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Sir Keir Starmer gave his final answer during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) and received a standing ovation from MPs. He thanked those helped by his party’s work, his family, and said goodbye before leaving the chamber. Andy Burnham is expected to become the new Labour leader and Prime Minister next month.
Key Facts
Keir Starmer spoke for the last time as leader during Prime Minister’s Questions.
He received a standing ovation from members of his party and other MPs.
Starmer thanked people who were helped by the Labour government’s actions.
He also thanked his wife and children in his final statement.
After speaking, he shook hands with the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Andy Burnham will become the new Labour leader soon.
Burnham is expected to become Prime Minister on 20 July.
Burnham will appear at PMQs for the first time after the summer break.
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President Joe Biden will publish a memoir called *Promise Me, America* on November 17, 2024, two weeks after the U.S. midterm elections. The book will cover his presidency, including economic issues, decisions he made, and his choice to stop running for re-election.
Key Facts
The memoir *Promise Me, America* will be published by Little, Brown and Company in November 2024.
The release is scheduled shortly after the midterm elections when Democrats aim to win back Congress.
Biden plans to write about his challenges, decisions, and faith in America during his presidency.
The book follows Biden’s 2017 memoir *Promise Me, Dad*, which focused on his late son Beau Biden.
Biden will turn 84 three days after the book’s release, making him the oldest president to publish a memoir.
His presidency included major events like the COVID-19 pandemic, infrastructure bills, and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Biden decided to drop his 2024 re-election campaign after a difficult debate with President Trump.
There has been public speculation and criticism about Biden’s health during his presidency, especially after the 2024 debate.
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US Senator Lindsey Graham, known for his strong support of Israel, has passed away, ending the political group called the "Three Amigos" who championed Israeli interests in Washington. While his death affects immediate communication channels between the US and Israel, long-term impacts on Israel’s position in the US depend on broader political and regional issues.
Key Facts
Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Joseph Lieberman were close friends and strong supporters of Israel, called the "Three Amigos."
Graham’s passing ends this influential trio in US politics.
Support for Israel in the US comes from strong lobbying groups like AIPAC, which influences political campaigns.
President Donald Trump valued Israel’s support due to intelligence sharing and regional cooperation.
Graham acted as a key link between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s policies, including conflict in Lebanon, Gaza, and West Bank annexation, have complicated Israel’s standing globally and in the US.
Israel’s continued military conflicts and political actions may weaken its long-term relationship with the US.
Although Graham’s death creates short-term difficulties, broader Israeli political actions are more important for their future US ties.
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A Chick-fil-A franchise owner in Texas is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for allegedly firing an employee who asked not to work on Saturdays due to her religious beliefs. The franchise owner denies the claim, saying the employee abandoned her job and that her accommodation requests were unreasonable.
Key Facts
The EEOC filed a lawsuit against Hatch Trick, Inc., a Chick-fil-A franchisee operating in Austin, Texas.
The lawsuit claims the company violated federal law by not accommodating Laurel Torode’s request to avoid working on Saturdays for religious reasons.
Torode is a member of the United Church of God, which observes the Sabbath from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.
Torode worked as a fleet supervisor from September 2023 until February 2024.
She initially was not scheduled to work on Saturdays but was later told she would have to work that day.
Torode made several proposals to avoid working Saturdays while keeping her managerial role, including having others cover her duties or working after sundown.
Hatch Trick argued that the requests were unreasonable and said Torode was fired for abandoning her job, not because of her religion.
Chick-fil-A is known for closing its restaurants on Sundays to allow employees time for rest or worship.
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Venezuela’s interim government is trying to build better relations with Israel, mainly for practical reasons rather than strong personal beliefs. This move shows a change from previous tensions between the two countries.
Key Facts
Venezuela’s interim government wants to improve ties with Israel.
The effort is driven by convenience, not strong feelings or beliefs.
Relations between Venezuela and Israel have been tense in the past.
This change may affect Venezuela’s foreign policy and international image.
The interim government is focused on political and strategic benefits.
