A Renewed Global Trade War, Whimpering BRICS And Excited ASEAN, Plus Some Useless Distractions

A detailed recount mixed with meme comedy to mark our times at Week 27 of 2025 featuring source material from Gundam Gquuuuuux, Jentry Chau Vs The Underworld, Star Trek Lower Decks, and Hailey’s On It

Jul 13, 2025

Trade Off - The Tariff Fights Restart

On the trade war, Trump poured fuel on the slowly dying fire, first threatening to add 10% tariffs on BRICS-aligned nations, then the US says the April “Liberation Day” tariffs will take effect on August 1 instead of July 9 for countries that haven’t reached a trade deal with America. The US began sending its first batch of letters informing them of the new tariff rates, which will take effect on August 1, and set the terms for future trade talks. Trump first shared the letters for Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Laos, and Myanmar. Hours later, Trump shared another set of letters to the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tunisia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Serbia, Cambodia, and Thailand. According to the announcement, countries like Japan and South Korea are now set to face 25% tariffs, South African and Bosnian goods will be subject to a 30% tariff, imports from Indonesia will be hit with a 32% excise duty, Bangladesh and Serbia will be set at 35%, Cambodia and Thailand are set for 36% tariff rates, while imports from Laos and Myanmar have it worst with a potential 40% duty. Hilariously enough, some eagle-eyed observers found that the president’s letters to different countries are nearly identical. As a result, the Dow dropped by more than 400 points following the announcements.

Trump said on Tuesday that he would not offer further extensions on country-specific tariffs, as the president pushes forward with his aggressive tariff regime. Moreover, the president says he would impose a 50% rate on copper products being sent into the US, while not saying when the new tariff would take effect. Pharmaceuticals will also be affected by Trump’s new tariff whims, as the US could announce substantial new rates on drug imports as high as 200%.

In a flurry of new letters dictating high tariff rates around the world, seven countries are targeted for heightened tariffs. The targeted countries this time include the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Iraq, Libya, and Sri Lanka. The countries in the Middle East and Africa are facing 30% tariffs, 25% levies on Brunei and Moldova, and 20% tariffs on the Philippines. Then, in an insane move, Trump announces tariffs of up to 50% on Brazil, citing what he has called “a witch hunt” against former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. In response, President Lula of Brazil says the country will respond to Trump's 50% tariff with “reciprocity.” In addition, Trump added that the 50% tariffs on copper imports will be in place on August 1. Wednesday also marks day 90 of what White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro calls “90 deals in 90 days.” Only the UK, China, and Vietnam had made a “trade deal” with Trump, and even that comes with caveats, from either having no details to the deal not being finalized or implemented yet.

In an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Trump suggested he would impose blanket tariffs of 15% or 20% on most trade partners and dismissed concerns that the move could cause inflation or affect the stock market. Soon enough, Trump announced he would slap Canada with a 35% tariff, which will take effect on August 1. By Saturday, Trump issued 30% tariffs on Mexico and the EU that would kickstart next month, and threatened an increase in levies if the two trading partners retaliate. In response, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc is ready to take all “necessary” steps to safeguard its interests, including imposing countermeasures if required. However, she adds the bloc would "continue working" toward an agreement by August 1. Meanwhile, the UK’s ambassador to the US, Lord Peter Mandelson, said Trump’s 10% universal levy on most goods is “likely to stay,” but adds his country can find some wriggle room in some sectors to further lower tariff rates.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Epstein Coverup

