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BackgroundOn 2026-04-13, IBM entered a $17 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).The DOJ alleged IBM considered "race, color, national origin, or sex" in hiring and promotions and misused government‑contract funds for DEI initiatives.Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi had urged the DOJ to target illegal DEI programs in companies receiving federal money.Settlement DetailsIBM denied wrongdoing; the settlement is not an admission of liability.The payment resolves claims that IBM used contract funds for DEI programs and then sought reimbursement.This marks the first enforcement action under the DOJ’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, which targets recipients of federal funds who violate civil‑rights laws.Strategic ImpactThe $17 million fine represents roughly 0.03% of IBM’s FY2025 revenue of about $60 billion, indicating a modest direct financial hit but a significant reputational signal. The settlement may prompt IBM and other federal contractors to reassess DEI budgeting and compliance frameworks to avoid future litigation.Analysts view the case as a bellwether for how the DOJ will enforce civil‑rights compliance in the private sector, especially for firms that rely on government contracts.

Monarch Collective believes that a number of Women’s Super League (WSL) clubs remain “afterthoughts” for their owners, receiving only marginal capital and expertise. Co‑founder Kara Nortman highlighted this concern during a recent interview.Last month, Monarch became the first women’s multi‑sport group by acquiring a minority stake in the Cleveland WNBA franchise, joining an ownership portfolio that already includes NWSL sides San Diego Wave and Boston Legacy, as well as German club Viktoria Berlin.Since establishing Monarch in 2023—four years after launching Angel City FC with Natalie Portman and Julie Uhrman—Nortman has held informal talks with roughly a dozen English clubs, though no deal has yet materialised. She declined to comment on ongoing negotiations with West Ham United’s women’s side, noting that finding the right English partner has proven “challenging”.Recent years have seen a wave of international interest in WSL clubs, yet many prospective investors perceive the women’s teams as a compliance tool for profitability and sustainability mandates rather than a growth engine. In the past twelve months, clubs such as Chelsea, Aston Villa and Everton have sold stakes in their women’s sides to related‑party entities, while US‑based Bay Collective recently secured majority ownership of Sunderland Women in the WSL2.Monarch’s latest $250 million funding round equips it with the capital to act when a suitable opportunity arises. Nortman explained, “If owners truly believe in their women’s team, they should invite us to ‘supercharge’ it with our cross‑sport expertise. If they only want a token boost, that’s a different story.”Beyond capital, Monarch offers advisory services. Nortman recounted a humorous encounter with fans at Crystal Palace, where a supporter asked if she was a “Wag”, prompting a light‑hearted response that underscored the firm’s community‑focused ethos.Reflecting on Angel City’s trajectory, Nortman noted that Monarch initially invested about $1 million to help the club join the NWSL in 2020. Four years later, Angel City was sold to Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife for a reported $250 million, making it the world’s most valuable women’s franchise.Looking ahead, Monarch is broadening its scope beyond football and basketball, exploring opportunities in cricket and rugby union. The firm recently opened a London office, led by former Manchester City executive Katharine Curran, to deepen its engagement with the UK sports market.

West Bromwich Albion has denied any wrongdoing regarding the EFL's financial rules, despite growing fears of a points deduction that could significantly impact their relegation battle in the Championship. The Daily Telegraph reported that the EFL's Club Financial Reporting Unit (CFRU) had filed a compliance report against West Brom, alleging a breach of the loss limits for the 2024-25 season under the profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). If a points penalty were imposed, it would affect West Brom in the current campaign, with the club currently sitting 20th in the Championship, just two points above the relegation zone. West Brom responded by stating, “The club considers that it has fully complied with the rules.” They emphasized their commitment to cooperating with the EFL and resolving the matter, while also thanking fans for their support. Under PSR rules, Championship clubs are required to keep losses under £39m over a three-year assessment period. Certain expenditures, such as investments in infrastructure, youth, and women’s football, are ‘added back’ in the PSR calculation. West Brom, having competed in the Championship last season, was required to submit their annual accounts for 2024-25 by December 31. The EFL has declined to comment on the matter, and decisions on sanctions by the Club Financial Reporting Panel (CFRP) are typically published after discussions between the club and the EFL remain confidential.

