The world of international arms deals received a jolt today as Denmark announced it will purchase an estimated $9 billion in cutting-edge military systems — the largest weapons purchase ever for the Scandinavian nation. More surprising than the massive buy is who Denmark has chosen to supply the influx of arms: fellow European nations and conspicuously not the U.S.

‘Threat to Europe and Denmark for years to come’
There’s “no doubt” that Russia, currently in year three of its attempted full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will be a “threat to Europe and Denmark for years to come,” said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to the press today. Denmark this past year boosted its military budget to “address acute shortcomings” following Russia’s Ukraine assault, said Reuters.

Danish officials have “publicly” joined the “longstanding concerns of their NATO allies” over Russian aggression in the icy waters to the country’s north, said CNN. Many officials also expect that if and when the Ukraine conflict ends, Russia will next “divert resources” and use its “warfighting experience to pose a much greater threat in the Arctic region.” 

‘Increasingly risky’ to depend on American support
While the European Union has recently increased its push for countries to “spend defense euros on the continent” that will, in turn, “strengthen the local arms industry and build a credible military deterrent,” Denmark’s intra-EU purchase also comes at a time when “dependence on U.S. suppliers is seen as increasingly risky,” said DefenseNews. In part, that stems from President Donald Trump’s longstanding aim to annex Greenland from the Danish government, a move many Danes “still see as their most pressing, and worrying, diplomatic challenge,” said CNN. 

Danish officials insist that American firms were “not being passed over for political reasons,” said Germany’s Table media. The decision to “go with more than one or two suppliers enables shorter delivery times,” said Denmark’s Lt. Gen. Per Pugholm Olsen, who heads the military’s Acquisition and Logistics Organization. “If we can’t get the best equipment, buy the next best," said Frederiksen. "There’s only one thing that counts now, and that’s speed.”

The number of opioid-related deaths between 2011 and 2022 in England and Wales is more than 50% higher than previously thought, according to a new report. The publication of new data from King’s College London has profound implications for both government and social understanding of drug issues. The U.K.’s underestimated opioid problem reflects a “serious drug-related deaths crisis,” said lead author Dr. Caroline Copeland. 

Why were these deaths underreported? 
The U.K.’s Office for National Statistics does not have access to post-mortem reports or toxicology results, so it’s reliant on the information provided by coroners on death certificates. For the ONS to be able to record a drug death from a specific substance, a coroner would have to name it on the death certificate — something that doesn’t often happen, particularly if multiple drugs are present in the body. The researchers were able to access information from coroners’ reports to compile more reliable data. 

How many people are killed by opioids in the UK? 
Opioids are a class of natural or synthetic drugs — some available by prescription and many illegally — that have a morphine-like, painkilling effect on the brain. They include heroin, fentanyl, codeine and oxycodone and were responsible for a total of 39,232 deaths in England and Wales in the 11-year range of the report, compared with just over 25,000 estimated by the ONS. 

The National Records of Scotland collates its own official information. It receives “more detailed pathology reports, but differences in how deaths are reported across the U.K. make it difficult to compare,” said the BBC. 

What can be done? 
Governments around the world have been scratching their heads about how to tackle the rapidly evolving opioid problem. Nitazenes, a new and potent type of synthetic opioid, seem to be a leading cause of addiction and one of the “fastest-growing groups of new psychoactive substances” in the world, said The Independent. Because nitazenes are made in labs, they can be altered easily. Producers can make an “entirely new product of similar potency,” which is not always subject to legal bans, said The Economist. 

Ultimately, if governing bodies do not take further action and do not keep up to date with new variations or collate accurate statistics, efforts to tackle the opioid crisis could suffer “underfunding,” said the research. The U.K. government is now working alongside coroners to improve the method of reporting deaths.

Women dressed in traditional clothing practice garba, a traditional dance, ahead of the Navaratri festival in Ahmedabad, India. Once a year, Hindu devotees celebrate the goddess Durga in her nine forms with nine nights of dancing and fasting.
Ajit Solanki / AP

A new crop of musicals and plays will be hitting the road in the coming months, as Tony winners and other recent hits from earlier this year plan their tours. In the meantime, the coming months are a great time to catch up on old favorites or make some new ones.

‘Back to the Future’
Yup, the DeLorean does indeed travel back in time onstage in this musicalized take on the ’80s classic. A lot of lighting and visual and sound effects are required to pull off the coup d’theatre. “Back to the Future” kowtows to our basest nostalgic impulses. Still, the show is an absolute romp. (now through July 19)

‘The Book of Mormon’
Trey Parker and Matt Stone poked every single one of Broadway audiences’ funny bones when “The Book of Mormon” debuted on the Great White Way in 2011. The show is still running there in 2025, and the North American tour is taking the insouciant, hummable tunes across the country. (now through June 14)

‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’
This forward-looking sequel to the original Harry Potter series follows the children of Harry and Ginny, and Hermione and Ron, as they begin their own journey through the halls of Hogwarts. It’s a fun fast-paced romp, and the stage magic and special effects are potent and head-scratching: Wait? Wasn’t Hermione on that side of the stage, so how did she appear on the other side seconds later? Know that the Dementors do appear, and it’s terrifying. (now through July 25)