We’re going to miss this World Cup when it’s over next week. We were treated to two brilliant quarterfinals yesterday, which saw both England and Argentina advance to the last four at the expense of Norway and Switzerland. For England, it was all about one name: Jude Bellingham. I’ve given up on guessing where the 23-year-old plays, he’s sort of just everywhere on the pitch and he netted twice to inspire his team past Erling Haaland’s Norway.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/12/sport/the-beautiful-game-july-12
Anastasiya Minkova collapsed in shock when she arrived home from a trip last September to find that her husband had moved out and taken their two-year-old son. The US-Russian citizen is now fighting for custody of the child, who CNN is calling Ren to protect his identity. The last time Minkova saw Ren was six months ago – when they spent 30 minutes together, playing with toys at a children’s home, under the watchful eye of staff.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/11/asia/japan-law-parental-child-abduction-intl-hnk-dst
Amanuel wakes up each day not knowing if it will be his last. A rap at his cell door could mean his time is up; no farewell call, no last meal. Executions in Saudi Arabia often arrive without warning. “I’m a dead man walking,” he says. “After my friends were executed, I don’t eat food, I don’t drink water.” Amanuel is a pseudonym for one young prisoner who’s been imprisoned for several years. CNN obtained his account from inside Khamis Mushait prison, in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. CNN is not naming him for his own protection.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/13/africa/ethiopian-migrants-saudi-arabia-death-row-intl
Jannik Sinner is starting to make a habit of responding to adversity in Paris with titles at Wimbledon. The top-ranked Sinner beat Alexander Zverev 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 Sunday for his second consecutive title at the All England Club after his German opponent appeared bothered by a knee issue following a slip to the grass on a key point in the third set. Sinner’s fifth Grand Slam title came in his first tournament since a second-round meltdown at the French Open, when he wilted in a Paris heat wave.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/12/sport/wimbledon-mens-final-sinner-zverev
A federal judge on Monday said a controversial lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against the IRS sought to “manipulate the judicial process” and that he acted in bad faith in bringing it. US District Judge Kathleen Williams is ordering sanctions for the attorneys involved in the lawsuit, which led to an attempt to create the now-defunct $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for allies of the president. It was also used to justify a Trump administration order giving the president and his businesses amnesty for any past tax issues. Williams’ 56-page opinion blasted the behavior of both the Justice Department — arguing that the administration’s response to the case disregarded DOJ policies and potentially the law — and of the private attorneys who brought the lawsuit on Trump’s behalf.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/13/politics/trump-irs-judge-ruling-settlement-sanctions