‘What happened to the testicles?’: mockery in Milan over bull mosaic’s restoration

• The closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to war in the Middle East has triggered significant negative consequences for the global economy. • The crisis has highlighted critical structural vulnerabilities and the extreme sensitivity of international trade to disruptions in this strategic maritime corridor.

• The article highlights a contradiction between the rise of nationalist rhetoric among global politicians and the actual public desire for international cooperation. • It argues that global solidarity remains remarkably popular among citizens, despite political efforts to belittle foreign alliances and promote isolationism.

• Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stated on Sunday that Tehran will refuse any deal with the United States until the rights of the Iranian people are fully secured. • Separately, official Berri highlighted that the primary obstacle to a ceasefire is not the resistance's position, but the ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

• Middle Eastern states are increasingly utilizing digital diplomacy—including strategic communication and online narratives—to project soft power and manage national images on a global scale. • These digital tools allow governments to bypass traditional media to engage directly with international audiences, manage crises, and connect with their respective diasporas.

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli army to expand its military invasion of Lebanon as of Sunday, May 31, 2026. • The escalation is part of a broader conflict involving a war between Israel, the United States, and Iran.

• ACCORD is analyzing the evolving African mediation landscape, questioning if current mediation architectures are failing to keep pace with rapidly changing conflict dynamics. • A critical "seventh shift" identified is geopolitical fragmentation, where global powers have moved away from multilateral norms toward pursuing transactional interests.

People from Delaware to Montreal reported either hearing loud booms or seeing the fireball in the sky over weekendA meteor over Massachusetts during the weekend ultimately prompted reports of booms and sightings across New England into Canada.The American Meteor Society said that the meteor in question was about 3ft (1 meter) wide as it entered the atmosphere around the New Hampshire border with Massachusetts, north of Boston. Continue reading...

Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker, who have both been accused of propagating antisemitism, barred from visiting for eventThe UK is failing to protect freedom of speech, prominent activists have said, after the government banned two leftwing US political commentators from entering the country to attend speaking engagements.Cenk Uygur, the host of the Young Turks online political talkshow, and Hasan Piker, who runs his own hours-long stream each day, were both due to appear at SXSW London, while the former said he had also been due to speak at an event run by University of Oxford students. Continue reading...

The neighborhood that makes America’s clothes has been buffeted by ICE raids and post-Covid problems – but leaders say hope is on the horizonDowntown Los Angeles’s fashion district, the largest apparel manufacturing hub in the United States, is a neighborhood in freefall. While 83% of clothing cut and sewn in the United States is made here, the district has suffered in recent years as visitation and sales have plummeted.“I went from making $2,000 a day to making now $500, sometimes $700,” said Fernando Carmona, who owns the women’s dress store AP Design by Rocca. He added that rent for his store is $8,250 a month. Continue reading...

Casting shifts to EU talent as paperwork delays and visa limits make hiring British crews less viableFrom blacklists for UK passport holders to being asked to work illegally while on holiday, the plethora of extra costs and red tape thrown up post-Brexit are restricting opportunities for British actors seeking work in the EU.Mainland Europe has always been a springboard for those in the creative industries, from gaining crucial first credits on a TV, film or theatre production to building a marketable resume and paying the bills while attempting to make it big in the UK or US. Continue reading...

Letting nature take over at a former dairy farm has resulted in a surge of species in just three yearsThree years of rewilding on a former dairy farm in east Somerset have seen recorded bird species soar from 67 to 94, butterfly species rise from 11 to 24 and small mammals grow in number.Heal Somerset, the first site acquired by the charity Heal Rewilding, has produced a state of nature report mirroring a national survey by environmental charities that has tracked the decline in nature. Continue reading...

Ravi Naik says legal ruling that forced Sarah Wynn-Williams to make silent appearance at Hay festival also applies to himThe lawyer representing the Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams has said he too has been prevented from promoting her memoir under a legal ruling, after her silent appearance at the Hay festival.Ravi Naik said the terms of an arbitration proceeding meant neither Wynn-Williams nor her “agents” could promote her bestselling book Careless People or say anything disparaging about the company. Continue reading...