Author: News Desk

London, UK: Keir Starmer, the newly elected leader of the United Kingdom, has announced key members of his ministerial team following his centre-left Labour Party’s landslide victory, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. Rachel Reeves became the first female finance minister in UK history when Starmer appointed her on Friday. The economist at the Bank of England, a former child chess champion, has promised to expand the country’s economy while exercising strict fiscal restraint. David Lammy was a trailblazing politician appointed foreign secretary by Starmer. Lammy was raised in Tottenham, a neighbourhood in north London, where he was born to…

Brussels: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is set to issue its first-ever defence industrial pledge at its Washington summit. The significant decision aims to accelerate arms production and enforce stricter standardisation of ammunition to ensure the interoperability of shells on the battlefield. While NATO enforces standards for rounds fired by small arms such as assault rifles, artillery shells pose a more complex challenge. Despite having a NATO standard for artillery ammunition, its voluntary implementation has led to market fragmentation and supply chain issues. Fourteen NATO nations have reserved the right to deviate from this standard. The different rounds can…

Russia: The Kremlin has announced that Narendra Modi will be visiting Russia on July 8 and 9 to meet Vladimir Putin. This will be the Indian prime minister’s first visit since Russia invaded Ukraine. In a statement from the Kremlin, Modi and Putin would talk about “prospects for further development of traditionally friendly Russian-Indian relations, as well as relevant issues on the international and regional agenda.” After winning reelection to a third term in June, Modi last travelled to Moscow in 2015. Since then, he has met Putin multiple times at international summits, and the two leaders have spoken over…

Mauritania: The Mauritanian coast guard has recovered the bodies of 89 migrants from a large traditional fishing boat that capsized off the coast of Mauritania. According to the state news agency, the individuals were on their trip to Europe, when their boat overturned approximately four kilometers (2.5 miles) from Ndiago, a city in southwest Mauritania along the Atlantic Ocean. Many migrants went missing and the survivors recounted to authorities that the boat had departed from the border of Senegal and Gambia with 170 passengers onboard, leaving 72 individuals unaccounted for. The Coast Guard managed to rescue nine people, including a…

South Korea: Samsung Electronics has announced that it expects second-quarter operating profits to increase more than 15 times compared to last year. A surge in artificial intelligence (AI) has increased the cost of sophisticated chips, raising the company’s second-quarter projection. Samsung shares rose more than 2 percent in early Seoul trading after the announcement. The company also revealed that its profits for the first three months of this year increased by a factor of more than ten. Sales are expected to rise 23.3 percent to 74 trillion South Korean won, Samsung said. The world economy depends heavily on semiconductors, which…

London, UK: The Labour Party has won the UK general election 2024, ending 14 years of Conservative rule, and Keir Starmer will be the new prime minister. Starmer declares, “Change begins now,” following his resounding victory in the general election. The 61-year-old Labour leader has won seats in Holborn and St Pancras. Several well-known Conservatives, including Penny Mordaunt, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, have lost their seats. Soon resigning current PM of the UK, Rishi Sunak, has conceded the defeat saying sorry. Sunak has secured a parliamentary seat in northern England. “To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates…

Tehran: Iranians are voting in a run-off presidential election, amid widespread voter apathy and heightened regional tensions. The earlier election on June 28 had a historic low turnout, with over 60 percent of voters abstaining from electing a successor to Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash. Critics interpret the low participation as a vote of no confidence in the Islamic Republic. The election will be a tight contest between lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian, the only moderate among the four candidates, and hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Polls opened at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) and close at…

Brussels: The European Union (EU) has increased tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), marking a significant move to protect the bloc’s motor industry. The new tariffs on individual manufacturers range from 17.4 percent to 37.6 percent, in addition to a 10 percent duty already in place for all-electric cars imported from China. The decision is expected to raise the price of EVs across the EU, making them less affordable for European consumers. The move marks a significant blow to Beijing, which is already in a trade war with Washington. The EU is the largest overseas market for China’s EV industry,…

United States: A wildfire that is raging in Butte County has forced thousands of people to flee Northern California as the West experiences an intensifying heat wave. The already-parched foliage has been further dried out by the high temperatures, which are expected to last into next week, raising the risk of wildfires throughout the area. The California National Guard may be called into action to help fight the fire after Governor Gavin Newsom announced a state of emergency for the affected area. The governor’s declaration lists strong winds, dry conditions, and continuous high temperatures throughout the day and night as…

Australia: Australia’s McDonald’s restaurants have shortened their breakfast hours due to a shortage of eggs brought on by a bird flu outbreak. Due to “current industry challenges” with securing eggs, the fast food behemoth said this week that it will temporarily stop its breakfast service at 10:30 AM instead of midday as normal. “We are working hard with our Aussie farmers and suppliers to return this back to normal as soon as possible. So, from Tuesday July 2nd, for a breakfast that really hits the spot, make sure you check the clock,” McDonad’s Australia said in a statement. Since May,…