“The Japanese city of Utsunomiya has suspended all 94 of the primary and middle schools that it operates on Monday after its first-ever bear sighting, a municipal official said. The city of half a million residents, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Tokyo, said the bear was first seen in a residential area near a park on Saturday evening. It remains at large after the last sighting early Monday morning about half a kilometer from a middle school. Bear attacks, including in urban areas, have been on the rise in Japan, prompting the government to set up a task force this year to reduce casualties.” (06/08/26)
“Riot police fired tear gas to disperse scores of protesters rallying on Monday against plans to build on part of a national park in Kenya’s capital. Officers moved in and arrested at least nine people, including former Chief Justice David Maraga, outside the main entrance of Nairobi National Park, Reuters reporters said. The Kenya Wildlife Service has defended the project, saying it will expand an animal orphanage on the site, Africa’s only wildlife reserve within a capital city. Protesters — who waved placards marked with ‘Nature is not vacant land’ and other slogans — say the plans, including a parking area for more than 1,000 vehicles, will encroach on one of Kenya’s most famous protected areas.” (06/08/26)
“At least 32 people have died after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines, officials say. The quake hit at 07:37 local time on Monday (Sunday 23:37 GMT), triggering tsunami alerts in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and Australia. Some of those were cancelled hours later. Videos and images showed buildings collapsing, including a clip of a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble, and landslides have been recorded in some areas. More than 100 people have been injured across several provinces, almost two dozen are missing, and 10,000 residents have been pre-emptively evacuated, authorities have said.” (06/08/26)
“Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling party has won parliamentary elections, preliminary results showed on Monday, a victory seen as endorsement of the nation’s pro-Western shift after threats from Moscow and claims of Russian interference. Pashinyan’s push to forge closer ties with the West and move Armenia out of the orbit of its former imperial ruler has angered the Kremlin and drawn rebukes from President Vladimir Putin. The election comes after years of turmoil since Pashinyan was swept to power in a 2018 street revolution.” (06/07/26)
“New historical research suggests that one of the most legendary cities in history did not start out as a conquering warrior state — poking a hole in its founding myth. The study, which centered around Sparta, was recently published by historian Hans Beck in The Annual of the British School at Athens, Cover Media reported. Sparta emerged in the 9th century B.C. and dominated much of the Peloponnese between roughly 700 and 371 B.C. … Though Sparta is often remembered as a warrior society forged through conquest, the historical picture appears to be far more complex. Using archaeological discoveries at a site called Aghios Vasileios, Beck argues that Sparta emerged from an older Lakedaimonian cultural landscape, rather than being created from scratch by conquering warriors.” (06/08/26)
“Road closures, no watch parties, bag bans and a gauntlet of security measures will greet fans when they arrive at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, as United States President Donald Trump descends on the heart of Manhattan to watch the New York Knicks play the San Antonio Spurs at home. The Knicks have defied the odds to build a 2-0 head start in the best-of-seven series before their first home game of the finals on Monday. … ‘Attendees should anticipate hard street closures in the immediate area surrounding Madison Square Garden,’ Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said. ‘A strict no-bag policy will be enforced, and we want to communicate that early and broadly so fans can plan accordingly. Attendees should also expect Secret Service-level security screening, similar to airport screening procedures.'” (06/08/26)
“Women desperate to become parents are being harassed for sex and offered cheap, illegal sperm samples online. Some of those unable to access fertility treatment are seeking out options on social media sites, which is driving a growing unregulated market – with some even turning to ‘Tinder for sperm’ websites. A BBC Wales investigation paid £100 for a next-day delivery sample from a man who advertised his ‘baby batter’ online and sent it in a box with a frozen carton of tomato passata. The UK’s regulator for fertility warned women were at risk of ‘exploitation by predatory donors’. Wales Investigates used an alias to order sperm from Joe Donor, here’s what was delivered. … One online advert [says] [I] can ‘rely’ on a man called Joe Donor for a delivery in the post. He’s a prolific donor who claims to have 180 children around the world conceived through sex and artificial insemination.” (06/08/26)
“At the end of 2023, Gov. Gavin Newsom framed it as a matter of principle when under his administration, California became the first state in the nation to pay for undocumented immigrants to use Medicaid. … now Newsom and fellow Democrats in Sacramento are walking back on their promise to provide healthcare access to all. Lawmakers have slashed the program in a series of cuts over the last year with more expected to come. In January, the state froze any new undocumented adults from applying for the program. Dental benefits for undocumented people are set to expire in July. And Newsom’s latest budget proposal, released in May, calls for increasing premiums from a planned $30 to $50 for undocumented people starting in July next year.” (06/08/26)
“Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, a Democrat, has taken a narrow lead for second place over former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a registered Republican, in the race to take on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a runoff this fall. NBC News projected Bass’[s] advancing to the runoff last week, but the outstanding question, as the city and the state continue counting ballots, is whom she will face and what kind of matchup that will be. NBC News hasn’t projected the winner of the other spot in the runoff. … Los Angeles still has more than 100,000 votes left to count.” (06/07/26)
“Israel and Iran traded fire early Monday in retaliatory strikes that threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a full-scale regional war. Yemen’s Houthi rebels [sic] also fired at Israel and warned they would target Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea, further escalating tension. The renewed threat comes as Saudi Arabia is relying on its East-West Pipeline to export oil out through the Red Sea as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. … Tehran had warned of retaliation after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning earlier Sunday in defiance of Washington’s request days ago to stand down.” (06/08/26)
