How does a GPU actually work? The technology behind modern graphics and AI

Macron’s awkward embrace with Iceland PM Kristrún Frostadóttir goes viral – What happened?

Aliens near US military base? Woman captures bizarre jellyfish-like UFO in Alaska | WATCH

'Miracle on the Mississippi': Cruise boat capsizes after colliding with tanker in New Orleans, all 180 passengers aboard safe

Why are modern GPUs so expensive? 7 things that drive graphics card prices

Why do graphics cards have thousands of small processing cores?

'Don’t f–k around!' Travis Barker opens up on quitting smoking after precancer diagnosis

CPU vs GPU vs NPU: Which processor does your computer actually need?

'Forbidden' light proposed 40 years ago detected for first time in the universe

Avril Lavigne welcomes first child, keeps baby's name and partner's identity private

Why did the FAA suddenly ground flights across the US? Officials reveal what went wrong

Reply 1988 star Ko Kyung Pyo under police investigation after drunk-driving collision in Seoul

Shape-shifting UFO sighting in Oregon leaves mother-daughter sick: 'Fell like a dead bird'

Vaaste singer Dhvani Bhanushali announces engagement to esports entrepreneur Yash Bhanushali; see pics

From chipmakers to cloud giants: How is Nvidia's stock crash shaking the AI industry?

Crystal-clear Ganga water in Haridwar? Viral video creates buzz online | WATCH

India backs death penalty at UN, says can't equate it with torture

Move over Ram and Ravan, Kunal Kapoor's Lord Indra in Ramayana is stealing hearts in Thailand

Eisenkot accuses Netanyahu of fuelling ‘racist’ campaign against Arab Israelis

Nvidia scandal exposes cracks in Trump admin as Bessent blames Lutnick over Megaspeed blacklist delay

Sheikh Hasina's return to Bangladesh: India seeks two assurances from Dhaka, says report

Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky's Australian home targeted by burglars;  3 cars stolen

Ukraine's NATO membership in exchange for ceding territory to Russia: Zelensky reveals US proposal

'Don't hike rates': US Treasury Secretary Bessent warns Fed against rate increase amid Iran war

Trump, Putin and Xi to hold historic trilateral meeting at APEC Summit in China

Jensen Huang seen with wife Lori in Paris in photos shared by daughter Madison

A$AP Rocky's New York event disrupted by on-camera brawl, NYPD steps in

24 hours and counting: Microsoft says 'sorry' for global outage

CM Suvendhu Adhikari turns Bengal's Chhath ghats into launchpad for UP campaign

Mohamed Salah becomes Egypt’s all-time top scorer with brace against Malawi

Video captures horrifying moment Brooklyn apartment building collapses, killing eight people

Colombia 'false positives' scandal: 5 retired army men sentenced over killing of 35 civilians

'It exploded in his mouth': Man dies after friend gives him bomb disguised as rasgulla on Diwali in Madhya Pradesh's Dindori

Why do powerful graphics cards need so much electricity?

Indian student sentenced to 30 years in UK for online grooming of over 70 children

In the first visit by a Canadian Foreign Minister to Pakistan in nearly two decades, Foreign Minister Anita Anand met with Pakistani officials in Islamabad, where host leaders urged Ottawa’s assistance in restoring the suspended Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). During high-level delegation talks, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar directly addressed the escalating regional water dispute. India placed the 1960 World Bank-brokered pact in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-plans-5-500-mw-of-new-hydro-projects-in-jammu-kashmir-1784606256265/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-plans-5-500-mw-of-new-hydro-projects-in-jammu-kashmir-1784606256265/embed</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Addressing a joint press briefing, Dar commented on New Delhi's decision, stating that holding the accord in abeyance introduced a critical strain into regional stability. "We seek the support of our friendly countries, including Canada, towards India's immediate restoration of the IWT, ending the weaponisation of water, and upholding international law and treaty obligations," Dar added.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indus-treaty-can-no-longer-function-in-its-current-form-says-india-plans-5-500-mw-of-new-j-k-hydro-projects-1784564600618">Indus treaty can no longer function in its current form, says India; plans 5,500 mw of new J&amp;K hydro projects</a>&nbsp;New Delhi maintains that the 1960 treaty will remain suspended until Islamabad takes concrete steps against cross-border terror infrastructure. Rather than viewing the treaty strictly as an isolated, technical agreement on transboundary water allocation, New Delhi has explicitly linked its survival to Pakistan's posture on national security and state-sponsored cross-border terrorism.&nbsp;New Delhi's stance is clear and non-negotiable; the restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty rests entirely on Islamabad taking credible, verifiable, and irreversible action against cross-border terrorism.&nbsp;Beyond regional security dynamics, both nations focused on strengthening economic ties. Anand underscored that bilateral trade between the two nations has grown significantly over the past 20 years, supported by a diaspora of over 300,000 Pakistani-Canadians.&nbsp;Anand noted that emerging opportunities for cooperation on economic growth and regional stability exist, signalling Ottawa's intent to sustain structured dialogue through future bilateral consultations.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-reiterates-stand-says-indus-waters-treaty-remains-in-abeyance-over-pakistan-sponsored-terrorism-1783080215934">India reiterates stand, says 'Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance over Pakistan-sponsored terrorism'</a>&nbsp;<h3>Key takeaways from Pakistan's primary pitch:&nbsp;</h3>&nbsp;<ul><li>Indus Waters Treaty (IWT): Pakistan urged Canada’s diplomatic support for the immediate restoration of the 1960 treaty, accusing India of "weaponising water" by holding the treaty in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam attack.</li><li>Kashmir &amp; Regional Tensions: Pak Deputy PM Ishaq Dar raised the Kashmir dispute, while FM Anand acknowledged the country’s efforts to facilitate diplomatic dialogue to de-escalate West Asia regional conflicts.</li></ul>&nbsp;

During the first visit by a Canadian foreign minister in nearly 20 years, Pakistan requested Anita Anand’s diplomatic support for the immediate restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty.

In the first visit by a Canadian Foreign Minister to Pakistan in nearly two decades, Foreign Minister Anita Anand met with Pakistani officials in Islamabad, where host leaders urged Ottawa’s assistance in restoring the suspended Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). During high-level delegation talks, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar directly addressed the escalating regional water dispute. India placed the 1960 World Bank-brokered pact in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-plans-5-500-mw-of-new-hydro-projects-in-jammu-kashmir-1784606256265/embed Addressing a joint press briefing, Dar commented on New Delhi's decision, stating that holding the accord in abeyance introduced a critical strain into regional stability. "We seek the support of our friendly countries, including Canada, towards India's immediate restoration of the IWT, ending the weaponisation of water, and upholding international law and treaty obligations," Dar added. Also read: Indus treaty can no longer function in its current form, says India; plans 5,500 mw of new J&K hydro projects New Delhi maintains that the 1960 treaty will remain suspended until Islamabad takes concrete steps against cross-border terror infrastructure. Rather than viewing the treaty strictly as an isolated, technical agreement on transboundary water allocation, New Delhi has explicitly linked its survival to Pakistan's posture on national security and state-sponsored cross-border terrorism. New Delhi's stance is clear and non-negotiable; the restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty rests entirely on Islamabad taking credible, verifiable, and irreversible action against cross-border terrorism. Beyond regional security dynamics, both nations focused on strengthening economic ties. Anand underscored that bilateral trade between the two nations has grown significantly over the past 20 years, supported by a diaspora of over 300,000 Pakistani-Canadians. Anand noted that emerging opportunities for cooperation on economic growth and regional stability exist, signalling Ottawa's intent to sustain structured dialogue through future bilateral consultations. Also read: India reiterates stand, says 'Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance over Pakistan-sponsored terrorism' Key takeaways from Pakistan's primary pitch: Indus Waters Treaty (IWT): Pakistan urged Canada’s diplomatic support for the immediate restoration of the 1960 treaty, accusing India of "weaponising water" by holding the treaty in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam attack. Kashmir & Regional Tensions: Pak Deputy PM Ishaq Dar raised the Kashmir dispute, while FM Anand acknowledged the country’s efforts to facilitate diplomatic dialogue to de-escalate West Asia regional conflicts.

During the first visit by a Canadian foreign minister in nearly 20 years, Pakistan requested Anita Anand’s diplomatic support for the immediate restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty.

In first visit by Canadian FM in 20 years, Pakistan urges Anita Anand’s support on Indus Waters Treaty

Britain's newly appointed Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, named former health minister Wes Streeting as the country's new defence secretary late Monday (July 20) during late-night ministerial appointments. Streeting, 43, comes from a working-class background and is positioned on the right flank of the centre-left Labour Party. He significantly raised his national profile while leading the department responsible for NHS England and became a familiar presence on the airwaves during the 2024 general election.&nbsp;His return to the cabinet follows his resignation as health minister in May, which he attributed to a loss of confidence in then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Although Streeting initially intended to challenge Burnham for the Labour leadership following Starmer's departure, he ultimately chose to back down.&nbsp;In a post on X following his appointment, Streeting emphasised that "keeping our country safe is the first duty of government." He pledged to ensure that the armed forces receive necessary resources and affirmed that Britain would remain steadfast alongside international allies, particularly Ukraine.&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Keeping our country safe is the first duty of government. It is an honour to take on the role of Defence Secretary. We&#39;ll ensure our armed forces have the resources they need and stand steadfast alongside our international allies, especially Ukraine 🇺🇦 Let’s get to work 🇬🇧 <a href="https://t.co/SIsHklbsOq">https://t.co/SIsHklbsOq</a>&mdash; Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) <a href="https://x.com/wesstreeting/status/2079337257798877229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&nbsp;Streeting takes over the role from former defence minister John Healey, who was appointed as finance minister on Monday. Healey had previously stepped down as defence secretary after sharply criticising Starmer's government regarding the defence budget. In his resignation letter, Healey argued that Starmer was unable, and the Treasury unwilling, to commit the necessary resources to defend the nation amid growing threats.

Newly appointed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has named former Health Minister Wes Streeting as Defence Secretary during a late-night cabinet reshuffle following Keir Starmer's departure.

Britain's newly appointed Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, named former health minister Wes Streeting as the country's new defence secretary late Monday (July 20) during late-night ministerial appointments. Streeting, 43, comes from a working-class background and is positioned on the right flank of the centre-left Labour Party. He significantly raised his national profile while leading the department responsible for NHS England and became a familiar presence on the airwaves during the 2024 general election. His return to the cabinet follows his resignation as health minister in May, which he attributed to a loss of confidence in then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Although Streeting initially intended to challenge Burnham for the Labour leadership following Starmer's departure, he ultimately chose to back down. In a post on X following his appointment, Streeting emphasised that "keeping our country safe is the first duty of government." He pledged to ensure that the armed forces receive necessary resources and affirmed that Britain would remain steadfast alongside international allies, particularly Ukraine.

Newly appointed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has named former Health Minister Wes Streeting as Defence Secretary during a late-night cabinet reshuffle following Keir Starmer's departure.

UK cabinet reshuffle: Former Health Minister Wes Streeting gets defence portfolio

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday (Jul 21) issued a statement after United States President Donald Trump slapped 50 per cent tariffs on select Canadian goods in the areas of dairy, alcoholic beverages and motor vehicles. In a statement, Carney said that the “country would continue to support its people and businesses. Stating that Canada is ready for talks with America, he said that the Canadian Prime Minister added that "in response to these measures and threats to Canadian sovereignty, provinces, territories -- Canadians from coast to coast to coast have stood together, taking the necessary actions to support our economy and defend our workers, farmers, businesses, and families." "This is the latest in a series of unilateral US trade actions that began with the US imposing a series of tariffs in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the free trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico," Carney said in a statement posted on X.&nbsp;<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HNtYp9EXEAATq3I?format=jpg&amp;name=large" alt="My statement on the United States administration’s intention to impose new tariffs on Canadian goods."> &nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/can-india-balance-ties-with-the-us-and-russia-amid-fresh-tariff-threats-from-america-1784104821858">Can India balance ties with the US and Russia amid fresh tariff threats from America?</a> Carney said the new US tariffs on Canada's auto sector violated the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). He added that Canada had only matched the US measures, which it was entitled to do. He said Canada had put forward a series of detailed proposals over the past 18 months to resolve the trade dispute and modernise CUSMA. He added that Ottawa was ready to step up discussions with Washington in the coming weeks.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-impose-50-tariffs-on-canadian-goods-escalating-north-america-trade-dispute-1784586172878">Trump to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, escalating North America</a> Carney said Canada remained committed to free and fair trade. He noted that his government had signed more than 20 new economic and security partnerships, reflecting that commitment. He said the trade dispute had increased costs for families, especially in the United States. He added that Canada was willing to continue intensive talks with the US to resolve outstanding issues for the benefit of citizens in both countries. Carney also said the Canadian government would continue taking all necessary steps to strengthen the country's economy and support its workers, farmers, businesses and families. His response comes after the United States announced a fresh wave of additional 50 per cent tariffs on certain Canadian goods, in what it called was a response to the "discriminatory treatment" of American products- in the sectors of motor vehicles, dairy and alcoholic beverages and are set to take place 30 days after the signing of the proclamations by Trump.&nbsp;

Canadian PM Mark Carney vowed to support workers and businesses after President Donald Trump imposed fresh 50% tariffs on select Canadian goods. Carney said Canada remains open to talks but will take all necessary steps to protect its economy and sovereignty.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday (Jul 21) issued a statement after United States President Donald Trump slapped 50 per cent tariffs on select Canadian goods in the areas of dairy, alcoholic beverages and motor vehicles. In a statement, Carney said that the “country would continue to support its people and businesses. Stating that Canada is ready for talks with America, he said that the Canadian Prime Minister added that "in response to these measures and threats to Canadian sovereignty, provinces, territories -- Canadians from coast to coast to coast have stood together, taking the necessary actions to support our economy and defend our workers, farmers, businesses, and families." "This is the latest in a series of unilateral US trade actions that began with the US imposing a series of tariffs in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the free trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico," Carney said in a statement posted on X. Also Read: Can India balance ties with the US and Russia amid fresh tariff threats from America? Carney said the new US tariffs on Canada's auto sector violated the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). He added that Canada had only matched the US measures, which it was entitled to do. He said Canada had put forward a series of detailed proposals over the past 18 months to resolve the trade dispute and modernise CUSMA. He added that Ottawa was ready to step up discussions with Washington in the coming weeks. Also Read: Trump to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, escalating North America Carney said Canada remained committed to free and fair trade. He noted that his government had signed more than 20 new economic and security partnerships, reflecting that commitment. He said the trade dispute had increased costs for families, especially in the United States. He added that Canada was willing to continue intensive talks with the US to resolve outstanding issues for the benefit of citizens in both countries. Carney also said the Canadian government would continue taking all necessary steps to strengthen the country's economy and support its workers, farmers, businesses and families. His response comes after the United States announced a fresh wave of additional 50 per cent tariffs on certain Canadian goods, in what it called was a response to the "discriminatory treatment" of American products- in the sectors of motor vehicles, dairy and alcoholic beverages and are set to take place 30 days after the signing of the proclamations by Trump.

Canadian PM Mark Carney vowed to support workers and businesses after President Donald Trump imposed fresh 50% tariffs on select Canadian goods. Carney said Canada remains open to talks but will take all necessary steps to protect its economy and sovereignty.

