“Tunisian lawyer and media commentator Sonia Dahmani, who was released from detention last year, was sentenced on Monday to two years in prison over comments she made about the country’s jails, her lawyer said. A Tunis court issued the verdict following a hearing on Friday, according to defence lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi, who said he had filed an appeal. Dahmani was freed in November after spending more than 18 months in prison over comments she made denouncing racism in Tunisia. A critic of President Kais Saied, she faces prosecution in five separate cases, all tied to her comments and media appearances.” (05/25/26)
“The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out ‘self-defense’ strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were ‘proceeding nicely.’ The strikes were done ‘to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,’ but the military was ‘using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,’ Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command, said in a statement. Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations.” (05/25/26)
“An Israeli airstrike on a village in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people, the country’s state-run National News Agency said Tuesday. The strike late Monday in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley area came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had authorized more intensive strikes targeting the Hezbollah militant group across Lebanon. The Israeli military did not comment on this particular strike, but said Monday that it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in eastern Lebanon. Rescue workers say that a dozen bodies were pulled out of the rubble following an intense wave of overnight strikes targeting swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon.” (05/26/26)
“The administration of US President Donald Trump has renewed its push to lift a court ruling barring progress on a new White House ballroom, once again citing gun violence as a reason for pursuing the construction. In a court filing submitted on Sunday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche argued it was ‘urgent’ that the ballroom be completed. ‘This is a terrible, tremendously harmful case to the United States of America, and all it stands for!’ Blanche [whined], denouncing the lawsuit that has paused construction. As justification, Blanche pointed to the events of last Saturday, when a 21-year-old suspect named Nasire Best approached a White House security checkpoint in Washington, DC, pulled out a gun, and started shooting. One bystander was injured. The suspect was killed after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents.” (05/25/26)
“Russia has threatened to launch a fresh wave of ‘systematic strikes’ against Kyiv, days after carrying out one of its largest attacks on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the war. The new strikes will target ‘decision-making centres and command posts,’ alongside drone manufacturing facilities in the city, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Moscow has called for foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv ‘as soon as possible’ and warned citizens to stay away from administrative and military buildings. Large-scale Russian strikes on Saturday night killed four and injured about 100 people in Kyiv and other areas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Moscow said that barrage and threatened further strikes were in response to what it claims was a deliberate Ukrainian attack on a student dormitory in the town of Starobilsk on Friday, in which Russian officials said 21 people were killed.” (05/25/26)
“The risk of a ‘massive explosion’ at a damaged chemical tank in Southern California has been ‘eliminated,’ local fire officials said on May 25, resolving what authorities described as a possible ‘worst-case catastrophic event.’ … Roughly 40,000 people were ordered to evacuate from Garden Grove, a city south of Los Angeles, after a tank storing a toxic industrial chemical overheated on May 21. Initial efforts to secure the tank failed, leading authorities to expand the evacuation zone as they warned the container could potentially ‘blow up.’ On May 24, authorities discovered a crack in the tank holding 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate. … Methyl methacrylate is a volatile, flammable liquid often used in the manufacture of resins and plastics, according to the EPA. California health officials said no exposure to the product is expected as long as evacuation orders are followed.” (05/25/26)
“A former prosecutor at the international criminal court has called for an EU-wide statute blocking what she describes as ‘thuggish’ and ‘bullying’ US sanctions imposed on members of the court that are designed to send the court into oblivion. In February 2025, the US imposed sanctions on 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and the chief prosecutor as well three Palestinian organisations, in response to the ICC decision in 2024 to issue arrest warrants for members of the Israeli cabinet, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The US sanctions – which include travel bans and asset freezes – have locked judges out of the European financial system, making it impossible for them or their families to live normal lives.” (05/24/26)
“As its sports car rivals tap the brakes on a shift to EVs, Ferrari will take a leap into an uncertain era on Monday with the launch of its first fully-electric car, betting it can connect with drivers even without a throaty engine roar. With a top speed of 310 kph (193 mph), Ferrari’s four-door Luce — meaning ‘light’ in Italian — will carry a price tag of more than €500,000 ($586,000). … Monday’s unveiling in Rome of the hotly awaited Luce caps years of preparation, from early hybrid Formula One systems more than a decade ago and road models since 2019. First deliveries to clients will start in October, the company said last year.” (05/25/26)
“Three Chinese astronauts arrived at Tiangong space station Sunday, with one crewmember expected to become China’s first to stay in orbit for an entire year. The Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off at 11:08 a.m. Eastern (1508 UTC; 11:08 p.m. Beijing time) May 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The trio aboard were commander Zhu Yangzhu and astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying. Lai, a payload specialist formerly of the Hong Kong police force, is the first astronaut from Hong Kong to reach orbit. … One of Zhu or Zhang is expected to complete a continuous year in orbit, marking a first for Chinese human spaceflight.” (05/24/26)
“A New York lawsuit filed by Noah Doe and two Wyoming-based LLCs, ABC Company and XYZ Company, seeks a court order declaring ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses, raising important questions about the legal treatment of inactive Bitcoin under property laws. Filed on May 1, the suit claims that the coins tied to the listed addresses represent legally abandoned property they found and reported to the New York Police Department and claimed under New York lost-property law. The plaintiffs claim that the dormant Bitcoin wallets were legally ‘abandoned’ property that they found, including wallets belonging to early Bitcoin miners and addresses attributed to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, among other lost coins and unidentified entities. They claim that these constitute seizable property, akin to traditional bank accounts.” (05/25/26)