Four months after Australia introduced its under‑16 social‑media ban, Sydney teenager Noah Jones says his online experience has been largely unchanged – he has not been removed from any platform.Jones recounts a brief hiccup on Instagram that he quickly resolved, and notes a friend who temporarily lost access to Snapchat but managed to circumvent it. "That’s pretty much my whole experience of the ban," he says.Despite his personal continuity, Jones is now a plaintiff in a High Court challenge mounted by the Digital Freedom Project, which argues the ban infringes the implied constitutional right to political communication.The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman‑Grant, recently disclosed that more than 5 million accounts have been deactivated since the policy’s rollout, yet over two‑thirds of teenagers remain active on the ten targeted platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, X, Twitch, Kick, Threads and Reddit. Young users are reportedly bypassing facial‑age estimation tools, especially when they are within two years of turning 16.Further eSafety findings reveal that 66 % of parents say platforms did not request age verification, and when ages of 14 or 15 were detected, platforms often prompted users to undergo facial‑recognition checks and simply adjust the displayed age rather than enforce deactivation.Communications Minister Anika Wells has urged the commissioner to "throw the book at" non‑compliant services, noting that fines could reach up to $49.5 million per breach in federal court. However, any penalties are likely to be considered only after the High Court decides the law’s validity.Wells also pledged new legislation imposing a digital duty of care on platforms, obliging them to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The bill is slated for parliamentary debate later this year.The Digital Freedom Project, led by NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick, contends that banning under‑16s from holding accounts effectively silences their participation in political discourse, as logged‑out viewing does not permit meaningful engagement.Legal scholars are divided. Prof. Sarah Joseph of Griffith University warns that an ineffective law could breach the implied freedom of political communication, while Monash University’s Prof. Luke Beck argues that the law’s purpose is to compel platforms to enforce age restrictions, not to achieve 100 % compliance.Beck points out that most legislation is not perfectly effective – citing murder laws and age‑restricted media – and that courts typically assess whether a law is a proportionate means to a legitimate aim.The government acknowledges that the age limit imposes a burden on political communication but maintains the measure is justified to mitigate risks from algorithmic recommendation systems, endless feeds, and other features that can amplify harm.Jones will turn 16 in August, at which point the ban would no longer apply to him. His mother, Renee Jones, says she faced online backlash for opposing the ban, with some critics even suggesting her children be taken away."It’s my right to choose how I raise my children in a digital world," she asserts, emphasizing strict household rules: no devices in bedrooms, phones locked at night, and shared passwords for parental oversight.Jones acknowledges the downsides of social media – bullying and explicit content – but stresses that his generation relies on these platforms for news and forming opinions, more so than traditional media.Both Jones and his mother argue the legislation was rushed and is failing to address the core concerns about harmful content, leaving many teens, like Noah, to navigate the digital landscape largely unchanged despite the ban.

While holiday‑makers flocked to Lancashire’s coast for fresh sea air, residents of the former fishing port of Fleetwood were forced to endure a persistent, noxious odor emanating from the reopened Jameson Road landfill.The stench, identified as hydrogen sulphide – a toxic gas with a characteristic rotten‑egg smell – has been linked to the landfill’s re‑activation by recycling firm Transwaste in late 2023 after a five‑year closure.Local authorities report that the Environment Agency (EA) has received more than 20,000 complaints since the site reopened, including 6,000 complaints in the last six weeks alone. In the two‑year period ending January, the EA recorded 74 compliance breaches at the site, a third of which were classified as “significant”.Health impacts are mounting. Residents describe symptoms ranging from retching and vomiting to nosebleeds, headaches, itchy eyes and aggravated respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). One resident, retired teacher Donna Davidson, reports that the smell has penetrated her home at night, describing it as “people are getting gassed in their beds”.Children are also affected; Dave McPartlin, headteacher of nearby Flakefleet Primary School, says pupils are refusing to play outside because the odor “lingers” even on sunny days. A family staying in an autism‑friendly caravan described their child’s severe nausea, calling the experience “hell”.Medical professionals are sounding the alarm. Dr. Barbara Kneale, a GP and occupational‑medicine consultant living a mile from the landfill, says the community feels “treated with contempt” by public agencies and is gathering detailed hydrogen sulphide readings to bolster a campaign for permanent closure.Local political pressure is intensifying. MP Lorraine Beavers used parliamentary privilege to label Transwaste “crooks” evading accountability, pledging to fight until the site is shut down. In response, Transwaste denied the allegations, insisting it complies with all regulations and attributing odour issues to the site’s re‑opening process.Wyre Borough Council, the landfill’s landlord, warned that legal action would only proceed if residents provide detailed diaries and allow council officers to witness the odour inside homes.Community activism has grown, with over 100 locals staging a slow march to the landfill, many using walking frames and face masks. Campaigners, including Davidson and Kneale, are also tracking the origins of waste trucks, which have been traced to locations as far as Dover, Dunfermline and Hull.The EA has pledged further enforcement, stating that “the community should not have to tolerate odours that affect their environment” and that it is pressing the operator to install permanent capping to prevent future emissions.As Fleetwood grapples with what residents call an “abomination”, the dispute highlights broader concerns about landfill management, air‑quality standards and the disproportionate impact on deprived communities with already high rates of respiratory illness.

