“Taiwan’s intelligence agency said on Sunday it is establishing an information-reporting channel for Chinese nationals to offer tips securely, at a time when tensions between Beijing and the self-ruled island remain elevated. In a statement, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau said they are launching a webpage that will act as a secure channel for Chinese nationals to provide intelligence-related information, saying that an increasing number of people have recently approached relevant agencies in Taiwan wishing to ‘provide various types of information.’ … China had earlier said it launched an online platform to encourage reporting of ‘Taiwan independence’ activities, aiming at holding ‘separatists’ accountable.” (06/14/26)
“Sweden has dropped plans to imprison serious offenders as young as 13 due to a lack of parliamentary support. The country is currently grappling with children being recruited into violent gangs, with more than 50 children aged under 15 appearing in court last year on murder or attempted murder charges, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said. Sweden’s centre-right government will now draft legislation to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 14 from its current limit of 15. … Currently, children under 15 who are convicted of violent crimes are sent to youth homes, which Strommer said led to more inmates later re-offending. The government will now seek to lower the age of criminal responsibility by just one year instead of two ahead of legislative elections, due to take place in September.” (06/14/26)
“Mark Hill, a conservative lawyer who served on the local school board, won a divisive mayoral runoff on Saturday in Frisco, Texas, that turned into a referendum on the city’s diversity and a testing ground for the power of anti-Muslim messaging. Mr. Hill defeated Rod Vilhauer, a retired construction company owner who gained a following on the hard right with his promises to keep ‘terrorists’ from gaining a foothold in Frisco and to prevent Shariah, or Islamic religious codes, from taking precedence over local and federal law.” (06/13/26)
“Mexican authorities discovered a decomposing corpse with ‘signs of violence’ near Tijuana’s Caliente Stadium, where the Iranian national soccer team is training during the World Cup, according to a New York Post report. Authorities responded to complaints about a bad smell wafting from a gray Toyota SUV with California plates parked in a grocery store parking lot near the stadium, the Post reported. ‘Upon inspecting the vehicle, they found a person wrapped in a black bag in the trunk, showing signs of violence,’ a spokesperson for the Tijuana prosecutor’s office told the Post.” (06/13/26)
“British [pirates] have seized a Russian shadow-fleet oil tanker that was trying to transit the English Channel, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says. ‘This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide,’ Starmer said in a post on X on Sunday. The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence also confirmed the early Sunday seizure of the vessel Smyrtos. It said the tanker, sailing under a Cameroon flag, was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officials with support from Chinook helicopters and other aircraft, a frigate and a minehunter.” (06/14/26)
“The curtain may have come down for President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center but the tarp stays up for now. Matt Floca, executive director and chief operating officer of the performing arts venue, told a federal court Saturday that the institution had complied with an order to remove Trump’s name from the facade. … But for onlookers who have gathered on the plaza in front of the center over the past day hoping to witness a dramatic moment symbolizing the limits of Trump’s power, it was virtually impossible to see whether the signage was gone. A tarp hung over the scaffolding constructed for workers to perform that task. It was unclear when the tarp might be removed to reveal the original lettering that had endured for decades: ‘The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.'” (06/13/26)
“Gene Shalit, a movie critic and arts reporter for the ‘Today’ show over four decades who was known for his puffy hair, oversized handlebar mustache and affection for groan-inducing puns, has died. He was 100. Shalit’s family announced the death Friday to NBC News, saying in a statement that he ‘passed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing life.'” (06/12/26)
“President Trump is hosting UFC fighters on the White House lawn Sunday night but the real battle may be on the streets of Geneva, where 50,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Switzerland’s second largest city to protest the G7 summit. Geneva essentially shut down on Sunday. Businesses closed and boarded up their windows. Anti-protester wire fencing was raised around the streets. And police vans took their places on corners, with officers wearing riot gear in preparation. Trump arrives at the G7 on Monday. He, like most world leaders, will arrive at Geneva’s airport before traveling to the summit location in nearby Evian, France. French and Swiss authorities shut down 27 border crossings on Sunday to keep the protesters away from the small spa-town on the shores of Lake Geneva where Trump and the other world leaders will stay.” (06/14/26)
“A Spanish High Court judge investigating former Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for suspected corruption has opened a separate probe over jewellery found during a search of his office, the court said on Friday. Zapatero, prime minister from 2004 to 2011, remains a leading figure in the main ruling Socialist Party and the graft allegations — which he has denied — have added to pressure on the government following a series of corruption scandals. Investigating judge Jose Luis Calama said the jewellery items seized during the May 19 search, provisionally valued at about €1.3 million ($1.5 million), currently lack documented proof of origin. He said the possession of high-value assets without clear fiscal traceability could indicate possible tax evasion or smuggling offences, citing the absence of customs documents or evidence that import duties had been paid.” (06/12/26)
“When three judges in courtroom 250 deliver their verdict at Oslo District Court early on Monday, Marius Borg Høiby — the son of the crown princess of Norway — will find out the extent of his sentence. Høiby, 29, will appear via video link because of unspecified health reasons, almost three months after his trial came to an end on 40 charges, including four counts of rape. He denies the most serious offences but admits some of the lesser charges involving drugs and traffic offences. Prosecutors say he should be given seven years and seven months in jail, whereas his defence lawyers believe he should serve a year-and-a-half. Høiby, whose mother married into the royal family when he was four, has been in custody since the start of February.” (06/14/26)
