Netanyahu says Israel killed IRGC intelligence chief and his deputy — Times of Israel (LINK) 15 June 2025

Iran's Health Ministry says 224 people have been killed since Israel's attack began Friday (LINK) — ground.news: 49 media reports (LINK) 15 June 2025

DW: How close is Iran to getting a nuclear bomb? According to Tehran, its nuclear program is purely civilian, though Israel thinks it's aimed at making a nuclear bomb. Iran's high levels of uranium enrichment mean that the step to weapon-grade uranium is very short. (LINK) 15 June 2025

Russian strike hit Boeing office in Kyiv in deliberate 9-10 June attack on US business, FT reports (LINK) 15 June 2025

Years of painting restoration work done in just hours by new technique using AI (LINK) 15 June 2025

— The process was developed by MIT mechanical engineering graduate student Alex Kachkine, who restores paintings via traditional hand-painting techniques as a hobby.

6 ways the Dark Web is nothing like in movies, i.e. it is not all crime-related and has legitimate uses, especially for journalists (LINK) 15 June 2025

Israel targets Iran's Defense Ministry headquarters as Tehran unleashes deadly missile strike (LINK) — ground.news: 81 media reports (LINK) 14 June 2025

— The strikes follow Israel's operation 'Rising Lion' launched early Friday, after which Iran responded with waves of ballistic missiles and drone attacks in retaliation. Iran fired about 150 missiles in three salvos, hitting Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, causing 3 deaths, 76 injuries, and damage amid missile interceptions. Iranian officials reported nearly 80 killed and over 320 wounded in Israeli strikes that killed senior generals and damaged nuclear and military facilities.

Israel says it killed 9 Iranian nuclear scientists, and braces for attacks from Iran (LINK) 14 June 2025

At least 100 people killed by gunmen in Yelewata, Benue state, north-central Nigeria, rights group says (LINK) — ground.news: 57 media reports (LINK) 14 June 2025

— The attack is part of escalating violence fueled by clashes between local farmers and mostly Fulani herders disputing land and water access.

Death toll in Indian plane crash climbs to 270 as search teams find more bodies (LINK) — ground.news: 111 media reports (LINK) 14 June 2025

— The death toll rose to 279 with 169 Indian, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian passengers onboard.

Trump's military birthday parade was a gross failure: Trump got the expensive military parade he wanted on his birthday, courtesy of Lockheed Martin, Palantir, and American taxpayers — Rolling Stone (LINK) 14 June 2025

Anti-Trump protesters rally across US on same day as military parade — Reuters (LINK) 14 June 2025

Trump humiliated at military parade as giant toilet statue steals spotlight — Irish Star (LINK) 14 June 2025

Rain forces Trump to rush 79th birthday parade past empty bleachers: The parade started about 30 minutes early in order to beat forecasted storms — Daily Beast (LINK) 14 June 2025

In the streets and on a ferry, over 70K in Seattle proclaim 'No Kings' — Seattle Times (LINK) 14 June 2025

Thousands march in New Orleans-style 'No Kings' protest parade — Louisiana Illuminator (LINK) 14 June 2025

Two Minnesota state lawmakers were shot in their homes early Saturday morning in what officials are calling a political assassination. One of those lawmakers was killed along with her spouse. A manhunt is now underway for the shooter, who authorities say was impersonating a police officer (LINK) 14 June 2025

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, is being sought for his alleged connection with the attack, two sources familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Boelter is reportedly the CEO of Red Lion Group, based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Praetorian Guard Security Services, according to Minnesota Africans United's website. — (LINK)

— Suspect in killing of Minnesota legislator is a minister who evangelized in Africa — Religion News (LINK) 14 June 2025

— In a related shooting, Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot in Champlin. They are expected to survive and are out of surgery.

Gunman opens fire on 'No Kings' protest in Salt Lake City: one person critically injured, suspect in custody (LINK) 14 June 2025

Irène Zurkinden (1909–1987), rebel artist and friend of Meret Oppenheim, finally has her day in the Swiss spotlight at Basel's H. Geiger Kulturstiftung till 7 September (LINK, long article) 14 June 2025

— The ambitious show, years in the making, attempts to reclaim Zurdinken's legacy from the margins of art history and position her as an artistic rebel, a daring woman who remained untethered to conventions, and whose outlook on the world around her was honest, unflinching, and dazzlingly inclusive. Last year, at Art Basel, New York's Meredith Rosen Gallery devoted its booth to Zurkinden, with Rosen calling her "truly… one of the greatest artists". That presentation followed the gallery's exhibition of her work in "The Paris Years" in the summer and fall of 2023, back in New York.

