EUROPE - Ukraine began its long journey out of Russia’s shadow and towards Europe in Kyiv’s historic Maidan square. More than 100 protesters were killed and over 1,000 injured on the barricades of Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in 2014 as they demanded an end to Moscow’s malign influence. Some 12 years and an invasion later, more than 100,000 people have died fighting for freedom. And now, the EU has given Ukraine the green light to start formal membership negotiations with Volodymyr Zelensky’s government. It is a once-unthinkable step on a long and difficult road of deep reforms and painful scrutiny amid high-stakes diplomacy and an existential war. Ukrainians at the Maidan, where portraits of fallen protesters stand opposite a vast memorial to the war dead, told The Telegraph it was a fair reward for their sacrifice.

MIDDLE EAST - Iran has attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, US officials said. In a major test of the fragile week-long peace deal, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) damaged the vessel’s bridge near the Omani coast, the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations said. The flare-up, which did not leave any casualties, adds to the growing dispute over the strait, with Iranian officials plotting to reap billions of dollars by charging fees against the wishes of the US. The Islamic Republic estimated that charging for security, safety and environmental services in the hairpin maritime artery could bring in $40 billion (£29 billion) each year. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, told Gulf foreign ministers that Washington would not tolerate tolls being charged to cross the waterway. Yet Iranian officials are considering modelling a new levy on Turkey’s charge for ships passing through the Dardanelles, the Wall Street Journal reported. Tehran is trying to bring Gulf neighbours on board, suggesting they share the revenue, and is also seeking Chinese approval.

MIDDLE EAST - After nearly four months of grinding disruption since late February 2026, it looks like the Strait of Hormuz is slowly opening – commercial traffic is moving again. Yet anyone inclined to declare victory should pause. We have endured at least two false dawns and this could be another, with some ships turning back even as this is written. Eleven thousand mariners, many stranded for months and often the unseen victims in these situations, are finally leaving the Gulf. Fewer are entering, for now, presumably for fear of re-escalation and then getting trapped. Lloyd’s List notes that those moving first are, predictably, the vessels with the largest hull sections – the theory being that they are better placed to survive a mine strike that a smaller ship would not. That is a sobering way to measure confidence in a ceasefire.

DENMARK - Denmark’s immigration minister has announced plans to ban the Islamic call to prayer, claiming parts of the country felt like “a suburb of Islamabad”. Morten Bødskov, a member of the centre-Left Social Democrats party, said the new government would resume an investigation into the legality of imposing a ban. “The call to prayer should not be heard over Danish rooftops,” the minister told news outlet Ritzau. “It has no place in Denmark, and you shouldn’t be in any doubt whether you’ve ended up in a suburb of Islamabad when you walk around Denmark.” In parts of the country, such as Copenhagen, bylaws already forbid the call to prayer being broadcast from loudspeakers in minarets because of strict noise limits. Mr Bødskov also claimed that a creeping “Islamisation” in Denmark was “taking up too much of the public space”. The Adhan, or call to prayer, is performed five times a day to summon Muslim worshippers to their mosque, traditionally via loudspeakers in minarets.

UK - Labour is poised to encourage farmers to give up beef production and plant lentils to help combat climate change. On Wednesday, the Government’s long-awaited “farming roadmap” proposed helping landowners switch from high-emission farming – such as cattle – towards “growing oilseeds and pulses” to meet the increased demand for plant-based goods. “Farmers will play a critical role in delivering this transition by adopting practices that reduce emissions while sustaining productive, commercially viable businesses,” the Government said. The farming roadmap is intended to set out a long-term vision for British agriculture. It is seen as an attempt by the Government to win back support in the countryside after the family farm tax caused widespread rural unrest. However, farmers criticised the move, saying the land used by cattle would be inappropriate for growing lentils because it was too wet. He added that chemicals used on lentils could not be sprayed near water courses, such as in water meadows, where cattle often grazed.

ISRAEL - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his comittment to phase out American military assistance to Israel during a meeting with reservists at a combat officers' course in Gush Etzion last Thursday, the Government Press Office (GPO) announced on Tuesday. "Right now, we are standing against Iran and its proxies. We have dealt them blows. It is not over yet, but it depends on our strength. Where we will be 30 years from now depends on our strength. Therefore, what we are doing right now is building great strength," said Netanyahu. "I want armaments independence. I deeply appreciate the support we have received, and which I have also brought over the years, from our American friends. Today I say: We need our own independent armaments network. We must manufacture our own armaments," he added.

ISRAEL - According to sources, plans for the Shin Bet's Pride Month event were well underway when the organizers were notified of its cancellation, with no clear explanation provided. The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has canceled its annual Pride Month event, as well as a variety of other pride-related plans, under the orders of the Shin Bet head David Zini, N12 reported on Tuesday. Sources also listed to N12 the other pride programming planned to take place within the Shin Bet during Pride Month, which had been denied. These plans ranged from changes to the computer system's screensavers and the addition of a banner on the screens to the issuance of stickers and the hanging of pride flags throughout the event.