'Direct violation...': Canada PM Mark Carney breaks silence as Trump orders new 50% tariff on Canadian goods

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has unveiled his first Labour cabinet, rewarding allies who backed his leadership while removing several senior ministers closely associated with former prime minister Keir Starmer.&nbsp;Burnham had pledged to build an inclusive administration by drawing talent from across Labour’s factions. However, the reshuffle also saw a sweeping purge of many ministers viewed as part of Starmer’s inner circle or the party’s right, signalling a significant shift in the government’s direction.<h2>Who’s in?</h2><h3>John Healey, Chancellor</h3>Former defence secretary John Healey has been appointed Chancellor in one of the reshuffle’s biggest surprises. The veteran MP, first elected in 1997, previously served as a Treasury minister under Tony Blair and resigned from Starmer’s government over defence funding. Healey is expected to prioritise defence investment and industrial renewal.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/intended-to-degrade-iranian-military-capabilities-us-continues-to-strike-iran-on-10th-consecutive-day-1784581451083">‘Intended to degrade Iranian military capabilities’: US continues to strike Iran on 10th consecutive day</a><h3>Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary</h3>Shabana Mahmood retains her post as Home Secretary, providing continuity in one of the government’s most challenging portfolios. A barrister by profession and MP for Birmingham Ladywood, Mahmood is regarded as a decisive figure and has overseen Labour’s immigration agenda while advocating a stronger pro-Palestinian stance.<h3>Ed Miliband, Foreign Secretary</h3>Former Labour leader Ed Miliband takes over as Foreign Secretary after being widely tipped for the Treasury. A cabinet veteran under Gordon Brown and later Starmer, Miliband’s appointment keeps him at the heart of government despite concerns among some about his economic positions.<h3>Louise Haigh, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and First Secretary of State</h3>Louise Haigh returns to cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, First Secretary of State and Cabinet Office minister. A key organiser during Burnham’s leadership campaign, she will coordinate government delivery and oversee Whitehall reforms, effectively serving as Burnham’s deputy.<h2>Who’s out?</h2><h3>Rachel Reeves, Former Chancellor</h3>Rachel Reeves leaves the Treasury after becoming Britain’s first female Chancellor. While credited with restoring fiscal stability, critics blamed policies including the winter fuel payment cut and higher employer national insurance contributions for weakening Labour’s standing. Reeves said serving as Chancellor had been “the privilege of my life”.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-impose-50-tariffs-on-canadian-goods-escalating-north-america-trade-dispute-1784586172878">Trump to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, escalating North America trade dispute</a><h3>David Lammy, Former Foreign Secretary</h3>David Lammy exits cabinet after serving as foreign secretary under Starmer. The long-serving frontbencher said on X he would have been “proud to continue serving”, but acknowledged Burnham’s right to choose his own team.<h3>Darren Jones, Former Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister</h3>Darren Jones has been dropped from government after a rapid rise through Labour’s ranks. The former business committee chair confirmed on social media that Burnham informed him he would not be part of the new cabinet.<h3>Steve Reed, Former Housing Secretary</h3>Steve Reed loses his cabinet role despite being one of Starmer’s most loyal ministers. He had recently highlighted his record in housing in an apparent effort to retain his position.<h3>Peter Kyle, Former Business Secretary</h3>Peter Kyle departs after serving as business secretary during a period dominated by trade and technology negotiations. He previously held the science portfolio before joining the business department.<h3>Richard Hermer, Former Attorney General</h3>Attorney General Richard Hermer has also been removed. A close ally of Starmer and former human rights lawyer, he drew criticism from Conservatives over several legal positions during his tenure.<h3>Liz Kendall, Former Science and Technology Secretary</h3>Liz Kendall leaves government after serving in several senior roles under Starmer. The Leicester West MP had previously led the work and pensions brief before moving to science and technology.<h3>Jo Stevens, Former Wales Secretary</h3>Jo Stevens has been dismissed after leading the Wales Office since 2021. A long-time Starmer supporter, she previously resigned from Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench over Brexit.<h3>Hilary Benn, Former Northern Ireland Secretary</h3>Hilary Benn returns to the backbenches after more than two decades in senior politics. The experienced minister had been widely expected to remain for continuity in the Northern Ireland brief but confirmed his departure on social media.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled his first Cabinet, appointing key allies like John Healey and Ed Miliband while removing senior Starmer loyalists, including former Chancellor Rachel Reeves, to signal a fresh direction.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has unveiled his first Labour cabinet, rewarding allies who backed his leadership while removing several senior ministers closely associated with former prime minister Keir Starmer. Burnham had pledged to build an inclusive administration by drawing talent from across Labour’s factions. However, the reshuffle also saw a sweeping purge of many ministers viewed as part of Starmer’s inner circle or the party’s right, signalling a significant shift in the government’s direction. Who’s in? John Healey, Chancellor Former defence secretary John Healey has been appointed Chancellor in one of the reshuffle’s biggest surprises. The veteran MP, first elected in 1997, previously served as a Treasury minister under Tony Blair and resigned from Starmer’s government over defence funding. Healey is expected to prioritise defence investment and industrial renewal. Also read: ‘Intended to degrade Iranian military capabilities’: US continues to strike Iran on 10th consecutive day Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood retains her post as Home Secretary, providing continuity in one of the government’s most challenging portfolios. A barrister by profession and MP for Birmingham Ladywood, Mahmood is regarded as a decisive figure and has overseen Labour’s immigration agenda while advocating a stronger pro-Palestinian stance. Ed Miliband, Foreign Secretary Former Labour leader Ed Miliband takes over as Foreign Secretary after being widely tipped for the Treasury. A cabinet veteran under Gordon Brown and later Starmer, Miliband’s appointment keeps him at the heart of government despite concerns among some about his economic positions. Louise Haigh, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and First Secretary of State Louise Haigh returns to cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, First Secretary of State and Cabinet Office minister. A key organiser during Burnham’s leadership campaign, she will coordinate government delivery and oversee Whitehall reforms, effectively serving as Burnham’s deputy. Who’s out? Rachel Reeves, Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves leaves the Treasury after becoming Britain’s first female Chancellor. While credited with restoring fiscal stability, critics blamed policies including the winter fuel payment cut and higher employer national insurance contributions for weakening Labour’s standing. Reeves said serving as Chancellor had been “the privilege of my life”. Also read: Trump to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, escalating North America trade dispute David Lammy, Former Foreign Secretary David Lammy exits cabinet after serving as foreign secretary under Starmer. The long-serving frontbencher said on X he would have been “proud to continue serving”, but acknowledged Burnham’s right to choose his own team. Darren Jones, Former Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones has been dropped from government after a rapid rise through Labour’s ranks. The former business committee chair confirmed on social media that Burnham informed him he would not be part of the new cabinet. Steve Reed, Former Housing Secretary Steve Reed loses his cabinet role despite being one of Starmer’s most loyal ministers. He had recently highlighted his record in housing in an apparent effort to retain his position. Peter Kyle, Former Business Secretary Peter Kyle departs after serving as business secretary during a period dominated by trade and technology negotiations. He previously held the science portfolio before joining the business department. Richard Hermer, Former Attorney General Attorney General Richard Hermer has also been removed. A close ally of Starmer and former human rights lawyer, he drew criticism from Conservatives over several legal positions during his tenure. Liz Kendall, Former Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall leaves government after serving in several senior roles under Starmer. The Leicester West MP had previously led the work and pensions brief before moving to science and technology. Jo Stevens, Former Wales Secretary Jo Stevens has been dismissed after leading the Wales Office since 2021. A long-time Starmer supporter, she previously resigned from Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench over Brexit. Hilary Benn, Former Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn returns to the backbenches after more than two decades in senior politics. The experienced minister had been widely expected to remain for continuity in the Northern Ireland brief but confirmed his departure on social media.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled his first Cabinet, appointing key allies like John Healey and Ed Miliband while removing senior Starmer loyalists, including former Chancellor Rachel Reeves, to signal a fresh direction.

Burnham's 1st cabinet revealed: Who's in and who's out

The United States will impose an additional 50 per cent tariff on a range of Canadian goods from next month, the Trump administration announced on Monday (July 20), marking a sharp escalation in an increasingly fraught trade dispute between the two North American neighbours.&nbsp;The new duties will apply to products including hockey sticks, wine and cement. US officials accused Canada of discriminating against American exports, saying the measures are a response to what Washington views as unfair trade practices.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-can-survive-sanctions-but-can-t-truly-live-dy-fm-warns-of-economic-cost-of-war-1784583795283">‘Iran can survive sanctions, but can’t truly live’: Dy FM warns of economic cost of war</a>&nbsp;The tariffs will be introduced under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, a legal authority that has never before been used. A senior administration official said the move is separate from the wildfire-related tariffs that President Donald Trump had threatened earlier, although those options remain under consideration.&nbsp;Administration officials argued that Canada is one of only two countries, alongside China, to retaliate against earlier Trump tariffs. They pointed to decisions by several Canadian provinces to remove American liquor from store shelves, as well as automotive policies that they claim favour domestic production. Officials also criticised Canada's dairy regulations, arguing they give European cheese producers an advantage over US exporters.&nbsp;The latest announcement follows Trump's warning last week that additional tariffs could be imposed on Canada, citing costs associated with wildfire smoke drifting into the United States.&nbsp;Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were seen together at the FIFA World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Trump said the pair had discussed possible action related to the wildfires while describing their relationship as "good".&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/intended-to-degrade-iranian-military-capabilities-us-continues-to-strike-iran-on-10th-consecutive-day-1784581451083">‘Intended to degrade Iranian military capabilities’: US continues to strike Iran on 10th consecutive day</a>&nbsp;The latest tariffs further deepen tensions after the Trump administration declined to extend the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), leaving the future of the continent's trade framework uncertain.&nbsp;Unlike previous Trump-era tariffs on Canadian imports, the new duties will also apply to goods that would normally qualify for duty-free treatment under the USMCA. Economists have previously said the agreement has played a key role in shielding consumers from higher prices caused by tariffs.&nbsp;However, the administration has exempted several strategically important Canadian exports, including potash, critical minerals and most energy products, limiting the potential impact on key US industries.&nbsp;

The Trump administration announced a 50 per cent tariff on various Canadian goods—such as hockey sticks, wine, and cement—citing unfair trade practices. Imposed under Section 338, these duties override USMCA protections.  

The United States will impose an additional 50 per cent tariff on a range of Canadian goods from next month, the Trump administration announced on Monday (July 20), marking a sharp escalation in an increasingly fraught trade dispute between the two North American neighbours. The new duties will apply to products including hockey sticks, wine and cement. US officials accused Canada of discriminating against American exports, saying the measures are a response to what Washington views as unfair trade practices. Also read: ‘Iran can survive sanctions, but can’t truly live’: Dy FM warns of economic cost of war The tariffs will be introduced under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, a legal authority that has never before been used. A senior administration official said the move is separate from the wildfire-related tariffs that President Donald Trump had threatened earlier, although those options remain under consideration. Administration officials argued that Canada is one of only two countries, alongside China, to retaliate against earlier Trump tariffs. They pointed to decisions by several Canadian provinces to remove American liquor from store shelves, as well as automotive policies that they claim favour domestic production. Officials also criticised Canada's dairy regulations, arguing they give European cheese producers an advantage over US exporters. The latest announcement follows Trump's warning last week that additional tariffs could be imposed on Canada, citing costs associated with wildfire smoke drifting into the United States. Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were seen together at the FIFA World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Trump said the pair had discussed possible action related to the wildfires while describing their relationship as "good". Also read: ‘Intended to degrade Iranian military capabilities’: US continues to strike Iran on 10th consecutive day The latest tariffs further deepen tensions after the Trump administration declined to extend the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), leaving the future of the continent's trade framework uncertain. Unlike previous Trump-era tariffs on Canadian imports, the new duties will also apply to goods that would normally qualify for duty-free treatment under the USMCA. Economists have previously said the agreement has played a key role in shielding consumers from higher prices caused by tariffs. However, the administration has exempted several strategically important Canadian exports, including potash, critical minerals and most energy products, limiting the potential impact on key US industries.

The Trump administration announced a 50 per cent tariff on various Canadian goods—such as hockey sticks, wine, and cement—citing unfair trade practices. Imposed under Section 338, these duties override USMCA protections. &nbsp;

Trump to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, escalating North America trade dispute

Iran may be able to endure international sanctions, but it cannot achieve long-term economic development without reconnecting to the global financial system, the country’s deputy foreign minister for economic diplomacy has said.&nbsp;Speaking to the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), Hamid Ghanbari said sanctions continued to obstruct Iran’s economic ambitions by restricting access to international banking and finance.&nbsp;“Perhaps it is possible to survive, but living is another matter,” Ghanbari said, stressing that sanctions had prevented sustained economic growth, the establishment of new factories and the financing of major infrastructure and development projects.&nbsp;He said that while Iran had adopted temporary measures to keep trade flowing despite sanctions, such steps were no substitute for restoring full access to the international financial and banking system.&nbsp;Ghanbari said lifting sanctions must remain a national priority, warning that without reintegration into global financial networks, Iran would struggle to secure the investment and financing needed for long-term economic progress.&nbsp;His remarks come as Tehran continues to seek relief from sanctions that have weighed heavily on its economy, limiting foreign investment, trade and access to international markets.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister warns that while the country can endure sanctions to survive, long-term economic development and growth require urgent reconnection to the global financial system.

Iran may be able to endure international sanctions, but it cannot achieve long-term economic development without reconnecting to the global financial system, the country’s deputy foreign minister for economic diplomacy has said. Speaking to the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), Hamid Ghanbari said sanctions continued to obstruct Iran’s economic ambitions by restricting access to international banking and finance. “Perhaps it is possible to survive, but living is another matter,” Ghanbari said, stressing that sanctions had prevented sustained economic growth, the establishment of new factories and the financing of major infrastructure and development projects. He said that while Iran had adopted temporary measures to keep trade flowing despite sanctions, such steps were no substitute for restoring full access to the international financial and banking system. Ghanbari said lifting sanctions must remain a national priority, warning that without reintegration into global financial networks, Iran would struggle to secure the investment and financing needed for long-term economic progress. His remarks come as Tehran continues to seek relief from sanctions that have weighed heavily on its economy, limiting foreign investment, trade and access to international markets.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister warns that while the country can endure sanctions to survive, long-term economic development and growth require urgent reconnection to the global financial system.

‘Iran can survive sanctions, but can’t truly live’: Dy FM warns of economic cost of war

The United States launched its 10th consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday (July 20), with the military saying the operation was aimed at further weakening Tehran's capabilities to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.&nbsp;In a post on X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest round of strikes began at 4 p.m. ET on Monday under the direction of the commander in chief. The military said the attacks were intended to further degrade Iranian military capabilities allegedly used in operations against commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/if-us-attacks-continue-khamenei-s-adviser-issued-stark-warning-for-trump-threatens-full-scale-offensive-1784319136676">‘If US attacks continue…’: Khamenei's adviser issued stark warning for Trump, threatens 'full-scale offensive'</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today at 4 p.m. ET, U.S. forces began a new round of strikes against Iran at the Commander in Chief&#39;s direction. The strikes are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.&mdash; U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2079299384685064351?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The latest strikes come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the US accusing Iran of violating a memorandum of understanding, threatening maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and being responsible for attacks that killed American soldiers.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-israel-have-no-right-to-be-in-the-region-iran-warns-regional-infrastructure-could-be-targeted-if-its-own-is-attacked-1784238645378">‘US, Israel have no right to be in the region’: Iran warns regional infrastructure could be targeted if its own is attacked</a>&nbsp;Despite the continued military campaign, diplomatic engagement between the two countries has not been halted. According to Axios, citing a US official, talks between Washington and Tehran are continuing even as the strikes remain underway.&nbsp;"These devastating blows will continue until the president deems otherwise, but talks between our countries are continuing," the official was quoted as saying by Axios.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/our-military-always-acts-in-good-faith-trump-denies-us-role-in-minab-school-attack-wh-defends-him-1784230811330">‘Our military always acts in good faith’: Trump denies US role in Minab school attack, WH defends him</a>&nbsp;The parallel track of military action and diplomacy underscores the complex nature of the current US-Iran standoff, with Washington maintaining pressure on Tehran while leaving open channels for negotiations. Neither side has publicly disclosed details of the ongoing discussions.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-eyes-iran-s-buried-pickaxe-mountain-nuclear-facility-as-next-potential-target-report-1784241487786">Trump eyes Iran's buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility as next potential target: Report</a>

The US launched its 10th consecutive night of military strikes against Iranian targets on July 20. CENTCOM stated the operation aims to degrade Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States launched its 10th consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday (July 20), with the military saying the operation was aimed at further weakening Tehran's capabilities to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest round of strikes began at 4 p.m. ET on Monday under the direction of the commander in chief. The military said the attacks were intended to further degrade Iranian military capabilities allegedly used in operations against commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway. Also read: ‘If US attacks continue…’: Khamenei's adviser issued stark warning for Trump, threatens 'full-scale offensive'

The US launched its 10th consecutive night of military strikes against Iranian targets on July 20. CENTCOM stated the operation aims to degrade Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

‘Intended to degrade Iranian military capabilities’: US continues to strike Iran on 10th consecutive day

Nearly three in every 10 Pakistanis are now living below the poverty line, reflecting the severe impact of years of economic instability, high inflation and weak growth.&nbsp;The analysis, published by Dawn, based on Pakistan's latest Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) and Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM), found that the national poverty rate rose to 28.9 per cent in 2024-25, up from 21.8 per cent in 2018-19.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netanyahu-will-not-be-arrested-in-any-way-shape-or-form-in-us-trump-s-counter-to-mamdani-1784576746203">‘Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form in US’: Trump’s counter to Mamdani</a>&nbsp;The findings come after almost six years without an updated household survey, offering one of the most comprehensive assessments of how successive economic shocks have affected living standards across the country.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-man-in-custody-after-allegedly-igniting-blaze-at-manhattan-federal-building-1784574159258">WATCH: Man in custody after allegedly igniting blaze at Manhattan federal building</a>&nbsp;According to the report, rural communities have been hit hardest. Poverty in rural Pakistan increased by around eight percentage points over the period, compared with an increase of about six percentage points in urban areas, underscoring the growing economic divide between villages and cities.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/if-us-attacks-continue-khamenei-s-adviser-issued-stark-warning-for-trump-threatens-full-scale-offensive-1784319136676">‘If US attacks continue…’: Khamenei's adviser issued stark warning for Trump, threatens 'full-scale offensive'</a>&nbsp;The analysis attributed the sharp rise in poverty to a combination of repeated balance-of-payments crises, the Covid-19 pandemic, persistently high inflation, surging commodity prices and prolonged economic adjustment measures.&nbsp;It also described the period as a "lost decade" for many households. Inflation-adjusted household incomes and consumption declined across two consecutive survey cycles, suggesting that many Pakistanis are financially worse off today than they were several years ago, despite intermittent periods of economic growth.&nbsp;The latest figures paint a stark picture of the challenges facing Pakistan's economy, where repeated crises have eroded purchasing power and pushed millions more people below the poverty line, according to the Dawn analysis.

