Om Birla of the BJP-led NDA was elected as Speaker for the 18th Lok Sabha by voice vote on Wednesday. The election followed a motion moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seconded by Union Minister Rajnath Singh and JD(U) leader Lalan Singh. The election was necessitated after the NDA and INDIA bloc failed to reach a consensus on a Speaker candidate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi moved the motion to elect Om Birla as Lok Sabha Speaker.

A Russian bar owner has been fined for using Christian symbols in its menu Read Full Article at RT.com

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Moscow in July, his first bilateral visit since being reelected for a third term Read Full Article at RT.com

Westchester County Executive George Latimer resoundingly defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 16th Congressional District on Tuesday night, ousting a member of the far-left faction of his own party after a blistering contest.

Utah is holding a slate of primary elections, including a race for the Senate seat held by Mitt Romney (R), who announced last year that he would not seek a second term.

SINGAPORE — The maid who was with a four-year-old girl who was killed in a car accident in January had jaywalked with her in River Valley, despite being told not to. A coroner's inquiry into the death of Zara Mei Orlic was held on June 26, after she had died on Jan 23 when a car hit her at Institution Hill at River Valley. During the inquiry, it was revealed that Zara had dashed across the road when the accident happened. Zara had suddenly appeared between two stationary vehicles parked along Institution Hill, which is a two-lane road, when a car driving from the opposite direction hit her. Traffic Police station inspector (SI) Muhammad Firdaus Suleiman was called as a witness. He said the maid, who was holding the hand of Zara's two-year-old sister, was three steps behind Zara and yelled for the car to stop when the collision occurred. When assisting officer Jeanice Lim asked how long it took for Zara to be visible in the in-car camera footage to when she was hit, SI Firdaus replied that it was one second.

With first place in Group F at UEFA Euro 2024 already spoken for, Czechia and Türkiye meet in their round-robin finales trying to secure a spot in the Round of 16.

Mogadishu (HOL) — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attended a ceremony in Mogadishu on Tuesday to mark Somalia's 64th Independence Day. He was joined by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, and other senior officials. During the event, President Mohamud wished Somalis at home and abroad a joyous Independence Day.

Hundreds of Kenyan police officers have arrived in Haiti as part of a US-backed security intervention aiming to rescue the Caribbean country from a criminal insurrection that toppled the prime minister and brought death and chaos to the streets.

Recent security alert in Pathankot due to suspicious sightings of two suspicious armed individuals moving in villages near the Pathankot district of Punjab, which borders the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. The forces have assembled and initiated a combing and sanitisation operation and there is nothing to panic, as the security forces have the situation under control, he added.

More than 3,000 athletes will compete for 239 sets of medals in 24 sports

[allAfrica]

At 6.36pm on a balmy Monday evening, amid huge secrecy, the WikiLeaks founder 'left the jurisdiction of England and Wales' as the luxury plane lifted off from Stansted Airport's runway.

The UK's busiest airport revealed passengers travelling from Terminal 5 'may be impacted' by the failure in BA's Allocation systems, adding that no other airline has been affected.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has today pleaded guilty to a single espionage charge in a US federal court on the Pacific island of Saipan.

The Middle East is now closer to all-out regional war than it was when Israel traded direct strikes with Iran in the months after Hamas's October 7 terror attacks.

The boring state of play on pitch this evening was a huge contrast to the off-pitch drama Gareth Southgate and the England camp have been trying to keep under wraps.

Failing to reach a consensus over the Speaker candidate for the 18th Lok Sabha, the opposition INDIA bloc has fielded K Suresh against BJP-led NDA's pick, Om Birla. This contest emerges as Birla vies for a second stint in the Speaker's position. Om Birla, the MP from Rajasthan's Kota, was renominated by the NDA for the Speaker post on Tuesday. While the opposition has put all its weight into ensuring the Speaker election is not a cakewalk for the BJP.

Despite electoral setbacks, I am stepping away from politics with a focus on serving the people. My commitment to the development of sports and tourism in Sikkim remains strong, and I trust in others to continue this important work for the state's progress.

Recent security alert in Pathankot due to suspicious sightings of two suspicious armed individuals moving in villages near the Pathankot district of Punjab, which borders the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. The forces have assembled and initiated a combing and sanitisation operation and there is nothing to panic, as the security forces have the situation under control, he added.

