“A study into potential serious side effects of weight loss jabs has been launched after hundreds of people reported problems with their pancreas. The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Genomics England are asking people on weight loss drugs who have been hospitalised by acute pancreatitis to get in touch. There have been hundreds of reports of acute and chronic pancreatitis from people who have taken drugs such as Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, although none are confirmed as being caused by the medicines. The aim is ‘to better predict those most at risk of adverse reactions,’ said MHRA chief safety officer Dr Alison Cave. The study is being run through the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme, which allows anyone to report an issue with a medicine, vaccine or medical device to help identify safety issues as early as possible.” (06/26/25)
“Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the attorney general’s office to release a public version of its investigation file into the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers College, one of the country’s worst human rights atrocities. The case has been marred by missteps and interference, with Mexico’s former top prosecutor arrested in 2022 in relation to the case. The court ruling, prompted by a request from a private citizen, requires the file to be made available on the prosecutor’s website with confidential data redacted. For more than a decade, the government has promised action in finding those responsible, with investigations publishing varying accounts of what happened to the students from the southern state of Guerrero.” (06/26/25)
“Shell has not bid for BP and is not actively considering such a move, it said in a categorical denial on Thursday, adding it was bound by UK rules which mean such a statement bans it from bidding for BP for the next six months. The Wall Street Journal cited sources on Wednesday saying that Shell was in talks to acquire BP, in response to which Shell said no talks were taking place. Shell’s CEO Wael Sawan has repeatedly said buying back Shell shares was a better use of money when asked about a potential bid for BP.” (06/26/25)
“U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the country is pulling its support from the vaccines alliance Gavi, saying the organization has ‘ignored the science’ and ‘lost the public trust.’ A video of Kennedy’s short speech was shown to a Gavi meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, where the organization that has paid for more than 1 billion children to be vaccinated through routine immunization programs was hoping to raise at least $9 billion for the next five years. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, mentioned Gavi’s partnership with the World Health Organization during COVID-19, accusing them of silencing ‘dissenting views’ and ‘legitimate questions’ about vaccine safety. His speech also cast doubt on the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine — which WHO and other health agencies have long deemed to be safe and effective.” (06/26/25)
“The Trump Organization scrapped a reference that its recently revealed smartphone will be made in the U.S., amid doubts that such a device can be manufactured on American shores at its price tag. A spokesperson for the Trump Organization, which is owned by U.S. President Donald Trump, nevertheless maintained the handset would be made in the U.S. This month, the Trump Organization introduced the T1, a gold-colored device set to retail for $499. At the time of the announcement, a banner on the homepage of the company’s website said: ‘Our MADE IN THE USA ‘T1 Phone’ is available for pre-order now.’ The reference to where the phone will be produced has been completely removed. The change was first noted by The Verge.” (06/26/25)
“A fugitive drug trafficker wanted by authorities in Ecuador and the United States was recaptured more than a year after he escaped from prison in the Andean nation, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced Wednesday. José Adolfo Macías, alias ‘Fito,’ who led a gang called ‘Los Choneros’ in Ecuador and has been indicted in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States, was captured in the Ecuadorian city of Manta, his hometown, officials in Ecuador said.” (06/26/25)
“North Korea is opening a beach resort that its leader Kim Jong Un hopes will boost tourism in the secretive communist regime, state media reports. Wonsan Kalma on the east coast will open to domestic tourists on 1 July, six years after it was due to be completed. It is unclear when it will welcome foreigners. Kim grew up in luxury in Wonsan, where many of the country’s elite have private villas, and has been trying to transform the town, which once hosted a missile testing site. State media KCNA claims the resort can accomodate up to 20,000 visitors, occupying a 4km (2.5 mile) stretch of beach, with hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park – none of which can be verified. Heavily sanctioned for decades for its nuclear weapons programme, North Korea is among the poorest countries in the world.” (06/26/25)
“The Trump administration on Wednesday filed a lawsuit challenging Minnesota laws that provide some undocumented immigrants with higher-education tuition benefits not offered to U.S. citizens. The lawsuit is the third time the Justice Department has challenged states’ laws this month amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. The filing challenges the Minnesota Dream Act, which was signed into state law in May 2013 to make illegible [sic] some undocumented immigrants in the state for in-state tuition rates, privately funded financial aid and state financial aid.” (06/25/25)
“The UK’s largest Jewish representative body has suspended five of its deputies for two years and issued a warning to more than two dozen others after they signed an open letter criticising the Israeli government’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The decision by the Board of Deputies of British Jews comes after it launched a probe into 36 deputies who signed a letter published in the Financial Times in April that was highly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government. … the board, which has about 300 deputies, said the signatories to the letter had breached the body’s code of conduct, adding that the ‘presentation and promotion of the letter’ created ‘the misleading impression that this was an official document of the board as a whole.'” (06/26/25)
“The Trump administration’s latest effort to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs encountered a new obstacle last week, as a federal judge blocked officials from enforcing AmeriCorps grant restrictions that threatened to strip funding from San Francisco schools and community organizations. The preliminary injunction, issued by the U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen on June 18, marks one of the first legal setbacks for the Trump administration’s crusade against federal DEI efforts and could potentially shape how similar restrictions are enforced across other federal grant programs. The ruling temporarily blocks the enforcement of the restrictions. The restrictions were triggered by an executive order — Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing — signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, his first day back in office.” (06/25/25)
