Governments were forced to spend years defending measures intended to protect public health. Big Food lost more than 80% of the cases examined. But losing does not mean the lawsuits had no effect: legal challenges delayed the implementation of some public health measures for years.

Companies sometimes tried to hide their names. Of the cases brought by identifiable companies, more than one in three were linked to just 9 parent groups, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and confectionery giant Mondelez.

Between 2010 and 2025, at least 239 lawsuits were filed against public health policies in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, the US, India, and the UK. Food companies lost most of the time, but these cases add up to an extraordinary 595 years of litigation.

Exposed: Big Food’s 239 lawsuits against life-saving policies Our investigation, #BigFood vs The People reveals how food giants use tobacco-style legal tactics to challenge public health regulations around the world. www.lighthousereports.com/investigatio...

Sales of extra services have become central to VFS’s business: our analysis of 2K+ Swedish visa applicant receipts from 16 countries indicates they account for 30% of its revenue The company's operating profits have surged from €31m to €172m in 7 years

The RSF built a berm around the city, trapping people inside. We reviewed hundreds of satellite images captured between April and October 2025, mapped the construction of the berm around El Fasher.

@amnesty.org 's Janine Morna told us “There was a time before the takeover of El Fasher where so much could’ve been done to save lives. As an international community we couldn’t even provide the most basic of protection.”

Halima Abdallah fled El Fasher with her 4 children in December 2024. In May 2024, Halima’s 7 year old daughter went outside to use a public toilet and was attacked by RSF soldiers.

Abulgasim is a citizen journalist. He told us “Sometimes I would be the first person to find the wounded and people killed by bombs. Sometimes I’d find an entire family that was killed. No one left.”

Ruqaya escaped El Fasher on foot. During the siege the RSF killed 12 members of her family. Her 21 year old son is still missing.

It's not often we get to report on hopeful news Alaa Hamoudi won in the EU's top court against Frontex! This opens doors for many survivors of Frontex pushbacks. @bdeeb.bsky.social tells how he reported on Alaa's case back in 2020 with @bellingcat.com. And how this evidence ended up in court.

“And it ended up me being in this place. And I was with a fake name, with a fake haircut, and funny looking glasses and a camera in my watch, walking around all these Nazis and neo-Nazis.”

His elder daughter “remembers her father every day.” “The moments when she asks why the Taliban shot her father are the most painful,” his widow told us. “To this day I don't have an answer to this and other countless questions she has.”

Ali Gul Hadari–an elite commando unit soldier–was one of them. He worked closely with US Special Forces during the war, but was left behind when the US pulled out. Last year, the Taliban killed him in front of his wife and daughters.

🧵What’s the biggest lie the surveillance industry tells? That they only sell to legal clients. That there are red lines. But what do these companies say when they think nobody is watching? We went undercover to find out

31-year-old Farid Djassadi lost both his legs during an interception. Court documents we obtained show he fell into the sea as the police were pursuing his boat, causing his legs to be severed by the police boat’s motor

We found training videos demonstrating the dangerous interception tactics described by the officers we spoke to

To cross-check these accounts, We obtained case files documenting 4 deadly incidents, as well as police & gendarmerie reports. We interviewed 6 serving & former French officials who had been posted to Mayotte. They confirmed aggressive tactics were part of routine practice

Officially, French police are only allowed to rescue people at sea, and not to intercept them b/c it’s too risky. But 20 survivors from 17 different incidents told us the police had circled or collided with their boats, sometimes causing them to capsize

REVEALED: French police have caused dozens of drownings by violently intercepting small boats trying to reach overseas territory Mayotte. Similar tactics are being proposed for the Channel, to try to stop people from reaching the UK.

Partner BBC Eye follows Reem al-Kari as she searches for her son Karim. The 2yr old went missing when Reem’s husband Osama was kidnapped by security services. He would now be 15. Reem navigates a bureaucratic labyrinth of missing and falsified records. youtu.be/LymByDEqWkM

Mohammed Ghbeis was seized from an incubator in Damascus while only days old. By the time Mohammed’s mother Iman was able to see him in prison, he was a year old, taking his first steps. They couldn’t recognise each other. Ghbeis archive: Mohammed Ghbeis newborn

What would journalism look like if it wasn’t written for an editor, but for your best friend over dinner? In this Backlight episode, we dive into how news content creator-journalists are redefining the way stories are told and what traditional journalists can learn from them.

Satellite imagery analysis corroborates whistleblowers' testimony exposing widespread greenwashing across the Philippines’ national reforestation program. Davao Today, @thibico.bsky.social and Lighthouse prove instead of restoring forests, it’s often fueling deforestation. 🧵

Help turn our investigations into powerful visual content. You’ll work with our media partners to create high-impact videos for social media & more and help shape how investigative journalism reaches new audiences. Remote | €40K–€50K | Full-time apply.workable.com/lighthouse-r...

Exciting news! Our investigation Smoke and Lies has been shortlisted for the @cen4infores.bsky.social Open Source Film Awards. A collaboration with La Verdad Juárez & El Paso Matters. www.info-res.org/film-awards/...