“Sudanese paramilitary forces carried out drone strikes overnight in central Sudan, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens, health officials said Thursday, as the use of unmanned aircraft becomes increasingly common in the more than three-year war in the African country. The attacks, which started late Wednesday, targeted various areas of the city of el-Obeid, including near an army position, according to two health officials at el-Obed Hospital, which received the victims. More than 10 people were also wounded, some critically, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023, after long-simmering tensions between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million, and pushed many parts of the country into famine.” (06/11/26)
“U.S. applications for jobless aid rose modestly last week, but remain at a historically low level despite economic headwinds brought on by the war in Iran. The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid for the week ending June 6 rose by 4,000 to 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most since early February, before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, but still considered a healthy level. It’s also more than the 216,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.” (06/11/26)
“The European Central Bank announced a quarter-point rate hike on Thursday, bringing its key interest rate to 2.25% as the Iran war continues to blow inflation off target. Markets had been pricing in a near-100% chance of the ECB raising rates by at least 25 basis points ahead of its June Governing Council meeting, according to LSEG data. The ECB’s Governing Council said the decision had been made in a bid to ward off inflationary pressures generated by the U.S.-Iran war.” (06/11/26)
“John Healey has dramatically resigned as defence secretary, warning Sir Keir Starmer that his defence investment plan (Dip) ‘falls well short of what is required.’ His shock resignation comes amid mounting tensions within the Cabinet over the publication of the long-delayed plan, which will set out how new equipment and defence infrastructure will be funded in the next decade. In his resignation letter to the prime minister – which he said he ‘never expected to write’ – Mr Healey accused Sir Keir and the chancellor of having been ‘unwilling to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.'” (06/11/26)
“The Pentagon is on lockdown Thursday as emergency workers respond to the Department of War’s headquarters for ‘a hazardous materials incident,’ Arlington County Fire and EMS said in a post to X. ‘ACFD units, including our Hazardous Materials Team, are currently operating at the Pentagon in support of PFPA’s Hazmat Team during a hazardous materials incident,’ it said. Building systems detected an ‘air quality issue,’ which prompted a shelter-in-place order, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. ‘The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants,’ Parnell said. ‘Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance. The Department is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area. Response teams are in place and ready to support building occupants.'” (06/11/26)
“The Trump administration is preparing to deport nearly two dozen people to the Central African Republic on Thursday, including at least two Iranian women who had sought refuge in the United States, according to lawyers and a government official. The flight, which is also expected to include migrants from Afghanistan and Syria, would mark the first such deportation to the Central African Republic, a deeply impoverished country that has been plagued by conflict. The country is so dangerous that the U.S. State Department states on its website, ‘do not travel for any reason.’ At least some of the migrants have received court orders in the United States prohibiting their deportation to their home countries because of the threat of persecution or torture, their lawyers said. … The Trump administration is working to find ways to deport people despite these court orders.” (06/11/26)
“A top Trump agency is cutting off funding to the Los Angeles agency responsible for coordinating billions in homelessness spending after accusing it of ‘obvious fraud,’ ‘wanton mismanagement’ and repeated failures to safeguard taxpayer dollars, Fox News Digital has learned. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which is a member of the White House fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance, is immediately suspending the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s (LAHSA) federal funding while HUD’s inspector general investigates potential offenses by the agency and its leadership, according to a letter sent to LAHSA’s board chair Wendy Greuel and its CEO Gita O’Neill, which was obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital. The letter detailed conflicts of interest, financial mismanagement, fraud, lack of oversight, and more from the homelessness agency, which has faced efforts by the city and county to take it over.” (06/11/26)
“Canada is joining a growing list of countries seeking to protect [sic] young people from harm [sic] online by restricting their access to social media platforms. The Canadian government Wednesday introduced a new digital safety [sic] proposal that would require users to verify that they are [capable of faking being] at least 16 to access websites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. A new regulator called the Digital Safety Commission of Canada would administer the proposed measures, officials said.” (06/11/26)
“Karmelo Anthony will serve his sentence while it appears the fundraising campaign for his family organized by his mother, Kala Hayes, has been taken down. Anthony was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years behind bars on Tuesday. He has since filed a notice of appeal to challenge the conviction. He said in his appeal that he cannot afford a new lawyer, WFAA reported. Those documents say, Anthony is a ‘penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel to represent me on the appeal,’ according to the outlet. The fundraiser was posted on GiveSendGo, an international crowdfunding platform, on April 15, 2025. It was less than two weeks after Anthony fatally stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. All the while, the fundraiser for Anthony and his family, titled, ‘Help Karmelo Official Fund,’ initially had a goal of generating nearly $1.4 million, and raised just shy of $634,000.” (06/11/26)
“Saudi Arabia is to allow the resumption of Lebanese exports to the kingdom, its official press agency reported on Wednesday, ending a years-long ban on the goods imposed amid concerns over the influence of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the resumption ‘in accordance with the positive steps taken by the Lebanese government,’ the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. … In April 2021, the kingdom suspended fruit and vegetable imports from Lebanon, asserting shipments were being used for drug-smuggling and accusing Beirut of inaction.” (06/11/26)