Pakistan's poverty rate rose to 28.9 per cent in 2024–25, leaving nearly 3 in 10 living below the poverty line due to high inflation, economic shocks, and rural-urban disparities.

Nearly three in every 10 Pakistanis are now living below the poverty line, reflecting the severe impact of years of economic instability, high inflation and weak growth. The analysis, published by Dawn, based on Pakistan's latest Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) and Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM), found that the national poverty rate rose to 28.9 per cent in 2024-25, up from 21.8 per cent in 2018-19. Also read: ‘Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form in US’: Trump’s counter to Mamdani The findings come after almost six years without an updated household survey, offering one of the most comprehensive assessments of how successive economic shocks have affected living standards across the country. Also read: WATCH: Man in custody after allegedly igniting blaze at Manhattan federal building According to the report, rural communities have been hit hardest. Poverty in rural Pakistan increased by around eight percentage points over the period, compared with an increase of about six percentage points in urban areas, underscoring the growing economic divide between villages and cities. Also read: ‘If US attacks continue…’: Khamenei's adviser issued stark warning for Trump, threatens 'full-scale offensive' The analysis attributed the sharp rise in poverty to a combination of repeated balance-of-payments crises, the Covid-19 pandemic, persistently high inflation, surging commodity prices and prolonged economic adjustment measures. It also described the period as a "lost decade" for many households. Inflation-adjusted household incomes and consumption declined across two consecutive survey cycles, suggesting that many Pakistanis are financially worse off today than they were several years ago, despite intermittent periods of economic growth. The latest figures paint a stark picture of the challenges facing Pakistan's economy, where repeated crises have eroded purchasing power and pushed millions more people below the poverty line, according to the Dawn analysis.

Pakistan's poverty rate rose to 28.9 per cent in 2024–25, leaving nearly 3 in 10 living below the poverty line due to high inflation, economic shocks, and rural-urban disparities.

Nearly 3 in 10 Pakistanis now live below poverty line amid deepening economic crisis

US President Donald Trump said on Monday (July 20) that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the United States, responding to remarks by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who said he was exploring whether such a move was legally possible during the upcoming United Nations summit.&nbsp;“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The US president defended Netanyahu, saying the Israeli leader was engaged in a fight against Iran.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-man-in-custody-after-allegedly-igniting-blaze-at-manhattan-federal-building-1784574159258">WATCH: Man in custody after allegedly igniting blaze at Manhattan federal building</a>&nbsp;“He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others,” Trump wrote, without providing evidence for the claims.&nbsp;Trump also said those responsible for leading Iran into what he described as an “unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION” should instead face arrest, adding that previous US presidents should have dealt with the issue years ago.&nbsp;The comments came after Mamdani told The New York Times in an interview published on Saturday that he was consulting his legal team on whether he had the authority to direct police to detain a foreign leader during the UN General Assembly in New York this September. He said he was uncertain about the extent of his powers but was examining the legal options.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-iran-conflicts-houthis-announce-maritime-blockade-on-saudi-arabia-iran-attacks-mq-9-drone-hangar-1784571935419">US-Iran conflicts: Houthis announce maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia</a>&nbsp;The discussion follows the International Criminal Court’s decision in 2024 that there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu bore responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack. Netanyahu has rejected the allegations, and Israel does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction.&nbsp;Netanyahu’s office dismissed Mamdani’s remarks, accusing the New York mayor of focusing on the wrong priorities. “Mr Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” Netanyahu’s office said in a post on its official X account.

Donald Trump stated Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested in the US, responding to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's legal exploration into detaining him during the upcoming UN summit.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday (July 20) that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the United States, responding to remarks by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who said he was exploring whether such a move was legally possible during the upcoming United Nations summit. “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The US president defended Netanyahu, saying the Israeli leader was engaged in a fight against Iran. Also read: WATCH: Man in custody after allegedly igniting blaze at Manhattan federal building “He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others,” Trump wrote, without providing evidence for the claims. Trump also said those responsible for leading Iran into what he described as an “unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION” should instead face arrest, adding that previous US presidents should have dealt with the issue years ago. The comments came after Mamdani told The New York Times in an interview published on Saturday that he was consulting his legal team on whether he had the authority to direct police to detain a foreign leader during the UN General Assembly in New York this September. He said he was uncertain about the extent of his powers but was examining the legal options. Also read: US-Iran conflicts: Houthis announce maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia The discussion follows the International Criminal Court’s decision in 2024 that there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu bore responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack. Netanyahu has rejected the allegations, and Israel does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction. Netanyahu’s office dismissed Mamdani’s remarks, accusing the New York mayor of focusing on the wrong priorities. “Mr Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,” Netanyahu’s office said in a post on its official X account.

Donald Trump stated Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested in the US, responding to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's legal exploration into detaining him during the upcoming UN summit.

‘Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form in US’: Trump’s counter to Mamdani

A man was taken into custody on Monday (July 20) after allegedly setting off an incendiary device outside a federal building in Lower Manhattan that houses an immigration court, in what US authorities described as an anti-government attack.&nbsp;According to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the suspect poured petrol on the steps leading to the entrance of 26 Federal Plaza before setting it alight, triggering a large fire outside the building.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-iran-conflicts-houthis-announce-maritime-blockade-on-saudi-arabia-iran-attacks-mq-9-drone-hangar-1784571935419">US-Iran conflicts: Houthis announce maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, Iran attacks MQ-9 drone hangar</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Caught LIVE on camera. Authorities moved fast after a suspect allegedly ignited a fire outside a federal building in Lower Manhattan. The quick response likely prevented an even more dangerous outcome.<a href="https://x.com/hashtag/NewsUpdate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NewsUpdate</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/LowerManhattan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LowerManhattan</a> <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/Breaking?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Breaking</a> <a href="https://t.co/rCt7s23Xqr">pic.twitter.com/rCt7s23Xqr</a>&mdash; Sensa Media Network (@sensamedianyc) <a href="https://x.com/sensamedianyc/status/2079257630187360290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle said the suspect used fireworks to ignite the blaze. He described the incident as an "anti-government attack on a federal facility" and said the man was carrying an incendiary device, a pellet gun and a sign reading "ICE Off Our Streets."&nbsp;DHS identified the suspect as an alleged "anti-ICE rioter" and said he was tackled by a Federal Protective Service police officer shortly after the fire was started. The department also alleged that the suspect was armed with two pellet guns and was carrying what officials described as a manifesto.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ai-finra-trump-administration-weighs-a-watchdog-that-vets-ai-models-before-release-1784570231971">Trump administration weighs a watchdog that vets AI models before release</a> Authorities said the Federal Protective Service officer and a civilian sustained minor injuries during the incident. Both were treated and later released.&nbsp;The suspect was taken into custody at the scene, the FBI confirmed. The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force has launched an investigation into the incident.&nbsp;New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the attack, calling it "deeply disturbing.""I'm relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody," Mamdani wrote on social media. "Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city and hold accountable any who threaten that."&nbsp;The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not yet released the suspect's identity or announced any charges. &nbsp;

A suspect carrying pellet guns, a sign, and a manifesto was arrested for setting fire to a Manhattan federal court building in an alleged anti-government attack. Two received minor injuries.

A man was taken into custody on Monday (July 20) after allegedly setting off an incendiary device outside a federal building in Lower Manhattan that houses an immigration court, in what US authorities described as an anti-government attack. According to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the suspect poured petrol on the steps leading to the entrance of 26 Federal Plaza before setting it alight, triggering a large fire outside the building. Also read: US-Iran conflicts: Houthis announce maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, Iran attacks MQ-9 drone hangar

A suspect carrying pellet guns, a sign, and a manifesto was arrested for setting fire to a Manhattan federal court building in an alleged anti-government attack. Two received minor injuries.

WATCH: Man in custody after allegedly igniting blaze at Manhattan federal building

West Asia remains on edge as the United States conducted strikes on Iran for the ninth consecutive evening, followed by fierce retaliation from Tehran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed that his country was fighting a full-scale war with the US, even as both sides hinted at pursuing talks as well. In a fresh escalation, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis announced a maritime embargo of Saudi Arabia. Last week, hostilities between the two sides escalated after Houthis accused Riyadh of launching air strikes against the international airport in Sanaa. In retaliation, the Houthis fired missiles at the international airport in Saudi Arabia's Abha. A closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by the Houthis will imply a new threat to energy supplies, as nearly 7 per cent of global crude oil transits this narrow corridor. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said, "First, the Yemeni armed forces declare a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'An eye for an eye,' effective immediately upon the issuance of this statement." A few hours earlier, CENTCOM conducted air strikes on Iran to diminish its ability to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The US claimed to have targeted Iranian military command centres, air defence and coastal surveillance sites, and communication networks. As per US President Donald Trump, these strikes were carried out in honour of the US military personnel killed in recent days. As of now, the death toll of confirmed American fatalities in the Iran war is 17. Subsequently, Iran retaliated by striking Syria once again. IRGC claimed to have struck the special operations command centre in the Al-Tanf region. It also targeted US military aircraft stationed at Jordan's Aqaba airport with ballistic missiles, reportedly causing damage to several jets.<h3>Iran attacks MQ-9 drone hangar&nbsp;</h3>Kuwait too bore the brunt of multiple attacks. Iran not only claimed to have destroyed an early-warning radar system but also struck an MQ-9 drone hangar at the Ali Al Salem air base, reportedly setting several drones on fire. Explosions were heard in Manama too. As per local authorities, Iranian drones targeted Bahrain's civil air navigation systems. This is not all. Iran claimed to have shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the city of Ahvaz. Footage released by IRGC of its attacks on West Asia showed missiles bearing this message: "Anyone who destabilises the security of the Iranian people will not themselves be safe either". Meanwhile, air raid sirens sounded in Kuwait City, as residents and visitors continued moving through the area. Kuwait's military stated that it was responding to a fresh round of missiles and drones unleashed by Iran. Iran also announced that two oil tankers which attempted to enter and exit the Strait of Hormuz through an unsafe route exploded and were brought to a halt. IRGC has warned that this strategic waterway will remain unsafe for transit for even a single drop of oil and gas, as long as America's aggression continues. At the same time, Iran revealed that diplomatic exchanges with the US via mediators were ongoing. As per Reuters, mediators have proposed a ten-day cessation of strikes to revive the MOU signed by Iran and the US. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, "Proposals have been put forward and conveyed to us by the mediators. We have received them, but please excuse me from going into their details. However, the main point that the diplomatic apparatus has been active and that ideas from some mediators have reached us is confirmed."&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-a-full-scale-war-with-united-states-says-iran-s-pezeshkian-amid-us-strikes-1784554479717">In a 'full-scale war' with United States, says Iran's Pezeshkian amid US strikes</a> A day earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also showed America's willingness for a diplomatic settlement, even as he called upon other countries to join efforts to protect the safety of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Now, are the latest US attacks a precursor to a possible ground invasion? As per reports, Trump is leaning towards further expanding US military operations in Iran. The options reportedly include sending ground forces to seize Iranian islands near Hormuz, such as Kharg, which handles 90% of Iran's crude oil exports. The other option being mulled is the potential bombing of the Pickaxe Mountain, something that Trump has publicly talked about as well. This highly fortified site is located 220 kilometres south of Tehran, and very close to the nuclear complex in Natanz, which was bombed during last year's 12-day war. As per reports, it contains two tunnel complexes buried deep underground, which makes it difficult to destroy. The US reportedly suspects Iran of trying to build a secret uranium enrichment facility here. It is worth noting that Tehran and Washington have been at loggerheads over how to deal with Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium. When asked about a potential US ground invasion, Iran issued a stern warning to America. It also urged the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, to condemn US strikes on the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant in south-west Iran. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, "They will see the consequences. I think there are people in those regions (southern Iran), and their number is not small, and they are looking forward to welcoming those guys (US troops)." With both sides keeping the diplomatic option open, is a temporary halt in hostilities in the offing? Or are the differences too difficult to breach? America and Iran's future course of action will be closely watched.

In response, Iran retaliated by striking Syria once again. IRGC claimed to have struck the special operations command centre in the Al-Tanf region. It also targeted US military aircraft stationed at Jordan's Aqaba airport with ballistic missiles, reportedly causing damage to several jets.

