Top World News
Michelin-starred restaurant owner in South Korea faces jail over ant dessert
Prosecutors seek a one-year sentence and heavy fine after chef garnished dish with insects not approved for consumptionProsecutors in South Korea have asked a court to sentence the owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant to one year in prison for serving a dessert topped with ants, an insect not approved for consumption under local food safety law.The request, made on Monday, also sought a 20m won (£10,108) fine for the company that runs the restaurant, Yonhap news agency reported. Continue reading...
Congo's Ebola outbreak has killed nearly 1,000 people
At least 999 people have died from the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, according to official data published overnight into Wednesday, a grim toll in what’s already been declared the fastest Ebola outbreak in history
A protest movement is challenging India's establishment. What to know about the 'Cockroaches'
A joke has turned into a major protest movement in India, challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi Hindu nationalist’s government
Louvre reopens Apollo Gallery after a brazen heist, but no jewels on display
The Louvre's Apollo gallery is reopening to the public for the first time since last year's crown jewels heist
Iran launches missiles at Jordan
Missile alert sirens have sounded in Jordan’s port city of Aqaba as attacks across the Middle East overshadowed diplomatic efforts in Pakistan to salvage an interim ceasefire deal that has collapsed
Lebanon's prime minister calls for Israeli military withdrawal
Lebanon's prime minister has visited a southern village as a Lebanese-Israeli agreement brokered by Washington appears to have started following a monthslong war
Trump considers cutting bait on Iran war to try to save the midterms: report
President Donald Trump was considering a total end to the Iran war for the sake of bailing out Republicans in the midterm elections, The Atlantic reported on Tuesday.This comes as none of the typical day-to-day things a president or Congress does to oversee a war have happened since the president's ceasefire memorandum was thrown out, the report said."In the 10 days since the United States resumed its air strikes against Iran, neither President Trump nor any other senior administration official has publicly addressed the campaign," said the report. "U.S. forces began by striking Iranian military facilities but later expanded to attacking civilian infrastructure that the administration says is being used for military purposes." Congress has "yet to receive classified briefings on the latest phase of the war."Meanwhile, Trump, who initially bragged about how well the war was going when the fighting first erupted, has tried to shift the conversation back to his election conspiracy theories.The president "expected a quick victory, and so the military didn’t prepare for a prolonged conflict," according to the report. And as the administration failed to adequately build up forces, it set off further problems for the U.S. military."Although the military surged additional forces into the region, many assets — particularly Navy ships — were diverted from other war theaters rather than trained for this conflict," The Atlantic reported. "The Pentagon has since extended the deployments of nearly half of those ships, further taxing an already-strapped force."According to two sources who spoke to The Atlantic, "Trump may at some point consider," a clean break from the war to cut losses, stop gas prices from rising further, and try to prevent more damage to the GOP in the polls. "But for now, despite the growing costs, he is continuing the fight.""While sitting next to the leader of Lebanon in the Oval Office today, the president seemed to commit himself to the type of forever war he once derided: 'We’re not finished at all,' Trump told reporters. 'We’re not leaving right now,'" said the report — and Trump further vowed "to bomb Pickaxe Mountain on the suspicion that it houses part of Iran’s nuclear program."
'Swinging recklessly': WSJ slams Trump's 'senseless' attack on Canada
The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board was none too happy about President Donald Trump's latest "senseless" tariff order — this time a 50 percent punitive attack on Canada for perceived unjust trade practices.The president has tried multiple times to issue broad-based tariffs around the world, which federal courts have slapped down. This also comes as Trump caused international tension by delaying opening of a critical international bridge set to boost trade between the U.S. and Canada.'The White House on Monday exhumed Section 338 of the 1930 Tariff Act to impose 50% tariffs on hundreds of Canadian goods, including hockey sticks, honey, beer, down feathers, fishing rods and golf clubs," wrote the board, noting that they don't take effect for another month — a clear indication Trump wants to use them as a bargaining chip.This power, which comes from the so-called "Smoot-Hawley Tariff" often blamed for exacerbating the Great Depression, "was intended to let the President retaliate against countries that impose tariffs on the U.S. Mr. Trump is using the law to punish Canada for retaliating against his tariffs. His tariff order cites Canada’s 25% tariffs on U.S. cars that exceed certain quotas, which were a response to Mr. Trump’s 25% duties on motor vehicles and parts."These moves are colossally counterproductive to the economy of both countries, the board lamented: For instance, "A study in March found that the tourist dropoff has cost between 14,000 and 42,000 jobs in the U.S. markets most exposed to Canadian tourism. Northern border areas have also suffered from a decline in cross-border trade."The American people are already running out of patience, the board warned."The more Mr. Trump keeps swinging recklessly, the more Americans are likely to think there’s only madness in his tariff methods," the board wrote.
