Shell accused of ignoring pollution evidence in Nigeria

Shell is accused of knowingly continuing to operate a polluting pipeline in Nigeria despite internal evidence of widespread environmental and human harm, according to secret documents obtained by the BBC. The company, which has long blamed oil spills on theft and illegal refining, is now under scrutiny for prioritizing profit over safety and community well-being, with executives aware of the damage as early as 2012. Local residents, including fishermen and farmers, describe ruined livelihoods, dead mangroves, and toxic waterways. A confidential 2013 project revealed 100 illegal refineries and 9,000 hectares of polluted land and water—yet Shell continued operations. Despite this, the company maintains it acted within complex security and operational constraints. The case raises urgent questions about corporate accountability in the Global South and the long-term consequences of extractive industries. Meanwhile, the episode also covers a controversial U.S. plan to fund victims of government 'weaponisation'—a proposal abandoned after Republican pushback—and breakthroughs in quantum computing and a promising new cancer drug that reprograms immune cells to target tumors. In a separate UK tragedy, footage of a dying man being handcuffed by police has sparked national outrage over racial bias and policing reform.