BBC
A photograph has emerged which appears to show Princess Latifa, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai, who has rarely been seen or heard from in months.
The Instagram post seems to show Princess Latifa with a friend at Madrid airport.
In February, the BBC broadcast footage shot by Princess Latifa in which she said she was being held captive in a villa and feared for her life.
The footage prompted the UN to demand "concrete" proof she was still alive.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) later said she was "being cared for at home".
"She continues to improve and we are hopeful she will return to public life at the appropriate time," the statement said.
Al Jazeera
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is setting up a hub in South Africa to give companies from poor and middle-income countries the know-how and licences to produce COVID-19 vaccines, in what President Cyril Ramaphosa called an historic step to spread lifesaving technology.
The “tech transfer hub” could make it possible for African companies to begin manufacturing mRNA vaccines – the advanced technology now used in shots from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – in as little as nine to 12 months, the WHO said.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement aimed at boosting access to vaccines across the African continent, where coronavirus infections and deaths increased by almost 40 percent over the past week.
“Today I am delighted to announce that WHO is in discussions with a consortium of companies and institutions to establish a technology transfer hub in South Africa,” Tedros said during a press briefing in Geneva on Monday.
Al Jazeera
The United States, the European Union, Canada and The United Kingdom have imposed sweeping sanctions on Belarusian entities and officials and called on Minsk “to end its repressive practices against its own people”.
The allies also told the administration of President Alexander Lukashenko to cooperate with investigations into the forced landing of a Ryanair flight there in May and the arrest of the journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, who were on board.
“We are united in our deep concern regarding the Lukashenko regime’s continuing attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law,” the four said in a joint statement on Monday.
“We are committed to support the long-suppressed democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus and we stand together to impose costs on the regime for its blatant disregard of international commitments,” they said.
DW News
Less than 100 days before Germany's voters head to the polls, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), have finalized their election manifesto: "The Program for Stability and Renewal — Together for a Modern Germany."
CDU leader and chancellor candidate Armin Laschet and CSU chair Markus Söder presented the 139-page paper in a show of unity on Monday — just three months after a bitter fight for the position of conservative chancellor candidacy, which was ultimately handed to Laschet.
"We consistently combine climate protection with economic strength and social security," Laschet said. "We provide security and cohesion in times of change."
In an apparent swipe at the Greens, who have slipped several percentage points in the polls in recent weeks, Söder insisted the CDU/CSU could "do climate policy without the Greens."
"We can do that ourselves," he said.
DW News
The EU implemented new sanctions on top officials in Myanmar's ruling military junta Monday over human rights abuses.
The 27-member bloc imposed travel bans and asset freezes on eight officials and also targeted four "economic entities" tied to the Myanmar military.
What did the EU say about the sanctions?
The EU criticized the officials for "undermining democracy and the rule of law, and for serious human rights violations."
The sanctions on military-controlled companies are intended to hurt the junta financially.
"By targeting the gems and timber sectors, these measures are aimed at restricting the junta's ability to profit from Myanmar's natural resources, while being crafted so as to avoid undue harm to the people of Myanmar," the EU said in a statement.
Vox
The Supreme Court handed down a heavily caveated victory for elite college athletes on Monday. The immediate impact of the Court’s unanimous decision in National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston is that many elite student-athletes will receive additional education-related compensations, such as additional scholarship money. But the case could have broader implications and could eventually lead to these athletes being paid salaries.
The Court’s decision is the final chapter in a lengthy legal fight that began in 2014. Several athletes from the highest levels of college sports — men’s and women’s Division I basketball, plus football players in the NCAA’s elite “Football Bowl Subdivision” — filed this suit seven years ago. They challenged rules enforced by the NCAA and various other governing bodies within college sports, which place fairly strict limits on athlete compensation.
Raw Story Sarah K. Burris
NBC News reported on recently released data showing that since Sept. 11, there are more military suicides than there were combat soldiers who died in the line of duty.
Research from the Costs of War Project at Brown University revealed that an estimated 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans who served since 9/11 committed suicide. Since 9/11, just 7,057 were killed while in combat.
"The trend is deeply alarming," the report says. "The increasing rates of suicide for both veterans and active-duty personnel are outpacing those of the general population, marking a significant shift."
A short Jen Psaki break.
Reuters
June 21 (Reuters) - America's largest garlic farm needs 1,000 workers to harvest its annual crop, but faces an unexpected hurdle in this year's recruitment drive: it now must document and track the COVID-19 vaccine status of these seasonal laborers.
Employers in California's Santa Clara County, including Christopher Ranch, are required as of June 1 to ascertain if their workers have been vaccinated and check in every 14 days on those who say they have not or who decline to answer.
The timing of the order, in the middle of the busy harvest season, couldn't be worse.
Ken Christopher, the farm's executive vice president, said the company has to develop a system to check who has been vaccinated while observing privacy laws and monitoring workers' adherence to safety protocols and testing.
NPR
The White House on Monday opened the door to revisiting the filibuster — a hotly contested issue across political lines — setting the stage for a bitter congressional fight to do away with the controversial debate tactic.
Responding to a question about Tuesday's Senate debate on voting rights legislation, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: "As it relates to the filibuster, I don't think you have to take it from us, that would be Congress moving forward — or making a decision. If the vote is unsuccessful tomorrow, we suspect it will prompt a new conversation about the path forward. And we'll see where that goes."
The filibuster is a long-standing Senate practice used to delay a proposed law from being brought to a vote — a tactic that has picked up steam over the last 10 years. It has only been used once so far this session, to block a vote on a bipartisan Jan. 6 commission.
For those of us with children or grandchildren (or great grand children)
NPR
The writer Ibram X. Kendi has been reading a lot of books to his five-year-old daughter, Imani. And when he chooses those books, he makes sure they include many kinds of people.
"I'm also really excited now because her favorite color right now is the rainbow," he says. "And so I feel like we're doing something right because I constantly emphasize this sort of human rainbow and appreciating it."
Kendi is the author of Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. He also produced a youth version of that work, a chapter book called Stamped for Kids. So as we discuss summer reading on current events, we asked him to recommend some other books for younger readers on race.
NPR
Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out in a personal Instagram post on Monday, saying he has "agonized over this moment for the last 15 years."
"I just want to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay," Nassib said in an Instagram video he posted on his verified Instagram account. "I've been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest.
"The 28-year-old added: "I really have the best life. I've got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for. I'm a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know that I'm really not doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important."
The crew of the Overnight News Digest consists of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Rise above the swamp, Besame and jck. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw.