News Briefs

Cockatoos have learned to drink from water fountains.  In the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, researchers caught the sulfur-crested cockatoos taking turns to twist and hold the handle at public fountains, just as humans do. While less than half the attempts ended with a successful sip of water, the birds seem to be learning street skills not just for survival, but also for fun. More studies, including on baboons that walk in lines formed by friendship, are showing that animals are more playful than we might think. – Staff

Scientists reported record levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Researchers at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory calculated a monthly average of more than 430 parts per million for May. Before the world began burning fossil fuels for energy, scientists say the average atmospheric concentration was a fraction of that, at 280 parts per million. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. Despite widespread awareness about global warming, global emissions continue to rise. The U.S. has slowly reduced its emissions for the past 20 years. Still, Americans are responsible for the most carbon emissions per person. – Staff

Mexico’s landmark gun case reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Some 70% of weapons used in crimes inside Mexico are traced to the United States. Mexico argued that U.S. firearms manufacturers know their products are trafficked across the border , and profit from it. The high court ruled that an industry shield law protects gunmakers from the suit, but rejected arguments that the industry could never be blamed for damage caused by its guns in Mexico, opening the possibility that it could be held accountable in future cases. – Staff

The Supreme court made it easier to bring lawsuits over so-called reverse discrimination. A unanimous Supreme Court on June 5 sided with an Ohio woman who claims she didn’t get a job and was demoted because she’s straight. The justices’ decision affects lawsuits in 20 states and the District of Columbia where, until now, courts had set a higher bar when members of a majority group sue for discrimination under federal law. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote for the court that federal civil rights law draws no distinction between members of majority and minority groups.

New Zealand legislators suspended lawmakers who performed a Māori haka. The lawmakers from Te Pāti Māori, the Māori Party, performed the haka, a chanting dance of challenge, in November to oppose a widely unpopular bill, now defeated, that they said would reverse Indigenous rights. One lawmaker received a seven-day ban and the leaders of the Māori Party were barred for 21 days. Three days had been the longest ban for a lawmaker from New Zealand’s Parliament before. The protest provoked months of fraught debate among lawmakers about the place of Māori culture in Parliament.

A group backed by the U.S. and Israel resumes aid distribution in Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said on June 5 it was reopening two sites a day after shutting them following a series of deadly shootings near its operations. The GHF halted distributions on June 4 and said it was pressing Israeli forces to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its operations after dozens of Palestinians were shot dead near the Rafah site this week. The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations including the United Nations for alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week.

As food trickles into Gaza, UN calls US-Israeli plan “vastly insufficient.”

As Israel blocks aid, Gaza’s mothers watch their children starve

The U.S. was absent from a meeting of Ukraine’s Western backers. Ukraine’s president on June 4 urged the group of around 50 countries to speed up deliveries of air defense systems to counter Russian missile strikes and to help boost weapons production. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend, the first time a Pentagon chief was not in attendance since the forum was set up three years ago. His absence is the latest step that the Trump administration has taken to distance itself from Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia. The U.K. and Germany chaired the meeting.

With hope for peace dimming, Russia brings its demands to Ukraine talks

With both the United Kingdom and the European Union seeking security amid global economic and geopolitical shifts, a thawing of relations seems natural. But how far can they roll back their testy Brexit divorce – and do they want to?

Vietnam abolishes its long-standing two-child limit. The country aims to reverse declining birth rates and ease the pressures of an aging population with legislation passed on June 3. The birth rate in 2021 was 2.11 children per woman, just over the replacement rate required for a population to avoid shrinking over the long term. Since then, the birth rate has steadily declined: to 2.01 in 2022, 1.96 in 2023, and 1.91 in 2024. Unlike other Asian countries with low fertility rates, such as Japan, South Korea, or Singapore, Vietnam is a developing economy. Vietnam set rules governing family size in 1988 to reduce pressure on limited resources after years of war.

US parents are having fewer children, later. In March 2024, we looked at what that means for society. This story was the first in a series about falling birthrates. The second showed how immigrants are powering a population boom in rural Iowa. The third looked at the tumbling global birthrate and hard societal choices ahead.

Bulgaria is set to adopt the euro. The European Commission on June 4 gave Bulgaria the green light to join the euro zone next year. The approval could mean more foreign tourists and investment for the European Union’s poorest country. Still, many in the Balkan country are skeptical. Widespread corruption, stark income inequality, and a four-year political crisis marked by a series of snap elections and weak coalitions have eroded trust in authorities. Many fear a rise in prices during the switch, as had occurred in other countries that joined over the past decade.

