What happened
European leaders are urging Donald Trump to include Ukraine in a planned summit with Vladimir Putin, warning against any agreement that is reached without Kyiv's input. The US and Russian leaders are expected to meet in Alaska on Friday, the first such encounter since the 2022 invasion.

Who said what
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin was working with Washington to ensure Volodymyr Zelenskyy's attendance, insisting that territorial issues must not be decided "over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians".

Peace talks are a "prize for Putin and spell danger for Zelenskyy", said The Times in a leading article. "This is a straightforward defeat," agreed Daniel Hannan in The Telegraph. "Trump has betrayed Ukraine, making the world immeasurably more dangerous." Russian opposition activist and former chess champion Garry Kasparov said: "It's a process of normalising and elevating (Putin), offering him concessions and lifelines that only embolden him to further aggression."

What next?
The White House says it is working towards holding talks involving Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy, although the sequencing remains unresolved. European leaders have tabled a counter-proposal requiring a ceasefire before any further steps.

What happened
Average rents for newly let homes in Great Britain have fallen year-on-year for the first time since 2020, according to estate agent Hamptons. The 0.2% drop last month follows years of steep rises driven by demand outpacing supply, pandemic disruption and higher landlord costs from interest rate hikes. The fall was concentrated in certain areas, with Greater London down 3% – its biggest annual drop since May 2021 – and further declines in Wales, north-east England and Yorkshire and the Humber. Seven out of 11 UK regions still saw annual rent increases.

Who said what
"After five years of relentless rent rises, the market has paused for breath," said Aneisha Beveridge, Hamptons' head of research, noting that renewal rents for existing tenants still rose 4.5% in July.

Rents are dropping for two reasons, according to The Guardian. After five interest rate cuts over the past year, the mortgage costs for some landlords have fallen, "reducing the need to pass on further costs". And lower mortgage rates are also making it easier for some tenants to begin looking to buy their first home, "thereby reducing demand".

What next?
Despite the drop, and with the average monthly new-let rent still at £1,373 – 34% higher than in August 2020 – tenants are unlikely to feel major relief soon.

"Erecting a statue of a man's hot dream of what a woman should look like is unlikely to promote many women's acceptance of their own bodies."

So wrote Sørine Gotfredsen, a priest and journalist, in the Danish newspaper Berlingske. The 13-foot statue, a voluptuous stone mermaid, has "caused controversy for years due to its exaggerated figure", said The Independent.

But now it will reportedly be removed from Dragør Fort in Copenhagen because it "does not align with the cultural heritage of the 1910 landmark", said The Guardian.

"Den Store Havfrue" (the "Big Mermaid") is no stranger to eviction. It was initially erected in 2006 at Langelinie Pier in Copenhagen, a few hundred yards from the world-famous "Little Mermaid" statue. But the bigger mermaid was removed after locals reportedly complained that it was "too sexualised", said The Telegraph.

Yet the "Big Mermaid" is "arguably a bit less naked" than her smaller inspiration, said Berlingske's debate editor Aminata Corr Thrane. "On the other hand, she has bigger breasts, and that's probably where the problem lies. Do naked female breasts have to have a specific academic shape and size to be allowed to appear in public?"

Peter Bech, the restaurateur who commissioned the statue, said he couldn't understand the fuss, claiming it was a retort to tourists who complain that the "Little Mermaid" is too small.

"The mermaid has completely normal proportions in relation to her size. Of course, the breasts are big on a big woman," Bech told TV 2 Kosmopol, a Danish broadcaster. The criticism is "pure nonsense".