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The article argues that the terms "motherhood" and "fatherhood" are based on biological and evolutionary facts, suggesting they cannot be changed or replaced by social ideas. It discusses how this view might influence responses from New York leadership, including Governor Kathy Hochul.
Key Facts
"Motherhood" and "fatherhood" are described as based on biology and evolution.
The article suggests these terms are not just social ideas but have fixed meanings.
The discussion is centered around actions or ideas by New York Democrats.
It raises questions about how Governor Kathy Hochul will respond to this issue.
The article touches on ongoing debates about family roles and definitions.
The topic reflects broader political and social conversations in New York.
No specific policies or actions from Governor Hochul are detailed in the article.
The focus is on the contrast between biological terms and social concepts in family roles.
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Star Wars director George Lucas supports using artificial intelligence (AI) in making movies, saying it makes the process easier and is a natural step forward. Other filmmakers have mixed views on AI, with some praising its help and others worried about its effects on filmmaking.
Key Facts
George Lucas said AI tools make it easier to create movies and compared resisting AI to sticking with old-fashioned horse and buggy instead of cars.
Lucas believes AI in filmmaking is an unavoidable part of progress and the future.
Gareth Edwards, another Star Wars director, called AI "a genius" at helping filmmakers.
Some directors, like Christopher Nolan, have criticized AI, saying the public and especially young people often reject it.
Steven Soderbergh said AI is not a perfect solution or the end of traditional filmmaking, but more of an early phase.
Lucas also criticized the use of audience testing and focus groups, saying filmmakers should not simply follow audience opinions without understanding reasons behind their dislikes.
The discussion shows a range of opinions in the film industry about how AI should be used in movie production.
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President Trump said that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency should keep using traffic stops as a way to fight crime. He described this method as very important and effective for ICE’s work.
Key Facts
President Trump made the statement on Wednesday.
He said traffic stops are a key tool for ICE in fighting crime.
Trump praised the men and women working at ICE for their efforts.
The statement was posted on the social media platform Truth Social.
ICE is a U.S. agency responsible for immigration enforcement and related law enforcement.
The focus is on continuing current tactics to enforce immigration laws.
Traffic stops are used to find and detain people involved in immigration violations.
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Three men attacked and raped a woman on Brighton beach in early October. They were sentenced to long prison terms after being found guilty of taking part in a planned and cruel assault.
Key Facts
The attack happened on Brighton beach in the early hours of 4 October.
The three men are asylum seekers: Abdulla Ahmadi (26, from Iran), Ibrahim Alshafe (25, from Egypt), and Karin Al-Danasurt (20, from Egypt).
Ahmadi and Alshafe were each sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Al-Danasurt, who filmed the attack, was sentenced to 18 years and six months.
All three will serve at least two thirds of their sentences before they can apply for parole.
They will also spend an additional six years on extended licence, which is supervised release after prison.
The judge described the attack as predatory and callous, with a profound and lasting impact on the victim.
The victim reported lasting trauma, including feeling contaminated despite trying to wash away the experience.
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The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill called the "Sunshine Protection Act of 2025" to make daylight saving time permanent across the country. The bill passed with strong bipartisan support and has President Donald Trump's backing, but it still needs approval from the Senate.
Key Facts
The House voted 308 to 117 to pass the bill.
The bill would stop the twice-yearly clock changes.
States can choose not to follow the permanent daylight saving time if they want.
The bill is now waiting for the Senate to consider it.
A similar bill passed the Senate in 2022 but was not approved by the House then.
President Trump supports the bill.
The bill aims to give people more daylight in the evening when they are usually awake and active.
House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie explained the bill shifts one hour of sunlight from morning to evening in winter.
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The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opened on July 4 in Medora, North Dakota, near Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The library is designed to blend into the landscape and aims to meet strict environmental standards by using local materials and restoring natural prairie land.
Key Facts
The library covers 95,000 square feet and is set on 93 acres of Badlands terrain.
It was designed by the architecture firm Snøhetta to meet the Living Building Challenge, a tough environmental certification.
If certified, it will be the only presidential library with this environmental certification.
The building features a living roof with 121,000 square feet of native prairie plants.