It was a disappointing start for conspiracy theorists and MAGA diehards this week, as Trump’s DOJ and FBI concluded the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had no “client list” that contained evidence of him blackmailing prominent figures. In addition, the findings confirm Epstein died by suicide, contradicting conspiracy theories about the disgraced financier by the FBI’s two top leaders (Kash Patel and Dan Bongino). Tesla stock also plunged after Elon Musk’s “America Party” announcement, which has attracted the interest of former 2020 Democratic candidate and Forward Party leader Andrew Yang. Aside from politics, many were focused on the deadly flash floods in Texas Hill County last weekend, killing more than 100 people, including more than 28 children. Most tragically, 27 campers and counselors have died at Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp right at the epicenter of the horrific floods. Some have connected Trump’s recent cuts to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the NWS (National Weather Service) have made the situation much worse, as Trump claimed staffing at the NWS did not affect storm preparedness in Texas. In other news, a man was killed after opening fire at a US Border Patrol facility in Texas, a judge blocked Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” provision that cuts off Planned Parenthood funding, six leading medical organizations filed a lawsuit on Monday against RFK Jr and HHS over recent decisions limiting access to vaccines, the Department of Veterans Affairs reversed course on cutting its workforce, and a federal judge denied the DOJ’s attempt to dismiss Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawsuit over his mistaken deportation to El Salvador as the same department wants to deport Garcia without a trial.

The Supreme Court gave Trump the green light to downsize the federal workforce, affecting thousands of workers in 19 agencies and striking down lower court orders that went against the move. Citing national security, the Agriculture Department announces that the administration would ban Chinese purchases of US farmland. Agriculture Department Secretary Brooke Rollins adds that the government would pursue executive actions and work with state officials to halt farmland purchases by foreign adversaries. For the first time, officials from El Salvador say more than 130 Venezuelan migrants who have been detained for months in the CECOT megaprison remain under the responsibility of the United States. The court document filed on Monday on behalf of the migrants marks a significant contradiction to the Trump regime’s claims that it lacked the authority to bring them back. Another major bombshell came from the IRS, which said churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates to their congregations, breaking a decades-long ban on political activity by tax-exempt nonprofits and risking further politicizing religion from an already blurred relationship between church and state. Claiming there is “tremendous power at the White House to run places" if needed, Trump suggested taking over and exercising federal control over Washington, DC, and New York. In a hilarious U-turn, the US government announced it won’t rewrite a ban on asbestos proposed during the Biden administration. The Washington Post reports that a Marco Rubio imposter has used AI to call high-level officials, including three foreign ministers, a US governor, and members of Congress. Moreover, the Post reported that the Director’s Initiative Group, created by DNI Tulsi Gabbard, has shown an interest in looking at spy agencies’ emails and chat logs, in a bid to hunt for efforts to undermine Trump’s agenda. Ending on a funny note, during a press briefing, Trump lashed out at a reporter for a question about Jeffrey Epstein. This came as Elon Musk suggested on Twitter (X) that former Trump advisor and media personality Steve Bannon is also in the Epstein files.

Amid a crackdown on higher education, the Education Department and DHS told Harvard University’s accreditor that there is “strong evidence to suggest the school may no longer meet” accreditation standards, adding it would subpoena records of foreign students. In legal news, the Supreme Court ruled Florida cannot enforce a controversial new law targeting undocumented immigrants, which would ban them from entering the state if enforced. Concerning public health, measles cases have hit a record high, 25 Years after the US eliminated the disease. Biden’s White House doctor declined to answer questions in a House deposition by citing physician-patient privilege and constitutional rights against self-incrimination. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was tapped by the president as the interim NASA administrator, which comes as more than 2000 senior staff will leave the space agency due to administrative decisions. During a meeting with African leaders, Trump praised the Liberian president for his good English, despite English being the official language in Liberia. According to the WSJ, five of the attending countries to Trump’s meeting were sent a US proposal to accept deportees. In other political news, the Trump regime sued California over trans athletes in women’s sports, the president’s NOAA pick defended budget cuts amid further scrutiny since the tragic flash floods in Texas, and former FBI director James Comey was tracked by the Secret Service after a post that was suspected to be critical of Trump.

