In a late-night raid, police in Mumbai stopped what could have been the largest and deadliest mass poisonings the city has seen. According to reporting, A 39-year-old businessman, Faiyaz Nisar Hussain Premji, from Pune was arrested for allegedly distributing capsules filled with rat poison during a large Muharram procession in south Mumbai. Police seized 14,900 ready-to-use poisoned capsules and uncovered plans for nearly double that number. Premji was allegedly moving through the crowd of Muharram participants, distributing the capsules for free and telling people they were painkillers or immunity boosters. Police were alerted to the case when a Muharram attendee consumed one of the capsules and developed severe vomiting and stomach pain. Police say Premji ordered 30,000 empty capsules online, as well as 50kg of zinc phosphide. At this time police are also scrutinising 19 trips Premiji has mad to Iran and Iraq between 2019 and 2025. At present, Premji’s exact motive is unclear.

This is a story we see many times, unsafe working conditions and lack of PPE results in many deaths like these annually. On June 26 it was reported that three workers died in a factory on the outskirts of Delhi after allegedly inhaling poisonous gas while they were cleaning a septic tank. The incident was initially reported as three people falling into a tank and becoming trapped, by the time emergency services arrived the men had died, with fire fighters subsequently retrieving their bodies from the tank. Three people have since been arrested in connection with the incident. 

A 46-year-old shopkeeper has been arrested on suspicion of killing eight men in a four-month period using lethal doses of Borax. Police revealed that Jaiswal first tested the poison on a stray dog after procuring it on the pretence of using it to kill rats. Police have described the man as ‘a psycho killer’ who carried out the murders driven by feelings of revenge, mental frustration and long-standing grudges against the victims over minor disputes.

According to a report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) convened the second plenary meeting of its ninth central committee for three days from Saturday, presided over by leader Kim, to assess how the country's policies have fared in the first half of the year and review the agenda set at a major party congress in February. At said meeting, Kim Jong-un called for efforts to further increase his country's nuclear assets and set forth tasks to dynamically carry out the work to increase powerful defence assets without pause, and "with a goal of overtaking the world.”

Two workers were killed and two others were injured in a fire at a company that manufactures plastic pyrolysis oil, a synthetic fuel. According to reports, the fire started when a tank exploded during the process of recycling plastic waste into oil. Although there is no mention of chemicals in the news reports, plastic pyrolysis is a chemical process that involves chemically breaking down plastics into other molecules.

Five workers at a courier and logistics company were treated for mercury exposure after a package was damaged during the sorting process. Penang fire and rescue department operations division director John Sagun Francis said a team from the Jalan Perak fire and rescue station was dispatched to the location, where, he said, 500ml of mercury had spilled from a package. A Hazmat team attended to conduct decontamination, and after two hours the scene was cleared with no other hazardous materials detected. Three men and two women were given first aid at the site and then taken to Penang Hospital for checks and further treatment. They were reported to be in safe condition.

A human case of cutaneous anthrax has been confirmed in Uvs province in western Mongolia, according to the country's National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD). Preliminary epidemiology indicates the patient was likely infected after coming into contact with a dead sheep. A joint response team is currently conducting field investigations in the affected area. Response measures include epidemiological surveillance, containment of disease transmission, and the implementation of emergency outbreak control activities.

An ammonia gas leak was reported on June 21 at a private seafood processing and export facility in Tiruvallur district. The incident reportedly occurred during routine industrial operations, resulting in the exposure of workers present at the site.  The National Disaster Response Force CBRN Battalion was deployed to the incident. Those exposed presented with symptoms consistent with ammonia inhalation, including breathlessness, irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract, coughing, chest discomfort, and respiratory distress. According to a bulletin about the incident, 77 individuals were reported affected, eight of which later died. The exact cause of the leak is currently under investigation.
Most recent reporting on June 30, put the death toll now at 16 people.

In a clinical difference from previous Ebola outbreaks, around 90% of patients testing positive for Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) have had no haemorrhagic signs or bleeding at presentation, according to a preliminary study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The bleeding rate observed among laboratory confirmed cases in the study was no higher than in patients with suspected BVD who tested negative (10.4% vs 10.3%), reported Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, PhD, of the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa. According to the CDC, unexplained bleeding is present in roughly 40% of Ebola cases. In one study specific to BVD involving a 2007 outbreak, researchers reported that 54% of laboratory-confirmed cases had some kind of bleeding. It has also now been reported that BVD has spread to a fourth province of DRC, and that 300 people who have tested positive are unaccounted for.

