“Even after he set fire to Sir Keir Starmer’s house, Roman Lavrynovych – convicted on Monday of conspiring to commit arson – seemed to know as much about the prime minister as a bullet knows about its target. His anonymous handler, known by the initials EL, gave a clue in a message: ‘Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I’ll send you money, you need to leave the city.’ It was too late: Lavrynovych was arrested within hours. … Our investigation has found the arson attack was just one part of an extensive campaign of sabotage, provocation and lies leading all the way to the Russian state. … Russian operatives ran their sabotage and provocation campaign remotely through social media and the messaging app Telegram, we found, creating fake online far-right and Muslim groups, which were used to organise acts of vandalism in the UK and stir up division and fear.” (06/15/26)
“Arch Linux continues to struggle with a large-scale malware wave in its user repository AUR (Arch User Repository). This is currently literally flooded with malware. The attack continues and becomes more sophisticated. After the developers behind the Linux distribution initially assumed that they had brought the security incident under control with more than 1,500 affected packages in which malicious code was integrated, further manipulated code submissions have now been discovered. … The incident once again raises questions about the security of the AUR. Unlike the official Arch Linux package sources, the repository is maintained by users who can provide their own software packages there. Given the repeated findings, some observers are calling for additional protective measures or even a temporary shutdown of the service until more effective security controls can be put in place.” (06/15/26)
“An ICE agent in New Jersey was struck by a van driven by a fleeing suspect and opened fire on the vehicle, striking it several times, authorities said. The incident happened Monday morning around 9:30 a.m. in Stafford Township, about 60 miles east of Philadelphia as the agency was trying to capture a suspect. The officer’s condition was not immediately known, but sources told NBC Philadelphia that he is expected to recover.” [editor’s note: Perhaps after recovering, he or she will give up the thug life and get an honest job – TLK] (06/15/26)
“Clashes broke out between protesters and police near the United Nations (UN) building in Geneva on Sunday on the eve of the G7 summit in the nearby French resort town of Evian. Demonstrators threw bottles, stones and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. Witnesses cited by the AFP and Reuters news agencies said protesters targeted the offices of the UN’s telecommunication building and threw flares as police tried to clear them from the site.” (06/15/26)
“A federal judge in Georgia has apologized to a former law clerk for ‘harmful, offensive, and unprofessional behavior’ amid allegations she had engaged in sexual activity with a high-ranking uniformed police officer in her office during working hours and within earshot of staff. The apology comes as two House Republicans from Georgia have filed articles of impeachment for U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross. ‘You deserved better than to have your experience marred by my own offensive conflict,’ Ross, who serves in the Northern District of Georgia, wrote in a letter last week, adding that her ‘actions were patently wrong, and there is no excuse’, and her previous letter to the clerk was ‘entirely deficient, as I did not take full accountability for my actions, and I failed to give you the apology that you deserve.'” (06/15/26)
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has elevated a recall of Alfredo sauce distributed in 41 states to its most serious classification after they say a supplier flagged an ingredient for possible Salmonella contamination. According to the FDA notice, Tennessee-based The Coffee Connexion Co. Inc. voluntarily recalled the product on May 6 because it contains a dry milk powder ingredient that was recalled by the supplier due to potential Salmonella contamination.” (06/14/26)
“Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, calling it ‘a big moment for our country.’ Starmer told a news conference that he will fight back if technology companies resist the move, intended to [grandstand on the fantasy of ‘protecting’] children from harmful content and excessive screen time. He said he is ‘not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.’ The move makes the U.K. part of growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.” (06/15/26)
“Media giant Fox is buying streaming firm Roku in a deal the companies say will create the third largest player in US TV by share of viewing. Fox’s move is being seen as a bet that combining streaming with its news and sport offering will leave it in a strong position as TV audiences move online. The offer of $160 per share, made up of cash and stock, values Roku at $22bn (£16bn). ‘This is a defining moment for Fox, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade,’ said Fox chief executive Lachlan Murdoch. ‘In 2019, we reoriented the company around live news and sports. In 2020, we acquired Tubi and under our stewardship it has become one of the most successful businesses in streaming.'” [editor’s note: As a long-time Roku device owner/subscriber, I hope Fox doesn’t ruin the service – TLK] (06/15/26)
“Four tons of invasive Burmese pythons were removed from South Florida ecosystems during the latest breeding season, setting a record for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. The achievement marks a new milestone in the fight against the giant snakes, which are considered one of the greatest threats to the Everglades ecosystem because of their ability to prey on mammals, birds and other native wildlife. The Conservancy said it removed more python biomass this season than at any point since launching its research and removal program in 2013. … the team captured 177 invasive Burmese pythons with a combined weight of 8,080 pounds.” (06/14/26)
“A group of Democratic senators and one Republican, as well as two Democratic House committees, sent letters Monday to the National Science Foundation asking it to reverse course on its plan to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network, with House lawmakers going further and accusing the agency of acting illegally. The Ocean Observatories Initiative is a network of more than 900 ocean sensors built at a cost of $386 million. Over the last decade it has tracked ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change and extreme weather, producing data freely available to the public and informing more than 500 scientific publications. The project was slated to run another 15 to 20 years. The National Science Foundation had directed the removal of most of the system’s instruments from waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland by 2027 — a decision scientists said came with no warning and no scientific review.” (06/15/26)
