Nearly 160 sick with flu at US air force base after Hegseth ends mandatory vaccines

Reports say Texas recruits ill from outbreak, which comes weeks after defense secretary made flu vaccine optional

An influenza outbreak has reportedly sickened more than 150 recruits in training at Lackland air force base in San Antonio, Texas.

The outbreak comes just weeks after the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, ended mandatory flu vaccination for the military, citing the need for bodily autonomy for servicemembers.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/18/lackland-air-force-base-flu-outbreak

Burnham brings in top economists before possible leadership run

Labour mayor giving advisory roles to ex-Bank of England economist and others seen as attempt to reassure markets

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Three economic heavyweights have been brought in to advise Andy Burnham as he attempts to reassure the markets before his possible return to parliament on Friday and challenge to Keir Starmer.

Burnham is understood to be getting advice from Andy Haldane, a former Bank of England chief economist, as well as Richard Hughes, a former chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility and Jim O’Neill, a crossbench peer and former Treasury minister who worked on George Osborne’s “Northern Powerhouse”.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/18/andy-burnham-top-economists-possible-leadership-run

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LA leaders back investigation into police killing of two-year-old dog

Officers responding to call about ‘screaming woman’, who was celebrating Knicks win, shot dog named Jameson

As the Los Angeles police department faces mounting scrutiny after officers shot and killed a two-year-old golden Saint Bernard doodle, the city’s political leaders have backed calls for an investigation into the incident.

On Saturday, LA police officers responded to a radio call about a “screaming woman” in the Canoga Park neighborhood, about 30 miles (48km) from downtown, which turned out to be celebratory noise in reaction to the New York Knicks’s long-awaited championship win.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/17/los-angeles-police-dog-killing

'Warning fire went up': Couple on board yacht describe encounter with Russian warship

The Russian frigate fired warning shots near a British retired couple on a yacht in the English Channel.

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Los Angeles police fatally shoot pet dog of family celebrating Knicks win

Video taken after the shooting shows a woman sobbing over the pet with nearly a dozen officers standing around

Police in California shot and killed a family’s pet dog wearing a New York Knicks jersey after they were called to a report of a screaming woman who turned out to be celebrating the basketball team’s championship win.

Video of the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting of the two-year-old doodle named Jameson, “the sweetest boy in the world”, according to the dog’s owner, received millions of views on TikTok on Tuesday.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/16/los-angeles-police-fatally-shoot-pet-dog-of-family-celebrating-knicks-win