VENEZUELA - State of emergency declared after 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude quakes. Two of the strongest earthquakes in Venezuela’s history rocked the country on Wednesday evening, trapping and killing residents as buildings collapsed. A 7.2-magnitude quake struck near San Felipe city, west of the capital Caracas, followed less than a minute later by a more powerful 7.5-magnitude tremor, in a seismic event known as a “doublet earthquake”. Caracas was rattled by dozens of aftershocks on Wednesday night.

JAPAN - A powerful earthquake struck off Japan's northern coast on Thursday, but the country's meteorological agency said there was no danger of a tsunami. The quake had a magnitude of 7.2 and occurred off the eastern coast of Iwate, upgraded from an initial reading of 6.9, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake had a depth of about 50 kilometers (30 miles), it said. The US Geological Survey also reported a magnitude of 6.9. The rattling occurred in an area where strong earthquakes have repeatedly been reported in recent months, including one that triggered a weeklong mega-quake caution advisory in December.

USA - A strong earthquake has struck the US West Coast, triggering urgent warnings for millions to shelter in place during the seismic shockwaves. The US Geological Survey said a magnitude 5.6 quake erupted in Northern California at 11.10am ET on Wednesday, marking the strongest tremor since 1940. While the strongest shaking was reported right at the quake's epicenter near Redwood Valley, the tremors traveled more than 600 miles up and down the West Coast, reaching Coos Bay, Oregon in the north and Salinas, California in the south and parts of western Nevada. The Maacama is a major active strike-slip fault capable of causing strong shaking and damage in areas like Mendocino and Sonoma counties, where it runs through rural communities and wine country. Making the fault even more of a concern to locals is the fact that it is part of the larger San Andreas Fault system, the infamous 800-mile-long fault running through much of California.

USA - Where the 'Big One' will hit... as underground stress reaches a 1,000-year high and earthquakes split the ground throughout the US, Americans have long lived in fear of the 'Big One' - an earthquake so enormous it would devastate the West Coast - but that fear has reached new heights as stress under California has entered historic territory. A new study has discovered that the infamous San Andreas Fault has been experiencing stress levels higher than any other point in the last 1,000 years. When that energy is eventually released, researchers fear the rupture will travel beyond the 800-mile-long fault and merge with other faults experiencing even worse levels of stress in 2026 - triggering a megaquake that devastates the region. Across America, growing fears of a deadly disaster are no longer confined to the Golden State of California. As earthquakes hit across the country, many citizens are terrified that they too could be sitting on a seismic 'time bomb.'

USA - Americans are no strangers to natural disasters. Each year, the US endures extreme storms, raging wildfires, earthquakes and more. In 2024, there were 27 billion-dollar catastrophes in the US - and those were just weather and climate-related events. But scientists have long warned that the worst is yet to come. From a megaquake to a supercharged hurricane and a devastating volcanic eruption, research has shown that certain exceptionally dangerous disasters are bound to occur. Any one of these events could lay waste to entire cities - resulting in mass death, the destruction of thousands of homes and the complete collapse of regional infrastructure. It's not a matter of if they will strike, but when.

UK and Europe suffer intense heatwaves while a Saharan dust storm hits the US - as experts warn extreme events are becoming the norm. Billions of people around the world are suffering the wrath of apocalyptic weather events this week. In the UK and Europe, there have been scorching heatwaves, with parts of the continent expected to hit 46°C. At the same time, a huge cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert is inching closer to the US, where it's expected to engulf entire states in the coming days. What's more, parts of India and Pakistan are enduring prolonged temperatures above 46°C, forcing schools to close. Europe is sweltering under a heat dome, pushing temperatures in parts of the continent to 46°C, as deaths rise and the risk of disaster grows.

UK - Once a fringe idea, euthanasia is having its moment internationally and in the United Kingdom. Lauren Edwards is reintroducing the Leadbeater bill with every intention of ramming it through Parliament by using the threat of the Parliament Acts. But the British debate seems positively old-fashioned compared to that across the North Sea. This week it was announced that, for the first time since its legalisation in 2024, a child between the age of one and 12 was euthanised in the Netherlands. No details were given, except that a committee would review the case to determine whether everything had been done in accordance with the law.

IRAN - The US has lifted sanctions on Iranian oil exports for two months. The general license, announced by the US treasury as peace talks continued in Switzerland, is a move promised under the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. It authorised the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil until August 21. During Monday’s peace talks, Iran’s foreign ministry said the removal of sanctions on its oil exports was a key promise Washington had to honour to continue negotiations for a final peace agreement. The removal fulfils one major aspect of the memorandum, in which the US pledges to “terminate all types of sanctions” against Iran and to “make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets” of Tehran. Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, wrote on X: “In line with the ongoing productive talks in Switzerland, Iran has committed to free and open transit in the Strait of Hormuz and to permit International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors into their country."