Intern arrested on suspicion of spying inside NATO military headquarters

A Canadian woman was arrested and accused of espionage while working as an intern in the operational headquarters of the NATO military alliance, Belgian authorities said Saturday. Belgium’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office said it launched an espionage investigation after being tipped off by NATO’s security services.

China hits Trip.com with $765M in penalties over monopoly abuses

BEIJING (AP) – China said on Saturday it had imposed penalties of nearly 5.2 billion yuan ($765 million) on Trip.com Group, which operates the country’s largest online travel platform, over claims of monopolistic conduct.

Houthis fire missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in response to strikes

CAIRO (AP) – Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Saturday that they fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida, in another escalation over vital shipping routes in the Middle East while the United States and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Editorials from The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Japan's monkey sensation Punch gets thousands of birthday messages as he turns 1 on Sunday

ICHIKAWA, Japan (AP) – Punch, the orphaned monkey at a Japanese zoo that stole many people’s hearts by clinging to an orangutan plushie, is marking his first birthday with a flood of well-wishing messages from his fans around the world – even though he now has friends and is no longer holding on to the toy.

The 'rockets and feathers' effect: Inflation eases but grocery bills do not

Economics has a term for what U.S. grocery prices have done in recent years: rockets and feathers.  Rockets, because the cost of food eaten at home zoomed up in the aftermath of the pandemic. Feathers, because once prices rise, they’re slow to come down.

UN chief urges the international community to support Syrian people

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres appealed to the international community on Saturday to support the people of Syria and criticized Israel’s actions in the country’s south as he kicked off his first visit to the Arab nation as the U.N. chief, nearly two years after the fall of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad.

Maine Democratic delegates choose Troy Jackson to face Susan Collins

BANGOR, Maine (AP) – Former state lawmaker and logger Troy Jackson secured the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maine on Saturday and will face longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November in a race that could decide which party controls the Senate.

Russian ballistic strike kills 10 after Ukraine hosts US Patriot manufacturer

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A Russian attack Friday on a site near Kyiv that was hosting a defense industry event killed at least 10 people and wounded nearly 100 others, Ukrainian government and industry officials said. The ballistic missile strike came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Kyiv with senior representatives of Raytheon.