Hunt takes over from Johnson in UK cabinet reshuffle
Jeremy Hunt has been named the UK’s new foreign secretary, replacing Boris Johnson, as reported by the BBC, Financial Times and Guardian. The British prime minister, Theresa May, reshuffled her cabinet after Johnson and David Davis, the Brexit secretary, quit over the PM’s new Brexit negotiating stance with the EU. Hunt had been health secretary. Dominic Raab, the housing secretary, replaces Davis. The cabinet will also get a new culture secretary and attorney general.
Trump taps conservative jurist for Supreme Court
Donald Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court, reported the Financial Times and Reuters. Kavanaugh is currently a federal appeals judge in Washington DC; previously he worked in George W Bush’s White House and for the investigation that led Republicans to try removing Bill Clinton from office. Kavanaugh will need to be confirmed by the US Senate.
Erdogan starts second term as Turkish president
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in for a second term as president of Turkey, reported the AFP and BBC. Erdogan took office under a new system that eliminates the post of prime minister and makes the president a powerful executive, including the ability to appoint cabinet ministers directly. He named his son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, as finance minister.
More Thai boys freed from caves
A total of eight boys have been rescued from a cave complex in northern Thailand, where they had been stuck for more than two weeks, reported the Guardian. The remaining four boys and their football coach are expected to be rescued today. Channel NewsAsia illustrated how complex the rescue has been.
Pay TV battle heats up
Fox, backed by Disney, is preparing a new bid for Sky to beat out Comcast’s £12.50 a share offer, according to the Financial Times. Fox is expected to offer more than £14.65 a share, analysts told the FT. Ahead of the takeover by either US media giant, the first senior Sky executive has said they will leave the pay TV firm, reported the Telegraph. Mai Fyfield, Sky’s strategy chief, will make her exit in October.
EU pushes back Android competition ruling to avoid Trump visit
European Commission antitrust regulators have delayed announcing a decision against Google until next week, to avoid a conflict with Donald Trump, who will be in Brussels for a Nato meeting, according to Reuters.
JD.com, “China’s Amazon”, moves into Europe
Wired profiled JD.com, the Chinese e-commerce firm that’s seen as a major competitor to Amazon. JD has already opened its first European office in Paris and is working on expansion plans in Italy and Spain.
Space protection measures need boost
As space exploration picks up pace, the National Academies of Sciences, a US NGO, says new rules are needed to protect against the biological contamination of other planets and against spacecraft bringing extraterrestrial germs back to Earth, according to the Verge.
US gas station heist
Thieves reportedly hacked into a petrol pump in Detroit and stole more than 600 gallons (around 2,300 litres), reported Gizmodo. According to the technology news site: “The theft took place in the middle of the day and went on for about 90 minutes, with the gas station attendant unable to thwart the hackers.”