“More than 300 migrants heading to the UK last summer were kidnapped, tortured and threatened with forced organ removal, the BBC has learned. The young men, all from Iraqi Kurdistan, were captured in Libya by a militia who demanded a ransom of $5,000 (£3,700) from each of their families, and threatened to harvest the captives’ kidneys if payment was not made promptly. We have spoken to some hostages who have since been released, and seen photo evidence suggesting that forced operations did take place. The former captives showed us evidence of torture, and said they had been kept in cramped conditions, with nearly 180 people sharing a cell. At least one hostage is known to have died, and it is unclear how many remain captive.” (06/09/26)
“Nithya Raman, a progressive Democrat who has drawn comparisons to New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, will face Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles in a two-person race in November, The Associated Press determined on Monday. Ms. Raman, 44, a City Council member and former Bass ally, was behind in the initial vote count but came back in later returns to edge out Spencer Pratt, a Republican reality TV star who lost his home in the 2025 wildfires that devastated Pacific Palisades, a wealthy coastal enclave. Mr. Pratt had jumped out to an early lead in a field of more than a dozen contenders, in part because Republicans, who make up about 15 percent of the city’s electorate, had coalesced behind him. But his margin shrank as ballots from thousands of liberals [sic] who voted closer to Election Day were processed.” (06/08/26)
“US president Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to attend – and fall asleep – at an NBA Finals game on Monday night. Tightened security due to Trump’s presence causes huge queues for the highly anticipated game – where the San Antonio Spurs ultimately beat the New York Knicks. During the national anthem at Madison Square Garden Trump was loudly booed by basketball fans, which appeared to cause the president to stop clapping. The 79-year-old who was seated in a private box with Knicks owner James Dolan and his granddaughter Kai Trump, was later caught on camera appearing to have nodded off during the game.” (06/09/26)
“Four people were killed and more than 20 injured after Russia hit Ukraine’s Kharkiv region with missiles and drones, according to officials on Tuesday, while Russia-annexed Crimea said it was repelling drone attacks. The strikes follow large attacks by Russia and Ukraine on each other in recent weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week called for an end to the war and proposed direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia, with active U.S. and European participation. The latest attacks came as Zelenskiy was returning to Kyiv from talks in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany who said they were ready to support ceasefire talks.” (06/09/26)
“US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a peace deal with Iran is ‘just two to three days away,’ adding that negotiations between the two nations are in their ‘final throes.’ … Trump’s statement comes a day after Iran said it was halting its operation against Israel after the two nations exchanged missile fire for the first time since a truce took effect in April. However, Iran warned it would resume if Israel’s strikes in southern Lebanon continued. … After the strikes, Trump also warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against actions that could derail the negotiations, amid growing signs of friction between Washington and Tel Aviv over the handling of the conflict.” (06/09/26)
“The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court, Karim Khan, has been suspended after a disciplinary process triggered by sexual abuse allegations against him reached a conclusion. The ICC’s governing body announced the decision on Monday evening after its executive committee voted to refer the proceedings against Khan to a special session of the court’s member states for them to consider his future. According to a document seen by the Guardian, the committee of 21 of the court’s member states voted by qualified majority to determine that Khan had committed serious misconduct in connection to the sexual abuse claims. Khan, a prominent British lawyer, has repeatedly denied the allegations which first emerged in 2024 and threw his tenure leading the court’s prosecution department into disarray.” (06/08/26)
“New York’s health department released rules for the state’s controversial new doctor-assisted suicide law — as critics argue it’ll herald a ‘new and frightening era’ allowing government and corporations to view patients as expendable. The rules aim to set strict standards for how patients ‘self-administer’ suicide medications, including requiring two verbal requests and mandatory waiting period. … The law allows terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live to make a voluntary, informed decision to request medication to end their lives via suicide.” [editor’s note: No law should be required to “allow” people to make their own decisions about whether to continue their own lives, terminally ill or not – TLK] (06/08/26)
“Meta has said it is filing a federal US court contempt order against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group for violating a permanent injunction that barred it from ever targeting WhatsApp and its users. The company said on Monday that its WhatsApp messaging service disrupted new spear phishing attempts linked to NSO, an entity blacklisted by the United States government for engaging in activities that are contrary to national security or foreign policy interests. … Meta said WhatsApp took down test accounts and groups created by NSO on its platform. NSO did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Last year, a US court ordered NSO to stop targeting Meta’s WhatsApp, a development the spyware company warned could put it out of business.” (06/08/26)
“The United Nations’[s] mission in Afghanistan has expressed concern over what it says are arrests and detentions of women in western Afghanistan for allegedly not adhering to regulations governing how they should dress. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on X late Sunday that the arrests and detentions in the city of Herat raise ‘serious human rights concerns.’ It did not provide details. Afghanistan’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice dismissed the reports of arrests as ‘rumors.’ … A human rights monitor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the media, said Monday that monitors had verified at least 16 arrests and detentions, including of a pregnant woman, in Herat since Friday over alleged non-compliance with dress requirements.” (06/08/26)
“Lavazza is bringing its espresso tablets to the U.S., aiming to loosen Keurig Dr Pepper’s grip on the single-serve coffee category. The Italian coffee giant unveiled Tablì last year and launched the new brewing system first in Italy. The tablets, made of compressed ground coffee without a coating, binder or gelatin, can only be used with a Tablì coffee machine made by Lavazza. Each tablet is marked with the words ‘100% coffee.’ At launch, the tabs will come in five varieties: espresso, double espresso, decaf espresso, super crema and lungo, or a ‘long shot’ espresso brewed with more water. … Lavazza is betting that sustainability is still a top consideration for many coffee drinkers, although Baravalle said that can differ across countries. For years, Keurig’s pods have been dogged by questions about waste, leaving an opening for a competitor with a more environmentally-friendly product.” (06/08/26)