Emil Michael, the Pentagon's under secretary for research and engineering, declared a position in xAI valued between $500,000 and $1 million in March 2025. He sold these holdings on January 9 for between $5 million and $25 million, according to government ethics records. The value of his stake increased by 400% to 4,800% during the period he owned it. xAI, which is behind Musk's Grok chatbot, is not publicly traded, making it unclear how Michael obtained his position, how it was priced, or to whom he sold it. During Michael's ownership, the Pentagon announced two separate agreements with xAI. In July 2025, the Pentagon chose Grok as one of four commercial providers to help the department utilize artificial intelligence. On December 22, the defense department announced a new agreement with xAI, paving the way for the deployment of its advanced capabilities. Richard Painter, a former ethics lawyer at the White House, said that in general, it was a criminal violation for government officials to participate in actions that benefit their own financial interests. "It sounds pretty weird," he said of the transactions. The Pentagon stated that Michael was "in full compliance with all ethics laws and regulations. Any claims otherwise are false."

Oil and gas markets rallied on Thursday as investors grappled with the shaky outlook for the two‑week Iran‑Israel ceasefire. Brent crude rose more than 2% to $96.77 a barrel, while New York light crude climbed nearly 3% to $97.23, still shy of the $100 threshold that many traders watch. The previous session had seen Brent plunge 13.29% to a four‑week low of $94.75. In the gas sector, the UK month‑ahead contract rebounded 1% to 115.35p per therm after a 15% drop the day before. European natural‑gas futures also recovered, edging toward €46/MWh from a five‑week trough of €45.30. The price uptick reflects growing scepticism about the durability of the ceasefire announced a day earlier by the United States and Iran, which included a pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. UAE and Kuwait reported intercepting Iranian drones, and Iran’s parliamentary speaker accused the United States and Israel of breaching several agreement points. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned of a “regret‑inducing response” if Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue. The latest Israeli barrage killed at least 254 people and wounded 837, prompting the Fars news agency to note that oil‑tanker traffic through the strait had been halted. Former President Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform to threaten that U.S. forces would remain in the region until a “real agreement” is fully honoured, warning that any non‑compliance would trigger “stronger than anyone has ever seen before” military action. Asian equity markets reacted negatively: Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.7%, South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.7%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged down 0.4%. In Europe, the FTSE 100 dipped 0.1%, Germany’s DAX fell 0.6%, France’s CAC 40 dropped 0.3%, and Italy’s FTSE MIB slipped 0.2%. The pan‑European Stoxx 600 trimmed 0.1% after a near‑4% rally the day before, while U.S. futures pointed to a lower opening on Wall Street. Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid noted that market stress has eased compared with 24 hours earlier, as the ceasefire news generated renewed optimism and reduced fears of a stagflationary shock. On the diplomatic front, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Vice‑President JD Vance will lead a delegation to Islamabad, with initial talks slated for Saturday morning. Jefferies chief European economist Mohit Kumar argued that, despite its fragility, the truce is likely to hold because of the “mutually assured destruction” calculus. He added that both sides now see a ceasefire as the lesser‑evil, given the escalating costs of continued conflict and the strategic challenges of securing cheap drone interceptors and a reliable Hormuz passage.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that the United States had achieved a "decisive" military victory over Iran, claiming the Iranian missile programme has been "functionally destroyed." Speaking alongside General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hegseth described the operation—codenamed Operation Epic Fury—as a "historic and overwhelming" triumph that met every objective, including the dismantling of Iran’s navy, air‑defence systems and missile‑production capability. The declaration came a day after President Donald Trump stepped back from a threatened full‑scale assault on Iran, just two hours before a self‑imposed deadline for Tehran to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. The resulting cease‑fire agreement stipulates that Iran will not possess a nuclear weapon and that the United States will monitor the country’s enriched uranium stockpiles. While Hegseth emphasized that "they can still shoot here and there, but that would be very unwise," he also warned that US forces will remain in the region to ensure compliance with the two‑week cease‑fire and to oversee the safe transit of vessels through the strategic waterway. Iran’s response was equally emphatic. The Supreme National Security Council, cited by IRNA, congratulated the Iranian people on a "victory" and urged perseverance until the details of that victory are finalized. The council highlighted Iran’s alliances with the so‑called "axis of resistance" in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and occupied Palestine, claiming the coalition has delivered blows to the enemy over the past 40 days. At the same briefing, General Caine confirmed that US military objectives in Iran have been met, but framed the cease‑fire as a "pause" rather than a permanent end to hostilities, noting that forces remain ready to resume combat if necessary. In parallel diplomatic developments, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday or Friday, contingent on a cease‑fire framework being reached ahead of a scheduled US‑Iran meeting in Pakistan. The closure of the strait has previously disrupted global oil and gas markets, making its reopening a critical economic signal. Trita Parsi, vice‑president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Al Jazeera that President Trump needed an exit from a war he described as "an absolute disaster" and that the next two weeks are "crucial" for any genuine diplomatic opening, though he cautioned that the situation is not yet resolved. Analysts note that the cease‑fire’s success will hinge on Iran’s willingness to allow unfettered navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and on US verification of Iran’s uranium holdings. The coming fortnight will test whether the declared victory translates into lasting stability in a volatile region.