Russian cybercriminals apparently managed to hack into a Quebec municipality’s water treatment plant systems and had the ability to wreak havoc on the crucial infrastructure before getting caught, according to Canada’s cyber spy agency. The Communications Security Establishment’s (CSE) latest annual report discusses how, in October 2025, Russian hacktivist group NoName had broken into the Quebec water plant’s network and gained access to many crucial systems, including the “ability to covertly control pumps, chlorine dosing, pressure settings and monitoring/alerts systems.” Which could have been catastrophic if acted upon. It was not the CSE that detected the breach, however, CSE’s Cyber Centre was notified by the Organization of American States’ cybersecurity coordination network of the claim by NoName of the breach.

Yavapai County Community Health Services (YCCHS) is investigating a suspected case of pneumonic plague in a Yavapai County resident. This is an isolated case, and public health officials are actively investigating the source of exposure.  YCCHS is awaiting final confirmation on samples sent to Arizona State Department of Health Services Lab. Contact tracing is currently underway. Public health staff are identifying and directly contacting individuals who may have had close, face-to-face contact with the patient to provide guidance and preventative medication if necessary.

Reporting states there was there was a truck that was unloading chemicals used in the clarification process of water, apparently there was residue from another chemical in the tank the truck was unloading into, and they did not mix well, resulting in the tank exploding. Public Information Officer Mark Pierce of the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office, stated at the time that the extent of the victims' injuries was unknown, but one was reported to be serious. A hazmat team was on the scene quickly, the chemical release contained, and no need for evacuation of the surrounding area.

First responders attending the scene of a pharmaceutical business in Rockland County after a fire and reported chemical explosion on the morning of June 24.  Congers Fire Department, Nyack Police, Rockland County Technical Rescue Team, Westchester County Hazardous Materials Response Team, Congers-Valley Cottage Ambulance Corps and Westchester County Department of Emergency Services all responded to the scene to help control the fire and assess hazmat risks. Approximately 40 minutes after first responders arrived at the scene, a chemical explosion was reported inside the building, thankfully no fire department personnel were inside at the time.  Following the explosion, all first responders were ordered to evacuate. one firefighter was treated for minor injuries, but no other injuries were reported.

Five women were injured when they were attacked with sulfuric acid whilst sitting in a car. According to reports, two people on a moped drove past their car and threw the acid through the windows at them. All the women suffered burns with skin peeling but are expected to make full recoveries. According to police, the incident appears to be targeted and may have stemmed from an argument with a large group of people earlier in the day. The investigation remains ongoing and the suspects unidentified.

On June 16, global news began reporting on a plot targeting the UFC event at the White House. According to an official DOJ press release the plot was initially discovered on June 10 when the FBI and law enforcement partners became aware of a potential threat to the event, involving individuals outside of the DC area. According to the charges, five men between the ages of 19 and 32 conspired to plan and execute a mass casualty event targeting U.S. officials. The conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event in order to force an evacuation and then planned to deploy snipers to fire upon “high value targets” within the fleeing crowd. Although there was much talk of using explosives, there is no mention of any being seized when the FBI raided the conspirators’ homes.

A truck carrying lithium-ion batteries began emitting smoke and gas before stopping near the freeway in LA County. Some reports differ on the number of batteries involved, some say 1,000bs others 10,000lbs. Apparently the trailer was found abandoned when police and firefighters arrived. Reportedly the truck hit a pothole which caused an unknown number of the batteries to react. Hazmat crews reported the batteries were at a temperature of 150 degrees and rising.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) responded to a “hoarding situation” in North Branford where a fire had compromised chemicals and fuel and turned into a hazmat situation. Emergency response and cleanup crews discovered a backyard filled with gasoline, diesel fuel, motor oil, pool chemicals, chlorine products and propane tanks. Several propane tanks were damaged and others that underwent boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE). No reports mention if the chlorine products became engulfed and caused any issues.

A freight train carrying lithium batteries caught fire in the Cajon Pass prompting a hazmat response, air quality monitoring, and temporary road closures in the area. San Bernardino County Fire officials said crews arrived to find a single railcar loaded with lithium batteries heavily involved in fire. Logs indicate the incident was initially reported as a train fire before crews determined the cargo involved lithium battery containers, elevating the response to a hazmat incident. No injuries or evacuations had been reported, and the cause of the fire and circumstances leading up to the incident remain under investigation.

Twelve people were hospitalised after a hazardous substance was released at a technical company in the Dutch province of Overijssel. The incident occurred when a forklift battery “dried out” and emitted toxic gas. According to reports the release happened in a prefab production area where housing components are made. The battery overheated or was overcharged, causing its liquid to evaporate and release sulfur dioxide gas. Emergency services escalated the response under GRIP-1, a Dutch emergency coordination level in which multiple agencies work together, and the response involved 10 ambulances and a mobile medical team.  Eleven employees were transported to hospitals for further examination, along with one firefighter who also developed symptoms.