The library’s design reflects Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation values.
Local soil, reclaimed wood, mass timber, and low-carbon concrete were used in construction.
The library includes archival spaces, galleries, and places for visitors to gather.
Visitors can access the library by nearly a mile-long hiking trail through restored natural land.
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Venezuela’s interim government announced it will begin formal talks with some opposition members starting August 1, following recent deadly earthquakes. The talks aim to create a plan for democracy and reconstruction, with both government and opposition leaders participating.
Key Facts
The interim government in Venezuela will start formal talks with opposition members from August 1.
The talks come after twin earthquakes killed at least 4,734 people in northern Venezuela.
Jorge Rodríguez, who leads the government-controlled National Assembly, cited unity for reconstruction as a reason for the talks.
The opposition team is led by Dinorah Figuera, who returned to Venezuela after nearly eight years in exile.
Opposition members want to strengthen democracy, improve elections, and ensure political participation.
The United States supports the opposition and has helped after the earthquakes.
Many opposition leaders have faced jail or exile under Nicolás Maduro’s government.
372 political prisoners remain jailed according to rights groups, despite some being released after Maduro was removed from power.
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A boat sank near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, resulting in one death and three people missing. There were twenty people on the boat when it capsized.
Key Facts
The boat sank near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.
One person has died in the incident.
Three people are currently missing.
A total of twenty people were on the boat when it went down.
Rescue efforts are ongoing to find the missing individuals.
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An Israeli air strike hit an apartment in central Gaza, killing a family of three, including a young child, and injuring others. Despite a ceasefire agreed in October 2023, Israel continues air attacks in Gaza, causing many casualties and damage.
Key Facts
A father, mother, and their six-year-old daughter were killed in an Israeli air attack in Deir el-Balah, Gaza.
Another child survived and was rescued after Palestinian emergency teams put out a fire caused by the strike.
The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas fighter in the attack.
Israeli air strikes also damaged a rehabilitation center in Gaza City and a park sheltering displaced families in Khan Younis.
At least 12 bodies were brought to Gaza hospitals, with one death from wounds and 18 injured in the last 24 hours.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, brokered by the U.S. in October, has not stopped Israeli air attacks.
More than 1,100 Palestinians, including at least 275 children, have been killed by Israeli air strikes since the ceasefire.
The conflict began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and led to a large Israeli military response in Gaza.
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A man in Utah was arrested for stabbing a Muslim man multiple times at a mall, targeting him because of his religion. The victim is in critical condition, and the attacker said he intended to kill Muslims.
Key Facts
The stabbing happened inside Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, Utah.
The victim, a Muslim man working at a kiosk, was stabbed about 15 times and is in critical condition.
The attacker, Peter Michael Larsen, 48, was caught by bystanders and is now in jail on attempted murder and weapon charges.
Larsen told police he wanted to kill Muslims and posed a serious danger to the public.
The attacker asked the victim about his religion and name before stabbing him.
Bystanders stopped the attacker before police arrived, and he was also injured.
Muslim rights groups condemned the attack, linking it to rising anti-Muslim hate and violence in recent years.
Similar violent attacks against Muslims have taken place in the U.S., including a 2023 stabbing of a child in Illinois and a 2026 mosque shooting in San Diego.
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A man in Louisiana, Clarence A. Frazier Jr., has been charged with murder after shooting and killing a deputy U.S. marshal during an attempted arrest. The marshal, Drew Hanson, was shot when officers went to arrest Frazier for skipping a trial on sexual battery charges.
Key Facts
Clarence A. Frazier Jr., 48, from Alexandria, Louisiana, is charged with murdering a federal officer.
Deputy U.S. marshal Drew Hanson was fatally shot on July 13 while trying to arrest Frazier.
Officers responded to Frazier’s home because he failed to appear at a trial for sexual battery and third-degree rape charges.
Frazier barricaded himself in a bedroom and shot at the officers during the arrest attempt.
He was taken into custody after a standoff at his home.
Frazier faces potential life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of murdering the federal officer.
Hanson is survived by a wife and two children.
Frazier was already a registered sex offender before this incident.
