A woman was killed and nearly 1,700 tourists were evacuated due to a large fire at a hotel in the Dominican beach resort of Bayahibe, local authorities said on Friday. Francesca Valentino, a 46-year-old Italian woman, was killed in the fire at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Hotel, the DAEH emergency service said in a statement. Three people were taken to medical facilities and six others were treated on site, DAEH said. Those affected included guests, visitors and emergency responders.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/19/americas/dominican-republic-hotel-fire-intl-hnk
Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here. The soccer world wakes up to a burning question this morning, one that hasn’t been asked in a very long time: Is the US … good? A 2-0 win over Australia solidified passage for the Stars and Stripes into the knockout rounds and a 1-0 win for Paraguay over Turkey ensures the US will finish atop Group D. The two US wins to start this World Cup mean the Americans have accomplished something that American soccer stars haven’t done in this tournament since the first one in 1930: Win two group games.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/20/sport/the-beautiful-game-june-20
This weekend, Elizabeth Hall, a 15-year wedding planning veteran and the proprietor of Elizabeth Hall Events for nine years, is putting on a wedding at the Ocean House resort in Rhode Island. Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to think it’s Taylor Swift’s wedding. “Taylor Swift is not getting married at the Ocean House this weekend,” Hall said. “We do have a wonderful couple getting married there, and they’re very excited, but it is not Taylor and Travis’s wedding.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/19/entertainment/taylor-swift-wedding-ocean-house
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has returned Poland’s highest state honor, after the Polish president stripped him of the award as a politically charged dispute over World War II history resurfaced. Ukrainians believed the order “was meant for the Ukrainian People and our army,” Zelensky wrote in a social media post explaining the gesture. “Today, I sent the Order back to the President of Poland. I believe the future will confirm the respect Ukrainians deserve.” The message published on X is accompanied by photos of the Polish order and a postal receipt that it was about to be mailed to the Polish presidential office.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/20/europe/zelensky-returns-poland-honor-latam-intl