Iniaes

In the Middle East

Violence in the West Bank and Gaza kept grinding on. A surveillance camera recorded an Israeli soldier and settlers assaulting two Palestinian men in the occupied West Bank, while separate reporting said a Palestinian father in Hebron buried his seven-month-old son after the baby was killed by Israeli gunfire. In Gaza City, an Israeli strike hit a tent camp and killed several Palestinians.

Elsewhere in the region, Bahrain said Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones toward Bahrain and Kuwait early Saturday, and that the weapons were intercepted. Bahrain said the attacks are testing a fragile ceasefire in the wider conflict.

In U.S. news

Mike Pence said Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted police, damaged government property, or tried to stop the election certification should not be pardoned by Donald Trump and should never receive any money.

Separately, a security expert said multiple failures were exposed after a man allegedly slipped onto a United flight at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport last month. TSA and United have not explained how he got onboard.

In Europe

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used a D-Day commemoration in Normandy to warn that Europe faces what he called a “migrant invasion” and the spread of dangerous ideologies. He singled out Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, and urged European leaders to act.

Pope Leo also opened a seven-day visit to Spain, praising the country’s commitment to peace and solidarity on his first day there.

In other international news

Auburn University student James “Weston” Higginbotham was found dead in a mountainous area outside Kyoto after a large-scale search in Japan. He had been reported missing during a trip there.

In U.S. news

More than 160,000 people have signed a petition opposing a planned data center next to the Nashville Zoo, with residents, zoo officials, and Mayor Freddie O’Connell all raising concerns about the project.

In Newark, at least two people were detained outside the Delaney Hall ICE facility after a tense clash with federal agents. Protesters blocked vehicles, pepper spray was used, and the city says it will pull its police resources from around the privately run center.

Separately, federal officials have quietly begun fast-tracking more immigration cases through the courts, a move meant to speed asylum decisions and increase deportations. The administration did not announce the shift publicly.

And President Trump has pardoned former Indiana congressman Stephen Buyer, who had been convicted of insider trading in 2023.

In Britain

Vice President JD Vance has blamed mass migration in Europe for the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton, drawing a sharp rebuke from Downing Street. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has met the teenager’s family in London, while the government rejects Vance’s claim outright.

In Europe and the Middle East

Activists disrupted a German military exhibit to protest arms sales to Israel.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed 10 people, including a brigadier general, a captain, and a soldier traveling on the Khardali-Nabatieh road.

Kuwait says it intercepted seven Iranian ballistic missiles over residential areas, with debris falling but no casualties reported.

In Britain

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has stepped down immediately as joint chairman and director after being told that serious historic allegations are due to be published. The club says he is leaving with immediate effect.

In Southampton, six more people have been charged with violent disorder after the riots that followed the sentencing in the Henry Nowak murder case. Police say the new charges bring the total number of people charged over the disorder to 11. Separately, Roger Harmer of the Liberal Democrats has been elected to lead Birmingham City Council, heading a coalition with the Greens and support from seven Independents.

Across Europe

Ukrainian drones have targeted St. Petersburg, prompting the city’s governor to tell residents to stay indoors, the first such warning since the war began. Russia called it an unprecedented attack.

In Spain, most of the country is set for a hot weekend, with settled weather dominating and temperatures expected to climb sharply. Parts of the south could hit around 38C next week.

In the Middle East

Israeli troops have killed a seven-month-old Palestinian baby in the occupied West Bank, after opening fire on a car carrying a family in Hebron’s Tel Rumeida area. The family says the vehicle had complied with an order to stop before soldiers fired. One parent was injured and the baby later died in hospital.

In world football

Iran’s players have received U.S. visas ahead of the World Cup, but some federation officials are still waiting for clearance before the team’s opening match.

Meanwhile, Jürgen Klopp’s agent has dismissed talk that the former Liverpool manager could take the vacant Real Madrid job if a presidential candidate wins Sunday’s vote. Klopp is now working for Red Bull.

In science and defense

The U.S. Army says it has developed a quantum sensor that can pinpoint the full three-dimensional direction of radio signals. Researchers say the system could improve spectrum awareness and communications in complex battlefield environments.