Scientists just unearthed 346-million-year-old fossils that are changing everything we thought about evolution (LINK) 14 June 2025

— A fossil hunter's accidental discovery in a quiet Scottish quarry in 1984 has challenged our knowledge of one of evolution's biggest leaps the moment life crawled from water onto land. The creature looked like a small lizard but was actually far more ancient a stem tetrapod, a common ancestor of all amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Westlothiana lived 14 million years earlier than previously believed, thus changing evolutionary theories. It suggests: Limbs and lungs developed faster than anyone thought. Reptiles, birds, mammals (amniotes) may have previously split from amphibians. Environmental anarchy, volcanoes, and poisonous lakes may have sped up evolution.

Tel Aviv hit by retaliatory Iranian missile strikes: injured 34 people, while two people were killed and 19 injured (LINK) 13 June 2025

— Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran had *crossed a red line" by firing missiles at populated civilian areas. Most of the surface-to-surface missiles were intercepted, Israel's military said. The U.S. assisted Israel in defending against Iran's attack, a U.S. official said.

Israeli strikes kill 3 of Iran's top military leaders and prompt retaliation (LINK) 13 June 2025

— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes hit Iran's main enrichment site, the Natanz atomic facility, and targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists. He said that Israel had also targeted Iran's ballistic missile arsenal.

— Among those killed were three of Iran's top military leaders, one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, and another who ran the Guard's ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

— Iran launched over 100 drones toward Israel, but Israel's military said its air defenses had shot down most of the them. But the military said the threat was not yet over. It closed Israeli airspace and said it was calling up tens of thousands of soldiers to protect the country's borders.

Israeli spies and pilots crippled an Iranian counterstrike to attack. Iranian generals gathered in a bunker. Israel knew they were there (LINK) 13 June 2025

— Israel knew the emergency protocol, and the location of the bunker. They destroyed it, killing the overall commander and the heads of the drone and air defense forces. "The fact that there was nobody to give the order neutralized an immediate Iranian response," an Israeli official said.

Trump scrambles to claim credit for Israel's Iran attack he publicly opposed (LINK) 13 June 2025

— The White House's messaging has shifted quickly from Marco Rubio's arms-length description of the Israeli attack as a "unilateral action", to Trump claiming on Friday morning that he was fully in the loop on the operation and that it came at the end of a 60-day ultimatum he had given Iran to "make a deal" on its nuclear programme. "Today is day 61," he wrote on Truth Social. "I told [Iran] what to do, but they just couldn't get there."

Vietnam admitted as BRICS 'partner country', Brazil says: 10th (LINK) — ground.news: 26 media reports (LINK) 13 June 2025

Trump seeks to shut down gender ideology at UNICEF: Europeans rattled (LINK) 13 June 2025

— As a result of pressure from the Trump administration, the draft of the new strategic plan no longer has language promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights for children that was controversially included in the previous plan. The draft also scaled back language promoting gender ideology.

Trump 2024 financial disclosure reveals over $600 million income from crypto ($57.4m), resorts and royalties (LINK) — ground.news: 149 media reports (LINK) 13 June 2025

— Total includes $1.3 million from the Lee Greenwood *God Bless the USA Bible", $1.1 million from "45 Guitars", $2.8 million from "Trump Watches", $2.5 million from gold "Trump Sneakers" and $3 million from a "Save America" coffee table book centered on Trump surviving an assassination attempt.

Tesla upgrades two models with $5K price increase in U.S. as it continues to lose customers (LINK) 13 June 2025

Kilmar Ábrego García pleads not guilty in human trafficking case (LINK) 13 June 2025

— He first entered the US illegally in 2011 and was granted protection from deportation by an immigration judge in 2019 because it was determined he might face danger from gangs if returned to his native El Salvador. However in March 2025 the Maryland resident was deported and initially held in El Salvador's Cecot mega-prison, in what Trump administration officials later admitted was a mistake. A judge ordered ordered the government to "facilitate" his return, however White House officials initially refused to bring him back. The trafficking charges, which date back to 2016, allege he transported undocumented individuals between Texas and his home in Maryland and other states more than 100 times. Even if he is allowed to be released before his trial, he is not likely to be immediately freed, as prosecutors could appeal and seek to have him detained on immigration grounds.