On June 26, a Turkish court convicted three pest control company workers and a hotel owner over the deaths of a family of four from Germany who were poisoned by insecticide while on vacation in Istanbul. They were sentenced to between 18 and 12 years in prison. The Turkish-German Bocek family were staying at the Harbour Suites Old City hotel in November 2025 when they fell ill. They attended hospital complaining of nausea and vomiting before returning to the hotel on Nov. 12. The following day they were taken to a hospital by ambulance, where 6-year-old Kadir Muhammet and his sister Masal, 3, died. Their mother, Cigdem, died on Nov. 14, while their father, Servet, died on Nov. 17. The deaths were initially believed to be due to food poisoning, but once Turkish media reported the hotel was dealing with a bedbug infestation, this theory was dismissed and police began investigating the possibility of insecticide poisoning. An inspection found traces of the insecticide phosphine on towels, masks and swab samples taken from the family’s room.

According to the Ukrainian National News (UNN), referring to information from the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (GUR), Russian invaders are creating conditions for the spread of anthrax in the occupied territory of the Kherson region. According to the GUR, Russians are transporting carcasses of livestock infected with anthrax to livestock burial grounds, and burying them without obeying the norms for disposal, such as burning the carcasses. Some of the carcasses are buried near populated areas, with no signs or perimeter fencing, to alert people. The GUR has voiced concerns that Russia could use the situation with livestock burial grounds to conduct a "false flag" provocation, particularly after the most recent claims of US bioweapons facilities in Ukraine.

A ‘personal enemy’ of Vladimir Putin has died suddenly after eating poisonous mushrooms.
Grigory Nekhoroshev, 69, was editor-in-chief of a Russian newspaper which reported in 2008 that the Putin planned to divorce his wife, Lyudmila Putina, and wed Olympic gymnast Kabaeva instead. This of course put him on Putin’s bad side, and as a result Nekhoroshev lived in exile in Riga as a political refugee for 11 years. Friends say Nekhoroshev passed away at home after after eating mushrooms he found in the yard of his home.

The deaths of a mother a daughter from Ricin poisoning in December 2025 is ongoing as the prosecutor’s office still have no suspect. Family members have all been interviewed, and nothing has stood out to point any one of them as a deliberate poisoner. Now, the case has moved to another phase, and that is trying to ascertain if the poisoning was somehow accidental. The Larino prosecutor's office investigating the Pietracatella case has appointed the director of the Robert Koch Institute as one of its new consultants. Seventy foods seized from the homes of the family and the grandmother and mother-in-law of the two victims will be analysed. German experts have been called upon to compare the biological tests conducted on the victims with data from the extensive German toxicological database on biological threats. The German Criminal Police Agency (BKA), which specializes in bioterrorism cases, will also be involved in this phase. Along with the food items they will also be looking for traces of Ricin elsewhere around the home including on clothing and furniture.

On May 31, police were called to a property in Salford by ambulance staff who were there for a welfare check. Police found substances believed to be potentially hazardous, which were removed. The case did not come to light however, until the individual was formally charged.
Callum Browne was charged on June 10 with production of a biological toxin (ricin) under the Section 2 Chemical Weapons Act 1996 and attempted production of a psychoactive substance contrary to S1 Criminal Attempts Act 1981. He was remanded in custody until appearing at court on June 10, we have been unable to find any more updates on the case.

Iran recently stated that it has no plans to allow the IAEA to inspect nuclear sites bombed by the US in 2025, despite claims by JD Vance they had agreed to invite they agency. Trump has repeatedly claimed the sites bombed were ‘obliterated’, but the truth is the extent of the damage is unknown. There are potential chemical and radiation risks from the sites bombed, but as no one outside Iran will be allowed to inspect them, combined with Iran’s practice of keeping tight lipped, we may not know if the sites pose a risk for some time.

The OPCW recently confirmed that inspectors, working with Syrian authorities at high-priority undeclared locations in the northern coastal and central regions, found more than 70 previously undeclared rockets and aerial bombs along with the raw ingredients for sarin production. Also discovered was hexamine, a chemical stabilization agent used by Assad-era forces in sarin weapons. Syrian authorities have arrested 18 people in connection with the Assad-era chemical weapons program, including high-level military, political, and technical officials. The OPCW team was deployed in May to verify the accuracy and completeness of Syria's declared stockpile. These findings confirm what arms control analysts have assessed since the fall of the Assad regime: Syria's official declaration of its chemical weapons stockpile was systematically incomplete, and significant undeclared stockpiles remained dispersed at locations outside the formal declaration.