Could ‘king in the north’ become Britain’s new prime minister? 19. June 2026 (20:25) Makerfield victory gives Burnham a path back to Westminster and a chance to challenge Starmer for PMCelebrations and a swift exit after a Burnham win ‘beyond our wildest dreams’“We know no king but the King in the North”, declares the young Lady Lyanna Mormont in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones. In the early hours of Friday morning, in a nondescript conference hall in the north of England, it appeared that the electorate agreed.About 70,000 voters in a post-industrial region of north-west England may have changed the face of British politics this week, after electing the charismatic Labour politician Andy Burnham to represent them in London. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel and Hezbollah agree to renew ceasefire after flareup of violence 19. June 2026 (19:54) US-Iran meeting in Switzerland on implementation of peace deal cancelled over clashes in southern LebanonMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael and Hezbollah agreed to renew a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday after 24 hours of intense violence that posed an early challenge to the new agreement between the US and Iran to end their conflict.A meeting that was scheduled to take place on Friday between Washington and Tehran in Switzerland to discuss implementation of the new deal was cancelled when Hezbollah killed four Israeli soldiers and Israel carried out a wave of retaliatory airstrikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley that killed at least 47 people. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
First pelicans in 360 years hatch in St James’s Park London 19. June 2026 (19:32) Birds have been in the park since the Russian ambassador gave King Charles II two in 1664 – but none ever bred there They arrived in the royal park shortly before the Great Fire of London, when the Russian ambassador presented a pair to King Charles II as a gift.But although pelicans have been living in St James’s Park since 1664, none ever learned the art of courtship – until now, when for the first time in more than 360 years, chicks have been born. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Revolt in small Georgia town appears to ward off ICE detention center 19. June 2026 (19:32) Social Circle announces homeland security has canceled plans to convert warehouse to detain up to 10,000 peopleThe small town of Social Circle in rural Georgia has announced that the Department of Homeland Security has cancelled plans to turn a warehouse into what would have been one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country.The cancellation appears to be one of seven around the country, according to reporting elsewhere, and part of a reversal under new homeland security director Markwayne Mullin in the Trump administration’s plans to buy up warehouses and boost detention capacity – after spending $1bn on the effort in recent months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Global framework for reparatory justice adopted at landmark conference in Ghana 19. June 2026 (19:26) Ensuring fair compensation for those affected by legacies of enslavement and measures to address debt burdens, part of 18-point strategic roadmapMore than money: the logic of slavery reparationsA global framework for reparatory justice has been adopted at a conference in Ghana.Heads of state, governments and other officials adopted the strategy on Friday at a gathering in a hotel in the capital, Accra, which was the first major meeting since the adoption of the landmark United Nations (UN) resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Comparison to Hitler, Mao, Stalin? Trump says: ‘Sounds good to me!’ 19. June 2026 (19:04) ‘Historian’ claims ‘overwhelming difference’ between him and rogues’ gallery of autocrats is that Trump is more powerfulDonald Trump has enthusiastically agreed with a public assessment by a man he met while golfing that the “overwhelming difference” between the current US president and historical figures who incited fear – such as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao and Hitler – is that Trump is more powerful.The US president reposted a short text in the early hours of Friday morning, in which the author writes: Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Heathrow third runway GDP yield may be 90% less than original estimate 19. June 2026 (17:26) Department for Transport analysis suggests 0.05% boost will be offset by overall negative trade-off The economic boost from a Heathrow third runway could be a tiny fraction of previous estimates, government analysis shows, while the overall trade-off from the bigger airport could set the UK back by as much as £62.5bn.As ministers promised to speed up expansion of the London airport in the name of economic growth, documents prepared by the Department for Transport said the runway was expected to boost GDP by only up to 0.05% – 90% less than the 0.5% previously stated. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK sexual predator who blackmailed Muslim men online jailed for 16 years 19. June 2026 (17:11) Police fear Waleed Saeed may have up to 70 more victims after campaign of entrapment, threat and extortionA sexual predator who targeted mostly Muslim males online for blackmail has been jailed for 16 years, with detectives fearing he may have up to 70 more victims.Waleed Saeed’s campaign of entrapment, threat and extortion started in 2018 and left two victims feeling suicidal because of the humiliation they felt.Anyone with information should call police on 101, quoting 5335/18JUNE2026. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform investigates whether Makerfield candidate’s sexist posts were costly 19. June 2026 (17:07) Nigel Farage admits result was ‘disappointing’ after party hoped for tightly fought battle with BurnhamUK politics – live updatesAndy Burnham wins by huge majorityReform UK is examining whether sexist comments by its candidate in the Makerfield byelection may have harmed the party’s chances, after Nigel Farage accepted the result had disappointed him.The party’s examination of its defeat comes after Andy Burnham won 55% of the vote share in a poll that Reform hoped would be a tightly fought battle between the Labour leadership hopeful and its own candidate, Robert Kenyon, a local plumber. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer facing pressure from ministers and Labour grandees to prepare for ‘orderly exit’ 19. June 2026 (17:04) Prime minister said to be calling cabinet members but faces growing consensus that his time in Downing Street is overUK politics – live updatesHow quickly could Burnham become PM?Cabinet ministers and Labour grandees are to urge Keir Starmer not to fight a leadership challenge and to prepare for an “orderly exit,” the Guardian understands.Andy Burnham, who won a compelling majority in the Makerfield byelection overnight, is expected to travel to London on Monday to meet MPs in the expectation of becoming prime minister within weeks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