West Asia remains on edge as the United States conducted strikes on Iran for the ninth consecutive evening, followed by fierce retaliation from Tehran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed that his country was fighting a full-scale war with the US, even as both sides hinted at pursuing talks as well. In a fresh escalation, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis announced a maritime embargo of Saudi Arabia. Last week, hostilities between the two sides escalated after Houthis accused Riyadh of launching air strikes against the international airport in Sanaa. In retaliation, the Houthis fired missiles at the international airport in Saudi Arabia's Abha. A closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by the Houthis will imply a new threat to energy supplies, as nearly 7 per cent of global crude oil transits this narrow corridor. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said, "First, the Yemeni armed forces declare a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'An eye for an eye,' effective immediately upon the issuance of this statement." A few hours earlier, CENTCOM conducted air strikes on Iran to diminish its ability to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The US claimed to have targeted Iranian military command centres, air defence and coastal surveillance sites, and communication networks. As per US President Donald Trump, these strikes were carried out in honour of the US military personnel killed in recent days. As of now, the death toll of confirmed American fatalities in the Iran war is 17. Subsequently, Iran retaliated by striking Syria once again. IRGC claimed to have struck the special operations command centre in the Al-Tanf region. It also targeted US military aircraft stationed at Jordan's Aqaba airport with ballistic missiles, reportedly causing damage to several jets. Iran attacks MQ-9 drone hangar Kuwait too bore the brunt of multiple attacks. Iran not only claimed to have destroyed an early-warning radar system but also struck an MQ-9 drone hangar at the Ali Al Salem air base, reportedly setting several drones on fire. Explosions were heard in Manama too. As per local authorities, Iranian drones targeted Bahrain's civil air navigation systems. This is not all. Iran claimed to have shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the city of Ahvaz. Footage released by IRGC of its attacks on West Asia showed missiles bearing this message: "Anyone who destabilises the security of the Iranian people will not themselves be safe either". Meanwhile, air raid sirens sounded in Kuwait City, as residents and visitors continued moving through the area. Kuwait's military stated that it was responding to a fresh round of missiles and drones unleashed by Iran. Iran also announced that two oil tankers which attempted to enter and exit the Strait of Hormuz through an unsafe route exploded and were brought to a halt. IRGC has warned that this strategic waterway will remain unsafe for transit for even a single drop of oil and gas, as long as America's aggression continues. At the same time, Iran revealed that diplomatic exchanges with the US via mediators were ongoing. As per Reuters, mediators have proposed a ten-day cessation of strikes to revive the MOU signed by Iran and the US. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, "Proposals have been put forward and conveyed to us by the mediators. We have received them, but please excuse me from going into their details. However, the main point that the diplomatic apparatus has been active and that ideas from some mediators have reached us is confirmed." Also read: In a 'full-scale war' with United States, says Iran's Pezeshkian amid US strikes A day earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also showed America's willingness for a diplomatic settlement, even as he called upon other countries to join efforts to protect the safety of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Now, are the latest US attacks a precursor to a possible ground invasion? As per reports, Trump is leaning towards further expanding US military operations in Iran. The options reportedly include sending ground forces to seize Iranian islands near Hormuz, such as Kharg, which handles 90% of Iran's crude oil exports. The other option being mulled is the potential bombing of the Pickaxe Mountain, something that Trump has publicly talked about as well. This highly fortified site is located 220 kilometres south of Tehran, and very close to the nuclear complex in Natanz, which was bombed during last year's 12-day war. As per reports, it contains two tunnel complexes buried deep underground, which makes it difficult to destroy. The US reportedly suspects Iran of trying to build a secret uranium enrichment facility here. It is worth noting that Tehran and Washington have been at loggerheads over how to deal with Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium. When asked about a potential US ground invasion, Iran issued a stern warning to America. It also urged the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, to condemn US strikes on the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant in south-west Iran. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, "They will see the consequences. I think there are people in those regions (southern Iran), and their number is not small, and they are looking forward to welcoming those guys (US troops)." With both sides keeping the diplomatic option open, is a temporary halt in hostilities in the offing? Or are the differences too difficult to breach? America and Iran's future course of action will be closely watched.

In response, Iran retaliated by striking Syria once again. IRGC claimed to have struck the special operations command centre in the Al-Tanf region. It also targeted US military aircraft stationed at Jordan's Aqaba airport with ballistic missiles, reportedly causing damage to several jets.

US-Iran conflicts: Houthis announce maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, Iran attacks MQ-9 drone hangar | Gravitas

Keir Starmer on Monday (July 20) tendered his resignation as the prime minister of United Kingdom to King Charles III. Soon his successor, Andy Burnham was invited by the King and appointed the new prime minister of a new government. And as he became the seventh premier of the United Kingdom in a decade, he pledged to regain political stability and instigate major changes in the country.&nbsp;“Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again,” Burnham said in his address to the media after arriving at his official home, 10 Downing Street in London.&nbsp;“We have not been good enough and we need to be better,' her further said.&nbsp;The former Mayor of Greater Manchester said he was "fed up" with the country's revolving door of leadership, adding that it should serve as a moment for reflection and a renewed sense of purpose in British politics.&nbsp;After Keir Starmer resigned on Monday, Burnham became seventh premier of the United Kingdom in a decade.&nbsp;The earlier six prime minister were, David Cameron of the Conservative party who served from 11 May 2010 – 13 Jul 2016, Theresa May from 13 Jul 2016 – 24 Jul 2019 (3 years 11 days), Boris Johnson from 24 Jul 2019 – 6 Sep 2022 (3 years 44 days), Liz Truss from 6 Sep 2022 – 25 Oct 2022 (49 days), Rishi Sunak from 25 Oct 2022 – 5 Jul 2024 (about 1 year 8 months) and Keir Starmer of the Labour Party from 5 Jul 2024 – 20 July 2026.<h2>Starmer was sworn in with a landslide margin</h2>&nbsp;Starmer had announced his resignation on June 22 after spending less than two years in office. He became the sixth British prime minister to leave office in the last 10 years, a statistic that makes UK politics look less like a stable democracy. Speaking at a press briefing, Starmer said he had “heard the answer” from his party and accepted it “with good grace”. He said, “I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.”&nbsp;Starmer led the UK Labour Party to a landslide victory in general election held in July 2024, but severe economic struggles, unpopular welfare cuts, and a major political scandal regarding the appointment of Peter Mandelson led to his downfall&nbsp;Starmer was a human rights lawyer but his foray into politics began after being elected as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras in 2015&nbsp;

Burnham, in his address to the media after arriving at his official home, 10 Downing Street in London pledged to regain political stability and instigate major changes in the country.

Keir Starmer on Monday (July 20) tendered his resignation as the prime minister of United Kingdom to King Charles III. Soon his successor, Andy Burnham was invited by the King and appointed the new prime minister of a new government. And as he became the seventh premier of the United Kingdom in a decade, he pledged to regain political stability and instigate major changes in the country. “Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again,” Burnham said in his address to the media after arriving at his official home, 10 Downing Street in London. “We have not been good enough and we need to be better,' her further said. The former Mayor of Greater Manchester said he was "fed up" with the country's revolving door of leadership, adding that it should serve as a moment for reflection and a renewed sense of purpose in British politics. After Keir Starmer resigned on Monday, Burnham became seventh premier of the United Kingdom in a decade. The earlier six prime minister were, David Cameron of the Conservative party who served from 11 May 2010 – 13 Jul 2016, Theresa May from 13 Jul 2016 – 24 Jul 2019 (3 years 11 days), Boris Johnson from 24 Jul 2019 – 6 Sep 2022 (3 years 44 days), Liz Truss from 6 Sep 2022 – 25 Oct 2022 (49 days), Rishi Sunak from 25 Oct 2022 – 5 Jul 2024 (about 1 year 8 months) and Keir Starmer of the Labour Party from 5 Jul 2024 – 20 July 2026. Starmer was sworn in with a landslide margin Starmer had announced his resignation on June 22 after spending less than two years in office. He became the sixth British prime minister to leave office in the last 10 years, a statistic that makes UK politics look less like a stable democracy. Speaking at a press briefing, Starmer said he had “heard the answer” from his party and accepted it “with good grace”. He said, “I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.” Starmer led the UK Labour Party to a landslide victory in general election held in July 2024, but severe economic struggles, unpopular welfare cuts, and a major political scandal regarding the appointment of Peter Mandelson led to his downfall Starmer was a human rights lawyer but his foray into politics began after being elected as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras in 2015

Burnham, in his address to the media after arriving at his official home, 10 Downing Street in London pledged to regain political stability and instigate major changes in the country.

Andy Burnham, the sixth UK prime minister in 10 years, pledges end to political instability

For a decade, Meta's artificial intelligence strategy was defined by one word: free. Open weights, open research, models given away to commoditise rivals' moats. On July 9, that era quietly ended. Meta launched Muse Spark 1.1 — and for the first time in its history, put a price on its own AI.&nbsp;What Meta Launched&nbsp;Muse Spark 1.1 comes out of Meta Superintelligence Labs, the elite unit Mark Zuckerberg assembled to chase frontier AI. It is a multimodal reasoning model built for agentic work — tool use, computer use, coding and multi-step execution — with a one-million-token context window. It ships in public preview through the new Meta Model API, the company's first paid developer platform.&nbsp;The pricing is the pitch: $1.25 per million input tokens and $4.25 per million output tokens, with $20 in free credits to start. Zuckerberg framed it as roughly a quarter of what Anthropic and OpenAI charge for comparable models.&nbsp;And the API is built for defection: it is drop-in compatible with both the OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs, meaning a developer can switch their application to Meta's model by changing a few lines of configuration. The switching cost is engineered to be near zero — aimed squarely at rivals' paying customers.&nbsp;The End Of The Open-Only Era&nbsp;The significance is strategic more than technical. Meta spent years arguing that open models were its competitive weapon — that giving AI away would commoditise the closed labs' advantage while Meta monetised through its apps. Muse Spark 1.1 is the concession that the calculus has changed: Meta's newest frontier model now sits behind a paid API, exactly the way OpenAI's and Anthropic's do.&nbsp;It is also the revenue line investors have been waiting for. Meta has poured tens of billions into AI infrastructure and talent; until July 9, none of its frontier models had ever directly earned a dollar. Meta has not abandoned open releases — but its best new work now has a price tag, and that tells you where the company believes the value sits.&nbsp;The Price War Context&nbsp;Muse Spark lands in the middle of the great AI price collapse of July 2026. OpenAI's new GPT-5.6 family starts at $1 per million tokens. Musk's Grok 4.5 runs $2 and $6. China's Kimi K3 undercuts everyone at $0.30 per million on cached input — and gives its weights away entirely on July 27. Frontier-class AI, which cost dollars per million tokens a year ago, is racing toward pennies.&nbsp;Meta's entry as the aggressive price challenger completes the picture: every major lab is now fighting on cost, and the margin pressure that once applied only to open-source alternatives has reached the closed frontier.&nbsp;The Curious EU Absence&nbsp;One detail stands out: the public preview is available to US developers only, with no European Union access at launch. Meta has not detailed its reasoning — but the timing is hard to miss. The launch landed in the same fortnight that Brussels preliminarily found Instagram and Facebook's addictive design in breach of the Digital Services Act, with fine exposure above $12 billion, and ordered Google to open Android to rival AI assistants. Regulatory friction is visibly starting to shape where AI products launch first — and where they don't.&nbsp;The company that spent a decade commoditising everyone else's moat has built a toll booth of its own. In 2026, it seems, frontier AI has become too expensive to give away — even for Meta.

Meta Superintelligence Labs launched Muse Spark 1.1 on July 9 through the new Meta Model API — the first time Meta has ever charged for a model. Priced at roughly a quarter of Anthropic and OpenAI's rates, drop-in compatible with their SDKs, and unavailable in the EU at launch.

For a decade, Meta's artificial intelligence strategy was defined by one word: free. Open weights, open research, models given away to commoditise rivals' moats. On July 9, that era quietly ended. Meta launched Muse Spark 1.1 — and for the first time in its history, put a price on its own AI. What Meta Launched Muse Spark 1.1 comes out of Meta Superintelligence Labs, the elite unit Mark Zuckerberg assembled to chase frontier AI. It is a multimodal reasoning model built for agentic work — tool use, computer use, coding and multi-step execution — with a one-million-token context window. It ships in public preview through the new Meta Model API, the company's first paid developer platform. The pricing is the pitch: $1.25 per million input tokens and $4.25 per million output tokens, with $20 in free credits to start. Zuckerberg framed it as roughly a quarter of what Anthropic and OpenAI charge for comparable models. And the API is built for defection: it is drop-in compatible with both the OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs, meaning a developer can switch their application to Meta's model by changing a few lines of configuration. The switching cost is engineered to be near zero — aimed squarely at rivals' paying customers. The End Of The Open-Only Era The significance is strategic more than technical. Meta spent years arguing that open models were its competitive weapon — that giving AI away would commoditise the closed labs' advantage while Meta monetised through its apps. Muse Spark 1.1 is the concession that the calculus has changed: Meta's newest frontier model now sits behind a paid API, exactly the way OpenAI's and Anthropic's do. It is also the revenue line investors have been waiting for. Meta has poured tens of billions into AI infrastructure and talent; until July 9, none of its frontier models had ever directly earned a dollar. Meta has not abandoned open releases — but its best new work now has a price tag, and that tells you where the company believes the value sits. The Price War Context Muse Spark lands in the middle of the great AI price collapse of July 2026. OpenAI's new GPT-5.6 family starts at $1 per million tokens. Musk's Grok 4.5 runs $2 and $6. China's Kimi K3 undercuts everyone at $0.30 per million on cached input — and gives its weights away entirely on July 27. Frontier-class AI, which cost dollars per million tokens a year ago, is racing toward pennies. Meta's entry as the aggressive price challenger completes the picture: every major lab is now fighting on cost, and the margin pressure that once applied only to open-source alternatives has reached the closed frontier. The Curious EU Absence One detail stands out: the public preview is available to US developers only, with no European Union access at launch. Meta has not detailed its reasoning — but the timing is hard to miss. The launch landed in the same fortnight that Brussels preliminarily found Instagram and Facebook's addictive design in breach of the Digital Services Act, with fine exposure above $12 billion, and ordered Google to open Android to rival AI assistants. Regulatory friction is visibly starting to shape where AI products launch first — and where they don't. The company that spent a decade commoditising everyone else's moat has built a toll booth of its own. In 2026, it seems, frontier AI has become too expensive to give away — even for Meta.

For a decade, Meta's AI strategy was to give its models away. On July 9, that era ended: Meta Superintelligence Labs launched Muse Spark 1.1 on the new Meta Model API — the first time Meta has ever charged for a model — priced at roughly a quarter of what Anthropic and OpenAI charge, with drop-in compatibility designed to poach their customers. Notably absent at launch: the European Union.

Meta starts charging for AI but who will pay? Muse Spark 1.1 is its first paid model ever

The European Union has put the scroll itself on trial. On July 10, after a two-year investigation, the European Commission announced preliminary findings that Meta is in breach of the Digital Services Act — not over what Instagram and Facebook show, but over how they are built. The addictive design of the platforms, Brussels says, may violate European law.&nbsp;What The Commission Found&nbsp;The Commission's preliminary findings name the specific machinery of the modern feed: infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalised recommendation algorithms tuned for engagement. Together, the Commission says, these features fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into what it calls autopilot mode — contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use of the platforms.&nbsp;It is a striking regulatory statement: the core design pattern of social media — the bottomless, self-playing, notification-driven feed — described by a major regulator as a potential legal violation in itself.&nbsp;What Brussels Wants Changed&nbsp;The Commission is calling on Meta to disable key addictive features by default — including autoplay and infinite scroll — to introduce effective screen-time breaks, and to modify its recommendation algorithms to be less focused on maximising engagement.&nbsp;In other words: the feed would end somewhere, videos would wait to be played, and the algorithm would be legally required to care about something other than keeping you watching.&nbsp;The $12 Billion Number&nbsp;If the preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta faces a fine of up to 6 percent of its total global annual turnover — which, based on last year's earnings, could exceed $12 billion. That would rank among the largest regulatory penalties in the history of the technology industry.&nbsp;The findings are not final. Meta now has the opportunity to review the evidence against it and submit a formal response before the Commission takes a final decision.&nbsp;Why This Case Is Different&nbsp;Europe has fined big tech before — over privacy, over competition, over data. This case is different in kind: it targets design. No regulator of this size has previously declared that the fundamental mechanics of the attention economy — the features that made the feed the most successful product format in history — may be unlawful by construction. The logic, if it stands, extends to every infinite feed on every platform, from short video to news apps.&nbsp;And Brussels has a track record of exporting its rules. Companies rarely build one product for Europe and another for everyone else — GDPR's cookie banners and privacy controls went global. If Meta is forced to cap the scroll in Europe, the design change could reach far beyond it.&nbsp;The Bigger Week In Brussels&nbsp;The Meta findings landed in the same ten-day stretch in which the Commission issued binding orders forcing Google to open Android to rival AI assistants and share its search data with competitors. While Washington debates a voluntary AI watchdog and Beijing recruits countries into its new AI governance bloc, Europe is doing what it does: regulating the machines directly.&nbsp;For fifteen years, the technology industry's core bet has been that engagement is good business. Europe has just made it a legal liability — with a twelve-billion-dollar price tag attached.

The European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act over Instagram and Facebook's addictive design — infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and engagement-tuned algorithms. Brussels wants them off by default; the fine exposure tops $12 billion.