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported over 2,000 confirmed Ebola cases and 754 deaths in its current outbreak. Healthcare workers at hospitals in the hardest-hit areas have started striking due to unpaid wages and poor working conditions, while the World Health Organization (WHO) warns the actual death toll may be much higher.
Key Facts
The DRC Ebola outbreak has reached 2,011 confirmed cases with 754 deaths.
Healthcare workers at Bunia General Hospital in Ituri province began striking over unpaid wages and difficult work conditions.
Other healthcare staff in the region also walked off their jobs recently, citing months without pay.
This Ebola outbreak started on May 15 and is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, which has no vaccine or treatment so far.
Doctors Without Borders calls this the third largest and fastest-growing Ebola outbreak recorded.
WHO warns the real number of Ebola deaths could be two to four times higher than official counts.
WHO began the first clinical trial to test an antiviral drug to prevent infection from the Bundibugyo virus.
WHO Director-General Tedros said the antiviral, if effective, could improve prevention for people exposed to the virus.
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India and the United Kingdom have started a new trade deal called the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). This deal reduces taxes on many goods and opens up services and markets for both countries, aiming to increase trade and business opportunities.
Key Facts
The trade agreement came into effect on a Wednesday (recently).
Indian exporters can now send many products to the UK without paying taxes, especially in textiles and other labor-intensive industries.
The UK will gradually reduce taxes on products like cars and also grant quotas to access Indian markets.
The UK removed tariffs on about 97% of its traded goods with India immediately.
India will remove taxes on 64% of tariff lines right away and gradually remove tariffs on another 21%, excluding sensitive items.
India exported $13.44 billion worth of goods to the UK in the financial year 2025-26, while importing $11.68 billion.
Services trade between the two countries was $35.44 billion in 2024, with India having a surplus of nearly $7.9 billion.
The deal helps professionals move temporarily to the UK without paying National Insurance for five years, benefiting over 75,000 professionals and 900 companies.
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China's economy grew at its slowest rate in over three years during the April-June quarter of 2026, expanding by 4.3% compared to 5% in the first quarter. While exports, especially of high-tech products, have increased, China faces challenges such as weak consumer spending, a troubled property sector, and high youth unemployment.
Key Facts
China's economy grew by 4.3% in the second quarter of 2026, slower than the 5% growth in the first quarter.
The government now focuses on advanced manufacturing, green energy, and artificial intelligence as growth drivers, rather than property and consumer spending.
The property market crisis continues five years after a housing bubble burst.
Retail sales of consumer goods rose only 1.3% in the first half of 2026, indicating weak consumer confidence.
Exports increased 27% in June, particularly in high-tech products, but face criticism from the U.S., EU, and others for being heavily subsidized.
Official urban unemployment was about 5.0% in June, but broader measures suggest it could be over 10%, especially for young people.
China recorded a record 12.7 million college graduates entering the job market in 2026, adding pressure to employment.
Economic growth target for 2026 is about 4.5 to 5 percent, as set by Chinese authorities and projected by international organizations.
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Democratic leaders in key U.S. swing states are supporting large, expensive datacenter projects, despite significant local opposition. These datacenters, built by companies like OpenAI, Oracle, and Microsoft, use a lot of land and energy, which worries many voters and may hurt Democrats’ chances in upcoming elections.
Key Facts
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer openly supported a $16 billion datacenter project by OpenAI and Oracle in rural Michigan.
Many local voters near the datacenter oppose the project because of concerns about farmland loss and resource use.
A national poll showed Democrats oppose datacenters by a 17% margin more than Republicans, with only 9% of Democrats supporting datacenters in their communities.
New York is the first state to pause new large datacenter construction with a one-year moratorium ordered by Governor Kathy Hochul.
In Wisconsin, Democratic Governor Tony Evers praised a Microsoft datacenter, but faced backlash and cancellation of another planned datacenter due to local resistance.
The issue is causing tension within the Democratic Party in battleground states, risking voter trust and midterm election support.
Some Democratic voters feel their leaders prioritize business projects over community concerns and environmental impacts.
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