Just a couple hours after a federal judge had ordered President Trump to relinquish control of the California National Guard saying he had violated the U.S. Constitution, an appeals court put the order on hold until a hearing on an appeal can be held Tuesday: allows Trump to command California Guard for now (LINK) 13 June 2025

USAID official in Maryland pleads guilty to taking part in $550M bribery scheme (LINK) — ground.news: 20 media reports (LINK) 13 June 2025

— Roderick Watson faces up to 15 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for October 6. Bribery scheme began in 2013 and involved at least 14 prime contracts up to 2023s. The bribes included cash, laptops, thousands of dollars in tickets to a suite at an NBA game, a country club wedding, down payments on two residential mortgages, cellphones, and jobs for relatives. n exchange for the bribe payments, Watson awarded contracts to Apprio and Vistant by manipulating the procurement process as USAID through various means, including recommending their companies to other USAID decisionmakers for non-competitive contract awards, disclosing sensitive procurement information during the competitive bidding process, providing positive performance evaluations to a government agency, and approving decisions on the contracts, such as increased funding and a security clearance.

Trump's crypto is crushing MAGA's pocketbook: The meme coin launched by the President-elect on January 18, just two days before his return to the White House, has lost more than half its value in less than five months (LINK) 13 June 2025

NPR: RFK Jr. sent Congress 'medical disinformation' to defend COVID vaccine schedule change (LINK) 13 June 2025

Geneva is the canton taxed most to support other Swiss cantons because of receipts on businesses: CHF378m, or CHF738 per inhabitant. (LINK) 13 June 2025

— Zug, home of crypto Switzerland, contributes CHF3571 per inhabitant. Bern receives CHF1.5 bn. Valais gets the record per inhabitant: CHF2396.

Roger Daltrey, Gary Oldman, David Beckham to be knighted by King Charles on 14 June (LINK) 13 June 2025

— The Who's Roger Daltrey, 81, has been knighted for his services to charity. He has been a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust for 25 years, annually taking charge of its concert series at the Royal Albert Hall. Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman, 67, was knighted due to his services to drama. The star won an Oscar in 2018 for portraying British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the film Darkest Hour. Footballer David Beckham, 50, was knighted for his services to charity and the world of sports. The former Manchester United player has represented England 115 times. He is also an ambassador to UNICEF and the King's Foundation. The ceremony typically takes place on either New Year's Day or on the officially recognized birthday of the King, which this year is being celebrated on Saturday, June 14.

London-bound Air India flight crashes after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, 241 dead (LINK) 12 June 2025

"I opened my eyes, realised i was still alive: India plane crash sole survivor — (LINK)

US to order 500,000 citizens of four countries to leave: people from Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela who had temporary permission to stay in the country are receiving emails telling them to go (LINK) 12 June 2025

California's Marine Protected Area Network joins IUCN Green List, more than doubling number of sites worldwide (LINK) 12 June 2025

— Four other new listings to its prestigious Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas: Comoé National Park, Côte d'Ivoire; Taï National Park–N'Zo Complex, Côte d'Ivoire; Uruq Bani Ma'arid Protected Area, Saudi Arabia; Pin Supu Forest Reserve, Malaysia. First ecological network to be certified: 124 sites governed under a single, science-based, stakeholder-driven system spanning California's entire 1,770 km coastline and protecting 16% of state waters.

Nicaragua breaks ties with UN Refugee Agency, the sixth agency from which it has withdrawn this year (LINK) 12 June 2025

— It accused the international body of presenting *biased and one-sided" information, and of "becoming an instrument of manipulation with a double standard, and of interfering in the internal affairs of the States".

Switzerland 24th of 28 European nations in development of solar and wind energy: 11% as against 28.3% average, 75% in Denmark (LINK in French) 12 June 2025

Harvey Weinstein gets mistrial on rape charge after threats to jury member from others (LINK) 12 June 2025

— The 12-person jury in Weinstein's trial had found him guilty of one count of a criminal sexual act against former Project Runway assistant Miriam Haley, but not guilty of the other count of a criminal sexual act against former model Kaja Sokola. After the mistrial was declared, prosecutors said Thursday that they plan to retry Weinstein on the rape charge, related to aspiring actress Jessica Mann, and that *she is ready and willing and wants to retry this count." A July 2 hearing has been set on that charge. Jurors were sent home midday amid concerns about fighting and tensions in the jury room in their fifth day of deliberations.

