British man arrested in Ecuador after woman’s body found in suitcase in Colombia 28. June 2026 (20:00) Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, from Dorset, is accused of killing Natalia Villalba in an apartment in BogotáA British man has been arrested in Ecuador after the body of a woman was found inside a suitcase in Colombia.Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith is alleged to have caused the death of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba in an apartment in the Chicó neighbourhood of Bogotá on 18 June, local authorities said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three firefighters killed and two injured while battling Utah-Colorado wildfires 28. June 2026 (18:43) Firefighters were involved in joint response to Knowles and Gore blazes as wildfires ravage western US, fire agency saysThree firefighters were killed and two others were hurt while responding to wildfires along the Colorado-Utah border, the US Wildland Fire Service announced on Sunday.The agency, which was established in January to coordinate wildfire suppression and prevention efforts across public lands, said the firefighters were involved in a joint response to the Knowles and Gore fires on Saturday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sky makes £2bn spending pledge as it prepares takeover of ITV broadcasting arm 28. June 2026 (18:41) Deal could be announced in July and vow will safeguard future of shows such as Coronation Street and Love IslandSky has committed to spending £2bn on ITV’s studios business over the next five years as it hammers out a takeover of its broadcasting arm, a move that will safeguard the future of popular programmes such as Coronation Street and Love Island.Sky, owned by the US telecoms company Comcast, has been in talks for months to buy ITV’s media and entertainment operations, which include its free-to-air TV channels in the UK and the ITVX streaming platform. The £1.6bn takeover deal could be announced in early July, the Sunday Times reported. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Financial pandemic’: £1 in every £11 spent on UK public contractors goes to private equity 28. June 2026 (18:00) Almost £24.4bn of government money went to private equity-run firms in year to April 2025, Guardian analysis shows‘Treating children like cattle’: what happens when private equity takes over a UK care home?Nurseries, vets and shops: the sectors where private equity plays a big roleOne pound in every £11 of UK government spending on contractors went to private equity-controlled companies last year, research shows, including key services such as transport, waste management and healthcare.Politicians and economists have raised concerns over the “financial fragility and sharp cost cutting” created by private equity-backed firms, which often have high levels of debt, and the “conflicting interests” in running public services for maximum profit. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fresh hostilities in Gulf suggest US-Iran memorandum was too broadly worded 28. June 2026 (17:02) Document appears to have been subject to conflicting interpretations on key issues of Lebanon ceasefire and strait of HormuzMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe sudden eruption of fresh hostilities in the Gulf – just 10 days after Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding to end the conflict – threatens to put the two countries back on the path to war.It appears the deliberately opaque wording in the memorandum has been unable to withstand the pressure of conflicting interpretations, and as a result supporters of the deal inside Tehran are on the back foot. Statements to the effect that Iran’s government should never have agreed to reopen the strait of Hormuz are proliferating – and not just among the country’s hardliners. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bill Cassidy accuses Trump of treating Congress as ‘merely an appendage’ 28. June 2026 (17:02) Out-going Louisiana senator’s rebuke over Iran war is rare instance of a Republican politician standing up to TrumpBill Cassidy, the Republican senator from Louisiana who is being ousted from his position after Donald Trump successfully backed a challenger in May’s primary, has accused the US president of treating Congress as “merely an appendage” in his handling of the Iran war.In an interview on Sunday with CBS News’s Face the Nation, the out-going Cassidy explained his recent face-to-face row with Trump over the president’s failure to brief Congress on the prosecution of the hostilities with Tehran. In a fleetingly rare instance of a Republican politician directly standing up to Trump, Cassidy let rip at a Capitol Hill lunch over the senator’s support for a war powers resolution that was a symbolic rebuke to the White House. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Body of boy, 15, recovered from Manchester reservoir amid UK heatwave 28. June 2026 (17:02) At least seven people have died in water-related incidents during record-breaking June temperaturesThe body of a 15-year-old boy has been recovered from a reservoir near Manchester, as police renewed warnings about the dangers of swimming in open water during soaring temperatures.Greater Manchester police said officers had been called to reports of a boy getting into difficulty in the water near Cowbury reservoir in Stalybridge at about 6.30pm on Saturday. A body was recovered later that evening, and was identified as the missing teenager. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation withdrew more than $800,000 of election spending claims after AEC inquiries 28. June 2026 (17:00) The Australian Electoral Commission is examining if party breached laws in its $6m public funding claim after the last election, documents showGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian Electoral Commission questioned Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party over more than $800,000 of claimed electoral expenditure for the last election, Guardian Australia can reveal.Documents obtained under freedom of information laws show that the inquiries prompted the party to withdraw more than 140 items as it sought to provide additional information to justify almost 15% of the party’s $6.01m public funding claim. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Parliament has been getting frosty as winter closes in – but Labor may make one more gamble before the break 28. June 2026 (17:00) As Labor pushes on with reforms, the Coalition must decide whether to join in the parliamentary deal-makingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt’s the last week of parliament before the winter break, and not a minute too soon; tensions have been running a little high lately.The lower house speaker, Milton Dick, has been yeeting MPs mere moments into question time and accused Angus Taylor of “demeaning” the parliament by calling Anthony Albanese a liar; Andrew Hastie claimed One Nation “has declared war on me, so they shall have war”; Labor has been goading the Coalition and its media “cheer squad” for opposing the budget; the Greens hate Labor’s NDIS bill; and people in the Coalition seem to be mad at everyone, including themselves. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Biden calls Trump ‘a loser’, portraying him as incompetent, corrupt and vain 28. June 2026 (16:51) Pugnacious speech invokes Trump’s ‘vanity projects’ to makeover Washington and the ‘brazen, blatant corruption’Joe Biden called Donald Trump “a loser” in a pugnacious speech on Saturday that invoked his presidential successor’s attempted makeover of Washington DC to portray him as incompetent, corrupt and vain.He delivered those remarks while giving the keynote address at a gala in Hanover, Maryland, hosted by the state’s Democratic party, which is hoping to help wrest control of Congress away from Trump and his Republican allies during November’s midterm elections. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