Health worker monitored for Ebola in London hospital after working in DRC
UK resident was evacuated from Democratic Republic of the Congo where there is an outbreak of the diseaseA humanitarian worker is being monitored at a specialist hospital in London after potential exposure to the Ebola virus.The UK resident was medically evacuated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where the worker had been treating patients with the disease, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said. Continue reading...
Protests erupt as Hegseth testifies before Congress as Trump requests billions for war
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was interrupted by four different protesters during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday where he was facing off against lawmakers and requesting billions for the Iran war.Several people holding signs and demonstrating against the Iran war were escorted out of the room as the hearing started at the Senate Appropriations Committee, where Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine were there to secure the Trump administration's $87.6 billion supplemental funding request. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was also slated to testify.One person yelled "illegal war" and mentioned Hegseth having "blood on his hands" while the Trump administration official delivered his opening statement.Hegseth is interrupted by a second, third, and fourth round of protesters in quick succession pic.twitter.com/fNGnZU1OuN— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 21, 2026
White House advisers scramble to derail Trump's 'barrage' of new tariffs: report
Faced with the possibility that the Republican Party is headed for a wipeout in the November midterms, White House insiders are attempting to head off a Friday announcement by President Donald Trump of new tariffs.Trump is preparing to impose what the Financial Times is calling a "barrage" of fresh tariffs on dozens of countries this week, but his own advisers are urgently counseling him to step back from the brink, the outlet's report states. Senior officials worry that resurrecting his trade war—which delivered economic shocks and voter backlash in his first term—could prove "catastrophic" heading into elections Republicans are already struggling to win.According to the report, "Behind the scenes, senior officials have been counseling the president to maintain stability with trading partners and honor the deals that Washington struck with them to reduce their tariffs in 2025, according to two people familiar with the matter.”The timing is particularly fraught. Existing 10 percent tariffs adopted after a Supreme Court decision in February struck others down are set to expire Friday and some in the White House are engineering probes "of forced labor practices, allowing Trump to avoid using the emergency authorities knocked down by the Supreme Court."The prospect of renewed tariffs collides with an already-deteriorating economic landscape. The escalating Iran conflict has roiled energy markets, pushing gas prices back above $4 per gallon. Voters are already furious about the cost of living and recent polling found two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how Trump is managing affordability.Adding tariff hikes to soaring energy prices risks "inflaming voter frustration over the high cost of living," a sign that even Trump's own team recognizes the political danger, the report notes."This does not mean that tariff hikes are in the rear-view mirror," Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade official now at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told the Financial Times. "But it does suggest that a more cautious approach is now called for, particularly in the lead up to the midterm elections."
India’s Cockroach movement protesters show no sign of backing down
Thousands of people again on the streets of Delhi calling for education reforms despite police violence on MondayTaru had come to the protest prepared this time. In one hand was an anti-government poster and in the other was a bicycle helmet. “We need to have protection in case Delhi police beat us up again,” said the 25-year-old, who stood among her friends. “We are not scared of them and we won’t run away, no matter what they do. We’ll stay here till they listen.”On Tuesday, central Delhi still thronged with thousands of protesters, as an unprecedented expression of dissent against the powerful ruling Narendra Modi government showed no sign of abating. Continue reading...