And in Europe’s defense industry, the next-generation ECRS Mk1 radar for German and Spanish Eurofighter jets has entered live testing, with airborne trials expected in 2026 and deliveries planned for 2027 if everything stays on schedule.

In Australia

A 35-year-old diver died after a suspected shark attack off the coast near Albany in Western Australia. Police said paramedics treated him at the scene for more than two hours before his death was confirmed on Saturday afternoon.

In cybersecurity

A security startup says an autonomous AI agent uncovered 21 previously unknown vulnerabilities in FFmpeg, the media library that underpins a huge amount of online video. In the same week, Google pushed Chrome 149 with fixes for 429 security bugs, its biggest single update on that front so far.

Oxford University says attackers broke into its CareerConnect careers platform, exposing users’ names and email addresses, and in some cases encrypted passwords for people not using single sign-on. The university says the flaw has been fixed and that there is no sign course data, uploaded files, appointment details, or financial information were taken.

Microsoft’s GitHub repositories were also hit in the ongoing Miasma supply chain campaign, with researchers saying 73 repositories across several Microsoft organizations were affected before GitHub disabled access. A tidy week for cybersecurity, in the sense that the alarms all went off at once.

In the Middle East

The U.S. says it intercepted Iranian drones and then struck what it described as radar sites in southern Iran, including targets in Goruk and on Qeshm Island. The exchange adds more pressure to an already fragile ceasefire.

In Iraq, the worsening summer power crisis is pushing officials to look more seriously at solar power as one possible answer. The country has the sunlight; the problem has been making the policy follow.

In Europe

An 18-year-old is due in court charged with wounding with intent and possessing a knife after a stabbing at Barry Island in Wales that left a boy needing a leg amputation. Police have not given further details.

Pope Leo XIV is starting a weeklong visit to Spain focused on immigration and social justice, and he is also set to meet some victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

In Latin America

Peru’s presidential runoff on Sunday pits Keiko Fujimori against Roberto Sánchez after a long stretch of political turmoil, rising crime, and sinking trust in institutions.

In Philadelphia

A woman was found dead after a rowhouse fire in Strawberry Mansion on Friday night. Officials did not provide more details. Philadelphia also stayed in the 90s on Friday, and health officials are urging people to adjust outdoor plans and take heat precautions as the hot stretch continues through the weekend.

Separately, doorbell video captured a motorcyclist riding through a South Philadelphia crosswalk, hitting a woman walking her dogs, and then fleeing. The woman’s dog was also struck.

In the military

The Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has broken down again, this time docking in Stavanger, Norway, for repairs after a technical fault during a NATO exercise. The ship was supposed to continue on to events in the United States, but the problem is believed to involve the propeller shaft, a recurring headache for a vessel that’s seen plenty of them already.

In a separate escalation, the U.S. military says it struck Iranian drones and radar sites after Iran retaliated against bases in Kuwait and Bahrain with missile fire.

In business and tech policy

Illinois lawmakers passed a bill that would require large AI companies to publish safety plans, disclose annual third-party testing reports, and report serious safety incidents to the state on a tight timeline. Governor J.B. Pritzker says he plans to sign it. OpenAI and Anthropic backed the measure, which would create a state-level baseline for frontier AI oversight.

In security and the courts

A judge ruled that the former CIA officer accused of stealing gold bars must remain in jail for now. The defense can seek another hearing if it comes up with new evidence supporting release.

Separately, a former IBM security executive is accusing IBM and AT&T of failing to put basic cybersecurity controls in place while still securing major government contracts, raising questions about whether sensitive federal data was exposed.

In Africa

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have announced a joint plan to help contain the Ebola outbreak.

In Ghana, arrests over alleged false news are fueling concerns about free speech under President Mahama. Fourteen arrests in 16 months is a lot for a government that says it welcomes criticism.

In U.S. news

A federal judge in Massachusetts dismissed a challenge to President Trump’s actions aimed at law firms he disfavors, ruling that the lawyer who brought the case had not shown a concrete injury. Separately, the Treasury Department told banks to watch for signs of unauthorized immigrant labor, widening the administration’s attention from the border to the balance sheet.