The European Union has put the scroll itself on trial. On July 10, after a two-year investigation, the European Commission announced preliminary findings that Meta is in breach of the Digital Services Act — not over what Instagram and Facebook show, but over how they are built. The addictive design of the platforms, Brussels says, may violate European law. What The Commission Found The Commission's preliminary findings name the specific machinery of the modern feed: infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalised recommendation algorithms tuned for engagement. Together, the Commission says, these features fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into what it calls autopilot mode — contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use of the platforms. It is a striking regulatory statement: the core design pattern of social media — the bottomless, self-playing, notification-driven feed — described by a major regulator as a potential legal violation in itself. What Brussels Wants Changed The Commission is calling on Meta to disable key addictive features by default — including autoplay and infinite scroll — to introduce effective screen-time breaks, and to modify its recommendation algorithms to be less focused on maximising engagement. In other words: the feed would end somewhere, videos would wait to be played, and the algorithm would be legally required to care about something other than keeping you watching. The $12 Billion Number If the preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta faces a fine of up to 6 percent of its total global annual turnover — which, based on last year's earnings, could exceed $12 billion. That would rank among the largest regulatory penalties in the history of the technology industry. The findings are not final. Meta now has the opportunity to review the evidence against it and submit a formal response before the Commission takes a final decision. Why This Case Is Different Europe has fined big tech before — over privacy, over competition, over data. This case is different in kind: it targets design. No regulator of this size has previously declared that the fundamental mechanics of the attention economy — the features that made the feed the most successful product format in history — may be unlawful by construction. The logic, if it stands, extends to every infinite feed on every platform, from short video to news apps. And Brussels has a track record of exporting its rules. Companies rarely build one product for Europe and another for everyone else — GDPR's cookie banners and privacy controls went global. If Meta is forced to cap the scroll in Europe, the design change could reach far beyond it. The Bigger Week In Brussels The Meta findings landed in the same ten-day stretch in which the Commission issued binding orders forcing Google to open Android to rival AI assistants and share its search data with competitors. While Washington debates a voluntary AI watchdog and Beijing recruits countries into its new AI governance bloc, Europe is doing what it does: regulating the machines directly. For fifteen years, the technology industry's core bet has been that engagement is good business. Europe has just made it a legal liability — with a twelve-billion-dollar price tag attached.

After a two-year investigation, the European Commission has preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act over the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook — naming infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and engagement-tuned algorithms. Brussels wants them off by default. The fine exposure: up to 6% of global turnover, more than $12 billion.

'$12 billion scroll': EU finds Instagram and Facebook's addictive design breaks its law

At the World AI Conference in Shanghai, the same event where Xi Jinping delivered his first-ever WAIC keynote and launched China's new global AI governance body, Huawei rolled out the machine it believes answers Nvidia. The Atlas 950 SuperPoD, publicly displayed for the first time, is China's biggest AI computing system. And its most important specification is not a benchmark: it is that nothing inside it is American.&nbsp;What Huawei Showed&nbsp;The configuration on the show floor connected 1,024 of Huawei's Ascend AI chips across 16 cabinets — a fraction of the full system, which Huawei says links up to 8,192 Ascend 950DT processors into a single computing node. The company claims the full SuperPoD delivers 6.7 times the computing power of Nvidia's NVL144 system.&nbsp;Huawei's stated figures for the system: one exaflops of computing at FP8 precision, two exaflops at FP4, and 256 terabytes of globally addressable memory. Those numbers are Huawei's own and have not been independently verified — a caveat that applies to every vendor's show-floor claims, in every country.&nbsp;The Real Innovation: One Giant Machine&nbsp;The system's significance lies less in raw scale than in architecture. The chips are connected by Huawei's proprietary UnifiedBus 2.0 protocol, which functions as a memory fabric rather than a network: every chip in the system maps the memory of every other chip into its own local address space. In effect, 8,192 processors behave less like a cluster of computers and more like one enormous machine.&nbsp;And the ceiling, Huawei says, is far higher: multiple SuperPoDs can be linked into an Atlas 950 SuperCluster scaling beyond 500,000 Ascend chips — a configuration that, if realised, would rank among the largest AI computing systems ever assembled anywhere.&nbsp;Built Without America&nbsp;This is the machine US export controls were designed to prevent. American rules bar Nvidia's most advanced processors from China: licenses are required for any Blackwell-class chip transfer to Chinese entities, and US officials said this month that only a ‘trivial’ number of even the older H200 chips have shipped under approved licenses. Huawei's answer is a full domestic stack — chips, interconnect, cabinets, software — that analysts describe as China's most mature demonstration yet that frontier AI infrastructure can be built, trained on and deployed with no US-origin components.&nbsp;The honest caveat is that individual Ascend chips are still widely assessed as trailing Nvidia's best silicon. Huawei's strategy is to compensate with scale and architecture — connect enough domestic chips cleverly enough, and the system competes even where the chip does not. Whether that trade-off holds at real-world training workloads is the question every AI lab and intelligence agency is now asking.&nbsp;The Week China Flexed&nbsp;The Atlas 950's debut capped a choreographed week of Chinese AI power projection. The World AI Conference ran more than 140 forums with over 1,100 exhibitors and some 300 product debuts. Xi Jinping personally launched WAICO, a new intergovernmental AI governance organisation with 29 founding countries, headquartered in Shanghai. And on the software side, Moonshot AI's Kimi K3 — the largest open-weight model ever built — topped a major global coding leaderboard, with its full weights releasing to the world on July 27.&nbsp;Hardware, models, and now the rulebook: Beijing spent one week demonstrating a full-stack alternative to the American AI order.&nbsp;For years, the question in Washington was whether export controls could stop China's AI rise. Shanghai's answer was sitting on the show floor, humming, in sixteen cabinets.

At WAIC Shanghai, Huawei publicly displayed the Atlas 950 SuperPoD for the first time — claiming 8,192 domestic Ascend chips deliver 6.7x Nvidia's NVL144, scaling to 500,000-chip clusters. China's most mature proof yet that frontier AI infrastructure can exist without US components.

At the World AI Conference in Shanghai, the same event where Xi Jinping delivered his first-ever WAIC keynote and launched China's new global AI governance body, Huawei rolled out the machine it believes answers Nvidia. The Atlas 950 SuperPoD, publicly displayed for the first time, is China's biggest AI computing system. And its most important specification is not a benchmark: it is that nothing inside it is American. What Huawei Showed The configuration on the show floor connected 1,024 of Huawei's Ascend AI chips across 16 cabinets — a fraction of the full system, which Huawei says links up to 8,192 Ascend 950DT processors into a single computing node. The company claims the full SuperPoD delivers 6.7 times the computing power of Nvidia's NVL144 system. Huawei's stated figures for the system: one exaflops of computing at FP8 precision, two exaflops at FP4, and 256 terabytes of globally addressable memory. Those numbers are Huawei's own and have not been independently verified — a caveat that applies to every vendor's show-floor claims, in every country. The Real Innovation: One Giant Machine The system's significance lies less in raw scale than in architecture. The chips are connected by Huawei's proprietary UnifiedBus 2.0 protocol, which functions as a memory fabric rather than a network: every chip in the system maps the memory of every other chip into its own local address space. In effect, 8,192 processors behave less like a cluster of computers and more like one enormous machine. And the ceiling, Huawei says, is far higher: multiple SuperPoDs can be linked into an Atlas 950 SuperCluster scaling beyond 500,000 Ascend chips — a configuration that, if realised, would rank among the largest AI computing systems ever assembled anywhere. Built Without America This is the machine US export controls were designed to prevent. American rules bar Nvidia's most advanced processors from China: licenses are required for any Blackwell-class chip transfer to Chinese entities, and US officials said this month that only a ‘trivial’ number of even the older H200 chips have shipped under approved licenses. Huawei's answer is a full domestic stack — chips, interconnect, cabinets, software — that analysts describe as China's most mature demonstration yet that frontier AI infrastructure can be built, trained on and deployed with no US-origin components. The honest caveat is that individual Ascend chips are still widely assessed as trailing Nvidia's best silicon. Huawei's strategy is to compensate with scale and architecture — connect enough domestic chips cleverly enough, and the system competes even where the chip does not. Whether that trade-off holds at real-world training workloads is the question every AI lab and intelligence agency is now asking. The Week China Flexed The Atlas 950's debut capped a choreographed week of Chinese AI power projection. The World AI Conference ran more than 140 forums with over 1,100 exhibitors and some 300 product debuts. Xi Jinping personally launched WAICO, a new intergovernmental AI governance organisation with 29 founding countries, headquartered in Shanghai. And on the software side, Moonshot AI's Kimi K3 — the largest open-weight model ever built — topped a major global coding leaderboard, with its full weights releasing to the world on July 27. Hardware, models, and now the rulebook: Beijing spent one week demonstrating a full-stack alternative to the American AI order. For years, the question in Washington was whether export controls could stop China's AI rise. Shanghai's answer was sitting on the show floor, humming, in sixteen cabinets.

At the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Huawei publicly displayed its Atlas 950 SuperPoD for the first time — a system it says links 8,192 of its own Ascend chips and delivers 6.7 times the computing power of Nvidia's NVL144. Its real significance: China's most mature demonstration yet that frontier AI infrastructure can be built without a single US-origin component.

Huawei's answer to Nvidia: China shows off AI supercomputer built with zero US parts

The United States may be about to get its first real artificial intelligence regulator — and it would be built the way Wall Street polices itself. According to Bloomberg, the Trump administration is considering creating an independent watchdog to vet the safety of advanced AI models before they reach the public, modelled on FINRA, the body that oversees America's brokers.&nbsp;What Is Being Proposed&nbsp;The proposal, developed with the help of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, would establish an independent regulatory agency for AI that reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission — the same structure FINRA uses for the securities industry. The plan is currently under review by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.&nbsp;The mechanics, as reported: frontier AI labs would submit their most capable models for a thirty-day review before release, with experts screening for three categories of risk — cyber weapons capability, biological weapons capability, and deception. Participation would begin voluntarily, with the possibility of becoming mandatory once testing protocols prove themselves.&nbsp;Why Now&nbsp;The push comes after Silicon Valley leaders complained about the ad-hoc nature of recent US government moves to slow the release of cutting-edge AI systems. For the labs, unpredictable intervention is worse than regulation: a known 30-day process beats a surprise restriction landing mid-launch. What the industry is buying with its cooperation is predictability.&nbsp;The politics are strikingly unified. The administration's plan aligns with policy recommendations published days earlier by Google DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis — recommendations publicly praised by Microsoft's Satya Nadella, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk, men who agree on almost nothing else in the AI race.&nbsp;What The FINRA Model Actually Means&nbsp;FINRA is a peculiar American invention: a self-regulatory organisation funded by the industry it polices, operating under government oversight. Applied to AI, that means the labs themselves would likely fund and staff their own watchdog, with the SEC above it. The advantages are real — industry insiders have the expertise to evaluate frontier models, and a dedicated body can move faster than Congress. The critique writes itself too: the foxes would be building the henhouse inspection regime.&nbsp;Sceptics have already noted the gaps. A voluntary review of models the labs choose to submit is not a safety guarantee, and key questions remain unanswered — what the assessments would actually test, how the agency would be funded, and what role the SEC would truly play. Policy analysts have argued a 30-day screen, however rigorous, cannot resolve the deeper problem of capabilities that emerge after deployment.&nbsp;The Global Context&nbsp;The proposal lands in a remarkable ten-day stretch in which the world's three power centres each revealed their theory of AI governance. Brussels used competition law to force Google's Android open to rival AI assistants and threatened Meta with a $12 billion fine over addictive design. Beijing launched WAICO, an intergovernmental AI governance body with 29 founding countries, headquartered in Shanghai. And Washington, characteristically, is reaching for a market-native answer: industry-funded self-regulation with a federal backstop.&nbsp;If adopted, it would be the first time in American history that frontier AI models face a formal pre-release safety review — a 30-day speed bump between the lab and the world. In an industry that now ships flagship models weeks apart, even that pause would change the rhythm of the race.

The Trump administration is weighing an independent AI regulator modelled on FINRA — reporting to the SEC, with 30-day pre-release reviews of frontier models for cyber, bio and deception risks. Developed with Scott Bessent and praised by Altman, Musk and Nadella. How it would work.

The United States may be about to get its first real artificial intelligence regulator — and it would be built the way Wall Street polices itself. According to Bloomberg, the Trump administration is considering creating an independent watchdog to vet the safety of advanced AI models before they reach the public, modelled on FINRA, the body that oversees America's brokers. What Is Being Proposed The proposal, developed with the help of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, would establish an independent regulatory agency for AI that reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission — the same structure FINRA uses for the securities industry. The plan is currently under review by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The mechanics, as reported: frontier AI labs would submit their most capable models for a thirty-day review before release, with experts screening for three categories of risk — cyber weapons capability, biological weapons capability, and deception. Participation would begin voluntarily, with the possibility of becoming mandatory once testing protocols prove themselves. Why Now The push comes after Silicon Valley leaders complained about the ad-hoc nature of recent US government moves to slow the release of cutting-edge AI systems. For the labs, unpredictable intervention is worse than regulation: a known 30-day process beats a surprise restriction landing mid-launch. What the industry is buying with its cooperation is predictability. The politics are strikingly unified. The administration's plan aligns with policy recommendations published days earlier by Google DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis — recommendations publicly praised by Microsoft's Satya Nadella, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk, men who agree on almost nothing else in the AI race. What The FINRA Model Actually Means FINRA is a peculiar American invention: a self-regulatory organisation funded by the industry it polices, operating under government oversight. Applied to AI, that means the labs themselves would likely fund and staff their own watchdog, with the SEC above it. The advantages are real — industry insiders have the expertise to evaluate frontier models, and a dedicated body can move faster than Congress. The critique writes itself too: the foxes would be building the henhouse inspection regime. Sceptics have already noted the gaps. A voluntary review of models the labs choose to submit is not a safety guarantee, and key questions remain unanswered — what the assessments would actually test, how the agency would be funded, and what role the SEC would truly play. Policy analysts have argued a 30-day screen, however rigorous, cannot resolve the deeper problem of capabilities that emerge after deployment. The Global Context The proposal lands in a remarkable ten-day stretch in which the world's three power centres each revealed their theory of AI governance. Brussels used competition law to force Google's Android open to rival AI assistants and threatened Meta with a $12 billion fine over addictive design. Beijing launched WAICO, an intergovernmental AI governance body with 29 founding countries, headquartered in Shanghai. And Washington, characteristically, is reaching for a market-native answer: industry-funded self-regulation with a federal backstop. If adopted, it would be the first time in American history that frontier AI models face a formal pre-release safety review — a 30-day speed bump between the lab and the world. In an industry that now ships flagship models weeks apart, even that pause would change the rhythm of the race.

The Trump administration is considering an independent AI regulator — modelled on Wall Street's FINRA and reporting to the SEC — that would put frontier AI models through a 30-day safety review before release, screening for cyber, biological and deception risks. Developed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the plan has drawn rare unified praise from Altman, Musk, Nadella and Hassabis. Here is how it would work.

