Politics

• Wednesday, July 8th 2026 - 21:20 UTC

  US launches fresh strikes on Iran after Trump declares ceasefire over

  

  United States forces launched new strikes on Wednesday against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump declared the provisional ceasefire with Tehran “over.” US Central Command confirmed the operation and said it aimed to degrade Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation through the waterway, which carries close to a fifth of the world's oil.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2026 - 21:19 UTC

  UK/Netherlands navies partnership with eight next-generation amphibious transport ships

  

  The UK and the Netherlands have agreed a £2.4bn joint procurement program to acquire eight next-generation amphibious transport ships. Under the new maritime partnership the vessels will be built in the UK to a Dutch design, with four ships entering service with each nation.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2026 - 07:47 UTC

  Argentine court mistakenly summons namesake in high-profile corruption trial

  

  An unusual incident interrupted a hearing on Tuesday in the Cuadernos trial, one of the largest corruption cases in Argentine history: the court mistakenly summoned to testify a man who shared his name with one of the expected witnesses, a 73-year-old public accountant with no connection to the case.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2026 - 07:20 UTC

  Milei plans US-style government shutdown mechanism to cap Argentina's spending

  

  Argentine President Javier Milei announced on Tuesday that he will send Congress a bill to introduce a government “shutdown” mechanism, modeled on the US system, that would bar the executive from continuing to spend once budget allocations run out. The measure is part of a package of economic reforms with which the president aims to relaunch his administration.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2026 - 07:05 UTC

  Denmark says Greenland 'not for sale' after Trump renews call for US control

  

  Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reaffirmed on Wednesday that Greenland is “not for sale” and that her country is ready to defend “every inch” of its territory, after US President Donald Trump insisted that the Arctic territory should be under the control of the United States rather than Denmark.

• Tuesday, July 7th 2026 - 23:00 UTC

  Colombia's president-elect suspends transition, accuses Petro of attempting a coup

  

  Colombia's president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, froze the transition process with the outgoing government of Gustavo Petro on Tuesday and accused the president of attempting a coup, in a sharp escalation exactly one month before the handover of power, set for August 7.

• Tuesday, July 7th 2026 - 21:10 UTC

  Flávio Bolsonaro urges Washington to delay Brazil tariffs until after October vote

  

  Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the leading right-wing presidential hopeful, asked Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday to postpone until after the October elections a 25% tariff that the United States is considering imposing on Brazilian goods. He made the request during a public hearing before the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in Washington.

• Tuesday, July 7th 2026 - 08:05 UTC

  Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Medway makes first port call at Chile's Punta Arenas

  

  The British Royal Navy's patrol vessel HMS Medway (P223) docked on Sunday morning at Punta Arenas, in Chile's Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region, on its first visit to the port. The stop, for resupply, is due to last until Wednesday, July 8.

• Monday, July 6th 2026 - 23:43 UTC

  Trump admits calling FIFA over a red card; the reversal for the US striker sparks an outcry

  

  US President Donald Trump admitted he had called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask that the red card shown to US striker Folarin Balogun be reviewed, after the body reversed the suspension that would have kept him out of the round-of-16 match against Belgium. The decision, unprecedented in more than six decades of World Cups, triggered a wave of criticism and formal protests from the Belgian federation and UEFA.

• Monday, July 6th 2026 - 20:35 UTC

  French football federation to file complaint over Paraguayan senator's racist attack on Mbappé

  

  The French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Monday that it will file a complaint with prosecutors over racist posts by Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla directed at France captain Kylian Mbappé, and called for judicial proceedings to be opened.