The company’s production facilities are functioning normally

«Only an end to the hostilities and immediate, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access can reduce the risk of a famine occurring in the Gaza Strip,» Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said

Julian Assange declined to make comments to reporters

The jet is expected to land at 7:30 p.m.

Accordint to UKMTO, the master of a merchant vessel reported a missile impacted the water in close proximity to the vessel, the crew are reported safe

Other players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024 include Canadian defenseman Shea Weber, two-time Olympic champion and 2006 world champion, and US forward Jeremy Roenick, silver medalist of the 2002 Olympics

The new managing director of the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) in Seychelles, Desire Leo, discussed the financial institution's role in the community and the economy's development in his meeting with President Wavel Ramkalawan on Tuesday. Leo, who is Mauritian and worked at the MCB Group headquarters in Port Louis as Head of Development, was part of a delegation accompanying the outgoing managing director, Bernard Jackson in his farewell call on the Seychelles' President. Jackson was appointed to the MCB Seychelles branch in February 2008. Also present was the Bank's executive director, Jean Michel Ng Tseung, who said, «MCB in Seychelles has a very important role to play in the community and the economy's success.» Ng Tseung said in the meeting with the President, «We also spoke about ways through which the bank may improve in its day to day running and it was a very positive and productive exchange where we have received many insights and advice. It is very important to us that Jackson's replacement can also contribute to the country progressing with the bank's support.» The new managing director will take office on July 1 and said that not only will he have to fill in Jackson's shoes, but he will bring in continuity. Leon also revealed that he planned to introduce new technologies as part of the process of improving the bank's services. «We are in the banking sector and we have to always keep abreast of the latest innovations as well as listen to our clients' needs,» he added. Leo said he will have a period of adaptation of course, but will also ensure that the client remains at the heart of the bank. The MCB top officials also announced that as part of discussions with President Ramkalawan, they have touched on installing ATMs in certain areas of the country where there is a need. «We have identified certain areas around the island where we can make such facilities available,» Ng Tseung. Meanwhile, Jackson said, «I am very happy that Desire Leo is taking over from me as we have already touched upon all the topics that are important for Seychelles from the quality of services we provide, the training of personnel and what we can give back to the community. I am hoping that the people I have worked with continue progressing and growing allowing the Seychellois on the team to advance with MCB.» Jackson is leaving for Mauritius to take up a new position at their headquarters on July 1.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Tuesday sent a message to Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, congratulating him on the 11th anniversary of his accession. “The king expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes for health and happiness to (the emir), and to the government and people of Qatar for continued progress and prosperity,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.  Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a similar message to the emir.

RIYADH: Prince Abdullah bin Bandar, the minister of the National Guard, received Ludovic Pouille, France’s envoy to Saudi Arabia. The discussed topics of mutual interested at the ministry’s headquarters.  The meeting was attended by several senior National Guard officials.

RIYADH: Nearly 1.5 million religious services were offered to pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance said that approximately 1,485,000 services had been offered from the day before Arafat, which was on June 15, until the end of Hajj. Saudi authorities said that 1.8 million pilgrims participated in this year’s Hajj. Six hundred Islamic teachers and translators were on hand to provide pilgrims with information about the duties of annual religious event.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife in collaboration with the Riyadh Region Municipality, inaugurated the first supervisory council for the Ibex protected area, which encompasses the governorates of Howtat Bani Tamim and Al-Hariq, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The initiative aims to involve local communities and relevant stakeholders to enhance management practices within the protected area, aligning them with global standards, NCW said in news release. NCW chief executive Mohammed Qurban highlighted the importance of the initiative.

SEOUL/SINGAPORE — Congestion at Singapore's container port is at its worst since the Covid-19 pandemic, a sign of how prolonged vessel re-routing to avoid Red Sea attacks has disrupted global ocean shipping — with bottlenecks also appearing in other Asian and European ports. Retailers, manufacturers and other industries that rely on massive box ships are again battling surging rates, port backups and shortages of empty containers, even as many consumer-oriented firms look to build inventories heading into the peak year-end shopping season. Global port congestion has reached an 18-month high, with 60 per cent of ships waiting at anchor located in Asia, maritime data firm Linerlytica said in June. Ships with a total capacity of over 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent container units were waiting at anchorages as of mid-June. But, unlike during the pandemic, it is not a buying flurry by house-bound consumers that is swamping ports.