👯 Friendship anxiety

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It’s Thursday, June 20 — here’s what you’ll find in today’s newsletter:

  • Just Stop Oil painted Stonehenge orange to protest fossil fuels

  • The phenomenon of friendship anxiety

  • 4 quick hits of news from the last 24 hours

Stonehenge Gets Painted

Just Stop Oil Protesters covered Stonehenge, a 5,000-year-old World Heritage site, in orange powder paint. The BBC says PM Sunak condemned the act as “disgraceful vandalism”.

But Just Stop Oil says the move was for an important cause: The orange paint highlights the urgent need for a fossil fuel treaty. Stonehenge represents the natural world -- and fossil fuels are doing irreparable damage to the earth.

Hot Air didn't see value in the stunt, though: Just Stop Oil's Stonehenge move shows why we need “hard men” to defend culture.

For what it's worth, a Just Stop Oil activist defended painting Stonehenge -- she said “the paint will be washed off easily”.

Friendship anxiety

Feeling anxious about where you stand with your pals? Stylist says friendship anxiety is normal: It's okay to not always be the main character in every group.

But why are the feelings so common? WaPo thinks it comes down to how our brains function: Friends can have different attachment styles, or we may just be overthinking.

And how does one beat friendship anxiety? The Everygirl had some solutions: Mindfulness and staying true to personal values help combat the phenomenon.

USA Today offered different strategies to cope, though: Celebrating personal strengths and fact-checking feelings with friends can also help ease the worry.

Poll

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1) China's coast guard accused of attacking Filipino soldiers with bladed weapons in a significant South China Sea clash.

2) Extreme temperatures at the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca lead to hundreds of deaths and thousands suffering from heatstroke.

3) A breakthrough study identifies a protective gene delaying Alzheimer's in a high-risk family, opening paths for new treatments.

4) Putin's visit to Vietnam signifies efforts to strengthen alliances outside the West, following a new partnership with North Korea.