International

oi-Deepika S

| Published: Wednesday, September 7, 2022, 9:51 [IST]

London, Sep 07: Prime Minister Liz Truss has unveiled one of the UK's most diverse Cabinets, with key frontline posts going to ethnic minority members of Parliament, including Indian-origin Suella Braverman as the Home Secretary.

The process of appointing the Cabinet will continue into Wednesday, when Truss addresses her first Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons. By her side on the frontbenches will be Braverman, 42, whose Tamil mother had her family roots in Mauritius and Goan-origin father migrated to the UK from Kenya.

Know all about new UK PM Liz Truss

Also, by her side will be Ghanian-origin Kwasi Kwarteng, 47, as the UK's first black Chancellor and mixed Sierra Leone and white heritage James Cleverly as the Foreign Secretary, Truss' own former portfolio.

America rolls out annual COVID-19 vaccine plan

US President Joe Biden has announced the launch of an annual COVID-19 vaccine for all Americans above 12 years of age, a move which he said would protect his fellow countrymen against this deadly disease and its variants. "We are launching a new vaccine - our first in almost two years - with a new approach. For most Americans, that means one COVID-19 shot, once a year, each fall," Biden said in a statement. Starting this week, at tens of thousands of convenient pharmacies, doctor's offices, and community health centers, and other places, Americans age 12 and older can go get this new fall COVID-19 vaccine, he said.

US announces intercontinental ballistic missile test

The US military will test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Wednesday, the Pentagon said in an unusual pre-launch announcement.

It will be the second such US nuclear defense drill in less than a month.

"There will be an operational test launch of an Air Force Global Strike command unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early tomorrow morning, September 7, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said on Tuesday.

Priti Patel resigns as UK Home Secretary after Liz Truss wins PM race

California and the West broil in record heat wave

A record-setting heat wave made life miserable in much of the West on Tuesday, with California stretching into its second week of excessive heat that taxed the state's power supply and threatened power shortages that could prompt blackouts while people were desperately trying to stay cool. The California Independent System Operator, the entity that oversees the state's electrical grid, said there could be "rotating power outages" Tuesday evening when demand for power could reach an all-time high.

Vedant Patel becomes first Indian-American to hold daily US State Dept press conference

Vedant Patel, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, has created history by becoming the first Indian-American to hold the daily State Department news conference that his fellow colleagues said did with the utmost professionalism and clear communication. With State Department Spokesperson Ned Price on vacation, the 33-year-old Patel from California on Tuesday took the briefing room in the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department to represent the country on foreign policy issues before the media.

Story first published: Wednesday, September 7, 2022, 9:51 [IST]