A major blaze tore through Viva Energy’s Geelong (Corio) oil refinery late on Wednesday, April 15-16, damaging two gasoline production units and forcing the plant to cut output to minimum safe levels. The 120,000-barrel-a-day refinery supplies more than half of Victoria’s fuel and about 10% of Australia’s national demand. Fire Rescue Victoria and specialist hazardous-material crews contained and then extinguished the fire within about 13 hours; there were no reported injuries. Authorities said the inferno was sparked by a significant leak of liquid hydrocarbons and gases tied to mechanical equipment failure, and investigations are underway. Jet fuel and diesel production continued but at reduced rates as a safety precaution. The incident comes amid global supply disruptions from the Iran conflict and heightened regional shipping risks through the Strait of Hormuz, increasing pressure on Australia’s import-dependent refined fuel chain. Canberra has been pursuing additional imports and bilateral talks with regional suppliers; market sources warn of likely domestic price rises and tighter aviation fuel availability while damage assessments and repairs proceed.

British counter-terror officers are investigating an attempted arson on a business in Hendon, north-west London, on the night of April 17-18, 2026. Police say a man was seen placing a plastic bag containing three bottles of fluid outside a row of shops and lighting them; the bottles failed to fully ignite, causing only minor damage and no injuries. Counter Terrorism Policing London is leading the probe with support from the Met’s north-west command area, although authorities say the incident is not currently being treated as a terrorist offence. Investigators are examining whether the attack is linked to a recent string of similar incidents in north London, including a synagogue arson in Finchley (in which two people were arrested), four Jewish community ambulances torched in Golders Green in late March, and an attempted arson at a Persian-language media outlet. A small Islamist group has claimed responsibility on social media for some of the incidents, but police have not verified those claims. Officers have increased patrols in the area, including armed units and Project Servator deployments, and have urged the public to share any footage or information.

A French soldier serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was killed and three other peacekeepers wounded on April 18, 2026, during a small-arms ambush in southern Lebanon, French and U.N. officials said. President Emmanuel Macron named the dead as Staff Sgt. Florian Montorio of the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment and accused Hezbollah of responsibility, urging Lebanese authorities to arrest those behind the attack and ensure UNIFIL’s safety. Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin said Montorio was ambushed while on a mission to clear a route to an isolated UNIFIL post in the Deir Kifa/Ghandouriyeh area; two of the wounded were seriously injured and all were evacuated to hospital. UNIFIL said initial assessments indicated fire came from non-state actors and opened an investigation. Lebanon’s president and prime minister condemned the shooting and ordered probes. The incident occurred the day after a 10-day ceasefire took effect between Israel and Hezbollah and follows prior attacks on French personnel in the region, heightening concerns about the safety and freedom of movement for U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

Lawyers for President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service told a federal court in mid-April they are engaged in talks to resolve a $10 billion lawsuit the president, his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, and the Trump Organization filed against the IRS and the Treasury Department over the unauthorized disclosure of Trump’s tax records in 2019–2020. In a filing in Miami federal court the parties asked a judge to pause proceedings for 90 days while they “engage in discussions designed to resolve this matter and to avoid protracted litigation.” The suit stems from a breach by a former IRS contractor who later pleaded guilty and was sentenced for stealing and leaking tax files to news outlets. Plaintiffs seek damages for alleged reputational and financial harm. Ethics watchdogs and Democratic lawmakers have raised alarms about the conflict of interest posed by a sitting president negotiating a settlement with agencies he oversees and have proposed legislation to bar presidents and their families receiving such federal settlement payments. Trump has said any proceeds would go to charity; any payout would likely be taxpayer-funded and require court approval.

Ukrainian drone strikes overnight on April 18 hit multiple oil facilities across Russian territory and in Russian-occupied Crimea, Russian regional officials and Ukrainian commanders said. Reported targets included an oil depot in Sevastopol (Crimea), the Novokuybyshevsk and Syzran refineries in Samara Oblast, the Vysotsk terminal in Leningrad region near St. Petersburg and industrial sites in Krasnodar Krai (Tikhoretsk, Tuapse). Footage and local accounts showed large fires at refinery and port sites; regional governors and emergency services reported blazes that were later fought, while officials provided limited detail on damage or casualties. Ukrainian drone forces commander Robert Brovdi publicly acknowledged strikes and criticised recent U.S. policy on sanctioned Russian oil. The attacks came as Kyiv simultaneously reported repelling a large-scale Russian drone assault, and follow weeks of intensified Ukrainian operations targeting fuel logistics that support Moscow’s war effort. Independent verification of all claims remains incomplete and Russian and Ukrainian official statements were partial and sometimes contradictory.

LONDON, April 17 (Reuters) - Metropolitan Police and Counter Terrorism Policing London began investigating a suspected security incident after a group posted a video claiming to have targeted the Israeli embassy in Kensington with drones carrying "dangerous substances." Officers sealed off Kensington Gardens, set up cordons and were assessing a number of "discarded items" found near the embassy. A Metropolitan Police chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) unit, forensic teams, divers and officers in protective clothing were deployed as a precaution. The Israeli embassy said its staff were safe and the building had not been attacked. The online footage was apparently posted by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which has claimed responsibility for recent arson attacks in London and other incidents in Europe; police are working to determine the authenticity of the video and any link to the items in the park. Earlier this month detectives charged two men with hostile surveillance of the embassy, and recent arrests have followed suspected attacks on Jewish community sites in the capital.