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning that the United States would eradicate Iran’s “civilisation” unless the regime reopens the Strait of Hormuz and complies with his demands. The statement, posted on his Truth Social account less than twelve hours before the self‑imposed deadline, declared that a whole civilisation could die “tonight, never to be brought back again.” Trump set the cutoff for compliance at 8 p.m. Washington time (00:00 GMT) on Tuesday, framing the moment as a decisive point in what he called a long‑standing struggle against Iranian extortion and corruption. For more than two weeks, the president has threatened to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure—bridges, power stations, roads and other non‑military assets—if his terms are not met. Legal analysts have warned that such actions would constitute a war crime under international law. “It’s horrific. It’s pure evil. It’s disqualifying,” said Yasmine Taeb, legislative and political director of MPower Change Action Fund, condemning the president’s rhetoric as that of “a deranged, unstable madman.” She called for a stronger response from both U.S. lawmakers and the global community. Democratic leaders reacted forcefully. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer labeled Trump “an extremely sick person,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republican colleagues to “put patriotic duty over party and stop the madness,” warning that the conflict could spiral into a world war. Representative Rashida Tlaib suggested invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump, citing the recent bombing of a school in Minab that killed over 170 children. Congressional attempts to curb the president’s war powers have stalled; a recent resolution to limit his authority failed to pass, leaving the legal basis for the campaign in question. Critics argue that launching a military operation without congressional approval violates the U.S. Constitution, which reserves the declaration of war to Congress. Republican reactions were muted. Representative Mike Lawler downplayed the threat, stating that any strikes would target only Iran’s energy and civilian infrastructure to cripple the regime’s economy, and affirmed that Trump is acting within his constitutional authority as commander‑in‑chief. The conflict, which began on February 28 when the United States and Israel allegedly killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials, has already claimed more than 2,000 lives, including civilians in schools, residential blocks and medical facilities. Iran’s retaliatory rocket and drone attacks have hit Israeli and U.S. assets across the Middle East, while Iranian forces have blocked the Strait of Hormuz, driving global energy prices higher. Despite the heavy toll, Iran’s governing structure appears intact, bolstered by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, designated by the United States as a terrorist organization. No major defections or anti‑government protests have emerged, and Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has assumed a leading role. Trump, while maintaining a hardline stance, left a narrow window for diplomacy, suggesting that “maybe something revolutionary wonderful can happen.” He framed the deadline as “one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world,” promising that “47 years of extortion, corruption, and death will finally end.” Vice President J.D. Vance echoed the president’s message, warning Iran that the United States possesses additional, undisclosed tools and will employ them if Tehran does not alter its conduct, emphasizing the U.S. desire for free flow of oil and gas.