And in Texas, the chief of staff to Rep. Pete Sessions has been charged with two firearm offenses after allegedly trying to bring a gun into the Capitol complex late last year.

In markets and the labor economy

U.S. employers added 172,000 jobs in May, a stronger-than-expected report that suggests the labor market is still holding up despite pressure from inflation, geopolitical tension, and the usual promise that this time, artificial intelligence will be the thing that changes everything.

Canada also unveiled a new national AI strategy, “AI for All,” as Prime Minister Mark Carney and AI Minister Evan Solomon laid out the government’s approach to the sector.

In security and conflict

The U.S. military says it shot down four Iranian drones near the Strait of Hormuz and then struck Iranian coastal radar sites after what Central Command called an imminent threat to maritime traffic. In the West Bank, Palestinian health officials say an infant was killed by Israeli gunfire, while the Israeli military says it is reviewing the incident.

In technology and information security

A security researcher says U.S. military GPS satellites may have quietly carried encrypted key-distribution data for nearly 20 years, hidden in a message field most receivers already decode. If true, it is a reminder that some secrets are less covert operation and more very expensive hiding place.

In tech

Anthropic says AI systems that can improve themselves need a human override before they get ahead of human control. The company is pushing for a kind of brake pedal now, rather than after the machine has read the manual and rewritten it.

In Washington

The House Armed Services Committee advanced a $1.15 trillion defense policy bill that would raise troop pay, back U.S. allies, and add new acquisition and accountability rules for Pentagon leadership, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Lawmakers in the Senate, meanwhile, stayed up all night and approved a $69.5 billion immigration enforcement package running through 2029.

Separately, Trump’s fight with the BBC is widening. The network is seeking subpoenas for dozens of his allies as part of its defense against his $10 billion defamation lawsuit, a case now tied back to the Jan. 6 attack. Somewhere, a discovery deadline is blinking in the dark.

In business and media

A court has ordered Paramount to turn over board communications in the dispute over whether Shari Redstone improperly steered the sale of National Amusements, and with it control of Paramount, to Skydance. The fight is turning on who knew what, and when, which remains one of corporate America’s favorite genres.

In international news

Australia’s steep tobacco taxes have made cigarettes the most expensive in the world, but they have also pushed much of the market underground. New estimates say 80 percent of tobacco consumed in 2025 was illegal, with gang violence, firebombings, and even homicides following the trade into the shadows.

In Britain

Firefighters are battling a large blaze at a bus depot in Chadwell St Mary, near Grays, where 12 double-decker buses caught fire. Black smoke was visible across the area, and crews were still on scene after the fire broke out in the evening.

In entertainment

Anthony Head, best known as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and later to wider audiences through Ted Lasso, has died at 72 from complications of pneumonia. His family said he died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.

In Washington

The Senate blocked an effort to advance an extension of a key surveillance program, with the measure falling 47 to 52 after some Republicans joined Democrats in opposition. The program is set to expire on June 12, so the clock is now doing what Congress has not.

In the House, Republicans on the Armed Services Committee voted along party lines to back an amendment renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War. The full defense bill still has a long way to go, but the branding instincts are, at minimum, very on message.

Also on Capitol Hill, the House passed a nearly $2 billion aid package for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia, despite opposition from GOP leadership. The bill now moves to the Senate.

The Supreme Court also handed the Trump administration a win by upholding FCC authority to enforce privacy rules against telecom companies including AT&T and Verizon.

In space and science

A leak scare aboard the International Space Station briefly sent astronauts to a safe area after cracks in the aging transfer tunnel raised concerns about air loss. NASA later said the crew could return to normal duties after the situation was downgraded, while repair work was paused.

Separately, U.S. agricultural officials have launched an emergency containment response after the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, was detected in the United States for the first time in decades.

In international news

Kosovo’s former president is urging compromise ahead of a December snap election, as Prime Minister Albin Kurti remains unable to form a government after his party won February’s vote without a majority.

France says Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, and Keir Starmer in London on Sunday. An AFP analysis also found Ukraine recaptured more territory in May than it lost, for the second month running.

