Florida college seized by DeSantis in ‘anti-woke’ push to triple in size 21. June 2026 (14:30) New College of Florida to acquire USF Sarasota-Manatee in deal that leading Democratic lawmaker says ‘reeks of grift’A liberal arts college seized by Florida’s hard-right governor, Ron DeSantis, and transformed into a model for conservative higher education is to triple in size after state Republicans engineered a hostile takeover of a rival university’s campus.New College of Florida, which is controlled by DeSantis’s hand-picked board of trustees, will acquire the Sarasota-Manatee campus of the University of South Florida (USF) next month in a deal described by a leading Florida Democrat as “a grift”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US-Iran talks in Switzerland get under way as strait of Hormuz remains closed 21. June 2026 (14:25) JD Vance says talks aim to ‘make progress on the nuclear issue, make progress on the Lebanon ceasefire issue’Middle East crisis – live updatesTalks between Iran and the US aimed at building out the fragile interim deal to end the war have got under way in Switzerland, beset by difficulties including an Iranian decision to keep the strait of Hormuz closed in protest at Donald Trump’s inability to force Israel to end the fighting in Lebanon.The US vice-president, JD Vance, leading the US delegation, said he was adding Lebanon to an agenda that had originally been conceived to focus on the opening of the strait, the lifting of US sanctions on Iranian oil exports and the unfreezing of Iranian assets held overseas. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
David Hockney’s funeral held in private with just two mourners 21. June 2026 (14:06) Artist had requested only his partner and great-nephew attend, with memorial services planned in places he livedOnly two people attended David Hockney’s funeral last week – in line with the British artist’s final wishes.The two mourners at the private ceremony were Hockney’s 61-year-old partner, Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima, and his 33-year-old great-nephew, Richard Hockney, a photographer who worked as the artist’s assistant and frequently modelled for him. Both are trustees of the David Hockney Foundation, established by the artist in 2008. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Four months after the horrific Iran school bombing, fears grow that Trump and Hegseth will bury the truth 21. June 2026 (13:04) A secretive investigation into the attack that killed at least 175 has concluded, reports suggest. Will its findings ever see the light of day?The attack on a girl’s elementary school in the Iranian town of Minab was one of the US military’s deadliest civilian bombings in decades. But nearly four months on, the Pentagon has produced no answers about why the military fired a Tomahawk cruise missile into a school on the first day of the war, killing at least 175 people, mostly children.Some critics doubt that the Pentagon ever will, or will bury the results under classifications to keep the worst mistakes secret from the public. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘This changes everything’: how Brexit altered Scotland’s political landscape 21. June 2026 (13:00) Former party leaders reflect on the turbulence that followed the referendum in which most Scottish voters backed the losing sideThe decision to quit the EU bolstered support for Scottish independence, which a decade after the Brexit referendum is at near record levels, according to Scottish Labour’s former leader Kezia Dugdale.Dugdale said the Brexit vote “creates a frame around fairness” for many in Scotland because, unlike England, Scottish voters comprehensively backed remain in 2016, by 62% to 38%, yet found their country taken out of Europe. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Slug sleuth’ farmers in England help develop prediction tool to cut back on pesticide use 21. June 2026 (13:00) Maps created as part of Defra-funded Slimers project allowed test growers to halve amount of slug pellets usedFarmers believe they have a new weapon in their age-old battle against the slugs that destroy their crops: modern technology.Slug prediction maps, which have been created by computer models as part of an research project, are now helping growers to better target the use of pesticides, saving them money and reducing environmental harm. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Prediction markets surge in US as public health advocates call for support to combat gambling 21. June 2026 (12:00) Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket operating in areas with limited resources for people with gambling problemsPublic health resources across the US are failing to keep pace with the rapid growth of online gambling, problem health advocates warned, after Donald Trump endorsed the controversial nationwide surge of prediction markets.Prediction market platforms, where users can wager on everything from Tony Award winners to World Cup goals, have pushed betting even further into American life. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East live: US-Iran talks to begin in Switzerland as Tehran says it has closed strait of Hormuz 21. June 2026 (11:52) Iran says decision comes after waves of Israeli strikes in Lebanon, as delegations arrive as Swiss resort for talksIran says it is closing strait of Hormuz over Israeli strikes in LebanonIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated on Sunday that Tehran was willing to provide assurances that the country was not seeking a nuclear weapon, while insisting that Iran would not relinquish its right to enrich uranium, AFP reports.“What the United States demands is that Iran not build an atomic bomb. This is nothing new, and we can also state in writing that we have no intention of building a bomb,” the president’s website quoted him as saying. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer expected to announce departure on Monday as growing numbers of MPs back Burnham for PM – UK politics live 21. June 2026 (11:45) Business secretary says PM spending the weekend ‘making time to reflect on the political realities’ he facesKeir Starmer expected to announce departure as prime minister on MondaySome commentators have said Andy Burnham is just a better communicator than Keir Starmer, but have questioned how different he is on policy.The Guardian’s policy editor, Kiran Stacey, has helpfully looked at the political projects a Burnham government would likely pursue in this useful explainer: Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Keir Starmer expected to announce departure as prime minister on Monday 21. June 2026 (11:03) Business secretary says Starmer is reflecting on ‘political realities’ amid overwhelming pressure from MPsUK politics – live updatesKeir Starmer is expected to announce on Monday that he will step down as prime minister, after overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham to become Labour leader.Speaking for the government on Sunday, Peter Kyle, the business secretary, refused to comment on Starmer’s specific plans but said the prime minister was aware of the “political realities” and would do what was best for the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
