing Lord Mandelson's appointment without his knowledge, and that he was informed of this on Tuesday evening.

Its publication by the government came asThe Guardianreported two of those present at Tuesday's meeting, cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo, and cabinet office permanent secretary Catherine Little, had known since March about sensitive information linked to Lord Mandelson's vetting.

The email said: "As part of the humble address process, that file had been shared with Cat [Catherine Little]. On reviewing the file she had therefore learned that the recommendation from the vetting officer had been that DV [Developed Vetting] should not be granted to Peter Mandelson."

One Labour MP toldThe Independentit “looks like he [Starmer] might be toast”, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he believes the PM will be “gone by the summer”. He said: “Nothing the prime minister has said adds up”, adding: “He has lied to the country and needs to go.”

The Lib Dems also reported Sir Keir to his own ethics adviser for not notifying parliament of LordMandelson’s failed security vetting as soon as he became aware of it.

Insisting that he did not know before this week, Sir Keir told reporters on Friday: “That I wasn't told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is staggering.

“That I wasn't told that he had failed security vetting when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable. Not only was I not told, no minister was told, and I'm absolutely furious about that.

“What I intend to do is to go to parliament on Monday to set out all the relevant facts in true transparency, so parliament has the full picture."

Challenged about this publication’s reporting and that it had been made aware of the vetting issue, Downing Street said on Friday that it did not “accept that a media inquiry is equivalent”.

Asked if they would have checked after the inquiry fromThe Independent, Downing Street said: “No 10 has repeatedly, throughout this process, asked about the facts surrounding this case, Peter Mandelson, his security vetting and at no point in the process was No 10, the prime minister told that UK security vetting had recommended against him.”

Lisa Smart, the Lib Dem cabinet office spokesperson, said: “There is clearly something deeply wrong at No 10 when reports from journalists of Mandelson failing his vetting didn't even get through the door. Starmer looks frankly like a lame duck, totally out of control of his own government.”

Ms Badenoch also called for Sir Olly Robbins – the top Foreign Office official who was sacked for taking the unusual step of overriding security officials who denied Lord Mandelson’s security clearance – to give evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee.

She said: “I do think that Olly Robbins should come to parliament and explain exactly what's going on. Parliament deserves the truth. The public deserve the truth.”

Sir Olly is expected to give evidence to the Commons select committee next week.

DNA analysis has identified theremains found in a carin the Columbia River as those of an Oregon family that went missing in 1958 while on a trip to find Christmas greenery, authorities said Thursday.

The state medical examiner's office has identified parents Kenneth and Barbara Martin and their daughter Barbie from remains located in the river within the wreckage of the car, the Hood River County Sheriff's Officesaid. The sheriff's office said it concluded its investigation and found no evidence of a crime.

The Ford station wagon thought to belong to the family was found in 2024 by Archer Mayo, a diver who had been looking for it for several years. Authorities pulled part of the car from the river the following year.

The family vanished in December of 1958. The bodies of two of the family's children were found months after the disappearance, but the other members never turned up.

The search for the Martin family was a national news story at the time and led some to speculate about the possibility of foul play, with a $1,000 reward offered for information.

"Where do you search if you've already searched every place logic and fragmentary clues would suggest?" an Associated Press article asked in 1959, months after the disappearance.

Only the frame and some attached components were retrieved from the water because of the "extent to which the vehicle had been encased in sediment," the sheriff's office said. Analysis of those items allowed investigators to conclude that it was indeed the Martin family's car.

Later in 2025, Mayo located human remains that were ultimately turned over to the state medical examiner's office.

Scientists developed DNA extracts from the remains and generated a profile that was compared with relatives of the Martin family, allowing for the identifications, authorities said.

Othram, a DNA lab in Texas,did forensic analysis on the remains, which ultimately led to the positive identification.

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Othram's Colby Lasyonetold CBS affiliate KOIN-TVthat more than a dozen experts worked on the case, noting they extracted a bone sample and used advanced techniques to isolate and analyze the DNA. DNA comparisons with a living relative positively identified Kenneth Martin.

"Skeletal remains that have been submerged in water for decades can be particularly challenging to work with," Lasyone said. "Unfortunately, the skeletal remains for the other individuals were too degraded and couldn't be worked with."

Mayo also found remnants of a shoe and a camera case with Kenneth's name and address, seat belt buckles and camera film, KOIN-TV reported.

"Maybe there'll be pictures published one day of what that is, because that's a pretty cool piece to a mystery," he told the the station.

Mayo told KOIN-TV he was gratified the case was finally solved.

"It's not going to get more resolved than it is now and so that feels good," he told the station. "And that really lets us write the last chapter of that book."

In 2020,KOIN-TV did a four-part podcast on the case.

We traveled into the Strait of Hormuz. Here's what we saw.

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and his wife found dead in murder-suicide

Why Todd Lyons is leaving his ICE leadership position