Flagship

US tariff talks scaled back

Global powers scaled down their ambitions for trade deals with Washington, barely a week before President Donald Trump’s tariff reprieve expires. The European Union looks likely to accept a universal 10% import tariff, but wants exemptions on major exports including alcohol, cars, and pharmaceuticals, according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, India is expected to sign an interim trade deal with the US in order to protect the South Asian nation’s politically sensitive agricultural exports, the Financial Times reported. The White House itself is backing off its initial promises to reshape the global trading system, and is instead settling for a “narrower, piecemeal plan,” the FT said, before a 90-day suspension of Trump’s “Liberation Day” duties expires.

EU reaches new Ukraine trade deal

The European Union agreed a new trade deal with Ukraine, with the war-hit country lowering tariffs on food imports as the bloc seeks to appease its powerful agricultural lobby. The EU abolished tariffs and quotas on exports to Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion, but Eastern European states fielded protests from farmers who complained their markets were being flooded. The new agreement attempts to support Kyiv while mollifying neighbors. Despite the deal, and NATO’s recent agreement to focus on deterring Russia, Ukraine’s outlook is bleak, the Financial Times’ chief foreign-affairs commentator warned: Analysts say the country’s battlefield position is deteriorating, and while Moscow’s forces could become exhausted within a year, for Ukraine that timescale may be shorter.

Millions at risk from US aid cuts

Washington’s foreign aid cuts could lead to an additional 14 million deaths by 2030 as countries scramble to make up for the sudden, massive shortfall. According to a report in The Lancet, up to a third of those premature deaths would be of children, with sub-Saharan Africa likely to be hardest hit. US humanitarian assistance has plunged by around 80% since billionaire Elon Musk — who as a White House aide oversaw drastic budget cuts — boasted of feeding aid agency USAID “into the wood chipper.” The abrupt cuts have already led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, according to one estimate, with one expert telling the BBC that further reductions would wipe out “two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations.”

Trump ends most Syria sanctions

US President Donald Trump moved to end most sanctions on Syria, part of a wider effort to rehabilitate the war-torn country and reduce upheaval in the Middle East. Syria has been under some level of US sanctions since 1979, with more sweeping ones imposed in 2011 in response to dictator Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on protests. But a December revolution ended the Assad family’s rule, and the former Islamist militant who leads the new government has sought new investment and trade links, which Gulf states in particular have been quick to offer. But the transition has not been bloodless: Communities associated with the old regime have been targeted for massacres by fighters linked to the country’s new leaders, a sign that Syria remains dangerously polarized.

Bukele deal hampers US probe

US President Donald Trump’s plan to deport gang leaders to El Salvador risks undermining a long-running probe into corruption in the Central American nation. US prosecutors have for years investigated alleged deals between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and crime bosses which saw gangs promise to halt violence in exchange for bribes. Now Bukele, who has flaunted an “iron fist” alliance with Trump, is attempting to have the gang leaders repatriated to prevent them from testifying, offering to house prisoners in El Salvador in exchange. At home, however, Bukele’s popularity has slipped on concerns of “grotesque corruption,” The Economist reported. “Sooner or later, the consequences of having made deals with gangs will catch up with Bukele,” a prominent Salvadoran journalist wrote.

Thai court suspends PM

Thailand’s prime minister was suspended over a leaked phone conversation with Cambodia’s former strongman leader, intensifying the countries’ diplomatic crisis. The ruling by Thailand’s top court piles further pressure on Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government: The premier held only a slim parliamentary majority even before the leaked call, in which she referred to Hun Sen as “uncle” and criticized a Thai military leader amid a border row with Cambodia. Bangkok has since been convulsed by protests against her government, and a legal petition has demanded her resignation. The standoff encapsulates many of Thailand’s long-running political fissures: Shinawatra’s family has dominated its politics for decades, but has faced opposition from its powerful military, courts, and groups tied to the monarchy.

Apple mulls AI deal

Apple is reportedly considering using Anthropic or OpenAI’s artificial intelligence models to power its Siri chatbot, in a potential acknowledgment that its AI progress has stalled. The iPhone maker has asked to train versions of Claude and ChatGPT that could run on Apple infrastructure for testing, according to Bloomberg. Siri “felt like something out of science fiction” when released in 2011, Bloomberg BusinessWeek wrote in May, allowing users to talk to their phones in natural language, but it has fallen behind in the genAI era, and its recent work has been underwhelming. Switching to a rival’s model would be “an acknowledgment that the company is struggling to compete in… the most important new technology in decades.”

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Google bets on fusion

Google signed a deal to buy power generated through nuclear fusion, only the second such agreement to use the as-yet-unviable technology. Commercial Fusion Systems plans to open a demonstration reactor in Massachusetts in 2027 and create a commercial plant, ready to supply Google’s data centers with power, by the early 2030s. Nuclear fusion works by squashing small atoms together, as occurs in the center of stars, rather than splitting big atoms like traditional nuclear plants; it could provide limitless clean energy with minimal radioactive waste, but has yet to generate more power than is put in, despite decades of work. Recent progress has been promising, though, and Google’s deal represents a bet that the technology is close to reality.

Sweltering sporting events

Sporting events on either side of the Atlantic sweltered in record-breaking temperatures. Monday was the hottest Wimbledon opening day ever; one fan collapsed during defending champion Carlos Alcaraz’s match, with the tennis superstar rushing over to offer his bottle of water. And in the US, the unloved soccer Club World Cup has faced dangerous temperatures: Dozens of spectators needed hospital treatment. A players’ union called it a “wake-up call” ahead of next year’s (actual) men’s World Cup, also in North America, warning of the risk to players as climate change intensifies even formerly temperate countries’ summers. One academic called for the 2026 final to be played at 9am, which would be unpopular with the sport’s core European audience.