“EasyJet has agreed to be acquired by U.S. private equity firm Castlelake in a deal that values the U.K. budget airline at £5 billion ($6.7 billion). EasyJet’s board of directors and Castlelake said on Sunday they had reached an agreement in principle after the carrier had previously rejected four earlier bids from the firm. EasyJet shares jumped nearly 10% Monday on the London Stock Exchange. … EasyJet, whose main U.K. hub is London Gatwick Airport, was founded in 1995 by entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou, and grew quickly on the strength of its no-frills, low-cost flights around Europe. Recently, the carrier has faced challenges, including soaring jet fuel costs stemming from the Iran war, that have cut into airline profits.” (07/06/26)
“Tanzanian authorities arrested dozens of people ahead of planned anti-government protests, part of a crackdown on calls demanding democratic reforms and the release of a key opposition figure. Sylvester Mangure, the army spokesperson, warned Sunday against any demonstrations, following last week’s government ban on political rallies. He also accused ‘some people,’ whom he didn’t identify, of ‘recruiting youth’ to join the protests as they claimed the country’s army supported the planned demonstrations. Young people have called for protests on Tuesday, coinciding with the 72nd anniversary of the ruling party’s establishment, to demand democratic changes and the release of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who was arrested on treason charges after calling for electoral reforms ahead of last year’s general election.” (07/06/26)
“A scathing whistleblower letter alleges corruption inside New York City’s powerful hotel workers union, including claims that union leaders accepted gifts from hotel executives, manipulated lease arrangements and improperly influenced union business in a culture of quid pro quo dealings — claims that were corroborated by union sources who spoke with Fox News Digital. The letter, reviewed by Fox News Digital, asserts that top officials within the New York Hotel Trades Council and UNITE HERE Local 6, including President Richard Maroko, participated in actions that violated internal policies, fiduciary obligations and possibly federal law. The union denies all allegations of impropriety and organized two internal investigations carried out by third-party lawyers who found the whistleblower’s claims to be unsubstantiated.” (07/06/26)
“Sky, the UK-based TV, internet and mobile phone provider owned by Comcast, has agreed to buy ITV’s media and entertainment arm for up to 1.6 billion pounds ($2.1 billion) after months of talks to create a major competitor to the global streaming giants. … The combined Sky-ITV entity will become part of NBCUniversal following the completion of its split from Comcast, ITV said.” (07/06/26)
“FIFA is being criticized over its decision to lift the red card suspension for lead U.S. Men’s National Team scorer Folarin Balogun, allowing him to play against Belgium on Monday. Sources familiar with the matter told CBS News that Balogun’s reinstatement came after President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Thursday and spoke about the suspension, which would have kept the 25-year-old striker from playing in the round of 16 World Cup match. The Union of European Football Associations, Europe’s soccer governing body, said FIFA ‘crossed a red line,’ and expressed its ‘disbelief’ at a decision it called ‘unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.’ … The Royal Belgian Football Association, whose national team will face the U.S. Monday, said it was ‘astonished’ by the decision, and added it contradicts FIFA’s own rules.” (07/06/26)
“Huge crowds have lined the streets of Tehran for the funeral procession of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war with the US and Israel. Footage from Iranian state TV showed many tens of thousands of mourners gathered to watch Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin being transported by a lorry along a 10km (6-mile) route that passed through the capital’s landmark Enghelab Square. The procession took place after his body lay in state for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla mosque. Three of Khamenei’s sons prayed beside his coffin there on Sunday. But Mojtaba, the son who succeeded him as supreme leader, did not make an appearance. He has not been seen in public since reporting being seriously wounded in the same Israeli air strike in Tehran on 28 February that killed his father and his wife.” (07/06/26)
“The Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, opened the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday in a politically volatile event that will unfold with the backdrop of her bitter political feud with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. More than 6,000 police officers, including anti-riot squads, were deployed to secure the Senate, where about 400 anti-Duterte demonstrators converged, chanting ‘convict Sara now.’ Duterte did not appear but was represented by her lawyers at the start of the trial, which will run for 92 days, according to a pretrial plan seen by The Associated Press. If convicted of the charges, which include amassing unexplained wealth and publicly threatening to have Marcos assassinated, Duterte may be permanently disqualified from holding public office. She denies the charges.” (07/06/26)
“SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell announced she would donate to the Trump Accounts program on Monday, joining a growing list of companies and billionaires pledging to support the investment accounts for American children under 18. The gift, which includes shares of Shotwell’s and her husband’s SpaceX stock, will go to around 2 million Trump accounts, with a ‘bit more emphasis’ on children who live close to their home in central Texas, Shotwell wrote in a post on X. … Shotwell, who is also SpaceX’s chief operating officer, is one of its largest individual shareholders, with a stake worth roughly $2.4 billion following its record-breaking IPO last month.” (07/06/26)
“UK fighter jets intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft after it “repeatedly approached” a carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The Russian Bear-F plane passed at low altitude and ‘unnecessarily close’ to the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier and is believed to have dropped 10 sonobuoys into the water on Thursday, the MoD added. The MoD said Moscow’s activity in the Norwegian Sea was ‘unsafe and unprofessional’. It comes weeks after Royal Marines boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel, while the head of the military has warned the risks and threats facing the UK are greater now than at any time since the Cold War. The UK’s Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed off Iceland under Nato command, with 1,500 British personnel on board.” (07/06/26)
“Two Tennessee National Guard members assigned to a crime-fighting patrol in Memphis fatally shot a man Sunday who turned toward the soldiers with a gun during a downtown pursuit, authorities said. The Guard members are part of a federal task force in Memphis created by President Donald Trump, who last year sent troops and federal agents to Democrat-run cities that he described as overrun with crime. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, had deployed the Guard to support the effort.” (07/05/26)