Swiss insurance to continue covering acupuncture and homeopathy (LINK) 12 June 2025

Russia recruited a Canadian teenage spy. His arrest led to a crypto money trail (LINK) 12 June 2025

Strikingly simple 'dial' in the brain may help it distinguish imagination from reality (LINK) 12 June 2025

— The fusiform gyrus, a large ridge that runs across two lobes of the brain, is active both when you see something in reality and when you imagine something. The activity levels in that region predicted whether or not you think something is real, irrespective of whether you see or imagine it.

London-bound Air India flight crashes after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, more than 240 dead (LINK) 12 June 2025

Iran says it will target US bases if conflict breaks out over nuclear enrichment (LINK) 11 June 2025

Trump launches $5M immigration "gold card" signup site (LINK) 11 June 2025

US reduces the presence of staffers not deemed essential in the Middle East as tensions rise (LINK) 11 June 2025

RFK Jr announces new panel of vaccine advisers after firing entire previous team: several who have expressed anti-vaccine views (LINK) 11 June 2025

Nearly all of the board overseeing the prestigious Fulbright scholarships resigned in protest of what they call the Trump administration's meddling with the selection of award recipients (LINK) 11 June 2025

UN: The world pledged to end child labour by 2025: So why are 138 million kids still working? (LINK) 11 June 2025

UN: International Day of Play: 2025 Theme: Choose Play Every Day (LINK) 11 June 2025

— A high-level event to promote the importance of play will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 11 June, co-hosted by UNICEF and UNESCO. Senior government representatives from Member States are expected to attend. It is estimated that 160 million children around the world are working instead of playing or learning. Only 1 in 4 children play out regularly on their street compared their grandparents generation where almost three-quarters said they played outside a few times a week. 41% of children had been told to stop playing out by either their parents or other adults such as neighbours.

"The living only genius of pop": Brian Wilson's creative legacy (LINK) 11 June 2025

20 cities in Iran ban dog walking (LINK) 11 June 2025

Russia carries out 'massive' drone attacks on Kyiv, Odesa (LINK) 10 June 2025

US to cut military aid to Ukraine, Hegseth says (LINK) 10 June 2025

EU unveils 18th package of sanctions against Russia, targeting energy, banking, oil (LINK) 10 June 2025

Greta Thunberg on Gaza protest flotilla: 4 activists including Greta volunteer to leave, eight remain in detention awaiting deportation: According to Defense Minister Israel Katz, the activists refused to continue watching the film "after seeing the brutality of the attacks" (LINK) 10 June 2025

— During the journey to Gaza from Sicily, the activists diverted their route to rescue four migrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea.

U.S.-China trade deal includes 55% tariff, Trump says. Deal also settles rare earths issues (LINK) 10 June 2025

Donald Trump proposes new crime with 'automatic' 1-year prison sentence: burning the U.S. flag (LINK) 10 June 2025

Grim World Bank update warns Trump ushers in worst growth in 60 years: "trade tension is setting the stage for the weakest decade of growth since the 1960s. Economic development in many of the poorest parts of the world has come to a standstill" (LINK) 10 June 2025

Trump's failed Fox News gotcha moment proves he was wrong all along about call to California Government to alert him to National Guard deployment against protestors against immigration raids (LINK) 10 June 2025

Army restores the names of seven bases that lost their Confederate-linked names under Biden (but see below) (LINK) 10 June 2025

— HuffPost: Fort Liberty reverted to Bragg, but in honor of the World War II medal-winner Roland Bragg, not the treasonous Braxton Bragg from the Civil War — (LINK)

Former student, 21, takes own life in a school bathroom after gunning down 10 in Graz school: authorities have not confirmed the gunman's motive (LINK) 10 June 2025

Russia's budget deficit up fivefold over 2024 (LINK) 10 June 2025

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sold tons of stock the week before 'Liberation Day' stock market plunge: made between $100,000 and $550,000 in stock sales the week ahead of Trump's tariff announcement, new disclosure reports show (LINK) 10 June 2025

Eurostar plans direct link between London and Geneva (LINK) 10 June 2025

Adorable animal content truly makes the internet more positive, study shows (LINK) 10 June 2025

— Writing in the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers argue that sharing animal photos and videos, often with a cute hashtag or humorous text, creates a "digital affective encounter" — an online experience that elicits positive feelings. The paper is built on the MSc thesis of Ghalia Shamayleh, MSc 19, Ph.D. 24. She is now an assistant professor at the ESSEC Business School outside Paris, France.

