Independent · Printed Daily · Est. 2026

The Daily Dispatch

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Andy Burnham becomes UK's seventh prime minister in a decade

Andy Burnham was appointed prime minister on July 20, succeeding Sir Keir Starmer in a transition of power presided over by King Charles. He is the UK's seventh prime minister in ten years and the 59th overall. Burnham previously served 16 years as an MP with cabinet roles under the Blair and Brown governments before leaving Parliament to become mayor of Greater Manchester. In his first speech he pledged to make politics "work better," restore stability, tackle the cost of living, end rough sleeping, and honor Britain's defense commitments to international partners.

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US strikes Iran for ninth straight night as Trump vows Tehran will 'pay' for troop deaths

US forces carried out a ninth consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran late July 20, hours after President Trump warned Tehran would pay for the deaths of three American service members in recent days: a soldier killed in a drone-related blast in northern Iraq, and two troops killed when Iranian ballistic missiles hit Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The latest strikes targeted Iranian military capabilities used to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with explosions reported in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Hormozgan province. The war, which escalated after US-Iran peace talks collapsed, has now killed at least 16 American service members and wounded more than 430.

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Ukraine launches 400-drone raid on Moscow region, one of the war's largest attacks

Ukraine sent more than 400 drones toward the Moscow region overnight July 20, striking an oil depot in Podolsk roughly 25 miles south of the Kremlin along with logistics warehouses in Kolyedino and Belye Stolby. President Zelensky confirmed the strikes on the oil depot and logistics facilities, which came alongside naval strikes on six vessels in the Black Sea. Moscow's mayor said more than 400 drones were launched at the capital region, with 85 intercepted on approach. The raid followed one of the largest Russian ballistic missile attacks of the war on Kyiv a day earlier, which killed 20 people and injured more than 140 across Ukraine.

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