'AI FINRA': Trump administration weighs a watchdog that vets AI models before release

The artificial intelligence boom has hit its first real wall in America — and it is not chips, talent or capital. It is electricity. In the space of one week, New York banned new hyperscale data centres, the country's largest power grid revealed record costs and a third straight failure to secure enough future supply, and the White House began preparing an appeal to utilities to shield households from the bill.&nbsp;New York Says Stop&nbsp;On July 14, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order imposing the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centres in US history. The order pauses state environmental permits for new facilities that would draw 50 megawatts of power or more, for up to one year, while the state writes what it calls a nation-leading regulatory framework to protect ratepayers, the grid and communities. Projects already approved will still go forward.&nbsp;The justification is on every New Yorker's utility bill: average residential electricity prices in the state have climbed nearly 68 percent since 2019. Hochul is also pursuing legislation to strip massive data centres of their sales tax exemptions — turning what were courted investments into taxed and regulated infrastructure.&nbsp;The Grid That Cannot Keep Up&nbsp;The same week showed why the politics have turned. PJM Interconnection — the largest US grid, serving 13 states and Washington DC — said its latest capacity auction tied a record $16.4 billion, with data centres accounting for roughly $6.3 billion of the total. Power-hungry data centres have driven the grid's supply costs up by more than 60 percent.&nbsp;More alarming than the price was the failure: for the third consecutive time, the auction did not secure enough future supply commitments to ensure reliability in the coming years. The grid that powers America's east coast — and much of its AI buildout — is formally short of the electricity it expects to need.&nbsp;A brutal summer heatwave has sharpened the stakes, straining power and water supplies just as data centre construction accelerates — and testing public patience with facilities that consume both at industrial scale.&nbsp;The Taxes Begin&nbsp;Virginia, the data centre capital of the world, chose taxation over prohibition: a first-of-its-kind levy of $0.011 per kilowatt-hour on all electricity consumed by data centres took effect on July 1, projected to raise about $600 million a year.&nbsp;And the White House, according to reports, is preparing to gather utilities and data centre developers for a voluntary pledge that the AI buildout will not drive up household power bills — an implicit admission that, left alone, it will.&nbsp;Why This Matters Beyond America&nbsp;Every AI model — every chatbot answer, every generated video — is ultimately electricity converted into computation. The industry's own projections require gigawatts of new capacity that grids were never designed to deliver on this timeline. What changed this month is that the resistance stopped being rhetorical: it is now executive orders, failed auctions, and per-kilowatt taxes.&nbsp;For countries like India that are actively courting AI data centre investment, the American experience is the preview: the constraint on AI geography is shifting from where the chips are to where the power, water and public consent are. The winners of the next phase may be decided less by who has the best models — and more by who can plug them in.&nbsp;For a decade, the question about artificial intelligence was whether it could be built. America just posed the new question: who pays for the electricity — and who gets told no.

New York imposed America's first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centres as the largest US grid posted a record $16.4 billion auction — and failed a third time to secure enough future power. Virginia's data centre electricity tax has begun. The AI boom's power bill has arrived.

The artificial intelligence boom has hit its first real wall in America — and it is not chips, talent or capital. It is electricity. In the space of one week, New York banned new hyperscale data centres, the country's largest power grid revealed record costs and a third straight failure to secure enough future supply, and the White House began preparing an appeal to utilities to shield households from the bill. New York Says Stop On July 14, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order imposing the first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centres in US history. The order pauses state environmental permits for new facilities that would draw 50 megawatts of power or more, for up to one year, while the state writes what it calls a nation-leading regulatory framework to protect ratepayers, the grid and communities. Projects already approved will still go forward. The justification is on every New Yorker's utility bill: average residential electricity prices in the state have climbed nearly 68 percent since 2019. Hochul is also pursuing legislation to strip massive data centres of their sales tax exemptions — turning what were courted investments into taxed and regulated infrastructure. The Grid That Cannot Keep Up The same week showed why the politics have turned. PJM Interconnection — the largest US grid, serving 13 states and Washington DC — said its latest capacity auction tied a record $16.4 billion, with data centres accounting for roughly $6.3 billion of the total. Power-hungry data centres have driven the grid's supply costs up by more than 60 percent. More alarming than the price was the failure: for the third consecutive time, the auction did not secure enough future supply commitments to ensure reliability in the coming years. The grid that powers America's east coast — and much of its AI buildout — is formally short of the electricity it expects to need. A brutal summer heatwave has sharpened the stakes, straining power and water supplies just as data centre construction accelerates — and testing public patience with facilities that consume both at industrial scale. The Taxes Begin Virginia, the data centre capital of the world, chose taxation over prohibition: a first-of-its-kind levy of $0.011 per kilowatt-hour on all electricity consumed by data centres took effect on July 1, projected to raise about $600 million a year. And the White House, according to reports, is preparing to gather utilities and data centre developers for a voluntary pledge that the AI buildout will not drive up household power bills — an implicit admission that, left alone, it will. Why This Matters Beyond America Every AI model — every chatbot answer, every generated video — is ultimately electricity converted into computation. The industry's own projections require gigawatts of new capacity that grids were never designed to deliver on this timeline. What changed this month is that the resistance stopped being rhetorical: it is now executive orders, failed auctions, and per-kilowatt taxes. For countries like India that are actively courting AI data centre investment, the American experience is the preview: the constraint on AI geography is shifting from where the chips are to where the power, water and public consent are. The winners of the next phase may be decided less by who has the best models — and more by who can plug them in. For a decade, the question about artificial intelligence was whether it could be built. America just posed the new question: who pays for the electricity — and who gets told no.

In a single week, New York imposed America's first statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers, the country's largest power grid posted a record $16.4 billion supply auction driven by data centres — and failed for a third straight time to secure enough future power — while Virginia's first-ever data centre electricity tax kicked in. The AI boom has hit its first real wall: the power grid.

New York bans new data centers as power bills explode

Russia has unleashed one of its biggest missile assaults of the war. Ukraine is hitting back deep inside Russian territory. But behind the frontlines, Kyiv is facing another battle.A growing number of Ukrainians no longer want to fight. As missile barrages intensify, Ukraine's manpower crisis is becoming impossible to ignore.&nbsp;Russia launched one of its largest missile and drone attacks since the war began. Ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and hundreds of drones rained down across Ukraine.&nbsp;On Sunday, Kyiv came under heavy bombardment and air defences worked through the night. Explosions echoed from one region after another. Before Ukraine could recover, Russia struck again on Monday, hitting the Black Sea port of Odesa.&nbsp;Ukraine said the missile attack on a civilian grain vessel killed at least ten people and wounded several others, once again underlining Moscow's ability to sustain relentless long-range strikes.Yet Ukraine is not standing still. Kyiv says its long-range drones have struck military and industrial targets inside Russia, including facilities linked to Moscow's defence sector.&nbsp;Ukrainian forces continue to demonstrate they can reach deep behind enemy lines, even as Russian attacks intensify.&nbsp;<h2>&nbsp;Ukraine is running short of willing soldiers?</h2>&nbsp;But there is a growing problem that missiles cannot solve. Ukraine is running short of willing soldiers and military recruitment teams are facing increasing hostility across the country.&nbsp;According to Ukraine's National Police, more than 600 assaults on recruitment officers have already been recorded, with officials warning that attacks are becoming more frequent and increasingly dangerous.&nbsp;Many Ukrainians say they are terrified of being sent to the front. Military commanders insist fresh troops are essential to hold defensive lines against Russia's relentless offensive.&nbsp;But every new wave of mobilisation is becoming more difficult than the last.&nbsp;Ukraine now faces a brutal reality. It must keep fighting one of the world's largest armies while convincing exhausted civilians to join a war that has already entered its fifth year.&nbsp;Russia is escalating from the air and Ukraine is striking back across the border but the battle for manpower may become Kyiv's toughest fight yet.

For Ukraine there is a growing problem that missiles cannot solve. It is running short of willing soldiers and military recruitment teams are facing increasing hostility across the country.

Russia has unleashed one of its biggest missile assaults of the war. Ukraine is hitting back deep inside Russian territory. But behind the frontlines, Kyiv is facing another battle. A growing number of Ukrainians no longer want to fight. As missile barrages intensify, Ukraine's manpower crisis is becoming impossible to ignore. Russia launched one of its largest missile and drone attacks since the war began. Ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and hundreds of drones rained down across Ukraine. On Sunday, Kyiv came under heavy bombardment and air defences worked through the night. Explosions echoed from one region after another. Before Ukraine could recover, Russia struck again on Monday, hitting the Black Sea port of Odesa. Ukraine said the missile attack on a civilian grain vessel killed at least ten people and wounded several others, once again underlining Moscow's ability to sustain relentless long-range strikes. Yet Ukraine is not standing still. Kyiv says its long-range drones have struck military and industrial targets inside Russia, including facilities linked to Moscow's defence sector. Ukrainian forces continue to demonstrate they can reach deep behind enemy lines, even as Russian attacks intensify. Ukraine is running short of willing soldiers? But there is a growing problem that missiles cannot solve. Ukraine is running short of willing soldiers and military recruitment teams are facing increasing hostility across the country. According to Ukraine's National Police, more than 600 assaults on recruitment officers have already been recorded, with officials warning that attacks are becoming more frequent and increasingly dangerous. Many Ukrainians say they are terrified of being sent to the front. Military commanders insist fresh troops are essential to hold defensive lines against Russia's relentless offensive. But every new wave of mobilisation is becoming more difficult than the last. Ukraine now faces a brutal reality. It must keep fighting one of the world's largest armies while convincing exhausted civilians to join a war that has already entered its fifth year. Russia is escalating from the air and Ukraine is striking back across the border but the battle for manpower may become Kyiv's toughest fight yet.

For Ukraine there is a growing problem that missiles cannot solve. It is running short of willing soldiers and military recruitment teams are facing increasing hostility across the country.

As Russia pounds Ukraine, Kyiv grapples with a growing manpower shortage in the military | Gravitas

Two days after a Chinese model topped one of the world's most watched AI coding leaderboards, Elon Musk fired back. On July 18, the xAI chief announced that his company's next model — a 2 trillion parameter system expected to be called Grok 4.6 — will finish initial training within a week, and that it ‘might be able to exceed Kimi,’ the Chinese system that has rattled Silicon Valley.&nbsp;What Musk Announced&nbsp;In a post on X, Musk said the 2 trillion parameter model is better than xAI's current 1.5 trillion parameter flagship ‘in every way,’ while keeping the speed and token efficiency close to the current model, Grok 4.5. In plain terms: a substantially smarter model that costs roughly the same to run.&nbsp;The pace is remarkable even by AI-industry standards. Grok 4.5 — the 1.5 trillion parameter model — launched on July 8. Ten days later, its successor was already finishing its initial training run. No other frontier lab is publicly iterating at that tempo.&nbsp;The Scoreboard Musk Is Chasing&nbsp;The target is explicit: Kimi K3, the 2.8 trillion parameter open-weight model released by Beijing-based Moonshot AI on July 16, which promptly took the number one spot on Arena's blind Frontend Code evaluation — ahead of every American flagship.&nbsp;Independent testing by benchmarking firm Artificial Analysis, as reported this week, rates Kimi K3 at 57 on its intelligence index against Grok 4.5's 54. But the cost picture flips the other way: Grok 4.5 completes tasks at roughly $0.31 each against Kimi K3's $0.94. Musk's stated bet is that the 2 trillion parameter model closes the intelligence gap while keeping the cost advantage.&nbsp;There is a deadline pressure too: Moonshot releases Kimi K3's full weights to the public on July 27. From that day, anyone on earth can download and run China's best model for free.&nbsp;Why ‘Next Week’ Does Not Mean Next Week&nbsp;Finishing initial training is not the same as launching. Post-training, evaluation and deployment typically follow, and estimates based on xAI's previous release cadence put a public Grok 4.6 launch somewhere between late August and mid-September. The announcement, in other words, is as much a message to markets and rivals as a shipping date.&nbsp;And 4.6 is reportedly not the ceiling. xAI's roadmap is said to include 6 trillion and even 10 trillion parameter models in the Grok 5 class, training on the company's Colossus 2 supercluster — claims that, like all roadmap talk, should be treated as ambitions until models actually appear.&nbsp;The Bigger Race&nbsp;Step back and the week reads like a drumbeat. July 16: China releases its biggest open model and takes a leaderboard crown. July 18: Musk announces the counterpunch. July 27: China's weights go public. Late August: America's answer expected. Meanwhile Google's flagship Gemini 3.5 Pro sits months late over coding failures, and OpenAI's GPT-5.6 family rolls out globally.&nbsp;The AI race between the United States and China used to be measured in years, then in months. This week it moved to a new unit: days. Whether Grok 4.6 actually beats Kimi K3 will be settled on public leaderboards within weeks — and for the first time, the champion America is chasing is Chinese.

Two days after China's Kimi K3 topped a major AI coding leaderboard, Elon Musk announced xAI's 2 trillion parameter Grok 4.6 finishes initial training next week and 'might be able to exceed Kimi.' Inside the week the US-China AI race sped up to days.

Two days after a Chinese model topped one of the world's most watched AI coding leaderboards, Elon Musk fired back. On July 18, the xAI chief announced that his company's next model — a 2 trillion parameter system expected to be called Grok 4.6 — will finish initial training within a week, and that it ‘might be able to exceed Kimi,’ the Chinese system that has rattled Silicon Valley. What Musk Announced In a post on X, Musk said the 2 trillion parameter model is better than xAI's current 1.5 trillion parameter flagship ‘in every way,’ while keeping the speed and token efficiency close to the current model, Grok 4.5. In plain terms: a substantially smarter model that costs roughly the same to run. The pace is remarkable even by AI-industry standards. Grok 4.5 — the 1.5 trillion parameter model — launched on July 8. Ten days later, its successor was already finishing its initial training run. No other frontier lab is publicly iterating at that tempo. The Scoreboard Musk Is Chasing The target is explicit: Kimi K3, the 2.8 trillion parameter open-weight model released by Beijing-based Moonshot AI on July 16, which promptly took the number one spot on Arena's blind Frontend Code evaluation — ahead of every American flagship. Independent testing by benchmarking firm Artificial Analysis, as reported this week, rates Kimi K3 at 57 on its intelligence index against Grok 4.5's 54. But the cost picture flips the other way: Grok 4.5 completes tasks at roughly $0.31 each against Kimi K3's $0.94. Musk's stated bet is that the 2 trillion parameter model closes the intelligence gap while keeping the cost advantage. There is a deadline pressure too: Moonshot releases Kimi K3's full weights to the public on July 27. From that day, anyone on earth can download and run China's best model for free. Why ‘Next Week’ Does Not Mean Next Week Finishing initial training is not the same as launching. Post-training, evaluation and deployment typically follow, and estimates based on xAI's previous release cadence put a public Grok 4.6 launch somewhere between late August and mid-September. The announcement, in other words, is as much a message to markets and rivals as a shipping date. And 4.6 is reportedly not the ceiling. xAI's roadmap is said to include 6 trillion and even 10 trillion parameter models in the Grok 5 class, training on the company's Colossus 2 supercluster — claims that, like all roadmap talk, should be treated as ambitions until models actually appear. The Bigger Race Step back and the week reads like a drumbeat. July 16: China releases its biggest open model and takes a leaderboard crown. July 18: Musk announces the counterpunch. July 27: China's weights go public. Late August: America's answer expected. Meanwhile Google's flagship Gemini 3.5 Pro sits months late over coding failures, and OpenAI's GPT-5.6 family rolls out globally. The AI race between the United States and China used to be measured in years, then in months. This week it moved to a new unit: days. Whether Grok 4.6 actually beats Kimi K3 will be settled on public leaderboards within weeks — and for the first time, the champion America is chasing is Chinese.

Two days after China's Kimi K3 stunned Silicon Valley by topping a major coding leaderboard, Elon Musk announced his answer: xAI's 2 trillion parameter model — expected to be called Grok 4.6 — finishes initial training next week and ‘might be able to exceed Kimi.’ The US-China AI race is now being fought in weeks, not years.

Musk's answer to China's AI monster: 2 trillion parameter Grok 4.6 finishes training 'next week'

US President Donald Trump stated on Monday (July 20, 2026) that Iran would face severe repercussions, “many times over”, for any American troops killed as tensions continue in the Middle East. His remarks came as US airstrikes persisted against Iran, concentrated mainly in the southern Iran region. In response, Tehran launched strikes targeting facilities and bases in several countries in the region that it claims are being used by American forces. “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over”, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,” he added. According to the Pentagon, three US service members died over the weekend, two at a base in Jordan and one in northern Iraq. This latest exchange of hostilities comes even after a Pakistan-mediated agreement was signed in June, aimed at ending the conflict and establishing lasting peace.&nbsp;Also read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-a-full-scale-war-with-united-states-says-iran-s-pezeshkian-amid-us-strikes-1784554479717"> In a 'full-scale war' with United States, says Iran's Pezeshkian amid US strikes</a><h3>US strikes Iran</h3>Earlier in the day, the US military launched a ninth night of strikes against Iran, US Central Command said, adding that Iranian military command centres, air defence and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks were targeted.&nbsp;&nbsp;CENTCOM said that it was done to further diminish Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz. This came after the United States military announced the death of another soldier, saying he was killed in northern Iraq “during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance” from a downed Iranian drone.&nbsp;In retaliation, Iran attacked Bahrain and Kuwait as sirens were sounded in both countries and residents were urged to seek shelter. Kuwait said its air defences were intercepting Iranian missiles and drones. It also accused Iran of causing fires and severe damage to power, water and oil facilities, prompting condemnation from Gulf governments. &nbsp;

Three US service members died over the weekend, two at a base in Jordan and one in northern Iraq. This latest exchange of hostilities comes even after a Pakistan-mediated agreement was signed in June, aimed at ending the conflict and establishing lasting peace.

