Page 476 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

present perfect (3): perfect or past (advanced points) 457
6 simple past for news
Recently, some British newspapers have started regularly using the simple past for smaller news announcements - probably to save space. This also happens on TV text news pages. Some authentic examples:
An unnamed Ulster businessman was shot dead by terrorists . ..
A woman was jailed for six months after taking a baby boy from his mother. Driving wind and rain forced 600 out of2,500 teenagers to abandon the
annual 'Ten Tor' trek across Dartmoor.
7 American English
In American English the simple past is often used to give news.
Did you hear? Switzerland declared I has declared war on Mongolia! (BrE Have you heard? Switzerland has declared war ...)
Uh, honey, I lost I I've lost the keys (BrE ... I've lost . ..)
Lucy just called. (BrE Lucy has just called.)
In American English, it is also possible to use the simple past with indefinite past-time adverbs like already, yet, ever and before.
Did you eat already? OR Have you eaten ...? (BrE Have you eaten already?)
I didn't caU Bobby yet OR I haven't called . .. (BrE I haven't called . ..) British English is changing under American influence, so some of these uses are becoming common in Britain as well.
For more about tenses with just. see 307.
For more about British-American differences. see 51.
8 bad rules (1): 'definite time'
Grammars sometimes say that the present perfect is not used with expressions referring to 'definite time'. This is confusing - the present perfect is not often used with finished time expressions, but it actually is very common with definite time expressions. Compare:
I've lived here for exactly three years, seven months and two do.ys.
(present perfect with very definite time-reference)
Once upon a time a little girl lived with her mother in a lonely house in a dark forest. (simple past with very indefinite time-reference)
9 bad rules (2): 'finished actions'
Note also that the choice between simple present perfect and simple past does not depend on whether we are talking about finished actions, as learners'
grammars sometimes suggest (though it can depend on whether we are talking about finished time periods). Compare:
That cat has eaten your supper. (finished action - present perfect)
I ate the last of the eggs this morning. (finished action - simple past)
10 bad rules (3): 'recent actions'
The choice also does not depend directly on whether actions and events are recent. Recent events are more likely to be 'news', and we are more likely to be concerned about their present results, so many present perfect sentences are in fact about recent events. But it is possible to use the present perfect to talk about things that happened a long time ago. Compare:
page 444