Utah wildfire forces evacuation of small town as extreme heat roasts US west

• The United States and Iran are scheduled to hold diplomatic talks this Sunday in Switzerland to address ongoing tensions. • Simultaneously, Tehran has announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint for global oil shipments.

• On Saturday, June 20, 2026, tensions escalated as Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz amidst an ongoing war involving the U.S. and Israel. • Concurrent with the maritime blockade, Israel continued its military offensive and attacks targeting Lebanon.

• Diplomatic negotiations have reportedly regressed following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reversing previous progress. • While the MoU was initially viewed as a breakthrough for broader cooperation, talks have since stalled due to unresolved key issues.

• U.S. and Iranian officials have arrived in Switzerland to initiate critical negotiations regarding Tehran’s nuclear program. • In his first press conference on Wednesday, new chair Kevin Warsh signaled a shift in policy by reversing previous Federal Reserve steps.

• Recent strikes in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have resulted in five deaths, signaling an intensification of hostilities. • Authorities in Crimea have suspended public fuel sales to prioritize supplies for medical services, emergency responders, and critical infrastructure.

Mayor says ‘violence has no place in our city’ as president criticizes governor for not accepting national guard troops At least seven people have been killed and dozens injured in several shootings in Chicago since Friday, police said, with Donald Trump once again calling for military intervention in the midwestern city.In a post on Truth Social, Trump questioned why Illinois’s governor, JB Pritzker, had not welcomed military deployment. Continue reading...

Two-thirds of respondents support increasing the 2% digital services tax for multinationalsTaxpayers want the UK to increase levies on giant global technology companies such as Facebook owner Meta, Google and Amazon, a survey of Britons’ attitudes on corporate taxes suggests.The polling released on Monday by the Fair Tax Foundation – abody providing businesses with certification around responsible tax conduct – found that 67% of respondents believe that the government should charge higher digital services taxes on multinational technology groups “to increase their overall tax contribution in the UK”. Continue reading...

Leftwing opponent alleges vote count irregularities after Trump-endorsed lawyer secures narrow majorityThe Trump-admiring far-right millionaire lawyer and self-styled “outsider” Abelardo de la Espriella has won Colombia’s presidential runoff, defeating the leftwing senator Iván Cepeda.With 99.65% of ballots counted in the preliminary vote tally, de la Espriella had secured 12.91m votes, or 49.65%, just 248,310 more than Cepeda, who received 12.67m votes, or 48.7%. A further 1.6% of ballots were cast blank. Continue reading...

FAA investigating incident involving Delta and American jets that forced Delta plane to abort landing attemptA Delta jet was roughly 300ft (90 meters) from an American Airlines plane during a close call at Boston’s airport that forced the Delta aircraft to abort a weekend landing attempt, an aviation expert said on Sunday.The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident between two commercial flights that happened Saturday at Boston Logan international airport. Continue reading...

Australian Federal Police arrested and charged two men after allegedly finding 2.7 tonnes of cocaine in ‘bunkers’ under shipping containersPolice have made what they say is Australia’s biggest ever cocaine seizure, uncovering 2.7 tonnes of the drug buried in secret bunkers at a property on Sydney’s western fringes.The seizure was made by the Australian Federal Police on Friday 19 June at a semi-rural property in Londonderry. Continue reading...

Company ‘extremely sorry’ for ‘unacceptable’ email urging customers to ‘Snap up these deals quicker than a croc can catch a kid!’The discount voucher website Wowcher has apologised after appearing to make reference to a crocodile attack on a toddler at a zoo in an email promoting its offers.A spokesperson for Wowcher said it was urgently reviewing its marketing content after the subject line of an email on Saturday urged customers to “Snap up these deals quicker than a croc can catch a kid!” Continue reading...

MPs return to Canberra for two weeks of haggling over tax and NDIS reforms before the winter break. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSearch begins for new Nacc commissioners The attorney-general, Michelle Rowland, has opened applications for the new leaders of the National Anti-corruption commission, following the resignation of Paul Brereton.The government is committed to strengthening the Nacc, including by continuing to make appointments through an open, competitive and merit-based selection process.This is an opportunity for the Nacc to refresh and reset, and I look forward to working across the Parliament to appoint the best possible candidates for these roles. Continue reading...