US President Donald Trump stated on Monday (July 20, 2026) that Iran would face severe repercussions, “many times over”, for any American troops killed as tensions continue in the Middle East. His remarks came as US airstrikes persisted against Iran, concentrated mainly in the southern Iran region. In response, Tehran launched strikes targeting facilities and bases in several countries in the region that it claims are being used by American forces. “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over”, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,” he added. According to the Pentagon, three US service members died over the weekend, two at a base in Jordan and one in northern Iraq. This latest exchange of hostilities comes even after a Pakistan-mediated agreement was signed in June, aimed at ending the conflict and establishing lasting peace. Also read: In a 'full-scale war' with United States, says Iran's Pezeshkian amid US strikes US strikes Iran Earlier in the day, the US military launched a ninth night of strikes against Iran, US Central Command said, adding that Iranian military command centres, air defence and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks were targeted. CENTCOM said that it was done to further diminish Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz. This came after the United States military announced the death of another soldier, saying he was killed in northern Iraq “during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance” from a downed Iranian drone. In retaliation, Iran attacked Bahrain and Kuwait as sirens were sounded in both countries and residents were urged to seek shelter. Kuwait said its air defences were intercepting Iranian missiles and drones. It also accused Iran of causing fires and severe damage to power, water and oil facilities, prompting condemnation from Gulf governments.

Three US service members died over the weekend, two at a base in Jordan and one in northern Iraq. This latest exchange of hostilities comes even after a Pakistan-mediated agreement was signed in June, aimed at ending the conflict and establishing lasting peace.

Donald Trump warns Iran will pay 'many times over' for deaths of any American troop

The European Union has struck the biggest regulatory blow yet at the way artificial intelligence reaches ordinary people. In binding decisions issued on July 16 under the Digital Markets Act, the European Commission ordered Google to open the Android operating system to rival AI assistants — and to hand over anonymised search data to competitors.&nbsp;What Brussels Ordered&nbsp;The first decision targets the assistant itself. Google must allow competing AI services to use 11 features of Android, enabling rival assistants to perform tasks such as booking taxis and sending messaging replies through voice commands. Most strikingly, users must be able to summon a third-party AI assistant by voice — the way ‘Hey Google’ works today. The changes are expected to reach users from July 2027.&nbsp;The second decision targets Google's crown jewels: search data. Google must begin sharing anonymised search data with eligible competing search engines and AI chatbots from January 2027. The Commission's reasoning is that access to this data could help rivals — including privacy-focused services — build products that can actually compete with a company that has dominated search for two decades.&nbsp;Why It Matters&nbsp;Android runs on billions of phones worldwide — it is the single largest distribution channel for AI on the planet. Whoever controls the default assistant on those phones controls the front door through which most of humanity will meet artificial intelligence. Until now, that door belonged to Google alone.&nbsp;Brussels has effectively declared the AI assistant a regulated utility layer: on a gatekeeper's platform, rivals must be allowed to compete for the user's voice. It is the first time the EU's gatekeeper rules have been applied so squarely to the AI era's most valuable real estate.&nbsp;Google's Pushback&nbsp;Google reacted sharply. The company argues the decisions could expose users to serious risks, with its chief legal officer Kent Walker saying the rulings ‘risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails’ for millions of Europeans. The company has consistently argued that deep third-party access to operating system functions widens the attack surface for abuse.&nbsp;The privacy argument cuts both ways, though: critics note that the data Google is being asked to share is anonymised, and that the security framing conveniently defends a monopoly position worth hundreds of billions.&nbsp;A Brutal Stretch For Google&nbsp;The order caps a punishing month for the search giant. Its flagship AI model, Gemini 3.5 Pro, has reportedly missed three internal deadlines over coding performance and remains stuck in limited enterprise preview. Now its most powerful structural advantage — default control of Android — has a regulatory expiry date in Europe. The company remains formidable, valued at roughly $4.2 trillion, but its two moats — distribution and data — are both under direct attack in its second-largest market.&nbsp;Three Worlds Of AI Rules&nbsp;The decision also sharpens a global divergence. In the same ten days, Washington floated a FINRA-style watchdog to vet frontier AI models, Beijing launched WAICO — its own intergovernmental AI governance body with 29 founding countries — and Brussels used competition law to pry open the AI distribution layer. Three power centres, three entirely different theories of how to govern the same technology.&nbsp;For the world's AI developers, Europe's version just became very concrete: from January 2027, Google's search data starts flowing to rivals, and from July 2027, an Android phone in Europe may answer — by voice — to an assistant Google didn't build.

Binding EU decisions issued July 16 order Google to open 11 Android features to rival AI assistants — including 'Hey Google'-style voice activation — and share anonymised search data with competitors from January 2027. What Brussels ordered, and why it reshapes AI on billions of phones.

The European Union has struck the biggest regulatory blow yet at the way artificial intelligence reaches ordinary people. In binding decisions issued on July 16 under the Digital Markets Act, the European Commission ordered Google to open the Android operating system to rival AI assistants — and to hand over anonymised search data to competitors. What Brussels Ordered The first decision targets the assistant itself. Google must allow competing AI services to use 11 features of Android, enabling rival assistants to perform tasks such as booking taxis and sending messaging replies through voice commands. Most strikingly, users must be able to summon a third-party AI assistant by voice — the way ‘Hey Google’ works today. The changes are expected to reach users from July 2027. The second decision targets Google's crown jewels: search data. Google must begin sharing anonymised search data with eligible competing search engines and AI chatbots from January 2027. The Commission's reasoning is that access to this data could help rivals — including privacy-focused services — build products that can actually compete with a company that has dominated search for two decades. Why It Matters Android runs on billions of phones worldwide — it is the single largest distribution channel for AI on the planet. Whoever controls the default assistant on those phones controls the front door through which most of humanity will meet artificial intelligence. Until now, that door belonged to Google alone. Brussels has effectively declared the AI assistant a regulated utility layer: on a gatekeeper's platform, rivals must be allowed to compete for the user's voice. It is the first time the EU's gatekeeper rules have been applied so squarely to the AI era's most valuable real estate. Google's Pushback Google reacted sharply. The company argues the decisions could expose users to serious risks, with its chief legal officer Kent Walker saying the rulings ‘risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails’ for millions of Europeans. The company has consistently argued that deep third-party access to operating system functions widens the attack surface for abuse. The privacy argument cuts both ways, though: critics note that the data Google is being asked to share is anonymised, and that the security framing conveniently defends a monopoly position worth hundreds of billions. A Brutal Stretch For Google The order caps a punishing month for the search giant. Its flagship AI model, Gemini 3.5 Pro, has reportedly missed three internal deadlines over coding performance and remains stuck in limited enterprise preview. Now its most powerful structural advantage — default control of Android — has a regulatory expiry date in Europe. The company remains formidable, valued at roughly $4.2 trillion, but its two moats — distribution and data — are both under direct attack in its second-largest market. Three Worlds Of AI Rules The decision also sharpens a global divergence. In the same ten days, Washington floated a FINRA-style watchdog to vet frontier AI models, Beijing launched WAICO — its own intergovernmental AI governance body with 29 founding countries — and Brussels used competition law to pry open the AI distribution layer. Three power centres, three entirely different theories of how to govern the same technology. For the world's AI developers, Europe's version just became very concrete: from January 2027, Google's search data starts flowing to rivals, and from July 2027, an Android phone in Europe may answer — by voice — to an assistant Google didn't build.

In binding decisions issued on July 16 under the Digital Markets Act, the European Commission ordered Google to give rival AI assistants access to 11 Android features — including voice activation like ‘Hey Google’ — and to share anonymised search data with competing engines and chatbots. Google is furious. Here is what Brussels ordered, and why it could reshape who controls AI on billions of phones.

EU forces Google to open Android to rival AI assistants and hand over its search data

Four Indian nationals lost their lives and another was in a critical condition after their ship came under attack while leaving the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Sunday (July 19,) the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday. There were 17 crew members aboard MV Golden Leo, including five Indian nationals when the attack happened.&nbsp;"As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalized in a critical condition. Our Mission in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation and is making every effort to extend all possible assistance to those affected,' read the statement released by the &nbsp;Ministry of External Affairs.&nbsp;India condemned the attack and reiterated that “targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, is deplorable and should be avoided.”&nbsp;The Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha too confirmed Indian nationals killed among other casualties after an attack on the vessel.&nbsp;“Russia has now struck a civilian vessel navigating Ukraine's maritime corridor. The crew included citizens of Syria and India. A Ukrainian maritime pilot was killed, as well as four crew members, eight crew members were evacuated and five still remain missing,” said Sybiha.&nbsp;Slamming Russia for the attack Sybiha further said, “Putin's Russia does not care whom it kills. Ukrainians or citizens of any other nation. For Putin, human life does not matter. Only his criminal objectives do.”

There were 17 crew members aboard MV Golden Leo, including five Indian nationals when the attack happened.

Four Indian nationals lost their lives and another was in a critical condition after their ship came under attack while leaving the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Sunday (July 19,) the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday. There were 17 crew members aboard MV Golden Leo, including five Indian nationals when the attack happened. "As per information available, four Indian nationals have tragically lost their lives, while one is hospitalized in a critical condition. Our Mission in Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation and is making every effort to extend all possible assistance to those affected,' read the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs. India condemned the attack and reiterated that “targeting commercial shipping and endangering innocent civilian crew members, or otherwise impeding freedom of navigation and commerce, is deplorable and should be avoided.” The Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha too confirmed Indian nationals killed among other casualties after an attack on the vessel. “Russia has now struck a civilian vessel navigating Ukraine's maritime corridor. The crew included citizens of Syria and India. A Ukrainian maritime pilot was killed, as well as four crew members, eight crew members were evacuated and five still remain missing,” said Sybiha. Slamming Russia for the attack Sybiha further said, “Putin's Russia does not care whom it kills. Ukrainians or citizens of any other nation. For Putin, human life does not matter. Only his criminal objectives do.”

There were 17 crew members aboard MV Golden Leo, including five Indian nationals when the attack happened.

4 Indians killed, 1 in critical condition after attack on ship at Ukrainian port

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday (July 20) said tha his country was in a “full-scale war” with the United States. While making the statement he urged Iranian citizens to accept the repercussions of the war as Washington expanded its strikes across the Islamic republic.&nbsp;“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian said adding that “we must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance."&nbsp;<h2>Ninth night of US strikes</h2>&nbsp;Pezeshkian's comments come amid US military launching a ninth night of strikes against Iran.Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks were targeted in the strike, according to &nbsp;US Central Command (CENTCOM).&nbsp;ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/my-work-is-done-keir-starmer-resigns-andy-burnham-set-to-become-new-uk-prime-minister-1784549181171">'My work is done': Keir Starmer resigns, Andy Burnham set to become new UK prime minister</a>&nbsp;As the CENTCOM announced the strikes, explosions were heard in five Iranian cities, including the major northwestern hub of Tabriz and two key ports.&nbsp;In retaliation, Iran attacked Bahrain and Kuwait as sirens were sounded in both countries and residents were urged to seek shelter. Kuwait said its air defences were intercepting Iranian missiles and drones. It also accused Iran of causing fires and severe damage to power, water and oil facilities, prompting condemnation from Gulf governments.&nbsp;<h2>Iran reinstated its blockade of Hormuz</h2>&nbsp;The Middle East war reignited after a weeks-long pause following a ceasefire agreement signed between both the countries in June in Switzerland. As fighting resumed, oil prices climbed to their highest level in a month as both sides vied for control of the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz.As the truce collapsed, Iran reinstated its blockade of the waterway, prompting the United States to respond by resuming its naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Pezeshkian s comments come amid US military launching a ninth night of strikes against Iran targeting Iranian military command centers and air defense among other vital infrastructure.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday (July 20) said tha his country was in a “full-scale war” with the United States. While making the statement he urged Iranian citizens to accept the repercussions of the war as Washington expanded its strikes across the Islamic republic. “The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” Pezeshkian said adding that “we must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance." Ninth night of US strikes Pezeshkian's comments come amid US military launching a ninth night of strikes against Iran. Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks were targeted in the strike, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). ALSO READ: 'My work is done': Keir Starmer resigns, Andy Burnham set to become new UK prime minister As the CENTCOM announced the strikes, explosions were heard in five Iranian cities, including the major northwestern hub of Tabriz and two key ports. In retaliation, Iran attacked Bahrain and Kuwait as sirens were sounded in both countries and residents were urged to seek shelter. Kuwait said its air defences were intercepting Iranian missiles and drones. It also accused Iran of causing fires and severe damage to power, water and oil facilities, prompting condemnation from Gulf governments. Iran reinstated its blockade of Hormuz The Middle East war reignited after a weeks-long pause following a ceasefire agreement signed between both the countries in June in Switzerland. As fighting resumed, oil prices climbed to their highest level in a month as both sides vied for control of the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz. As the truce collapsed, Iran reinstated its blockade of the waterway, prompting the United States to respond by resuming its naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Pezeshkian's comments come amid US military launching a ninth night of strikes against Iran targeting Iranian military command centers and air defense among other vital infrastructure.

In a 'full-scale war' with United States, says Iran's Pezeshkian amid US strikes

Keir Starmer traveled to Buckingham Palace and tendered his resignation as the prime minister of United Kingdom &nbsp;to King Charles III on Monday(July 20). Soon his successor, Andy Burnham, will be invited invited by the King to be appointed as the new prime minister and form a new government.&nbsp;Before heading to the Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation, Starmer delivered his final speech outside 10 Downing Street and declared "My work is done."&nbsp;"In six and a half years I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country, and won a landslide general election victory in 2024," Starmer said.&nbsp;He described his tenure as the prime minister of UK as "the privilege of my life". He also said he had the firm belief that Britain was "stronger and fairer" than it was two years ago.&nbsp;<h2>Starmer announces resignation</h2>&nbsp;Starmer announced his resignation on June 22 after spending less than two years in office. He became the seventh British prime minister to leave office in the last 10 years, a statistic that makes UK politics look less like a stable democracy. Speaking at a press briefing, Starmer said he had “heard the answer” from his party and accepted it “with good grace”. He said, “I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.”&nbsp;Starmer led the UK Labour Party to a landslide victory in general election held in July 2024, but severe economic struggles, unpopular welfare cuts, and a major political scandal regarding the appointment of Peter Mandelson led to his downfall.&nbsp;One of the biggest blows to Starmer came in the form of him appointing Peter Mandelson as UK's ambassador to the United States. Mandelson had ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and had allegedly passed government information to him in the late 2000s. And when the Epstein files was released by the Trump government in September 2025 his ties to Epstein became even more clearer.&nbsp;

Starmer described his tenure as the prime minister of UK as the privilege of my life. He also said he had the firm belief that Britain was stronger and fairer than it was two years ago.

Keir Starmer traveled to Buckingham Palace and tendered his resignation as the prime minister of United Kingdom to King Charles III on Monday(July 20). Soon his successor, Andy Burnham, will be invited invited by the King to be appointed as the new prime minister and form a new government. Before heading to the Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation, Starmer delivered his final speech outside 10 Downing Street and declared "My work is done." "In six and a half years I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country, and won a landslide general election victory in 2024," Starmer said. He described his tenure as the prime minister of UK as "the privilege of my life". He also said he had the firm belief that Britain was "stronger and fairer" than it was two years ago. Starmer announces resignation Starmer announced his resignation on June 22 after spending less than two years in office. He became the seventh British prime minister to leave office in the last 10 years, a statistic that makes UK politics look less like a stable democracy. Speaking at a press briefing, Starmer said he had “heard the answer” from his party and accepted it “with good grace”. He said, “I will resign as leader of the Labour Party.” Starmer led the UK Labour Party to a landslide victory in general election held in July 2024, but severe economic struggles, unpopular welfare cuts, and a major political scandal regarding the appointment of Peter Mandelson led to his downfall. One of the biggest blows to Starmer came in the form of him appointing Peter Mandelson as UK's ambassador to the United States. Mandelson had ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and had allegedly passed government information to him in the late 2000s. And when the Epstein files was released by the Trump government in September 2025 his ties to Epstein became even more clearer.

