How did the notion of ‘two-tier policing’ evolve, and does it really exist?

• India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed on June 5 that dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable solutions to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. • The statement comes as a response to an open letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposing direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

• Author Lawrence Wittner argues in a June 1, 2026, article that there is a significant disconnect between nationalist political rhetoric and the actual desires of the global population. • The piece highlights a "curious irony" where politicians frequently belittle international cooperation and rail against foreign nations despite widespread public support for solidarity.

• US-Iran war talks remain clouded by uncertainty as both Washington and Tehran issue conflicting messages regarding the status of negotiations. • In Lebanon, fighting persists between Israel and Hezbollah, indicating that the fragile ceasefire agreement is failing to hold.

Settlement over alleged child molestation by school janitors is latest in troubling string of allegations spanning decadesOne of the most prominent Catholic high schools in New Orleans has agreed to pay a seven-figure monetary sum to settle a lawsuit claiming child molestation by janitors at the institution decades earlier.The plaintiff struck the agreement with Jesuit high school ahead of a trial scheduled to start in the Louisiana city’s civil district courthouse on 15 June, roughly six years after he sued under a pseudonym. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader looks spooked by far-right Restore and risks undermining efforts to appeal to moderate votersNigel Farage’s self-confidence is famously iron-clad. But just before 12.30pm on Wednesday as a visibly angry Keir Starmer tore into his “unforgivable” response to the murder of Henry Nowak, Farage’s attempts to laugh off the criticism looked unconvincing. He was rattled.This has been a curious week for the Reform UK leader. The headlines have been dominated by a story seemingly tailor-made for his culture war instincts. But some believe that this time Farage might have overplayed his hand. Continue reading...

Allegations of bullying by Newsnight host not upheld after case emerges from 2025 workplace culture reviewThe BBC presenter Victoria Derbyshire was the subject of an investigation over her behaviour, after multiple complaints were received by the broadcaster.It is understood that three complaints about the Bafta-winning Newsnight host were received, which came to light as part of the BBC’s campaign to improve its workplace culture after high-profile cases of inappropriate behaviour. Continue reading...

Prospect of first NBA title since 1999 fuels wave of righteous outrage against Big Apple-based Sesame Street characterThe NBA basketball finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs has already drawn commentary after Spurs fans earlier this week continued a habit of wearing distracting, candy-colored T-shirts to honor the Texas city’s annual Fiesta festival.But now the Knicks’ first opportunity to win the title since 1999 – the last time they were in the finals, also against the Spurs, when they lost – has thrown fans in the Big Apple into such a partisan frenzy that some have come for one of their most beloved own. Continue reading...

Thousands flee including from village hosting at least 2,500 displaced people, one day after Hezbollah rejects ceasefireThousands fled their homes after Israel issued forced evacuation orders for nine villages in southern Lebanon before strikes that killed six people on Friday, a day after the Hezbollah militant group rejected a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.Hundreds of families left Anqoun, a village hosting at least 2,500 displaced people, after the Israeli military said it would soon operate against what it said were Hezbollah targets there, ordering residents to leave. The roads leading to Sidon, the closest large city, were choked with cars as families sought shelter. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor’s proposals amount to a notable criticism of Keir Starmer’s policy in the areaUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has proposed a 20% cut to business rates for pubs with many smaller, family-run enterprises taken out of paying the levy altogether, in his first major policy initiative during the Makerfield byelection.Burnham’s plans amount to a notable criticism of Keir Starmer’s policy in the area, with the Greater Manchester mayor saying: “Labour have got it wrong on small businesses.” Continue reading...

Announcement that ‘policymakers’ need to be convened by US firm viewed as marketing ploy by some expertsAnthropic has floated the idea of a worldwide “temporary pause” on AI development – and said it was going to convene “policymakers” to discuss the dangers of advanced AI – in its latest release touting the capabilities of its products.In a long post on Thursday, Anthropic detailed the progress of its AI model, Claude, towards “recursive self improvement” – that is, being able to make better and more powerful versions of itself. Recursive self-improvement is a bugbear of AI safety researchers, viewed as the key step for AI to become superintelligent and therefore unleash widespread consequences on humanity. Continue reading...

Team now plans to see if they can use yeast strains harvested from Ötzi the Iceman to brew beer tooScientists have baked a sourdough loaf of bread using yeast strains harvested from a 5,000-year-old mummy and now plan to see if they can use them to brew beer too.The yeast came from Ötzi the Iceman, a famous corpse remarkably preserved by being frozen in Alpine ice near the Italy-Austria border until he was discovered in 1991. Ötzi has been the subject of intense study since he was found and has shed much light on pre-historic European people and their way of life. Continue reading...