Replacing student loans with sponsorship

Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie

“Please excuse me for returning yet again to a solution to the UK student loans system. At present, graduates are burdened with debt that can climb, despite repayments, because of interest charges. It would be difficult for taxpayers to fund student costs, given that it would involve poorer people (for the most part) paying higher taxes so that those less poor could be given access to higher incomes in later life. The money has to come from somewhere, but if not from students themselves or taxpayers, then from whom? The obvious answer is business sponsorship of students.” (04/22/26)

https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/replacing-student-loans-with-sponsorship

Thomas L. Knapp

Researcher believes Noah’s Ark found in Turkey after new underground scans

Source: Fox News

“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)

https://www.foxnews.com/media/researcher-believes-hes-found-noahs-ark-turkey-after-new-underground-scans

Steve Trinward

Led by Republicans, Americans’ Support for NATO Fades

Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille

“President Donald Trump’s doubts about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) date back at least to the 1980s, when he took out full-page newspaper ads questioning the value of defending prosperous allies capable of paying for their own security. So, when he voices frustration with the alliance and the lack of support among its members for the U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran’s theocratic regime, it’s not a new development. What’s new is growing disenchantment with NATO among Americans, led by the president’s Republican supporters.” (04/22/26)

https://reason.com/2026/04/22/led-by-republicans-americans-support-for-nato-fades/

Thomas L. Knapp

Reality Proves Again & Again Trump’s Attack on Iran Was Horrible Decision

Source: Common Dreams
by Mel Gurtov

“As another week of Trump’s war begins, it becomes ever more clear that all his presumptions about how the war would go have proven wrong. Iran’s economy has bent but not folded despite a blockade of its ports. Its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz hasn’t been eliminated. Iran still has drones and missiles for retaliatory attacks. The regime’s control of the population remains. Gas prices and the cost of oil remain high. The war goes on. Trump’s deadline on the cease-fire expires April 22. Will Vice President JD Vance travel to Islamabad for a second round of talks with Iran? … The only certainty is in Trump’s mind: that Iran has ‘no choice. We’ve taken out their navy, we’ve taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders,’ he said on his social media. He just doesn’t get it.” (04/22/26)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/iran-war-was-trump-mistake

Steve Trinward

Nigeria: Tinubu replaces finance minister in surprise reshuffle

Source: Semafor

“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)

https://www.semafor.com/article/04/22/2026/nigerias-tinubu-replaces-finance-minister-in-surprise-reshuffle

Thomas L. Knapp