Starmer described his tenure as the prime minister of UK as "the privilege of my life". He also said he had the firm belief that Britain was "stronger and fairer" than it was two years ago.

'My work is done': Keir Starmer resigns, Andy Burnham set to become new UK prime minister

China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel allegedly hit a Philippine Navy sailor with a wooden baton, leading to a serious head injury, in an incident in the South China Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Monday (Jul 20). The confrontation took place near the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal, also known as the Second Thomas Shoal, in the West Philippine Sea. The BRP Sierra Madre is a grounded and decommissioned Philippine Navy vessel, &nbsp;used by the AFP as a military outpost since 1999 to assert its presence in the disputed waters along the South China Sea. Watch the video below.&nbsp;<h2>What happened in the latest Second Thomas Shoal confrontation between China and the Philippines?</h2>According to the AFP and Philippine media reports, a China Coast Guard rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) carrying about eight personnel approached the BRP Sierra Madre, encircled it, and took photographs and videos. During the confrontation with a Filipino boat, CCG personnel allegedly used a wooden baton to strike a Philippine Navy sailor on the head, causing serious injury. The incident reportedly occurred during a Philippine presence-maintenance or rotation mission at the shoal. Medical personnel responded immediately and treated the injured sailor before he was evacuated for further care.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/philippines-slams-china-s-ai-monkey-video-as-dehumanising-and-racist-demands-removal-of-clip-1784266137238">Philippines slams China's AI monkey video as 'Dehumanising and Racist', demands removal of clip</a><h2>Ongoing China Coast Guard harassment of the Philippines</h2>The incident is the latest in a series of alleged Chinese actions targeting Philippine resupply and presence-maintenance missions at Second Thomas Shoal. Philippine authorities describe such actions as aggressive and unlawful activities within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone.&nbsp;Both China and the Philippines claim the waters in the South China Sea. Beijing says it is enforcing its sovereignty against what it describes as "illegal" intrusions by Philippine vessels, while Manila maintains that the shoal lies within its EEZ under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).Over the past few months, the China Coast Guard has repeatedly boarded, rammed, blocked or used water cannons against Philippine boats and vessels. Several confrontations escalated into physical altercations at or near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.&nbsp;Beijing has consistently accused Philippine vessels of carrying out dangerous manoeuvres and provoking incidents.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/philippines-china-tensions-over-scarborough-shoal-tensions-over-the-south-china-sea-the-next-war-is-brewing-taiwan-vietnam-us-vs-china-1781774055060">Philippines–China confrontations over the South China Sea; Taiwan Strait tensions: The next war is brewing</a><h2>Significant rise in China-Philippines South China Sea (SCS) confrontations this year&nbsp;</h2>Tensions remained elevated this year even as diplomatic efforts continued. China has been accused of employing so-called "grey-zone" tactics, including blocking Philippine vessels, creating barriers, maintaining an expanded coast guard and maritime militia presence, and asserting control around disputed features such as Scarborough Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal.&nbsp;From January to May this year, alleged harassment of Philippine resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal were reported, alongside an increase in China Coast Guard patrols and deployments near Scarborough Shoal and Sabina Shoal.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/south-china-sea-on-edge-philippines-flags-new-china-sea-structure-1781245636167/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/south-china-sea-on-edge-philippines-flags-new-china-sea-structure-1781245636167/embed</a>In April, the Philippines said it found traces of cyanide in fish and other marine samples allegedly linked to the activities of Chinese fishing boats near Second Thomas Shoal. China rejected the claim, and accused Manila of fabricating the evidence.Disputes over Sandy Cay in April also included China Coast Guard vessels turning away Philippine fishing boats near Scarborough Shoal, while the Philippines challenged the activities of Chinese research vessels operating in disputed waters.In June, the Philippines protested the presence of a Chinese floating structure equipped with personnel and antennae at Scarborough Shoal, claiming it could be a precursor to artificial island construction. The structure was later removed, although stand-offs involving Chinese warships and Philippine vessels continued near the shoal.China also conducted live-fire military drills in parts of the South China Sea, while the Philippines strengthened security ties with the United States, Japan and ASEAN partners, including through expanded joint military exercises.<h2>China's rejection of the 2016 South China Sea ruling</h2>The latest incident is one of the most serious physical escalations since China rejected the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling issued by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, which largely favoured the Philippines in its case against Beijing under UNCLOS. The Philippines continues to assert its rights under UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award, while China rejects the ruling and maintains its sweeping claims over most of the South China Sea. Although the disputes have not escalated into a major armed conflict, the risk of miscalculation remains significant.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">A Philippine Navy personnel is wounded after China Coast Guard members allegedly hit him with a wooden baton in an encounter near Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea today, July 20. 📷 Armed Forces of the Philippines <a href="https://x.com/straits_times?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@straits_times</a> <a href="https://t.co/UbZMMcQA48">pic.twitter.com/UbZMMcQA48</a>&mdash; Mara Cepeda (@maracepeda) <a href="https://x.com/maracepeda/status/2079116470181863506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A Philippine Navy sailor sustained a serious head injury after being struck by a member of the China Coast Guard. The altercation was caught on camera. Here is what happened.

China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel allegedly hit a Philippine Navy sailor with a wooden baton, leading to a serious head injury, in an incident in the South China Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Monday (Jul 20). The confrontation took place near the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal, also known as the Second Thomas Shoal, in the West Philippine Sea. The BRP Sierra Madre is a grounded and decommissioned Philippine Navy vessel, used by the AFP as a military outpost since 1999 to assert its presence in the disputed waters along the South China Sea. Watch the video below. What happened in the latest Second Thomas Shoal confrontation between China and the Philippines? According to the AFP and Philippine media reports, a China Coast Guard rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) carrying about eight personnel approached the BRP Sierra Madre, encircled it, and took photographs and videos. During the confrontation with a Filipino boat, CCG personnel allegedly used a wooden baton to strike a Philippine Navy sailor on the head, causing serious injury. The incident reportedly occurred during a Philippine presence-maintenance or rotation mission at the shoal. Medical personnel responded immediately and treated the injured sailor before he was evacuated for further care. Also read: Philippines slams China's AI monkey video as 'Dehumanising and Racist', demands removal of clip Ongoing China Coast Guard harassment of the Philippines The incident is the latest in a series of alleged Chinese actions targeting Philippine resupply and presence-maintenance missions at Second Thomas Shoal. Philippine authorities describe such actions as aggressive and unlawful activities within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone. Both China and the Philippines claim the waters in the South China Sea. Beijing says it is enforcing its sovereignty against what it describes as "illegal" intrusions by Philippine vessels, while Manila maintains that the shoal lies within its EEZ under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Over the past few months, the China Coast Guard has repeatedly boarded, rammed, blocked or used water cannons against Philippine boats and vessels. Several confrontations escalated into physical altercations at or near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. Beijing has consistently accused Philippine vessels of carrying out dangerous manoeuvres and provoking incidents. Also read: Philippines–China confrontations over the South China Sea; Taiwan Strait tensions: The next war is brewing Significant rise in China-Philippines South China Sea (SCS) confrontations this year Tensions remained elevated this year even as diplomatic efforts continued. China has been accused of employing so-called "grey-zone" tactics, including blocking Philippine vessels, creating barriers, maintaining an expanded coast guard and maritime militia presence, and asserting control around disputed features such as Scarborough Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal. From January to May this year, alleged harassment of Philippine resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal were reported, alongside an increase in China Coast Guard patrols and deployments near Scarborough Shoal and Sabina Shoal. https://www.wionews.com/videos/south-china-sea-on-edge-philippines-flags-new-china-sea-structure-1781245636167/embed In April, the Philippines said it found traces of cyanide in fish and other marine samples allegedly linked to the activities of Chinese fishing boats near Second Thomas Shoal. China rejected the claim, and accused Manila of fabricating the evidence. Disputes over Sandy Cay in April also included China Coast Guard vessels turning away Philippine fishing boats near Scarborough Shoal, while the Philippines challenged the activities of Chinese research vessels operating in disputed waters. In June, the Philippines protested the presence of a Chinese floating structure equipped with personnel and antennae at Scarborough Shoal, claiming it could be a precursor to artificial island construction. The structure was later removed, although stand-offs involving Chinese warships and Philippine vessels continued near the shoal. China also conducted live-fire military drills in parts of the South China Sea, while the Philippines strengthened security ties with the United States, Japan and ASEAN partners, including through expanded joint military exercises. China's rejection of the 2016 South China Sea ruling The latest incident is one of the most serious physical escalations since China rejected the landmark 2016 arbitral ruling issued by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, which largely favoured the Philippines in its case against Beijing under UNCLOS. The Philippines continues to assert its rights under UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award, while China rejects the ruling and maintains its sweeping claims over most of the South China Sea. Although the disputes have not escalated into a major armed conflict, the risk of miscalculation remains significant.

A Philippine Navy sailor sustained a serious head injury after being struck by a member of the China Coast Guard. The altercation was caught on camera. Here is what happened.

WATCH: Chinese Coast Guard hits Philippine Navy personnel in the head; confrontation in South China Sea caught on video

US Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha, has welcomed their fourth child on Sunday (July 19). Vance made the announcement in a post on X, stating that they are excited on the birth of their baby boy Alec Neel Vance. He said that both Usha and the baby are "happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother." Vance thanked the military doctors and staff members of Walter Reed Medical Center and the White House Medical Unit. JD and Usha were married in 2014 and have three children together.&nbsp;&nbsp;With the birth of the fourth child, Vance became first sitting US VP to give birth in more than 150 years. According to CBS, the last known instance was 156 years ago when Schuyler Colfax Jr. -- serving as vice president to Ulysses S. Grant -- and his wife Ellen had their son, Schuyler Colfax III, in 1870. CNN reported citing people familiar with the matter that the family of six will be spending time in rural northern Virginia.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-have-not-felt-months-after-jd-vance-s-comments-usha-vance-makes-big-statement-on-conversion-to-christianity-1782275373864">'I have not felt...': Months after JD Vance's comments, Usha Vance makes BIG statement on conversion to Christianity</a>&nbsp;Usha and JD's relationship has been under scanner due to the second lady's immigrant status and the Vice President's closeness with Conservative commentator late Charlie Kirk's wife - Erika Kirk. Usha Vance is Indian American, born and raised in San Diego, California, to parents who immigrated to the United States from India. &nbsp;Earlier, Vance had revealed that it was the death of Charlie Kirk that convinced Usha to have a fourth child. Narrating an incident, he said that Erika Kirk, the crying widow of Charlie, told Usha to have more babies as she regretted having only two kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/erika-told-usha-vance-reveals-what-convinced-his-wife-for-fourth-child-1780816827366">'Erika told Usha between sobs...': JD Vance reportedly reveals what convinced his wife for fourth child</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/VMCGCCRd7s">pic.twitter.com/VMCGCCRd7s</a>&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/2078962245216731298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>Karoline Leavitt to be US Vice President when Usha Vance gives birth?</h2>In May, Vance said that press secretary Karoline Leavitt should swap roles with him once his wife gives birth to their fourth child. He made the remark while addressing a press briefing in Karoline's absence. “It’s cool to be here. I want to give a shout out, of course, to the person I am replacing today, Karoline Leavitt, who hopefully is at home enjoying some time with her beautiful kids,” Vance said. He then jokingly suggested that he and Leavitt had struck a deal before he agreed to temporarily fill in at the podium. "When Usha has our baby in July that SHE would be Vice President for a couple of weeks!" he said making the room erupt in laughter.<h2>Who will be acting US Vice President?</h2>As Vance heads for paternity leave, a question hovers as to who would serve as the VP in his absence. But, the truth is that no one will serve as an "acting" U.S. Vice President because according to US Constitution, if a Vice President dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the position cannot be filled by an "acting" official. Instead, Section 2 of the 25th Amendment mandates a specific permanent replacement process. In case of temporary absence of the Vice President, the President pro tempore of the Senate or a designated senator presides over the chamber as &nbsp;the Vice President is the President of the Senate.

US Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance have welcomed their fourth child, a baby boy named Alec Neel Vance. The couple announced the birth on X, saying both mother and baby are healthy. The family now has four children together.

US Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha, has welcomed their fourth child on Sunday (July 19). Vance made the announcement in a post on X, stating that they are excited on the birth of their baby boy Alec Neel Vance. He said that both Usha and the baby are "happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother." Vance thanked the military doctors and staff members of Walter Reed Medical Center and the White House Medical Unit. JD and Usha were married in 2014 and have three children together. With the birth of the fourth child, Vance became first sitting US VP to give birth in more than 150 years. According to CBS, the last known instance was 156 years ago when Schuyler Colfax Jr. -- serving as vice president to Ulysses S. Grant -- and his wife Ellen had their son, Schuyler Colfax III, in 1870. CNN reported citing people familiar with the matter that the family of six will be spending time in rural northern Virginia. Also Read: 'I have not felt...': Months after JD Vance's comments, Usha Vance makes BIG statement on conversion to Christianity Usha and JD's relationship has been under scanner due to the second lady's immigrant status and the Vice President's closeness with Conservative commentator late Charlie Kirk's wife - Erika Kirk. Usha Vance is Indian American, born and raised in San Diego, California, to parents who immigrated to the United States from India. Earlier, Vance had revealed that it was the death of Charlie Kirk that convinced Usha to have a fourth child. Narrating an incident, he said that Erika Kirk, the crying widow of Charlie, told Usha to have more babies as she regretted having only two kids. Also Read: 'Erika told Usha between sobs...': JD Vance reportedly reveals what convinced his wife for fourth child

US Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance have welcomed their fourth child, a baby boy named Alec Neel Vance. The couple announced the birth on X, saying both mother and baby are healthy. The family now has four children together.

JD and Usha Vance welcome fourth child: Who serves as acting US vice president during Vance's paternity leave?

world

World, News on World, stories on World, articles on World, World stories at Wion, World news, World latest news

world news

In first visit by Canadian FM in 20 years, Pakistan urges Anita Anand’s support on Indus Waters Treaty

UK cabinet reshuffle: Ex-Health Minister Wes Streeting gets defence portfolio

Mark Carney breaks silence as Trump orders new 50% tariff on Canadian goods

Burnham's 1st cabinet revealed: Who's in and who's out

Trump to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian goods

‘Iran can survive sanctions, but can’t truly live’: Dy FM warns of economic cost

US continues to strike Iran on 10th consecutive day

Nearly 3 in 10 Pakistanis now live below poverty line

‘Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form in US’: Trump

Man in custody after allegedly igniting blaze at Manhattan federal building

US-Iran conflicts: Houthis announce maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia

Andy Burnham, the sixth UK PM in 10 years, pledges end to political instability

Meta starts charging for AI but who will pay? Muse Spark 1.1 is its first paid model ever

EU Finds Instagram And Facebook's Addictive Design In Breach Of Its Law

Huawei Shows Off AI Supercomputer Built With Zero American Parts At Shanghai

Trump administration weighs a watchdog that vets AI models before release

New York bans new data centers as power bills explode

As Russia pounds Ukraine, Kyiv grapples with growing manpower shortage| Gravitas

Musk's answer to China's AI: 2 trillion parameter model ready by 'next week'

Donald Trump warns Iran will pay 'many times over' for any American troop deaths

EU forces Google to open Android to rival AI assistants and hand over its data

4 Indians killed, 1 in critical condition after attack on ship at Ukrainian port

In a 'full-scale war' with United States, says Iran's Pezeshkian amid US strikes

'My work is done': Starmer resigns, Burnham set to become new UK prime minister