Launch

• Pemerintahan Trump telah mengumumkan 'Operation Economic Fury,' menerapkan blokade komprehensif terhadap Iran sebagai bagian dari kampanye sanksi yang diperluas. • Inisiatif ini mewakili eskalasi signifikan dalam tekanan ekonomi terhadap Iran, yang menandai pergeseran kebijakan luar negeri AS menuju tindakan yang lebih agresif. • Tindakan ini terjadi di tengah ketegangan geopolitik yang lebih luas di Timur Tengah dan menyusul ketegangan diplomatik selama berbulan-bulan antara AS dan Iran.

• Pentagon meluncurkan GenAI.mil pada Desember 2025 sebagai bagian dari Project Maven, menyediakan akses generative AI yang aman bagi sekitar 3 juta anggota staf Departemen Pertahanan. • Platform ini menyematkan berbagai model AI terkemuka termasuk Claude dari Anthropic, Gemini dari Google, Grok dari xAI, dan ChatGPT dari OpenAI, yang memungkinkan adopsi AI secara luas di seluruh operasi militer. • Inisiatif ini mencerminkan prioritas strategis militer AS untuk mengintegrasikan kapabilitas AI tingkat lanjut ke dalam operasi pertahanan dan menunjukkan investasi pemerintah yang signifikan dalam teknologi AI kegunaan ganda.

• Aviatrix Inc. mengumumkan peluncuran platform baru yang dirancang untuk mengurung (contain) agen kecerdasan buatan dan menegakkan kontrol keamanan di seluruh beban kerja AI tanpa memerlukan perubahan pada agen AI atau kode. • Platform ini memperluas Cloud Native Security Fabric milik Aviatrix dengan dua produk baru: Zero Trust for AI Workloads (kini tersedia secara umum) dan Aviatrix AgentGuard (dalam akses awal), yang memungkinkan tim IT untuk menetapkan kebijakan yang mengizinkan atau menolak akses ke layanan AI eksternal serta memblokir shadow AI dengan allowlist. • Solusi ini menyediakan penegakan lapisan jaringan di seluruh beban kerja dan wilayah, guna menjawab kebutuhan yang terus berkembang untuk mengamankan agen AI, proksi large language model, dan framework agentic di lingkungan perusahaan.

Program acara diumumkan pada peringatan boikot bus Bristol yang bertujuan untuk menginspirasi manifesto sosial bagi kota tersebut.

• FCC mengumumkan akan meninjau delapan lisensi penyiaran yang dimiliki atau dikelola oleh Disney karena kebijakan diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) perusahaan tersebut. • Langkah ini dilakukan satu hari setelah Presiden Trump menyerukan agar ABC memecat Jimmy Kimmel atas lelucon kontroversial yang menyamakan Ibu Negara Melania Trump dengan 'janda yang sedang menunggu'. • Kimmel menghadapi kecaman di tengah perdebatan mengenai apakah monolog malamnya dapat memicu kekerasan politik menyusul tuduhan upaya pembunuhan baru-baru ini.

• Sevii mengumumkan peluncuran kemampuan Autonomous Cyber Swarm Defense (CSD) pada 28 April 2026, untuk melawan serangan siber berbasis AI bervolume tinggi dengan kecepatan dan skala mesin. • Platform ADR ini menerapkan agen Agentic AI Cyber Warrior yang mampu mendeteksi, membendung, dan memulihkan ancaman dalam waktu kurang dari 15 menit, mengurangi beban kerja analis sebesar 95% dengan model harga tetap per aset yang menghilangkan biaya token AI. • Mode CSD menampilkan Myrmidon Defense Technology (MDT) untuk mikro-orkestrasi yang efisien, memungkinkan penganggaran yang terprediksi tanpa perlu perekrutan tambahan atau outsourcing, sebagaimana dicatat oleh CEO Synergem Technologies, Frank Holt.

• Cognizant announced the launch of its Innovation Network on April 28, 2026, a corporate investment arm targeting early to mid-stage enterprise software startups in the US. • The AI Lab validates promising innovations, while the network supports startups in turning them into products for Global 2000 clients like those in logistics and recruitment. • This initiative accelerates integration of breakthrough technologies into Cognizant's solutions, enhancing enterprise value amid rising AI adoption.

