US Embassy warns citizens to avoid popular jet ski beach activity in the Bahamas, citing reports of sexual assaults and safety incidents involving local operators (LINK) — 17 June 2026


US gov: United States announces more than $1 billion in assistance to UNICEF and World Food Program to address global humanitarian needs (LINK) — 16 June 2026


At least 58 states and territories contaminated by landmines, UN human rights chief says (LINK) — 16 June 2026


Switzerland-France feud erupts over G7 security costs linked to the G7 summit taking place in Evian-les-Bains. (LINK) — 15 June 2026

— France is refusing to contribute to the $25-32 million cost of securing the border and policing the protests, according to Laurent Paoliello, communications director for Geneva's security department. Several Swiss politicians have proposed withholding funds owed to France as a way of forcing Paris to pay for the security costs, including retaining tax income due to the French to compensate for lost tax income from cross-border workers. But Paoliello said such moves were "complicated" due to the fact that the exchanges of funds were enshrined in treaties. Geneva this year paid France €446 million as part of the 1973 treaty. France has not seen fit to establish designated protest sites or "counter-summits". Tens of thousands of protesters are gathering on the Swiss side of the border where they aim to stage rallies during the summit. Swiss police clashed with some 600-700 protesters on Monday, leading the protest to be forbidden after three hours. All other public rallies have been forbidden during the G7 summit. In addition to police, some 4,000 Swiss military personnel are being mobilized this week to oversee protests and staff border checkpoints.

Newsweek: Why Switzerland voted to reject population cap (LINK) — 15 June 2026

— Switzerland's population has expanded by nearly 2 million people since 2002—from 7.3 million to more than 9 million in 2025 — following the introduction of freer movement between Switzerland and the European Union (EU), according to the Federal Statistics Office.Foreign-trained doctors make up around 43 percent of all physicians working in Switzerland, according to the Swiss Medical Association. The vast majority of the 165,386 foreign nationals who moved to Switzerland last year migrated for employment, according to the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Two-thirds of them are coming from the EU/European Free Trade Association (EFTA). "In an uncertain world, a small country at the heart of Europe was ultimately not prepared to risk a rupture with the EU, in many ways our closest and most reliable ally," said Cloé Jans, a senior project manager at the Swiss public opinion research firm gfs.bern. "For many voters, a flawed status quo was preferable to an unpredictable leap into the unknown."

Al Jazeera: Swiss right-wing plan to cap population rejected by narrow margins — (LINK limited)


Swiss tourism: summer 2026 faces difficult circumstances: weaker demand from long-haul markets. (LINK) — 15 June 2026

Exceptional winter for Swiss hotel industry: increase was fuelled only marginally by foreign demand — (LINK)

— December (+6.8%), January (+2.6%) and February (+2.9%) proved particularly successful. The outbreak of conflict in the Middle East coincided with a sudden fall in foreign demand (-4.8% in March and -5.7% in April), particularly from Asia, which weighed on the end of the season.


UN Secretary-General appoints Ahunna Eziakonwa as Special Adviser On Africa (LINK) — 14 June 2026

— She currently oversees the organisation's support to 46 African countries in pursuing Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the African Union's Agenda 2063.


Russia's overwhelming manpower advantage against Ukraine is starting to wane: the first war in Russia's history in which the state is paying citizens to fight rather than forcing them is leading to economic strain and manpower issues (LINK) — 14 June 2026


'A fool and his money are soon parted': Barron Trump-backed beverage company is charging $39 for a 12-pack (LINK) — 14 June 2026