International news brief: ‘Buoyant’ Boris Johnson fights on as clamour to quit grows

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Washington, July 07: In a desperate bid to stay in power, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sacked senior minister Michael Gove, who was his close associate in the Brexit campaign. Gove has been among the voices calling for Johnson to step down; two top ministers and a slew of junior officials had said they could no longer serve under his scandal-plagued leadership. OneIndia news brings you the top headlines to kick start your day from around the World.

UK PM Boris Johnson fires ally Michael Gove

Britain’s scandal-hit Prime Minister Boris Johnson fired senior cabinet colleague Michael Gove, as he battled to remain in office while brushing off calls for his resignation. Gove’s firing comes after he called for Johnson to leave, adding to the pressure on the PM after two top ministers and a slew of junior officials said they could no longer serve under his scandal-plagued leadership. The dismissal from the cabinet of Communities Secretary Michael Gove — Johnson’s right-hand man in Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum campaign — dramatically showed that the Conservative leader was not going to bow out without a fight.

International news brief: UK government on brink of collapse, Governor urges Ukranians to flee

Raids on Vivo: China hopes for a ‘truly fair’ probe in accordance with law

China has expressed hope that India will conduct the ongoing investigations into the Chinese mobile manufacturer firm Vivo in accordance with the law and regulations and provide a ” truly fair” and “non-discriminatory” business environment to China’s firms. Asked about the ongoing raids on Vivo offices in several locations in India, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing that the Chinese side is closely following the developments on this matter.

New COVID-19 Omicron sub-variant BA.2.75 detected in countries like India: WHO

A new sub-lineage BA.2.75 of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in countries like India and the World Health Organisation is following this, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “On COVID-19, globally reported cases have increased nearly 30 per cent over the past two weeks. Four out of six of the WHO sub-regions saw cases increase in the last week,” Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing Wednesday.”In Europe and America, BA.4 and BA.5 are driving waves. In countries like India a new sub-lineage of BA.2.75 has also been detected, which we’re following,” he said.

Ex-cop Derek Chauvin to get federal sentence for Floyd’s killing

Derek Chauvin will learn his sentence Thursday for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, with a deal in place that would extend the former Minneapolis police officer’s time behind bars while shifting him to possibly more favorable conditions in a federal prison. Chauvin agreed to a sentence of 20 to 25 years in his December plea to a federal charge in Floyd’s killing. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson will make the final decision, with prosecutors seeking the full 25 on the grounds that Chauvin’s actions were cold-blooded and needless.

12 killed in Ukraine as Russia pounds rebel-claimed province

Russian shelling killed at least eight civilians in eastern Ukraine over the past 24 hours and wounded 25 more, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. Pro-Russia separatists said attacks by Ukrainian forces killed four civilians. The Ukrainian presidential office said Russian forces targeted cities and villages in the country’s southeast, with most civilian casualties occurring in Donetsk province, where Russia stepped up its offensive in recent days. Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a Telegram post that two people died in the city of Avdiivka, which is located in the centre of the province, and the Donetsk cities of Sloviansk, Krasnohorivka and Kurakhove each reported one civilian killed.