Japanese city captures black bear after multiday hunt DW. Black bears in the US aren’t much of a threat to people in the US (property is another matter). I wonder why they are so aggressive in Japan. Or (worse) are some rabid?

Good design is ruining American flags Works in Progress (Micael T)

How much should you talk to your toddler? Linguistic Discovery (Micael T)

CALCIDIUS THE LATIN PLATO Antigone (Anthony L)

‘Parasitic cleanses’ are the latest health trend to infest social media. But what does the evidence say? Guardian

A widely used joint-health supplement may have an unexpected dark side for the aging brain.

➡️ Researchers analyzing >12 years of health records found that glucosamine use was associated with a 25% higher risk of progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease,… pic.twitter.com/5PRtp1qJ50

— Vipin M. Vashishtha (@vipintukur) June 9, 2026

Why are so many young people getting cancer? What researchers do and don’t know Nature

Ebola

Man shot during protest against proposed US Ebola quarantine facility in Kenya Guardian

#COVID-19/Pandemics

Anguished Parents, Crying Doctors: Life Amid Utah’s Measles Outbreak Wired

As vaccination rates plunge in Pennsylvania schools, measles cases surge in largest outbreak in three decades Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Every social justice movement is impacted by the Long COVID crisis Sick Times

Climate/Environment

Climate Change, Pollution Push Oceans to Tipping Point, UN Report Says Insurance Journal

An invisible forever chemical rain is falling across the planet Science Daily (Kevin W)

Nino region 3.4 SST update for June 8.

By year’s end: a global temperature spike, record floods & droughts, massive heatwaves & storms, global crop failures & famine, wildfires, dead coral and other marine life, inflation and infrasructure collapse.

Your mileage may vary. pic.twitter.com/BtirvDaWdu

— Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@EliotJacobson) June 8, 2026

El Niño will influence precipitation extremes.

A moisture connection from the tropical Pacific to the U.S. during fall could drive flooding rainfall.

Meanwhile, droughts are possible in the Caribbean, northern South America, West Pacific, India, Indonesia and Australia. pic.twitter.com/kAWtFh6yLq

— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) June 6, 2026

India prepares crop protection strategy as El Niño threatens monsoon rainfall TBS News

Drought forces wheat abandonment across parts of Great Plains Brownfield

Farmers For Action says biofuels, not diet cuts, must lead net zero drive Farming UK

China?

Macron reportedly to host video call between G7 and China amid trade divergences Global Times

Offshore oil is booming. So are the Chinese companies that make the equipment for it. Kevin Walmsley

This is extraordinarily rare.

In fact, according to a key figure in the German business community (who is a dear friend of mine), it’s unprecedented.

An op-ed, two pages, centerpiece, in Germany’s most important economic newspaper (the Handelsblatt) that begs the German… pic.twitter.com/k7Uhv2HwaE

— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) June 10, 2026

European Disunion

EU proposes entry ban for Russian Ukraine combatants DW
The US’ Reportedly Canceled Tomahawk Deployment To Germany Isn’t That Big Of A Deal Andrew Korybko

INTERVIEW: Iceland joining EU a ‘big step away from democracy’ Euractiv

“Burn for us!” Tarik Cyril Amar (Micael T). Important

Old Blighty

UK leaders call for calm as protests break out after Belfast street stabbing Associated Press

Israel v. The Resistance

Middle East crisis live: Iran launches broad retaliatory attacks after US strikes over downed helicopter Guardian. Much more in today’s Iran war post.

In south Lebanon, Israeli drones use the sound of crying children to lure civilians Middle East Eye

Did CNN just out Azerbaijan as Israel’s secret military partner? Responsible Statescraft (Kevin W)

The Iran War and the Future of American Empire American Conservative (Kevin W)

Balkans