Ghost of far-right paramilitaries hovers over Colombia’s presidential runoff vote 20. June 2026 (14:00) Colombians will choose on Sunday between two men whose lives have been very differently shaped by the militias, and whose visions for the country are poles apartWhoever wins Sunday’s presidential runoff vote in Colombia, the country’s next leader will have a personal history intertwined with one of the criminal forces at the heart of a decades-long armed conflict that claimed nearly half a million lives.The lives of Iván Cepeda and Abelardo de la Espriella have, in very different ways, been shaped by their relationship with Colombia’s paramilitaries – private armies originally established by rightwing landowners, drug traffickers, businessmen, mining magnates and politicians to fight leftwing guerrilla groups. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Key Trump allies and Musk on leaked list for secretive Peter Thiel retreat 20. June 2026 (14:00) Figures including Jared Kushner and Scott Bessent named in directory of Dialog participants that was exposed onlineA website leak has exposed participants in the secretive, Peter Thiel-founded Dialog retreats which includes top politicians from across the American divide, officials from foreign countries, other titans of the tech industry world and prominent media figures.The annual Dialog retreats, which have been compared to other quasi-secret elite conferences like the Bilderberg Group and Bohemian Grove since they began in 2006, have had some participants revealed in previous media reports. Fairly little is known about the invitation-only event, which is usually held at luxury establishments around the world and features organized discussions on global affairs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli strikes kill at least 16 in Lebanon despite reports of renewed ceasefire 20. June 2026 (13:54) Outbreak of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel has forced mediators to cancel US-Iran talks in SwitzerlandIsraeli strikes on southern Lebanon have killed at least 16 people, local authorities said on Saturday, despite reports of a renewed ceasefire aiming to end persistent violence that threatens the new agreement between the US and Iran.Lebanon’s civil defence agency said its personnel transported “16 dead and 12 wounded” to hospital, adding that they had been working “since the early morning hours” in the Nabatieh district in response to “ongoing attacks targeting the area”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Like a bomb had gone off’: suspected arson attack fuels Glastonbury unease 20. June 2026 (13:45) Arrests after explosion and caravan fires heighten controversy over number of people living in vehiclesJan Johnston was tucked up in the van she calls home when she was rocked by the explosion. “I heard this massive boom,” she said. “I came out and there was thick, black, billowing smoke. It was like a bomb had gone off.”It turned out not to be a bomb, but a suspected arson attack on one of the many caravans, motorhomes and converted vehicles tucked away in side roads and industrial estates around the town of Glastonbury in Somerset. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli attack kills famed turtle sanctuary ecologist in Lebanon 20. June 2026 (13:32) Mona Khalil led decades-long effort to protect nesting site for turtles near her home in south of the countryThe Lebanese marine activist Mona Khalil, who became a beloved figure in the country for a decades-long effort to protect a nesting site for turtles near her home, has died from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike.Khalil, 76, ran a sanctuary called the Orange House Project near the Mediterranean city of Tyre. She hosted volunteers in her house to clean and monitor a mile-long beach and welcomed tourists to stay and learn about conservation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ralph Lauren bridges generations with menswear tie-up in Milan 20. June 2026 (13:21) Designer turns to the accessory that launched his empire as he invokes the golden age of Italian sportFor his second standalone menswear show in Milan, Ralph Lauren reverted to the accessory that launched his empire in 1967 – ties.Skinny silk ties featuring subtle swirly prints were neatly knotted and used as the finishing touch to elegant pinstripe suits, while more brightly printed or striped cravats were whirled and worn like ties peeking out from under knitwear and rugby shirts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘It’s not science, it’s coercion’: health experts decry RFK Jr order on hantavirus quarantine 20. June 2026 (13:00) Kennedy overrides CDC order saying an American who came into contact with hantavirus can self-quarantine The Trump administration is employing “authoritarian” and “unconstitutional” quarantine measures for at least one person who came into contact with a hantavirus patient, health law experts say.The mandatory quarantine, reimposed without an offering scientific evidence, reveals how the US might approach future cases of Ebola and other pathogens in the US – and sets a precedent for detaining Americans with no scientific rationale. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lloyds Banking Group to hire 300 tech experts to work on AI 20. June 2026 (13:00) Exclusive: While recruits will increase headcount for now, broader adoption of AI could lead to jobs cuts in futureLloyds Banking Group has launched an AI recruitment drive for 300 tech experts, weeks before its chief executive, Charlie Nunn, unveils a strategic plan for the 261-year old lender.The bank said it intended the recruits to work on its use and development of agentic AI by September, referring to autonomous artificial intelligence models that can plan and execute tasks with minimal human oversight. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
What Democrats want: New York congressional race showcases fight over party’s future 20. June 2026 (12:00) In NY-12, four Democrats, including one Kennedy, are vying to replace Jerry Nadler – and potentially shake things upWhen news broke that a safely Democratic seat in New York’s wealthiest congressional district was becoming vacant, it was inevitable that there would be a crowded field of candidates.What people might not have expected is that the subsequent Democratic primary, would become one of the country’s most closely watched and action-packed, the race coming to reflect a range of Democrats’ national political priorities: who is the strongest against Trump; who is the most critical of artificial intelligence companies; and who is, basically, the coolest. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
What lessons will Iran’s new leadership draw from the 110-day war? 20. June 2026 (12:00) Now fighting is over, the question is how Iran’s government will behave. Early clues point to more authoritarianism and prioritising relations with ChinaThe precise ideological lessons that Iran’s new leadership draws from the 110-day war may prove to be the overriding factor in determining whether negotiations with the US culminate in an agreement that verifiably prevents the country from developing a nuclear weapon – an outcome that could usher in a new era for the Iranian economy while also reshaping the Middle East.Does this rapidly assembled leadership team, forged in the fire of war, still represent an Islamic ideological crusade – a description coined by Henry Kissinger – or does the acceptance of the memorandum of understanding, in the words of JD Vance, denote a desire for pragmatism? Continue reading...(The Guardian)
