“International Criminal Court judges on Thursday ordered a suspect from Libya to stand trial on charges including murder, rape and torture of detainees at a notorious prison, setting the stage for the global court’s first trial to focus on the North African nation. The unanimous written decision to confirm 17 charges against Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri came after prosecutors laid out a summary of their evidence at a hearing in May, where they alleged that El Hishri abused detainees at Mitiga prison between 2014 and 2020.” (07/16/26)
“United States Vice President JD Vance says the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had unspecified connections to Israeli intelligence. In a lengthy interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, released on Wednesday, Vance was asked about theories that Epstein may have had ties to Israel’s Mossad spy agency. ‘He clearly had connections to the upper, the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence,’ he said. The vice president also claimed that Epstein’s connections in Israel appeared to have a left-of-centre ideological bent. … During the interview, Vance also conceded that the Trump administration ‘absolutely’ mishandled the communications surrounding the Epstein files.” (07/16/26)
“The United States attacked Iran on Wednesday, and Iran struck U.S. assets across the region into Thursday morning, marking the fifth straight day of strikes between the two nations as they fight over the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command launched two waves of attacks seeking to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten vessels transiting the vital chokepoint between Iran and Oman. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said early Thursday that it was conducting missile and drone strikes targeting U.S. assets at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. … The IRGC-aligned Fars News Agency reported early Thursday that U.S. bases and facilities in Bahrain, as well as in Kuwait, were being struck. It separately said it was attacking U.S. assets at the Al-Azraq Base in Jordan.” (07/16/26)
“Top Russian energy companies have approached Indian refiners for more gasoline after Ukrainian strikes knocked out a significant portion of Russia’s refining capacity, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. India is the biggest buyer of Russian seaborne crude oil, making Moscow’s bid to secure Indian gasoline an unusual reversal in the countries’ energy trade relationship, highlighting the extent of the disruption caused by the Ukrainian attacks. Moscow is witnessing its worst gasoline crisis. At least one cargo of Indian gasoline has already sailed to Russia and more are expected, with nearly 40% of Russia’s refining capacity unlikely to return for at least two months if there are no further attacks, one of the sources with knowledge of the matter said.” (07/15/26)
“House Republicans kicked off their plans for a third party-line spending bill Tuesday, releasing a budget resolution that calls for $90 billion in new money for the military and election-related measures. With no plans to seek Democratic votes, it will be a herculean task to pass through the narrow Republican majorities, given the unpopularity of the Iran war, the lack of spending cuts to offset the new spending, which is already angering conservative hardliners, and the limits of the budget process. … It contains $12 billion for the Agriculture Committee, which is set to be used for farm assistance as the industry suffers from higher food and fertilizer prices resulting from the Iran war and the inability of ships to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.” (07/15/26)
“YouTube has appealed the verdict of a [frivolous] social media addiction lawsuit in Los Angeles, seeking to challenge the jury’s determination that the company designed its platform to hook young users without concern for their well-being. Lawyers representing YouTube filed a notice of appeal Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, less than a week after Meta, which was also a defendant in the case, filed its own notice of appeal. The lawyers are expected to provide their arguments related to the appeal in later court filings. The case centered on a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to social media as a child and that it worsened her mental health struggles. The jury found that negligence by both Google-owned YouTube and Meta was a substantial factor in causing harm to the young woman, identified in court only by her initials, KGM, and her first name, Kaley.” (07/15/26)
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced a new effort to annually screen service members’ testosterone levels and offer testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), framing it as a way to keep troops on the ‘leading edge of lethality.’ The screening, added as part of war fighters’ periodic health assessment, will affect troops age 30 and older, though those under 30 can voluntarily choose to get the test, Hegseth said in a video message posted to X. … The Pentagon chief authorized the new screening program to ensure troops ‘have the right testosterone levels to operate at [their] absolute best because it’s well-established science that as we age, testosterone levels often naturally drop,’ he said.” (07/15/26)
“A man who threatened on social media in May to shoot Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was arrested, London police said on Wednesday, as concerns grow over the security of politicians following the killing of Ann Widdecombe, a former member of parliament. The man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of sending threatening communications to a member of parliament, the Metropolitan Police said. ‘I am going to shoot you in the head if you win,’ he allegedly told Farage on social media, according to the Telegraph newspaper. The July 8 killing of Widdecombe, who was a member of the anti-immigration Reform UK, has led the party to call for better protection of its members.” (07/15/26)
“U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said federal immigration agents won’t end vehicle stops, one day after officials announced a temporary pause in such stops after agents [murdered] two men in Texas and Maine. ‘We must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!’ Trump wrote in a social media post. On Tuesday, Trump administration officials said the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency had ordered its officers to suspend most vehicle stops around the country after two men were [murdered] by ICE agents during such stops six days apart.” (07/15/26)
“A Moroccan prosecutor said on Wednesday he had ordered the release of veteran journalist and political commentator Ali Lmrabet after questioning him, although an investigation continues following allegations of defamation and libel. Lmrabet, 66, who holds French nationality and lives in Spain, was arrested on Sunday on arrival at Tangier airport. He is a political commentator on social media and has been an outspoken critic of Morocco’s political system for decades. … In 2003, Lmrabet was jailed after being convicted on charges that included offending King Mohammed VI. In 2005, a Moroccan court banned him from practising journalism in Morocco for 10 years.” (07/15/26)