Iran’s inflation has hit its highest level since World War II, with the war with the United States adding pressure to an economy that already had plenty of problems, which is an impressive, grim achievement.

In Niger, at least 49 people died of thirst after a truck broke down in the desert. Two survivors walked more than 50 kilometers to find water before reaching help.

In culture

British actor Anthony Head has died at 72 after complications from pneumonia, according to his daughters. He was best known for roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso.

In international news

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to visit North Korea for a two-day summit with Kim Jong Un, part of Beijing’s effort to show a united front against the West and keep some leverage over a neighbor that has been drifting closer to Russia. Xi’s trip next week comes as Pyongyang leans harder on Moscow, even while still needing Beijing’s backing on the world stage.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed direct peace talks with Vladimir Putin, saying any negotiation has to start from the current front line and cannot require Ukraine to surrender territory. The timing is notable, with Ukraine striking deeper into Russian-held areas, Russia’s offensive losing momentum, and European leaders also trying to open a direct channel to Moscow.

In tech and cybersecurity

Anthropic is calling for a global slowdown in AI development, warning that its models are getting close to the point where they could help design their own successors. The company says Claude now writes about 80 percent of Anthropic’s code, can suggest research directions, and solve open-ended problems, which is impressive in the way a very fast escalator is impressive right before someone has to put a handrail on it.

In a separate security story, the extortion group ShinyHunters has leaked roughly 234 gigabytes of data it says was stolen from DentaQuest, the dental benefits administrator. The company says the breach affects about 2.6 million people.

In the U.K.

A former University of Surrey student, Almunthir Daqamah, has been charged with attempted murder after a staff member was shot with a crossbow on campus. Police say the victim is in stable condition in hospital, and the charges also include weapons and drugs offences.

And in a separate case, Nerys Lloyd has lost her bid to reduce the 10 years and six months in prison she received for gross negligence manslaughter after a paddleboard outing that led to four deaths.

In U.S. politics

President Donald Trump appeared to doze during a White House announcement on clean coal, with footage showing him slumped to one side while officials kept speaking. The episode, described as the seventh on-camera incident of this kind this year, is already feeding new questions about his fitness.

In Britain

UK house prices fell 0.1 percent in May, Halifax said, marking a third straight monthly decline. The average home price slipped to £298,806 as higher mortgage rates and weaker buyer demand continued to pressure the market.

The U.S. State Department also took the unusual step of using a condolence message to Henry Nowak’s family to criticize what it called “two-tier policing” in Britain. It was a pointed rebuke, wrapped in grief.

In tech and business

Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark told BBC Newsnight that AI may eventually develop beyond direct human input, and said there needs to be a way to slow that down if it happens. That is the sort of sentence that tends to get quoted in boardrooms and emergency meetings for very different reasons.

Waymo and B2U Storage Solutions say used batteries from Waymo’s robotaxi fleet will be repurposed as stationary grid storage in California and Texas. The companies say the arrangement could eventually add hundreds of megawatt-hours of capacity, giving old batteries a second life instead of a quiet trip to the scrapyard.

In defense and security

France’s Joint Staff released video of a Rafale from the Baltic Air Policing mission carrying out a close-range visual interception of a Russian Su-35 over the Baltic Sea. NATO described it as tense but controlled, and it ended without further escalation.

Russia says construction has begun on the first flying prototype of its Su-75 Checkmate stealth fighter, a program that has been closely watched and more often announced than observed. Moscow says the single-engine jet is moving forward, at least on paper and now, reportedly, in parts.

Vietnam has publicly shown its first domestically built amphibious light tank prototype, the T-1. The vehicle is drawing attention from regional observers because it signals bigger ambitions for the country’s defense industry.

In the Middle East

Thousands marched in Jerusalem’s Pride parade under heavy security, with the event taking place in one of the world’s most conservative religious cities. The march centered on equality and acceptance, and it went ahead without major incident.

In Albania

Protests have broken out over a planned resort project, as the government pitches it as part of a push to turn Albania into a global tourism destination. Environmental concerns are driving the backlash, and those have a habit of surviving glossy development brochures.