“Tuareg separatists and their allies attacked a convoy of Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers Thursday morning, as they travelled to assist cohorts holed up at a northern military camp in the town of Anefis. Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and FLA Tuareg groups launched coordinated attacks in Mali on Saturday, just over two months after another major offensive in which they captured the strategic northern town of Kidal and killed the troubled West African country’s defence minister.” (07/09/26)
“U.S. Olympic canoeist David ‘Davey’ Hearn pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday in connection with alleged damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. … He is among at least four people facing charges in connection with the alleged tampering of the pool, which President Donald Trump began renovating this spring. The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, alleges Hearn was seen ‘forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner’ of the pool with both hands on June 19. Hearn’s legal team says he is innocent and calls the charges ‘outrageous.'” (07/09/26)
“Pakistan naval search and rescue teams battled rough seas on Thursday as the search for five crew members who went missing after their cargo plane crashed into the Arabian Sea entered its second day, officials said. Wreckage from the aircraft was recovered on Wednesday, with no sign of the missing crew members. The aircraft, operated by private carrier K2 Airways, reported a malfunction in its navigation system before losing radio and radar contact late Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority. Ships and aircraft have continued to comb waters nearly 300 kilometers (180 miles) southwest of Karachi, where the plane disappeared from radar while approaching Pakistan’s largest city from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.” (07/09/26)
“The European Commission is proposing tough measures to reduce imports from illegal Israeli [squats] in the West Bank, as part of options presented to national capitals this week. A paper from the EU’s executive branch, marked confidential and seen by POLITICO, states that ‘strengthened enforcement may reduce imports from [squats] channelled into the EU in violation of existing rules, without requiring new EU legal instruments.’ Among the ideas being considered are an import licensing system, whereby goods from illegal [squats] would need special permission to be exported to the bloc; tariffs targeting goods originating in the [squats]; or an outright ban on imports from illegal s[squats].” (07/09/26)
“The suspect in the murder of a New York mom who recently moved to Ireland is a Middle Eastern asylum-seeker who met her at an anti-Israel protest — and who may have already fled the country, according to reports. The bloody body of Jamey Carney, 43, was found Tuesday afternoon by her 13-year-old daughter at her rented home in Killarney, where she had moved five years ago from Westchester County, the Irish Sun reported. She was beaten to death and suffered multiple head injuries, with cops probing reports that a loud argument was heard the night before at her home on a luxury housing estate.” (07/09/26)
“Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed in June, but a key measure of home prices climbed to an all-time high, adding to prospective homebuyers’ affordability challenges. Existing home sales fell 2.4% last month from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. Sales rose 2.8% compared with June last year. The latest sales tally fell short of the roughly 4.21 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet. Home sales have been mostly hovering close to a 4-million annual pace going back to 2023, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million. Sales have remained sluggish as mortgage rates have mostly trended higher in the months since the war between the U.S. and Iran started, fueling expectations of higher inflation amid surging crude oil prices. Still, mortgage rates remain below where they were a year ago.” (07/09/26)
“New York’s attorney general is suing several large chemical and agricultural companies, alleging they knowingly sold harmful so-called forever chemicals used in cosmetics, non-stick cookware and other products. The lawsuit against 3M, DuPont de Nemours, The Chemours Company and Corteva and other manufacturers is the latest legal action over PFAS, which have been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers and developmental delays in children.” (07/09/26)
“Australia will begin to sell uranium to India for peaceful purposes after the two countries’ leaders signed an administrative deal Thursday, enacting an agreement on exports of the material that was held up for years over concerns about weapons use. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the joint announcement after a meeting in Melbourne. The leaders didn’t immediately supply details of how much uranium would be sold, or when. Exports of Australian uranium to India stalled after an agreement to do so in 2014, because of concern that the material could be used to make weapons.” (07/09/26)
“Utah prosecutors plan to play audio clips in open court Thursday of law enforcement officials interviewing the roommate of the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Defense attorneys fought against the public release of the statements from Tyler Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs. They said prosecutors would characterize the statements as a confession, undermining Robinson’s right to a fair trial if the statements are broadcast by the media. Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea. … Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note left for Twiggs that read: ‘I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it’. Robinson also allegedly sent a text to Twiggs saying he targeted Kirk because he ‘had enough of his hatred’.” (07/09/26)
“The Trump administration is preparing a list of Spanish goods to potentially embargo, after President Donald Trump ordered officials to cut off trade with the European nation Thursday morning. The Treasury Department will be working with the U.S. trade representative and Commerce Department to provide Trump ‘a menu of Spanish products that may be embargoed in the coming days,’ a U.S.official said via email. Such a move would potentially blow up the trade deal the U.S. struck with the European Union last year. Spain is a member of the 27-country bloc. The European Parliament recently passed legislation implementing the terms of the deal that includes a clause allowing the bloc to pull out if any breach of what is known as the Turnberry Agreement.” (07/08/26)
