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April 28 Overnight Brief
In the UK
Northern Ireland is set to become the first part of the UK to offer free sign language classes for deaf people under 25, along with close family members, guardians and carers. The bill would put a legal duty on Stormont to provide the classes, which is a fairly direct way of saying, “this should have happened already.”
Separately, the Home Office is appealing the High Court ruling that found the government’s ban on Palestine Action unlawful, so that fight now moves into the next stage of court.
In business and energy
BP says quarterly profits jumped 130 percent to $3.2 billion, beating forecasts after the Iran conflict pushed crude prices higher. The company pointed to stronger oil trading and better midstream results, while critics noted that windfalls tend to arrive just as everyone else is paying more for fuel.
That same regional tension is also keeping the Strait of Hormuz in focus, with Iran saying it could reopen the waterway if the U.S. lifts its blockade. The route carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas trade in normal times, so this one matters well beyond the Gulf.
In security and crime
An Austrian man, identified as 21-year-old Beran A., has gone on trial over an alleged plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert. Prosecutors say he received training from Islamic State members on handling explosives.
In Los Angeles, former middle school teacher Colleen Jo Matarico has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading no contest to two felony counts involving a minor under 14. The judge also ordered no contact with the victim, and time already served in jail will count toward the sentence.
In Europe
MEP Abir Al-Sahlani is urging EU countries to push for a common EU-wide definition of rape ahead of a Parliament vote. She also said the war in Iran is showing the global order being renegotiated in real time, which is one way to describe a world currently doing several things badly at once.
Elsewhere
Ukraine has summoned Israel’s ambassador over reports of stolen grain shipments, while Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery and triggered what officials described as a massive fire.
In Pima County, Sheriff Chris Nanos has refused to give sworn testimony in a county disciplinary probe, deepening tensions with local officials.
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