US to impose 15% tariffs on South Korea as part of trade deal, Donald Trump says

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President Lee Jae Myung says deal puts South Korea on an equal or better footing than other countries

President Donald Trump has said the US will charge a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea as part of an agreement with the key Asian trading partner and ally that avoids even higher levies.

The arrangement, announced shortly after Trump met with Korean officials at the White House, came during a blizzard of trade policy announcements ahead of a self-imposed 1 August deadline.

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Ice entices new recruits with patriotism pitch and pledge of $50,000 signing bonuses

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‘Brave and heroic Americans’ campaign seeks investigators, officers and lawyers after agency gets funds from Congress

The agency responsible for carrying out Donald Trump’s mass deportations is launching a recruiting campaign to entice “brave and heroic Americans” to serve as new deportation officers, lawyers and investigators as the government gears up for a major expansion of immigration enforcement thanks to a recent infusion of money from Congress. The icing on the cake: a promise of up to $50,000 in signing bonuses.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement campaign, which rolled out late Tuesday, recalls recruiting posters from the second world war with images of Uncle Sam and the words “AMERICA NEEDS YOU.” There also are photos of the US president and top homeland security officials with the words “DEFEND THE HOMELAND” across the images.

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Countries failing to act on UN climate pledge to triple renewables, thinktank finds

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Fossil fuel reliance likely to continue and Cop28 target of limiting global heating to below 1.5C will be missed

Most global governments have failed to act on the 2023 UN pledge to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade, according to climate analysts.

The failure to act means that on current forecasts the world will fall far short of its clean energy goals, leading to a continued reliance on fossil fuels that is incompatible with the target of limiting global heating to below 1.5C.

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Met police to more than double use of live facial recognition

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Technology will now be used up to 10 times a week across five days, up from four times a week across two days

Britain’s biggest police force is to more than double its use of live facial recognition to up to 10 deployments a week.

The move by the Metropolitan police comes as it restructures to cover the loss of 1,400 officers and 300 staff amid budget shortages.

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Canada to recognise Palestine at UN general assembly, joining France and UK in push for new state

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New Zealand and Australia were signatories to a declaration that indicates they could follow suit in the coming months

The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has announced his country plans to formally recognise Palestine during the UN general assembly in September, after France and 14 other countries co-signed a declaration that pointed towards a wave of future recognitions of an independent Palestinian state.

Canada’s plans follow similar announcements by France and the UK to formally recognise Palestine, while New Zealand and Australia were also signatories to a declaration that indicates they could follow suit in the coming months.

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Brown University reaches deal with Trump administration to restore $50m in funds

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Ivy League school will commit to nondiscrimination in admissions and campus programs, and grant officials access to data

Brown University has reached an agreement with the Trump administration that will reinstate nearly $50m in research funding and close several federal investigations into the institution, university president Christina Paxson announced in a campus-wide email on Wednesday.

The settlement follows the Trump administration’s threat in April to freeze $510m in federal support to Brown. This makes Brown the third Ivy League school to reach a resolution with the federal government this month.

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Flight disruption after major UK air traffic outage – BBC

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  1. Flight disruption after major UK air traffic outage  BBC
  2. Flights resuming after air traffic control issue, but dozens have been cancelled  BBC
  3. Flights at UK airports hit by major technical issue  CNN
  4. UK flight delays: traffic control restored but transport secretary warns of continued disruption – as it happened  The Guardian
  5. Flights Are Disrupted at Airports Across U.K. After Radar Problem  The New York Times
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NYC rabbis arrested while protesting hunger in Gaza – Gothamist

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  1. NYC rabbis arrested while protesting hunger in Gaza  Gothamist
  2. Gazans Are Dying of Starvation  The New York Times
  3. The grim reality of Gaza's hunger crisis appears to be shifting U.S. public opinion  NBC News
  4. Gaza experiencing ‘worst case’ scenario of famine, leading aid group warns  PBS
  5. People are dying of malnutrition in Gaza. How does starvation kill you? : Goats and Soda  NPR
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Labour says firms will be penalised for late payments to suppliers

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Government drive to support small business will include startup loans for 69,000 companies worth £4bn

Keir Starmer has warned businesses who persistently delay payments to their suppliers that it is “time to pay up” as the government prepares to impose fines and penalties on repeat offenders.

In what Labour has billed as the toughest crackdown on late payments in a generation, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will say on Thursday that the changes will slash a cost to the economy that has escalated to £11bn a year.

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12 killed, record number of children injured in Russia’s massive attack on Kyiv – The Kyiv Independent

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  1. 12 killed, record number of children injured in Russia’s massive attack on Kyiv  The Kyiv Independent
  2. Russian strikes kill eight and hit apartment block in Kyiv, officials say  BBC
  3. Russian Missile and Drone Attack Pummels Kyiv, Killing at Least 7  The New York Times
  4. Russian strike on Kyiv kills 7, including 6-year-old boy, Ukrainian president says  ABC News
  5. Fires and destruction as missile attacks rattle Ukraine’s capital  Al Jazeera
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Israel said to warn Hamas it will annex parts of Gaza if no hostage deal reached – The Times of Israel

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  1. Israel said to warn Hamas it will annex parts of Gaza if no hostage deal reached  The Times of Israel
  2. Israeli Far-Right Minister Promotes Plan for Jewish Resettlement in Gaza  The New York Times
  3. Israeli minister hints at annexing parts of Gaza  Reuters
  4. Israel weighs Gaza annexation if no hostage deal reached  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Pressure Hamas, Appease Far Right: Are Israeli Plans to Annex Gaza Just Spin?  Haaretz
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