“US officials have announced fraud charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a civil rights group that tracks extremist organisations and played a prominent role in confronting the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). In a news conference on Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the non-profit of secretly funding the very groups that it says it opposes, through paying informants who infiltrated them — including within the KKK. An indictment charges the SPLC with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The organisation’s president has said they would ‘vigorously defend ourselves, our staff, and our work.'” (04/22/26)
“Billionaire businessman Justin Sun has filed a lawsuit against the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture World Liberty Financial, claiming his multi-million dollar investment was secured through fraud and alleging that WLF is ‘on the verge of collapse.’ Sun claims his tokens have been indefinitely frozen and his voting rights revoked since he refused to accept the terms of a new governance proposal submitted on April 15, which required that 10 percent of all company advisers’ tokens be permanently burned. … The complaint goes on to accuse WLF of making multiple false statements, inducing Sun’s investments through fraud and scheming to secure more capital from him, misrepresenting the company’s compliance with the law, improperly freezing his tokens, making threats and defamation.” (04/22/26)
“A new bill approved in the United Kingdom’s legislature will stop people born on or after January 1, 2009 from buying tobacco during their whole lives, as part of a years-long effort by ministers to create a ‘smoke-free generation. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the House of Commons in 2024 …. The bill will become law when it receives a royal assent next week. Once it does, ministers will also have new powers to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including their flavours and packaging. They will also be able to ban nicotine products from being branded and advertised to children. Vaping will also be prohibited in playgrounds, cars with children inside, outside schools and hospitals, in an effort to expand smoke-free zones across the UK.” (04/22/26)
“South Korean authorities have found that two fighter jets collided mid-air in 2021 because the pilots were taking pictures and videos. The incident took place while the jets were on a flight mission in the central city of Daegu, according to Seoul’s Board of Audit and Inspection. The pilots survived with no injuries, but the collision damaged the planes, costing the military 880 million won ($596,000; £440,500) in repairs. One of the pilots, who has since left the military, was made to pay a fine of 88 million won. The incident took place because that pilot had wanted to take photos to commemorate his last flight with his military unit.” (04/22/26)
“An immigration officer in southwest Colorado who was caught on video grabbing a protester by the hair and hurling her down an embankment last October was charged with assault and criminal mischief on Tuesday, the local district attorney said. The case against the officer, Nicholas Rice, is one of a handful in which local prosecutors have filed criminal charges against federal agents carrying out President Trump’s immigration crackdown. It comes five days after local prosecutors in Minneapolis charged an immigration agent with assault after motorists said he had brandished a gun at them. Sean Murray, the district attorney in the mountain town of Durango, Colo., said he had charged Mr. Rice with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, and criminal mischief. He said Mr. Rice was charged through a summons, not an arrest warrant.” (04/22/26)
“Researchers working in Turkey say fresh scan data uncovered what appear to be tunnels inside a long-debated landform, bolstering their case that the site may be a manmade object that they believe to be Noah’s Ark. Noah’s Ark Scans researcher Andrew Jones told ‘Fox & Friends First’ on Wednesday that he believes the peculiar formation near Mount Ararat is the real deal. ‘I do believe that this is the real, decayed, buried remains of Noah’s Ark, the famous ship. And we’re doing our best to convince the skeptics and show the world this site,’ he said. Jones said his team’s latest work has revealed tunnels in the landform suggestive of a manmade structure. ‘Our new research has shown that there are tunnels about four meters down and about two meters high, going down the center of the boat and on the inside edge of the hull shape,’ he said.” (04/22/26)
“Nigerian President Bola Tinubu replaced his finance minister, the architect of a radical economic policy overhaul, less than a year before elections in a surprise reshuffle. Wale Edun, a former World Bank official and investment banker, was replaced by Taiwo Oyedele, a junior finance minister who oversaw a revamp of the country’s tax system, in Tinubu’s most high-profile cabinet reshuffle since taking office three years ago. It was not immediately clear, however, if the move marked a change of direction at the finance ministry. Edun’s tenure has been marked by an aggressive push to overhaul sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest economy after two recessions within a decade, leading to an uptick in foreign direct investment inflows. However, Nigeria’s debt burden has shot up thanks to increased government spending.” (04/22/26)
“A Los Angeles school board has voted to be the first district to limit student screen time. On Tuesday, April 21, the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education (LAUSD) approved a measure to limit student access to screen time to ensure “developmentally appropriate guardrails” for all learners across the district, the board announced in a press release. The vote was passed 6-0 with one recusal, NBC News reported. According to the LAUSD, the new restrictions prohibit student-led use of YouTube and other video streaming platforms in the classroom. The board will also review a report of all classroom technology contracts, following the new measure.” (04/22/26)
“Record growth in solar, especially in China and India, was a driving factor for clean energy sources surpassing the world’s strong demand for electricity in 2025, according to a new global power analysis. Clean power generation grew 887 terawatt hours last year, exceeding overall global electricity demand growth of 849 terawatt hours, according to a report by energy think tank Ember, released after midnight Tuesday London time. Ember analyzes electricity data from 215 countries, and studied 2025 data for 91 countries, which the firm says represents 93% of global demand. Overall, the share of renewables — including solar, wind, hydropower and other clean energies — hit more than one-third of the world’s electricity mix for the first time in modern history last year, growing 33.8% to 10,730 terawatt hours.” (04/21/26)
“Pope Leo has criticised the treatment of prisoners in Equatorial Guinea, ahead of a visit to a jail known for its dire conditions. He addressed the Central African nation on Wednesday at a Mass that drew some 100,000 people, including Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the country’s leader and the world’s long-serving president. Pope Leo said: ‘My thoughts go to the poorest, to families experiencing difficulty and to prisoners who are often forced to live in troubling hygienic and sanitary conditions.’ Oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, a country with a poor human rights record and vast income inequalities, is the Pope’s final stop on a four-nation tour of Africa. In the evening on Wednesday, his last full day of the tour, Pope Leo is scheduled to visit an infamous prison in the economic capital, Bata.” (04/22/26)
