海角大神

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resigned. He faced mounting pressure after his Labour Party鈥檚 landslide victory in the 2024 general elections. Polls show his support has collapsed since then, now with a 23% favorability rating, according to YouGov. He has been beset by a sluggish economy and scandals such as his appointment of an ambassador linked to the Epstein files. He will stay on until a new leader for the Labour Party is elected, with elections starting July 9. Andy Burnham is the clear favorite after an emphatic win in his bid for a seat in Parliament last week.

U.S.-Iran negotiations in Switzerland ended their first round. Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan said there was 鈥渆ncouraging progress,鈥� announcing a 60-day roadmap toward a final agreement to end the war. The sides agreed to establishing a communication line to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and a 鈥渄e-confliction cell鈥� to address fighting in Lebanon. Despite tensions sparked by remarks from President Donald Trump, negotiators said discussions advanced on multiple fronts. Technical talks will continue this week.

Europe faces its second heatwave of the year. Temperatures across the region are hitting 100 degrees F. Meteorologists say the historic highs are due to a concentration of hot air from the Sahara, creating a 鈥渉eat dome鈥� over much of Western Europe. France has closed at least 845 schools and cancelled 71 intercity trains, while Germany and Spain have postponed or cancelled events as a precaution. The prolonged heat has forced frank conversations among officials across Europe about finding solutions for the future.

A Trump-endorsed, conservative outsider won Colombia鈥檚 presidential vote. With more than 99% of ballots counted, Abelardo de la Espriella won 49.7% of the votes. A聽former Miami-based lawyer with no political experience, he ran on a platform of an iron-fist approach to insecurity. Leftist Senator Iv谩n Cepeda, who promised to continue with many of outgoing President Gustavo Petro鈥檚 popular social policies, garnered 48.7%. This is the closest election in at least three decades in Colombia, and Mr. Cepeda said he would challenge the results of 33,000 polling stations. The election results are in line with recent trends in Latin America 鈥� of governments swinging to the political right and of deeply divided electorates.

Russia has freed 24 Filipinos detained for months without charges in Siberia. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raised concerns for them during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Philippine officials announced their release on Saturday. The 24 arrived in Manila aboard two flights early Sunday. Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, who accompanied Mr. Marcos in talks with Mr. Putin, welcomed the first batch. The release followed a bilateral meeting between Mr. Marcos and Mr. Putin on Wednesday. 鈥� The Associated Press

Extreme heat and dry, windy conditions are fueling several wildfires in the American West. Among them is an uncontained blaze in Utah that forced the evacuation of a small town southwest of Salt Lake City. Authorities said Sunday the Iron Fire in Utah鈥檚 Juab County had blackened 34 square miles, and all 1,000 residents of the town of Eureka were forced to leave their homes. No structures were lost as of Sunday. Another wildfire prompted evacuations over the weekend near Sedona, Arizona. In Colorado, the southwest corner of the state was under a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service due to gusty winds and low relative humidity. 鈥� AP

鈥� Compiled by Monitor writers around the world

Uruguay bet big on renewables and pulled off a genuine energy transformation. As the closure of the Strait of Hormuz became a wake-up to nations around the globe, many could learn from Uruguay鈥檚 success.

Zohran Mamdani鈥檚 mayoral victory last year has aided the rise of far-left challengers in this week鈥檚 U.S. House primaries. With a potential House speaker also from New York City, the outcome could affect Democratic Party stances on key issues in Congress.

World Cup success has been elusive for the United States men, despite the team鈥檚 talent and skill steadily increasing over the past few decades. But Friday鈥檚 group stage win 鈥� the second in a row 鈥� has fans hopeful that Team USA has turned a corner.

From the gas pump to the produce aisle, Americans are seeking respite from high prices. They now have a new champion. On Wednesday, Kevin Warsh made his debut as head of the Federal Reserve, easily the world鈥檚 most influential economic institution. The central bank chief told reporters the many ways he would change the Fed to rein in inflation. Yet, after being in office for only about three weeks, he also noted his own surprise at one immediate change.

鈥淚 was just incredibly impressed鈥� about how much the Fed鈥檚 colleagues have been 鈥渧ery open about changes,鈥� he said.

The comment is noteworthy because Mr. Warsh believes that 鈥済enuine鈥� deliberation among experts 鈥� relying on patient inquiry, respectful listening, and civil attentiveness to alternative views and data 鈥� is key to controlling the nation鈥檚 money supply and interest rates. He calls it the 鈥渟pecial sauce鈥� to help the Fed make 鈥渙ptimal鈥� decisions that can influence the global financial system.

Guaranteeing freedom for the Fed鈥檚 economists to advance even half-baked ideas 鈥� in confidence and out of public view 鈥� is essential for 鈥渢ruth-seeking,鈥� as he calls it, or forming a consensus on the state of the economy and what needs fixing.

Genuine deliberation, he wrote for the Hoover Institution Press in 2016, is 鈥渢he process by which participants not only share information, but also learn from and influence one [another].鈥�

How the Fed reasons its way to agreements is as important as the agreements. 鈥淎sking questions, probing for deeper explanations, and showing patience when participants explain their positions are all identified as evidence of active listening and are found in well-designed decision-making processes,鈥� he stated.

To make good on this approach, Mr. Warsh plans to set up task forces, using a mix of Fed staff and external experts, to come up with changes in several areas 鈥� from how the Fed communicates to financial markets to the use of alternative data sources to the impact of artificial intelligence.

He says he is 鈥減retty open-minded鈥� about the outcomes. Such intellectual humility might be a new marker for the Fed, especially as it misjudged the inflationary pressures during the pandemic. 鈥淲hat we鈥檝e given markets is a new chapter for the central bank,鈥� Mr. Warsh said Wednesday.

And Chapter 1 is all about collegiality in deliberations. Or as a Wall Street Journal reporter put it, 鈥渕ore courtship than chain saw.鈥