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Kamala Harris is formally picked as the Democratic nominee
US Vice President Kamala Harris has passed the Democratic presidential nomination barrier in a ballot of party delegates. Ms. Harris spoke on the phone, saying she was "honored to be the presumptive nominee" as the virtual roll call continued ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago later this month. Ms Harris is the first black woman and the first South Asian woman to serve as the White House standard bearer of a major US political party.
British prisoner released from Russia believed he was ‘taken to his execution’
Dual UK–Russian citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza and American journalist Evan Gershkovich were among those released on Thursday in the largest East-West prisoner exchange since the Cold War. A British citizen who was released in the largest prisoner swap with Russia since the Cold War has said that he believed he was being led to his death. Speaking in Bonn, Germany, Vladimir Kara-Murza stated that on the day he was abducted from his jail cell in Siberia and transferred to the Russian capital, he had no knowledge he was part of the prisoner swap.
Ukraine receives F-16 fighter jets to defend against Russia
According to Lithuania's foreign minister and a US official, the first batch of long-awaited F-16 planes has arrived in Ukraine as part of an effort to rebuild the country's decimated air force. Due to their devastating capacity and global availability, Ukraine is eager to buy Lockheed Martin F-16s. These fighter jets are armed with a 20mm gun and can transport bombs, rockets, and missiles. "F-16s are in Ukraine." "Another impossible thing turned out to be completely possible," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis posted on X on Wednesday.
‘It was the same old show’: Kamala Harris on Trump’s racial insults
At a rally in Texas, Kamala Harris dismissed Donald Trump's questioning of her racial identity, claiming it was "the same old show" and that "America deserves better." On Wednesday, at an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Trump attacked senior Black journalists and questioned Harris' race, claiming, "She was always of Indian origin, and she was only pushing Indian heritage. I had no idea she was Black until a few years ago when she unexpectedly turned Black."
After Haniyeh’s murder in Iran, UNSC members fear conflict
Countries on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have denounced the death of Hamas' political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran and urged increased diplomatic efforts to prevent a full-fledged war in the Middle East. The UN Security Council's emergency meeting on Wednesday came as Iran and Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs the war-torn Gaza Strip, accused Israel of Haniyeh's killing and promised to exact retribution. Israel has not accepted responsibility for the strike in Tehran.
Netanyahu warns Israel’s aggressors of ‘heavy price’ as Hamas threatens ‘major repercussions’ after political leader’s murder
Hamas' armed branch has stated that the assassination of its top political leader will "take the battle to new dimensions and have major repercussions," while Iran has promised to retaliate. Israel's prime minister has warned that aggressors will pay a "heavy price" following separate attacks that killed Hamas' political head and a senior Hezbollah commander. Hamas and Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported that Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on Wednesday morning.
Israel claims July strike killed Hamas military head
Israel's military claims it has confirmed that Hamas' military chief, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an air attack in Gaza last month. Deif was targeted in a strike on a compound in Khan Younis on July 13. Hamas has yet to confirm his death. Israel claims Deif was a crucial figure in the preparation of the October 7 attacks in southern Israel, which murdered 1,200 people.
Trump’s questioning of Kamala Harris’s race sparks gasps
The Republican nominee's comments drew fire for incorrectly implying that Kamala Harris had misled people about her color, claiming the vice president was "always of Indian heritage" until "she happened to turn black." During a conversation with a black journalist, Donald Trump questioned Vice President Kamala Harris's racial identification, asking, "Is she Indian or black?" The Republican nominee's remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago elicited gasps from the crowd.
Hamas leader’s funeral draws throngs in Iran
Thousands have attended the funeral procession in Iran for Hamas political chairman Ismail Haniyeh, who was murdered in a strike in Tehran on Wednesday. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, conducted prayers for the Hamas leader, whose remains will be interred in Qatar. Iranian officials have told US media that the supreme commander has ordered a direct attack on Israel, which they blame for the attack on Iranian land.
Israel claims Beirut strike killed key Hezbollah commander
Israel claims to have killed a prominent Hezbollah leader after launching an air assault on a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon's capital. According to the Israeli military, Fuad Shukr was the target of an "intelligence-based elimination." Hezbollah has yet to confirm Shukr's death but says he was in a building that was hit at the time.
Rachel Reeves’ uncompromising and dishonest spin might destroy her growth strategy
Labour's mask has slipped. And the voters who gave Sir Keir Starmer such a large majority have been confronted with the nasty side of cheap politics: distorted priorities and political giveaways. How can a massive £9.4 billion payout to Labour-supporting state-sector unions be described as anything other than cynical? And why is a government that vowed to rebuild Britain for all of its inhabitants defending the billions of pounds spent on asylum seekers rather than our pensioners?
Huw Edwards, former BBC newsreader, pleads guilty to child pornography
The 62-year-old presenter had 41 indecent photographs on WhatsApp, seven of which were the most serious. Huw Edwards, a former BBC newsreader, pled guilty to creating obscene photographs of children. The 62-year-old, who entered Westminster Magistrates' Court dressed in a dark blue suit, blue tie, and black sunglasses, pleaded to three crimes between December 2020 and April 2022.