Ukraine shoots down nearly 500 drones, missiles in Russian record strike, Air Force says (LINK) 9 June 2025

Ukrainian drones hit Russian electronic warfare facility in Chuvashia Republic, military says (LINK) 9 June 2025

GHF says it handed out over 23,000 boxes of food at two sites (LINK) 9 June 2025

High Seas Treaty gains momentum as 18 new countries pledge support bringing the total to 49 — 11 short of the 60 needed for the agreement to enter into force (LINK) 9 June 2025

High Seas Treaty: UN's Guterres warns of 'wild west' (LINK) 9 June 2025

UNOC: The mining industry's growing appetite for the ocean floor drives debate at UN ocean conference (LINK) 9 June 2025

Sizewell C power station to be built as part of UK's £14bn nuclear investment: "biggest nuclear programme in a generation" (LINK) 9 June 2025

— The multibillion-pound investment at Sizewell C on the Suffolk coast, which has been long expected, will create 10,000 jobs and power the equivalent of 6m homes.

Trump deploys more National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles as protests in the city continue (LINK) 9 June 2025

In their own words: Trump, Newsom trade insults and barbs over National Guard in Los Angeles (LINK)

RFK Jr. to fire all members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee (LINK) 9 June 2025

— In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece he said he is "putting the restoration of public trust above any pro- or anti-vaccine agenda".

Judge finds Office of Personnel Management broke law in granting data access to DOGE (LINK) 9 June 2025

Sly Stone, a star of Woodstock music movie, dead at 82: "Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend, and his extended family" (LINK) 9 June 2025

— The Family Stone group dissolved in 1975. Stone's final album, I'm Back! Family & Friends, arrived in 2011. In October of 2023, he spoke with The Guardian via email — he was too ill to speak in person. "I have trouble with my lungs, trouble with my voice, trouble with my hearing and trouble with the rest of my body, too," he said, referencing his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which drastically reduced his lung capacity.

NPR: Sly Stone, visionary funk frontman of the Family Stone — (LINK)

Trump announces $1,000 government-funded accounts for American babies: The tax-deferred investment accounts will track the stock market for children born between 2025 and 2029 (LINK) 9 June 2025

— The accounts will be controlled by guardians and allow additional private contributions up to $5,000 annually. CEOs from major companies including Michael Dell, Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, and Vladimir Tenev of Robinhood committed billions for employees' children's accounts.

Prosecutors seek pre-trial detention hearing for Abrego Garcia following his return (LINK) 9 June 2025

7 shocking allegations against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, from participating in murder to soliciting child porn — (LINK)

Nashville DOJ official resigns after Trump Administration charges Abrego Garcia (LINK) 9 June 2025

— The charges against Abrego Garcia were filed in Nashville. Ben Schrader, who ran that office's criminal division, did not explicitly state that he resigned over the charges. Sources told ABC News that his decision was based on concerns that the allegations against Abrego Garcia were politically motivated.

Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400m countersuit against Blake Lively (LINK) 9 June 2025

— Lively filed a suit against Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios in December 2024, alleging she was sexually harassed on set and that Baldoni retaliated against her for bringing those complaints, among other allegations. Lively also shared details of the allegations in a New York Times article published before her lawsuit. Baldoni then brought defamation suits against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, claiming they were aiming to ruin his career and reputation with the allegations, as well as the New York Times. Judge wrote Baldoni and his company had not proved defamation because the "Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements" in her lawsuit, which are privileged. The judge also determined that evidence did not show that the New York Times "acted with actual malice" in publishing their story, dismissing that $250m suit as well. The dismissal comes a week after Lively asked to withdraw two of the claims in her suit against Baldoni: intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Baldoni is allowed to amend and refile his allegations related to interference with contracts by 23 June.

White House breaks ground on Trump projects to pave over Rose Garden grass, add flagpoles to lawns (LINK) 9 June 2025

'Day of the Jackal' author Frederick Forsyth dies at 86 (LINK) 9 June 2025

Hear what Shakespeare sounded like in the original pronunciation (LINK) 9 June 2025