“Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared at a NATO summit on Wednesday that her country would defend its territory as President Donald Trump revived his longtime demand for control of Greenland. Earlier this year, Trump sharply raised tensions with allies and seemed to push NATO to a breaking point with his threats to seize Greenland …. Allies stood up to the president and Trump backed down, saying at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he had reached the framework of a deal brokered by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. But almost as soon as he arrived to meet NATO counterparts in Turkey, Trump restarted the fight, telling reporters that Greenland ‘should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.’ … Asked if Denmark would defend its territory from friend or foe alike, Frederiksen said, ‘Of course we will defend the kingdom of Denmark.'” (07/08/26)
“Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, has been granted a posthumous conditional pardon. Ellis was hanged at London’s Holloway Prison in 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely. Her family have campaigned for her murder conviction to be overturned, arguing she was a victim of domestic abuse and was physically and emotionally abused by Blakely before shooting him. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told MPs the King had granted the pardon, saying that the death penalty had been replaced with a sentence of life imprisonment.” (07/08/26)
“U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth canceled a meeting that had been scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli source told Reuters. Any such sale would likely anger Israeli officials. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Hegseth had also been scheduled to meet Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on a trip to Israel and that Iran would feature in their discussions. … In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he opposed the sale of F-35s to Turkey, and that he had made his opposition clear to Trump.” (07/08/26)
“Graham Platner seems not to like taking no for an answer. The head of the Maine Democratic Party accused the embattled Senate candidate and alleged rapist late Tuesday of trying to put his ‘thumb on the scale’ as the party scrambles to find a replacement ahead of the November election. … ‘We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the US Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like,’ [MDP Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said]. ‘We have also reiterated that Graham Platner must drop out of this race, so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating Susan Collins this November. ‘We look forward to making this process public as soon as Graham Platner formally withdraws from this race.'” (07/08/26)
“A year since the dust settled on the Singapore general election, leadership resignations in two small opposition parties signal a period of post-poll recalibration after disappointing results. The once-promising Progress Singapore Party (PSP), led by ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) defector Tan Cheng Bock, was dealt an ‘existential blow’ on Monday, analysts say, following the resignations of two central executive committee members. … Also on Monday, People’s Power Party (PPP) announced its secretary general, Goh Meng Seng, had been replaced by William Lim Lian Chin. Goh had said he would step down after his team’s dismal showing in the four-way contest in the Tampines constituency.” (07/08/26)
“An appeals court on Wednesday denied President Trump’s bid to pause the removal of his name from the Kennedy Center while he challenges a lower court ruling. A three-judge panel determined the administration’s lawyers did not prove the president or the performing arts center would suffer irreparable harm if his name was removed from the venue as ordered. … Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee, and Judges Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins, both Obama appointees, denied the Trump administration’s motion for a stay pending appeal.” (07/08/26)
“Nigeria’s president has ordered a corruption investigation into allegations that a fictitious government agency was set up within his own office, complete with public funding worth $950,000 (£700,000). According to the presidency, the letter from the president’s chief of staff creating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) had been forged. The police have launched a manhunt for Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who had been presenting himself as the ‘PFIPC director general’, on suspicion of forgery, impersonation and related offences. Before going into hiding, Adeyemi told local media that he was innocent and now feared for his life. He also promised to show up in court to clear his name, saying the body was lawfully established. He accused senior government officials of demanding bribes during the process of his appointment and later attempting to take control of the council’s funds.” (07/08/26)
“U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was cutting off trade with Spain over defense spending — reviving a long-running feud between Washington and Madrid. ‘I didn’t speak to Spain. Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,’ he told reporters ahead of a meeting with fellow NATO leaders in Ankara. ‘By the way, I’d like you to cut it off,’ he added, appearing to address U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. … However, it’s unclear how Trump’s idea would work as Spain is a member of the EU, which is in charge of trade policy for all of its member countries.” (07/08/26)
“A Brazilian court has sentenced a couple to 50 days in prison for ‘intellectual neglect’ after they homeschooled their two daughters without a state-approved curriculum. A São Paulo criminal court ruled against Audato and Ieda Denardi, alleging they had failed to include programs on ‘gender and sex education’ and ‘tolerance and diversity’ in the curriculum for their daughters, aged 15 and 11, Alliance Defending Freedom (‘ADF’) International said. According to the legal group, the court also ruled that the parents failed to properly integrate their children into Brazilian culture, citing the girls’ preference for religious and classical music over popular trap or ‘sertanejo’ (folk) music. Isabel Monteiro, the defense attorney representing the family, said the judge made an ‘ideological decision to convict them’ based largely on the older daughter’s preference for sacred music over mainstream music that often features explicit lyrics.” (07/08/26)
“An under-construction Manhattan highrise at risk of collapse was stabilized late Tuesday and some evacuations of nearby buildings were lifted. ‘We’ve been monitoring the building for many hours and have not seen any movement,’ Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, said during a news conference Tuesday. By nighttime, residents were allowed back into several of the seven buildings that were evacuated as a precaution. The scene unfolded throughout the day after the precarious conditions were spotted in the morning at the 1970s-era building, which is being converted into luxury apartments. Construction workers at the site and people in nearby buildings — including a school, diplomatic offices and several hotels — in the busy corridor of midtown were rushed out after firefighters were called there around 8 a.m. ET.” (07/07/26)
