Spanish PM’s former right-hand man jailed for 24 years for corruption 22. June 2026 (17:51) José Luis Ábalos found to have taken bribes on Covid-era public contracts in damaging blow to Pedro SánchezSpain’s supreme court has jailed the former transport minister José Luis Ábalos for 24 years for taking bribes on public contracts for sanitary equipment such as face masks during the Covid pandemic.Ábalos’s aide, Koldo García, was jailed for 19 years in a trial that is one of several scandals to have enveloped the government of Pedro Sánchez over recent months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Clive Davis: music industry executive who signed Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen dies aged 94 22. June 2026 (17:51) Davis, who discovered many of the defining musicians of the 20th century and helmed major record labels, said he ‘never’ tired of the music businessThe famed US music industry executive and record producer Clive Davis has died aged 94, his family has confirmed.He had recently been hospitalised with respiratory problems and was recovering at home. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fatal shooting of one-year-old boy ignites tensions in Mississippi town 22. June 2026 (17:50) Death of Kohen Wiley is latest in series of troubling police encounters that have outraged community membersThe recent fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy by police who were responding to a shoplifting call has ignited simmering tensions between police and Black residents in the small town of Senatobia, Mississippi.The death of Kohen Wiley is the latest in a series of troubling encounters with police that have outraged community members in recent years. It has led to protests and calls for greater police accountability in the town of 8,000, with some civil rights activists pointing to Kohen’s death as another example of a Black life lost over something of nominal value. In this case, it was an allegation of stolen diapers, which the boy’s family has denied. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British man accused of conspiring to drug and rape wife over two decades admits to a dozen sexual offences 22. June 2026 (17:33) Guilty pleas span three-year period, including sexually assaulting her with another man in 2024A man accused of conspiring with others to drug and rape his unconscious wife has admitted sexually assaulting her over a period of three years.The man, in his 60s, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and 10 sexual offences at Minshull Street crown court in Manchester on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The rise and fall of Keir Starmer: where did it all go wrong? 22. June 2026 (17:24) PM’s demise after landslide victory two years ago points to an increasingly volatile and impatient electorateHistorians will puzzle over this one. Of the six prime ministers that have led Britain over the last decade, with a seventh now on the way, it will be the fall of Keir Starmer that will most perplex the political analysts of the future.They will ponder a man who won a landslide victory in July 2024 only to be pushed out less than two years later, having started no illegal wars, having triggered no grave economic crises, having been accused of no scandalous act of corruption. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Unhappy camper: man rescued after falling into toilet at California campsite 22. June 2026 (17:20) Unidentified man fell into vault toilet at Camp Edison while trying to retrieve sunglasses he dropped, officials sayAn unhappy camper spent about 15 minutes submerged in sewage in the putrid tank of a California campground’s vault toilet after falling in trying to retrieve sunglasses he dropped, according to officials.The latest entry into the annals of bizarre US campground mishaps took place on Saturday at Shaver Lake’s Camp Edison, about 50 miles north-east of downtown Fresno. A spokesperson for the Fresno county sheriff’s office said specialist rescue crews from Cal Fire were required to extricate the unidentified man from the confined tank beneath the waterless, non-flushing toilet. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
European leaders pay tribute to Starmer as EU-UK summit is postponed 22. June 2026 (17:07) Ursula von der Leyen, Friedrich Merz and Volodymyr Zelenskyy say British PM helped increase securityEuropean leaders have paid tribute to Keir Starmer after he announced his resignation as the British prime minister, triggering the postponement of an upcoming EU-UK summit.The European Council president, António Costa, said: “For sure we need to postpone it, but we are reassessing the opportunity to hold this new summit … Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Brown skuas and giant petrels rarely make landfall. When they were found in WA, scientists feared ‘bad news’ for wildlife 22. June 2026 (17:00) Experts thought H5N1 bird flu would more likely reach Australia’s north. But an arrival from Antarctica had always been possibleGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBrown skuas and giant petrels are a common sight offshore in southern Australian waters in the winter months, but they will rarely risk venturing on to land.So when two of these birds were discovered sick – on beaches a few kilometres apart on Western Australia’s southern coastline – it was a sign something might be wrong. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Los Angeles schools superintendent resigns after FBI search warrants 22. June 2026 (16:06) Alberto Carvalho put on leave after news of warrants but officials have not provided details of nature of investigationThe superintendent of Los Angeles public schools has resigned five months after the FBI served search warrants at his home and the LA Unified school district headquarters.Alberto Carvalho had been put on leave after news of the federal investigation. He denied any wrongdoing earlier this year and had asked to be reinstated as head of the nation’s second-largest district. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two million bees escape after truck carrying hives overturns in Texas 22. June 2026 (15:45) Accident was resolved fairly quickly and authorities said the bees were being transferred to local beekeepersTwo million bees escaped after a truck transporting their hives overturned and released the insects in Texas on Sunday.The accident happened near the town of Mauriceville in the east of the state, perhaps not surprisingly causing local emergency officials to warn residents near the mishap to stay indoors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