Israeli strikes killed 14 people and wounded 37 on Sunday, Lebanon's health ministry said, as the Israeli military warned residents to leave ‌seven towns beyond the "buffer zone" it occupied before a ceasefire that has failed to fully halt hostilities.

• Google announced a $750 million fund on April 27, 2026, targeting startups developing AI agents. • The fund aims to accelerate innovation in AI agent technologies amid intensifying competition. • This initiative underscores Google's commitment to fostering the AI ecosystem, potentially challenging rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic.

Al-Qaida-linked group JNIM claims responsibility for strikes on airport in capital, Bamako, and four other citiesIslamic militants and separatists attacked several locations in Mali’s capital and other cities on Saturday in one of the largest coordinated attacks in the country in recent years.The al-Qaida-linked militant group JNIM claimed responsibility for the attacks on Bamako’s international airport and four other cities in central and northern Mali on its website Azallaq. It said the attacks were carried out jointly with the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg-led separatist group. Continue reading...

• Apple unveiled iOS 20 on April 25, 2026, featuring Apple Intelligence enhancements for on-device AI processing in Siri and Photos apps, rolling out first to US users. • Key additions include real-time language translation supporting 15 languages and AI-generated summaries for Safari, trained on 3 trillion parameters without cloud dependency. • The update addresses privacy concerns post-EU DMA rulings, boosting Apple's 45% US smartphone market share amid AI race with Google Pixel.

Creator card is designed for people making money through TikTok Live, some of whom have complained of delays in paymentsTikTok and Visa have launched a debit card for content creators in the UK that they say will allow people to quickly access their earnings from the platform.The creator card is designed for the growing numbers of people making money through TikTok Live, a live streaming feature where creators receive virtual gifts from viewers that are later converted into cash. Continue reading...

• Copperhelm raised $7 million in funding to launch an agentic cloud security platform leveraging AI agents for threat detection. • The platform automates real-time remediation at scale, addressing escalating cloud vulnerabilities in US enterprises. • This funding enables Copperhelm to commercialize innovative AI-driven cybersecurity amid rising breach incidents.

HMRC is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds, with an average balance of £2,200Rather than demanding money, HMRC is giving it away for once with a new campaign to reunite thousands of young Britons with forgotten savings accounts typically containing £2,200.HM Revenue and Customs is contacting 21-year-olds as part of a new awareness drive around lost child trust funds (CTF) – the tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between September 2002 and January 2011. Continue reading...

• IBM announced IBM Autonomous Security on April 15, 2026, deploying coordinated AI agents to detect and contain threats at machine speed without human intervention. • The service addresses a critical gap: attackers now achieve full network lateral movement in as little as 27 seconds, compared to an average of 29 minutes in 2024—a 65% speed improvement driving urgent demand for AI-powered defenses. • AI-enabled attacks surged 89% year-over-year in 2025, with a 44% increase in assaults exploiting public-facing applications, prompting major security vendors to adopt autonomous AI defense strategies.

• Los Angeles-based SimpleClosure unveiled Asset Hub, a marketplace enabling founders to sell intellectual property, source code, data, and equipment during startup wind-down operations as closures rise across the sector. • The platform addresses investor demand for structured, transparent exit processes that preserve value and minimize operational friction during company shutdowns. • Asset Hub reflects broader industry recognition that failed startups retain valuable IP assets and that organized liquidation marketplaces can recover capital otherwise lost in traditional bankruptcy proceedings.

• Treehub launched on April 22, 2026, as a Stanford-adjacent residency program in Los Altos, California, backed by the AI Health Fund and investors including Tim Draper and 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki. • The program functions as a venture studio, incubator, and fund, offering scientist-founders proprietary medical data, mentorship from exited startup operators, and programming with payers and investors. • It targets precision outcomes like genomic risk stratification, care efficiency via ambient intelligence, and frontier science including robotic surgery and digital twins.

• Operant AI launched CodeInjectionGuard on April 22, 2026, a tool that blocks malicious code execution by AI agents at runtime. • The guard defends against code injection attacks, preventing supply chain compromises in autonomous AI systems. • It secures AI agents used in critical operations, addressing rising cybersecurity risks in AI deployments.

