JAPAN - The Japanese Defense Ministry has announced the indefinite extension of an order to track and destroy any rocket, ballistic missile or debris that could pose a threat to the territory of the country, after North Korea vowed to conduct another attempt to launch a military satellite. Tokyo issued the original shootdown order in late May, after Pyongyang warned the Japanese Coast Guard of its intention to launch a military satellite into orbit. The Japanese military went on to deploy US-made Patriot missile defense systems to its southwestern islands as well as Aegis naval destroyers armed with SM-3 interceptors to the East China Sea.

SWEDEN - Nuclear powers are actively modernizing and expanding their arsenals amid rising geopolitical tensions, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on Monday. The think tank estimated that as of January 2023, Russia, the US, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel had a total of 12,512 warheads, with 9,576 stored in military stockpiles for potential use – an increase of 86 from one year previously. The report also claimed that as of January, Russia and the US – which between them possess almost 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons – had 1,674 and 1,770 deployed warheads respectively. Last year, Russia had approximately 1,588 warheads while the US had 1,744, according to SIPRI.

UK - The number of people taking a strong interest in the news has dropped by around a quarter in the last six years, a global study suggests. A report by Oxford University's Reuters Institute says 48% of people around the world are very or extremely interested in the news - down from 63% in 2017. In the UK, the proportion is lower than the global average at 43%. More than a third of people (36%) worldwide say they sometimes or often actively avoid the news. The research also reported that more than half (56%) of those surveyed worry about identifying what news is real and fake online - up two percentage points.

EUROPE - Discrimination is a more pressing concern from advancing artificial intelligence than human extinction, says the EU's competition chief. Margrethe Vestager told the BBC "guardrails" were needed to counter the technology's biggest risks. She said this was key where AI is being used to help make decisions that can affect someone's livelihood, such as whether they can apply for a mortgage. The European Parliament will vote on its proposed AI rules on Wednesday. The AI Act is being considered by politicians amid warnings over developing the tech - which enables computers to perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence - too quickly. Some experts have warned that AI could lead to the extinction of humanity.

UK - AI allows a computer to think, act, and respond like a human. Computers can be fed huge amounts of information and trained to identify the patterns in it, in order to make predictions, solve problems, and even learn from their own mistakes. As well as data, AI relies on algorithms - lists of rules which must be followed in the correct order to complete a task. The technology is behind the voice-controlled virtual assistants Siri and Alexa, and helps Spotify, YouTube and BBC iPlayer suggest what you might want to play next. It also lets Amazon analyse customers' buying habits to recommend future purchases, and helps Facebook and Twitter decide which social media posts to show users.

UK - A natural weather event known as El Niño has begun in the Pacific Ocean, likely adding heat to a planet already warming under climate change. US scientists confirmed that El Niño had started. Experts say it will likely make 2024 the world's hottest year. They fear it will help push the world past a key 1.5C warming milestone. It will also affect world weather, potentially bringing drought to Australia, more rain to the southern US, and weakening India's monsoon. The event will likely last until next spring, after which its impacts will recede. This natural phenomenon is the most powerful fluctuation in the climate system anywhere on Earth.

USA - The Air Force celebrated Pride Month by posting on all of its official social media accounts a graphic of an airman saluting rainbow colors. A caption along with the graphic read: “June is #PrideMonth! The Department of the Air Force proudly recognizes and celebrates generations of LGBTQI+ service members and their contributions to our #AirForce & #SpaceForce.” The posts came after the Department of Defense hosted a Pride Month event earlier in the day at the Pentagon. So far, the only other military service to post on social media about Pride Month has been the Navy, which posted a graphic featuring ships and aircraft with rainbow colors streaming from them.

USA - The Biloxi National Cemetery in Mississippi, a graveyard for war veterans, has raised a gay pride flag to fly among the American flags at the entrance to the cemetery. We really shouldn’t have to ask this question, but it seems necessary to go back to the basics: Why should an American veterans’ cemetery fly American flags? Our veterans fought and died for the United States. Flying the American flag in cemeteries symbolizes that our country acknowledges their sacrifices. These brave soldiers defended and honored the United States until their last breath, so we raise the flag to honor them. The flag is also an extension of gratitude to veterans’ families.

USA - The US press, like the US government, is a corrupt and troubled institution. Corrupt not so much in the sense that it accepts bribes but in a systemic sense. It fails to do what it claims to do, what it should do, and what society expects it to do. The news media and the government are entwined in a vicious circle of mutual manipulation, mythmaking, and self-interest.

USA - Last fall, President Biden vowed to impose “consequences” on Saudi Arabia for its decision to slash oil production amid high energy prices and fast-approaching elections in the United States. In public, the Saudi government defended its actions politely via diplomatic statements. But in private, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman threatened to fundamentally alter the decades-old US-Saudi relationship and impose significant economic costs on the United States if it retaliated against the oil cuts, according to a classified document obtained by The Washington Post.

JAPAN - On Tuesday, China and Russia conducted a joint air patrol over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. It was the sixth such exercise since such joint flights began in 2019 and a routine part of the two countries’ plan of military cooperation. Japan, as well as South Korea, responded by scrambling their own fighter jets in response. China and Russia are countries of vast size, and both powers are in a standoff with the United States and its proxies in various theatres, be it Ukraine in Europe or Taiwan in the South China Sea.

CUBA - The communist nations of China and Cuba have reached a clandestine agreement for Beijing to establish an espionage facility on the island. China’s proposal involves the construction of an electronic eavesdropping facility in Cuba, roughly 100 miles from Florida, which would allow Chinese intelligence services to easily monitor American ship traffic and scoop up electronic communications throughout the southeastern United States, which incidentally is home to many critical military bases. The headquarters of US Central Command, which oversees US military activities in the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, is at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. One of the Army’s largest military installations, Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, is in North Carolina.

USA - Recently, we have seen governments in the Netherlands, and Canada move to shut down farms under the pretext of climate change. According to John Kerry, Biden’s “climate czar,” similar moves against US farms are in the works. The US and the Netherlands are two of the largest agricultural producers in the world. It seems certain Western countries are waging war against farmers in the name of climate change. What is really going on here?

USA - Joe Biden didn’t have the White House decorated for Easter, Christmas, or Veteran’s Day. That should tell you all you need to know. For Easter they put up cheap decorations for a few hours to do a photo op then took it down. For Veterans Day THEY DID NOT EVEN PUT HANG UP THE AMERICAN FLAGS. MESSAGE IS CLEAR!

UK - Sexually 'fluid' Britain: Report claims nearly 7% of population have changed their orientation in last six years - and over-65s are among biggest switchers. Data based on surveys of 23,000 Brits tracking sexual orientation over 6 years. Around one in 15 Brits have changed their sexual orientation in the past six years, according to a report. And over-65s, particularly women, are one of the groups most likely to switch their sexuality, researchers found. Lancaster University authors claimed the data — from an analysis involving almost 23,000 people — upturns the assumption that sexual 'fluidity' is largely confined to Gen Z and millennials.