UK Will See Its Seventh Prime Minister In 10 Years

Keir Starmer is to step down as British prime minister, extending a decade of political turmoil that has seen six UK leaders depart since the country voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

Starmer said he would resign as Labor leader after weeks of mounting pressure from within his party, following poor poll ratings, electoral setbacks, and growing unrest among Labor MPs. He will remain the prime minister until a successor is chosen.

Since David Cameron quit after losing the 2016 Brexit referendum, Britain has been led by Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Starmer, with a seventh prime minister now set to take office.

Attention has already turned to Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor and newly elected Labor MP, who is widely seen as the frontrunner to succeed Starmer.

Starmer said he would ask Labor's National Executive Committee to open leadership nominations on July 9, with the process beginning before Parliament's summer recess and a new leader expected before MPs return in September.

Right-Wing Candidate Wins Colombia Election

Colombian right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has clinched a narrow victory in Sunday’s presidential election, according to an initial ballot count.

De la Espriella, who was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump, has pledged a military crackdown on illegal armed groups, drug trafficking, and crime.

He appeared to defeat left-wing Iván Cepeda, a close ally of outgoing president Gustavo Petro. With over 99% of votes counted, de la Espriella had won nearly 49.7% of the vote, while Cepeda won 48.7%, according to an initial count of the runoff election, the BBC said.

Europe Facing Prolonged Heat Dome

A “heat dome” developing over western and central Europe could engulf the continent in a long-lasting heatwave, triggering red alerts in France, Spain, Italy, and the UK as June temperatures break historical records

High pressure over the Sahara Desert – a so-called African anti-cyclone – is forcing hot air north, where it is trapped by a northward loop in the jet stream, allowing heat to build up.

Climate change has heated Europe nearly twice as fast as the global average, and the presence of a heat dome - a warm, dry air mass hanging over western and central Europe - has coincided with high levels of intense solar radiation that have driven temperatures even higher.