UK could keep special pre-Brexit terms if it rejoined EU, Michel Barnier says 18. June 2026 (20:00) Exclusive: Former chief Brexit negotiator says staying out of euro and Schengen area would be ‘perfectly possible’‘Cynical to get power’: Michel Barnier on Boris Johnson, Brexit and the EU’s futureMichel Barnier has said Britain could regain its special terms if it rejoined the EU and claimed it was becoming clearer every day to the British people that they would be stronger in Europe.In an interview before the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum next week, the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator said he could not see any obstacle to the UK keeping the pound and remaining outside the passport-free Schengen travel area should the country rejoin. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK attorney general tells staff to stop using X amid disinformation concerns 18. June 2026 (20:00) Exclusive: Richard Hermer’s department understood to be first in government to restrict use after recent riotsThe attorney general has told his office to no longer post on X, making it the first UK government department to stop using the Elon Musk-owned platform amid increasing worries about its use to incite violence and racism.Richard Hermer’s office last posted on X on Friday, and it is understood that officials have been told to no longer use the site, unless for the specific purpose of combatting disinformation there. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Barbados prime minister announces manifesto for slavery reparations 18. June 2026 (19:52) Updated document, which emphasises harm done to African women, is being considered by other Caribbean countriesBarbados’s prime minister, Mia Mottley, has announced a new manifesto from Caribbean leaders asserting the “moral, ethical and legal case” for reparations over damage caused by hundreds of years of enslavement.Mottley was speaking at a “historic” conference in Ghana to advance the push for reparatory justice after the United Nations adopted a landmark resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran announces plans to bring in maritime fees for strait of Hormuz 18. June 2026 (19:40) Tehran says fees to cover cost of managing waterway will come into effect at end of 60-day negotiation periodMiddle East crisis – live updatesIran has announced plans to introduce a system of maritime fees in the strait of Hormuz in two months, after the 60-day period of negotiation that has been triggered by the signing of the memorandum of understanding.Tehran, claiming a historic victory over the US, said the strait was under its control and a European plan for a naval mission to escort ships though the strait would not be welcome. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California ‘billionaire tax’ makes ballot despite opposition from tech moguls 18. June 2026 (19:25) Wealth tax criticized by billionaires and Gavin Newsom would levy a one-time 5% tax on residents worth over $1bnA controversial proposal in California to impose a wealth tax on billionaires has gained enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in November, state officials announced on Wednesday.The news is set to intensify an already heated debate around the tax, which has pitted tech moguls and the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, against the labor unions backing the measure. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Thousands of Knicks fans celebrate big win with joyous New York parade: ‘We family now’ 18. June 2026 (18:38) Parents and their kids, new and old fans and a few celebrities gathered to honor the team’s NBA ChampionshipThousands of Knicks fans – decked out in blue and orange jerseys, shorts, hats, necklaces and more – gathered in downtown New York City on Thursday to celebrate the team’s NBA championship in a lively ticker-tape parade.All along Church Street, the street running parallel to the parade route, fans lit joints, threw back shots of Fireball whiskey and drank Coronas, within view of bemused and outnumbered New York City police officers. Some fans climbed atop police cruisers and posed for photos. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South African men sentenced in ‘world’s largest’ rhino horn trafficking case 18. June 2026 (18:15) ‘Mastermind’ Dawie Groenewald given fine of 2m rand or four-year jail term almost 16 years after arrestTwo traffickers of rhino horns have been sentenced by a South African court in what police said was the world’s largest such case, partly bringing to an end an almost two-decade legal saga.Dawie Groenewald and Tielman Erasmus had faced more than 1,700 charges ranging from illegally hunting and dehorning rhinos to racketeering and money laundering. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fed governor Lisa Cook faced $1.3m in legal and security fees after Trump’s bid to fire her 18. June 2026 (17:43) Cook is at the center of a supreme court case focused on whether Trump’s firing of her from the Fed board was legalFederal Reserve governor Lisa Cook faced more than $1.3m in legal and security fees after coming under attack from the Trump administration, according to ethics disclosures that were filed on Wednesday.The White House targeted Cook last summer as Donald Trump ramped up his unprecedented campaign to push the Fed to cut interest rates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran peace deal makes clear how far US has been forced to retreat since 2025 18. June 2026 (17:41) Plan is admission US could not achieve what it sought through war as red line after red line has been erasedOnly a man with an unparalleled ignorance of history such as Donald Trump would have signed America’s peace treaty with Iran at Versailles, the byword for national humiliation. And only a man with an impish sense of humour such as Emmanuel Macron would have suggested it.It is easy to cast Trump in the role of the humiliated and hurt German Count Ulrich von Brockdorff-Rantzau. The treaty of Versailles after all was based on 14 points, just as the memorandum of understanding has 14 clauses. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration quietly shifts $352m in federal funds for White House ballroom 18. June 2026 (17:36) Funds meant for Secret Service were transferred to project president promised would be financed by private donationsUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump’s administration has quietly redirected $352m in federal funds designated for the Secret Service toward the president’s controversial White House ballroom project, despite repeated promises by Trump that the construction would be financed by private donationsThe funds were drawn from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s signature tax legislation passed last summer on Republican-only votes. The law stipulates the money may only be spent on Secret Service personnel, training facilities, technology and related costs, not construction. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
