“Mr. Money is a powerful gentleman,” said the 17th century Spanish poet Francisco de Quevedo. Spain is certainly no stranger to corruption, which has claimed plenty of political careers in recent decades. The latest in deepening jeopardy is current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who’s led the country for nearly eight years and has become one of the few European leaders to persistently and openly criticize the Trump administration – over Gaza, the Iran war and tariffs.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/21/europe/spanish-pm-wife-corruption-probe-intl
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/21/health/video/conjoined-twins-separated-ai-surgery-digvid-vrtc
After calling more than 30 witnesses over six days of testimony, federal prosecutors this week rested their case in the trial of the man accused of starting the deadly and historically destructive Palisades Fire that scorched swaths of Los Angeles in the early days of 2025. Prosecutors worked to paint the defendant, Jonathan Rinderknecht, as someone who was angry at the world before he allegedly ignited a blaze that later erupted into the Palisades Fire, which claimed a dozen lives and thousands of homes and businesses. Rinderknecht’s attorney has sought to undercut the government’s case, saying nobody saw his client light a fire. He has also emphasized the fact Rinderknecht called 911 multiple times when the initial blaze broke out.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/21/us/palisades-fire-jonathan-rinderknecht-trial
Burning sandalwood thickens the air in a room that’s so exclusive only a vanishingly small number of people are allowed to enter. This is an agiary, a Zoroastrian place of worship for India’s Parsi community, where priests in white robes stoke a sacred flame around the clock and recite ancient Avestan prayers that have survived three millennia. I stand before that fire, head covered. Here, I am reminded of my Zoroastrian ancestors, who once ruled a vast Persian empire, but were forced from their homes during the Muslim conquest of Persia some 1,300 years ago.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/21/india/india-parsi-gender-court-case-intl-hnk-dst
Father’s Day came early for Norway at the FIFA World Cup. On Tuesday in Boston, the Røde, Hvite, Blå fielded three players whose dads all played together for the national team in 1994, when the tournament was last played in the United States. It completes an extraordinary narrative arc for those families over a 32-year period, and it’s the first such mass respawning at a World Cup. Former goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt admitted to CNN Sports that he had tears running down his cheeks in anticipation of his son, Kristian, taking the field against Iraq.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/21/sport/norway-players-dads-1994-world-cup