South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) has suggested forming a government of national unity after losing its parliamentary majority in last week's elections. It says it has reached out to all parties but negotiations are still underway. "The results indicate that the South Africans want all parties to work together," ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri told journalists.

The ANC got about 40% of the vote, with the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) on 22%, the MK party of former President Jacob Zuma on 15% and the radical Economic Freedom Fighters on 9%. Under South Africa's proportional representation system, any government would need to be formed of parties which together got more than 50% of the vote. Ms Bhengu-Motsiri said the ANC has had discussions with the DA, the EFF and other smaller parties. She revealed that despite reaching out to MK, there has been no positive response. Forming a government of national unity would allow the ANC to sidestep the dilemma of who to work with.

A gunman who attacked the U.S. embassy near Beirut was shot and captured by Lebanese soldiers after a shootout that injured an embassy security guard. The attack took place as tensions simmered in the tiny Mediterranean country, where months of fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops has displaced thousands along the border, following years of political deadlock and economic hardship.

Local media reported that there was a gunfight involving at least one attacker and lasting almost half an hour. Joe Abdo, who works at a gas station near the compound said he heard "around 15 to 20 rounds of gunfire" while working that morning. "We ran here to see what's happening and suddenly, the army blocked us from going up," he told The Associated Press. No motive was immediately clear, but Lebanese media have published photos that appear to show a bloodied attacker wearing a black vest with the words "Islamic State" written in Arabic and the English initials "I" and "S."

Sir Keir Starmer said he would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if needed to defend the UK as he set out his party Labour's defence plans ahead of the UK's general election. The Labour leader said "security will always come first" under his leadership and claimed his party has left behind Jeremy Corbyn's opposition to the Trident nuclear weapons system. If elected, Sir Keir said he would increase defence spending and update the UK's nuclear arsenal.

Conservative defence secretary Grant Shapps said Labour represented a "danger to our national security". He called Labour's pledge to protect the nuclear deterrent "meaningless", given a dozen of Labour's current front bench team voted against renewing Trident in 2016 under Mr Corbyn, including shadow foreign secretary David Lammy and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner. The Labour party was split when the House of Commons last voted to renew the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system, with 140 of the party's 230 MPs defying leader Mr Corbyn to back the motion.

The Washington Post said that its executive editor, Sally Buzbee, has stepped down after three years at the top of one of journalism's most storied brands. She will be replaced by Matt Murray, former editor in chief of The Wall Street Journal, through this fall's presidential election. Following that, Robert Winnett, deputy editor of the Telegraph Media Group, will take over as editor as the newsroom restructures its operations.

No reason was given for Buzbee's departure. She wasn't quoted in the news release announcing that she was leaving, and did not immediately return a message seeking comment. The Post also announced that it was launching a new division in its newsroom dedicated to reaching audiences who want to pay for and consume news in a different way. Buzbee, former top editor at The Associated Press, was selected as the Post's top editor in May 2021. She replaced a renowned predecessor, Martin Baron, after the Post exploded in popularity during the Trump administration.