Federal Communications Commission will look into the TV ratings system and whether shows with transgender or non-binary characters demand a warning for parentsThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching a new inquiry into the TV ratings system, including whether content related to gender identity is not adequately flagged for parents, in the latest warning shot to broadcasters from the agency headed by the Trump loyalist Brendan Carr.The new proceeding, announced on Wednesday, asks for public comment on the transparency of the TV Oversight Management Board, which oversees the rating system and guidelines. That system was developed after Congress passed a law in 1996, leading to the creation of numerous ratings such as TV-Y, for programs deemed appropriate for all children, and TV-MA, for mature audiences. Continue reading...

• Cowbell Cyber Inc. launched Prime One, a new U.S. cyber insurance product for organizations with $250 million to $1 billion in annual revenue. • The policy provides up to $10 million in coverage limits and includes affirmative protection for AI-related incidents and quantum computing risks. • Prime One addresses unauthorized use or access to AI systems in business operations, targeting advanced digital risk profiles.

Justice department’s focus seems to be on SPLC’s prior use of paid informants to monitor hate groups, group’s CEO says The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a prominent civil rights organization, the group’s CEO said on Tuesday.Bryan Fair, the CEO of the SPLC, said the details of the investigation were not entirely clear, though “the focus appears to be on the SPLC’s prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups”. Continue reading...

About 500 farmers challenge Green Gen Cymru in high court over alleged disregard for landowners and biosecurityA group of 500 Welsh farmers have brought a landmark legal claim to the high court over the alleged conduct of a green energy developer planning to build electricity pylon routes across their land.The court will hear allegations that Green Gen Cymru “unlawfully sought entry to private land, intimidated landowners, and showed disregard for biosecurity and basic rights”, as well as examine laws that force landowners to sell property to utility companies, in a hearing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Continue reading...

• Iran launched drone attacks targeting US warships in retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. • The strikes mark a sharp escalation, with both sides issuing warnings as a fragile ceasefire nears expiry and diplomacy falters. • Fears mount of wider regional conflict disrupting global oil flows through the world's critical waterway.

• Global private markets platform Moonfare announced a new AI-focused technology strategy targeting early and growth-stage investments for diversified US-relevant AI exposure. • Strategy features curated portfolio of leading growth managers plus direct investments in category-leading US technology companies driving AI innovation. • Aims to capitalize on transformative AI advancements, providing investors access to high-potential startups in the booming sector.

Trump administration to launch online portal on Monday after supreme court struck down tariff policy earlier this yearDonald Trump said US negotiators will be in Pakistan on Monday, and he again threatened to destroy its power plants and bridges if no deal is reached.Trump did not say who would lead the delegation, but a White House official said it was vice-president JD Vance. Continue reading...

• Meta released Llama 4 on April 20, 2026, a 2 trillion parameter multimodal AI model trained on 15 petabytes of US-centric data. • The model outperforms GPT-4o on benchmarks like MMLU (92% score) and supports vision-language tasks for enterprise apps. • Open-sourcing aims to spur US AI innovation, with downloads exceeding 500,000 in first hours via Hugging Face.

• Apple announced a delay of the Vision Pro 2 launch to Q4 2026 on April 19, pushing the release back six months as initial sales of the first-generation headset underperformed internal forecasts. • The company cited mixed customer feedback regarding the $3,499 price point, limited app ecosystem, and extended battery life requirements as factors influencing the postponement and product refinement timeline. • The delay marks a strategic recalibration for Apple in the spatial computing market and provides competitors including Meta's Quest 3 and Sony's PlayStation VR2 additional time to strengthen market position.

• SpaceX's Starlink division announced commercial availability of direct-to-cell satellite service to US carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T beginning May 1, 2026, expanding beyond its existing emergency SOS functionality. • The service enables SMS and data connectivity in rural and remote areas where terrestrial networks are unavailable, with initial pricing set at $5 per month for basic coverage and $15 monthly for premium data tiers. • Industry observers note this development challenges traditional carrier infrastructure investments and could accelerate satellite communications adoption, though regulatory approval from the FCC is still pending final confirmation.