“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)
“The Pentagon on Friday released a third batch of vintage classified files related to ‘flying saucers’ and other unidentified anomalous phenomena — better known to most Americans as unidentified flying objects, or UFOs — that the government has been hanging on to for decades. The 72 newly released files date from the 1940s to this year and showed that government investigators had looked into UFO sightings not just in the United States, but also around the world. The files contain more reports of UFO sightings from the public and more reports on the phenomenon from both the CIA and the FBI. … just as the two previous times when the government, at the urging of President Donald Trump, released two tranches of ‘never-before-seen’ files on a subject that has intrigued Americans for generations, the new document drop will likely be a disappointment to those seeking definitive proof that we are not alone in the universe.” (06/12/26)
“More than 60 people were arrested in the streets of New York City in the hours after the Knicks captured their first championship in 53 years Saturday night as celebration gave way to mayhem and violence, the New York Police Department said Sunday morning. Police said 63 people were arrested in relation to the game on charges ranging from assault on a police officer, criminal possession of weapon (gun), criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration. Ten members of the NYPD were injured, including one member who was punched in the face and another who was struck with a glass bottle, police said. … Around 2 a.m., police said a 17-year-old boy was shot once in the left foot near 43rd Street and Broadway. … Other violence included four slashings/stabbings and large physical fights breaking out, according to police.” (06/14/26)
“Gunmen shot and killed a journalist Thursday in Mexico’s eastern state of Veracruz, authorities said. It was the country’s second killing of a media worker this year — both of them in Veracruz, known as exceptionally dangerous for journalists. The Veracruz prosecutor’s office confirmed the killing, while the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists identified the victim as Luis Ángel López Valdez. He was the director of a local media outlet and a reporter for the Vanguardia de Veracruz newspaper. According to Vanguardia, López Valdez was walking along a street in the city of Poza Rica when he was intercepted by gunmen who shot him at close range before fleeing. He specialized in police and security reporting.” (06/12/26)
“Two people were arrested in San Francisco in connection with a chaotic robbery of Pokemon cards, the San Francisco Police Department announced on Thursday. On May 28, police said, a person agreed to meet with someone he believed was going to buy his collection of trading cards. … The suspect then allegedly pepper-sprayed the seller and ran into a getaway car with two more suspects inside. Medical crews assessed the seller at the scene and determined he had non-life-threatening injuries. Police used Flock cameras to find the suspects’ car …. Officers used drones to follow the car and watched two suspects exit the car and enter a jewelry and pawn shop near O’Farrell and Polk streets. Plainclothes officers then took the suspects into custody and booked them into the Juvenile Justice Center, where they are facing robbery and conspiracy charges.” [editor’s note: Did even Orwell foresee this level of surveillance capability? – TLK] (06/12/26)