An aid group backed by the U.S. and Israel has paused Gaza food distribution. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation made the decision after health officials said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings near its three sites this week. The group said it was in discussions with the Israeli military on increasing safety. At least 80 people have been killed since the sites opened last week, according to hospital officials. Witnesses blamed Israeli forces for 27 people killed on June 3, the most recent incident. The United Nations has refused to participate in the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles.

As food trickles into Gaza, UN calls US-Israeli plan "vastly insufficient."

Israel is keeping food aid out of Gaza, saying it’s to pressure Hamas. In early May, we reported how the lives of tens of thousands of children are on the line.

A far-right European leader quit his coalition over immigration. The Dutch government collapsed Tuesday when Geert Wilders withdrew his far-right Party for Freedom. The country is headed for new elections less than a year after the coalition took power. The Party for Freedom’s victory in the last election was a historic high-water mark for the Dutch far right, but Mr. Wilder has criticized the coalition for failing to deliver “the strictest asylum policy ever.” Other leaders in the coalition accuse Mr. Wilders of making unrealistic demands and abandoning the effort to find practical answers. – Staff

Airlines renewed their pledge on emissions. CO2 output occurs across interlinked industries. So setting joint goals can seem overly optimistic, even suspect. At a session that ended Tuesday in New Delhi, the International Air Transport Association, representing about 350 airlines, confirmed its commitment to going net-zero by 2050. While intentions matter, especially with environmentalism under pressure, it won’t be easy. The association points to a shortage of efficient jets and a shortfall of plant-based sustainable aviation fuels – which can’t be imported over distances without negating the emissions gains. – Staff

Spain cancelled an arms deal with an Israeli firm. The Ministry of Defense withdrew from a $325 million contract for anti-tank missile systems that were to be fabricated in Madrid by a subsidiary of Israeli defense technology company Rafael. The move comes as European patience with Israel’s conduct in Gaza is wearing thin, with public support for Israel hitting the lowest levels recorded by pollster YouGov in May. Food distribution centers in Gaza paused on Wednesday to improve operations after 80 Palestinians were reportedly killed in recent days trying to reach the aid. – Staff

Elon Musk blasted President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” The tech billionaire disparaged the legislation he says will increase the “already gigantic” national debt. Mr. Musk, who has spent big to influence recent elections, warned on his social platform X: “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.” The comments may test the remaining limits of his influence, in the wake of his role at the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. – Staff

South Korea has a new president. The election of Lee Jae-myung on June 4 closed one of the most turbulent chapters in the nation’s young democracy. Mr. Lee rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea’s leading liberal politician vowing to fight inequality and corruption. He succeeds Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was felled over his stunning yet brief imposition of martial law in December. As a former child laborer known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story, Mr. Lee came to fame through criticism of the country’s conservative establishment and calls to build a more assertive South Korea in foreign policy.

Women helped oust South Korea’s president. Now they feel erased by elections.

The Monitor's View: Why Japan, South Korea inch closer

Meta secures 20 years of nuclear power to meet AI demand. Constellation Energy’s investment with Facebook’s parent company will expand the output of the energy company’s nuclear plant in Clinton, Illinois. The agreement, announced June 3, is the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. With the arrival of Meta, Clinton’s clean energy output will expand by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs, and bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. Surging investments in small nuclear reactors comes as large tech companies are trying to meet their long-term goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

A new US manufacturing boom may bring more AI than jobs

The Monitor's View: The integrity behind ethical AI

Chinese restrictions on rare earth exports could halt car production in Germany. Germany’s auto lobby is the latest industry group to sound the alarm over delays to the supply of materials used in everything from windshield-wiper motors to anti-lock braking sensors. Suppliers could not produce critical components required to keep car production running smoothly, the head of auto lobby VDA, Hildegard Mueller, said in a statement to Reuters. Diplomats, automakers, and other executives from India, Japan, and Europe are urgently seeking meetings with Beijing officials to push for faster approval of rare earth magnet exports.

Chinese restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals – which have critical military and commercial uses – are spurring calls for increased U.S. production. We looked at how reestablishing that domestic supply chain has strategic importance and ecological risks.

Pursuit of critical minerals unearths new idea: Use what’s already dug up

Over 100 wildfires are burning across the Canadian prairies. Despite fraught relations between Canada and the U.S., fire season is a constant reminder of the proximity, physical and political, between the two nations. Smoke from the blazes has traveled as far south as Georgia. The U.S. has also sent in firefighting support, as Canada did during the devastating fires in Los Angeles this winter. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe thanked provinces and territories and three U.S. states - Arizona, Oregon, and Alaska - for resources and equipment. “We are truly grateful, and we stand stronger because of you,” he said. – Staff