“Sri Lanka has repatriated 238 Iranian sailors stranded in the South Asian country after one of their warships was torpedoed by a US submarine, a minister told AFP on April 15. Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara said 32 sailors rescued from the IRIS Dena – a frigate attacked on March 4 just off Sri Lanka – and another 206 from the IRIS Bushehr left on April 14. … The attack on the IRIS Dena brought the Middle East conflict into the Indian Ocean, killing 104 sailors in the early days of the US and Israeli war against Iran, according to Iranian authorities. The bodies of 84 victims were recovered and have been repatriated.” (04/15/26)
“Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada has announced a temporary suspension of the federal fuel excise tax amid ongoing instability in the oil market due to war in the Middle East. Carney announced the move Tuesday during a press conference in Ottawa, stating the tax will be suspended from Monday through the end of Labor Day on Sept. 7. … The fuel excise tax is 10 Canadian cents per liter of regular gasoline and 4 Canadian cents per liter on diesel, equivalent to about 28 U.S. cents a gallon for gasoline and 11 U.S. cents a gallon for diesel.” (04/15/26)
“Guards severely beat and pepper-sprayed [abductees] at a state-run immigration detention center known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in the Florida Everglades this month, according to a lawyer for two detainees. The guards targeted Katherine Blankenship’s clients and other detainees at the facility after they complained about not having phone access on April 2, Blankenship said in a court declaration. The phones, which weren’t functioning, are the primary way for detainees to communicate with family and their attorneys while in the detention center. The guards began taunting the detainees, who were in a cell, then became ‘more aggressive and were yelling and threatening to enter the cage,’ Blankenship wrote. When one detainee approached a guard, he was punched in the face. The guards then started beating other detainees in the cell. One of Blankenship’s clients was punched in the right eye, thrown to the floor and beaten by several guards.” (04/15/26)
“Less than a month after announcing a controversial ban on foreign-made routers, the FCC says it will exempt Netgear, allowing it to sell new Wi-Fi routers and mesh models to consumers, even though they’re manufactured outside the US. The Defense Department reviewed Netgear’s application for an exemption and found that its products ‘do not pose risks to US national security.’ The FCC’s order doesn’t elaborate on why. Netgear is based in San Jose, California, although its products are made in Asia.” [editor’s note: Amazing what some brown paper bags stuffed with cash can get done, isn’t it? – TLK] (04/14/26)
“A Chinese national has been sentenced to a year in prison for attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen garden ants out of Kenya. The court in Nairobi on Wednesday also fined Zhang Kequn 1m Kenyan shillings (£5,713; $7,737). Judge Irene Gichobi described Zhang as not ‘entirely honest’ and lacking in remorse. Last month, he was charged with illegally dealing in wildlife species after being arrested at Nairobi’s main airport while attempting to travel to China with more than 2,000 ants in his luggage. Kenyan authorities have warned of a growing demand for the ants in Europe and Asia, where they are prized by collectors. They can be worth around $220 (£170) each. ‘There is need for a stiff deterrent sentence,’ Judge Gichobi said, noting the ‘rising cases of dealing in large quantities of garden ants and the negative ecological side effects.'” (04/15/26)
“A Milan court on Tuesday accepted a class action brought by a consumer group against Meta Platforms over the theft of personal data suffered by Facebook Italy. According to the court order, the data scraping incident, which took place between January 2018 and September 2019 and was disclosed by Meta in 2021, affected around 533 million Facebook users globally. The CTCU consumer association is seeking compensation on behalf of social media users who lost, or feared losing, control over their personal data in breach of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).” (04/14/26)
“Pope Leo XIV arrived Wednesday in the central African nation of Cameroon with a message of peace for its separatist region and for talks with President Paul Biya, the 93-year-old leader whose grip on power was extended for an eighth term in a widely disputed election last year. Cheering Cameroonians lined the road into the capital Yaounde from the airport, two and three deep in places, dancing and waving palm fronds as the pope’s motorcade whizzed by. Many women dressed in identical bright dresses and stood behind banners announcing the name of their parish, while billboards splashed posters of the pope and Biya under the banner ‘Land of Hope.’ The Vatican says fighting corruption in the mineral-rich country and insisting on the correct uses of political authority are expected to be themes of Leo’s visit. Leo was traveling from Algeria, the first stop on his four-nation Africa tour.” (04/15/26)
“TMZ, the tabloid known for its sensational headlines and dirt-digging on Hollywood celebrities and other famous people, is opening up shop in Washington, D.C., with an eye on covering Congress. Producers for the website arrived on Capitol Hill this week as Congress returned from a two-week recess, and confronted Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Ted Cruz (Texas) as they got settled in the halls of the Capitol. A video the outlet posted on Monday showed Graham putting his hand in front of the camera and ignoring a TMZ staffer who asked him, ‘Can I just ask you about the bubble wand, sir?'” (04/14/26)
“Iran has demanded that it receive compensation for the destruction caused by the United States and Israel’s attacks, as the country remains defiant and regional powers continue their attempts to mediate an end to the conflict. Tehran’s envoy to the United Nations said on Tuesday that five regional countries must pay compensation, based on his accusation that their territories were used for launching attacks on Iran. … An early estimate indicates that Iran has suffered about $270bn in direct and indirect damages since the start of the US-Israel war on February 28 …. Despite the scope and depth of the damage, as well as the impact of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports that began on Monday, Iranian authorities have signalled that they do not intend to give major concessions in negotiations with Washington, including on nuclear enrichment.” (04/15/26)
“Typhoon Sinlaku pushed past Guam on Wednesday headed for the Northern Mariana Islands packing sustained winds of 125 mph, according to a series of alerts from Guam’s Joint Information Center. Roads blocked by debris, scattered utility outages and reports of low water pressure were among the immediate issues on Guam, which remained under Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 1. … The storm had slowed to a crawl overnight and moved only 25 miles over 14 hours, a speed that prolonged dangerous conditions near the westernmost U.S. territory.” (04/15/26)
