Politics & World Affairs — July 26, 2026

Burnham becomes UK prime minister. Former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham replaced Keir Starmer as Britain's prime minister this week, delivering his first speech at 10 Downing Street two years after Labour's landslide election victory.

Al Jazeera · Read more →

Zelensky dismisses top army commander. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi this week after nearly a week of nationwide protests over the removal of a popular defense minister.

According to BBC World, the decision came amid compounding pressures: demonstrations that spread across the country in response to the ouster of a widely supported defense minister, and a Russian missile barrage on Kyiv that caused fatalities. The BBC characterized the move against Syrskyi as an attempt by the president to contain the broader political crisis, though the report did not indicate who will succeed him.

BBC World · Read more →

ICC removes chief prosecutor. International Criminal Court member states voted this week to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan, a first for the court, following nearly two years of sexual misconduct allegations he denies.

NPR News · Read more →