In a win for the rule of law and the Constitution, a federal judge in New Hampshire blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the president’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. The move will temporarily protect the citizenship of all babies, including children of undocumented parents who could have been denied citizenship. As the Supreme Court’s sharpest dissenter, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says the “state of our democracy” keeps her up at night, adding, “I’m really very interested to get people to focus, and to invest and to pay attention to what is happening in our country and in our government.” The DOJ issued subpoenas that demand more than 20 doctors and hospitals that provide gender-affirming care for minors to provide confidential patient information. On immigration, as ICE officials say they are not deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia for now, pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil is seeking $20 million from the Trump regime over alleged false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. Following last July’s attempted assassination of Trump, the Secret Service suspended six agents involved in securing the site when the tragedy happened. Inside the FBI, firings without explanation and polygraphs to test the loyalty of its senior employees have created a culture of fear. According to a fired Justice Department employee turned whistleblower, texts and emails bolster his account of a top Trump appointee, Emil Bowe, suggesting prosecutors should defy a court order.

The State Department begins firing more than 1300 staffers working for the agency, a move many current and former diplomats say is a shortsighted decision that would negatively impact America’s foreign policy. Among the fired individuals are the remaining employees in the State Department working on climate change. A giant rift between figures of the DOJ and the FBI is the biggest sign of discontent over the government’s handling of the Epstein memo within the highest levels of power, which comes as many MAGA supporters and influencers were highly critical that the Trump regime had buried files and documents related to the disgraced sexual predator. Just a few days ago, the regime tried to quell the Epstein controversy by releasing “raw” surveillance prison video of the night before the financier’s death. However, Wired and other independent video forensics experts say the video is likely modified, but experts caution that they don’t know exactly what is exactly changed, and say the metadata may not prove deliberate and deceptive manipulation. According to CNN, Deputy FBI director Dan Bongino told people he was considering resigning after a heated confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi, with other sources saying FBI director Kash Patel is thinking the same. On Friday, Trump visited Kerrville and surveyed the damage first-hand, saying he has “never seen anything” like this before. When a reporter asked a question about Texas's early flood warning systems, Trump called the journalist “evil” and “bad.” It comes as reports indicate the hardest-hit Kerr County did not use its most far-reaching alert system before the deadly floods, FEMA was only able to help Texas residents 72 hours after the tragedy happened due to bureaucratic hurdles and cost controls imposed by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and the fact that FEMA was unable to answer thousands of calls from survivors due to call center contracts that were not extended. At the same time, officials inside the government say the Trump regime is now backing off from abolishing FEMA. Concerning immigration, ICE raids flared up in seven California counties and killed one worker at a Californian farm hours before a judge ordered the regime to halt indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests, a judge signals she would protect Kilmar Abrego Garcia from being hastily deported again, and US border czar Tom Homan said he doesn’t know the fate of eight men who were deported to South Sudan. In a link of embarrassing social media posts, the White House official account posted a fake Superman poster with Trump’s head stuck on it, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth starred in a weird video bragging about American drone dominance.

Over the weekend, Trump and his team were in damage control mode over the Epstein fiasco. Aside from defending his AG Pam Bondi by saying she’s doing a “fantastic“ job, the president threatened to revoke the citizenship of his longtime foe Rosie O’Donnell as a distraction. Away from the internal MAGA fiasco, the Washington Post reported that tech billionaire and Trump adviser Marc Andreesen told a private group chat with administration officials and other business leaders that universities will “pay the price” for promoting DEI. Based on a new ICE memo, which outlined a plan to deport migrants to countries where they are not citizens within hours. During an interview with NBC News’s Meet The Press, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump does not want to see FEMA dismantled, but instead “remade.”

Middle East War Watch - Netanyahu Goes To Washington

During a White House dinner on Monday welcoming Netanyahu, the Israeli leader said he has nominated the US president for the Nobel Peace Prize and presented Trump with the nomination letter. Moreover, Netanyahu defended Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza in a controversial post-war development plan. Both sides lavished praise on each other, while affirming that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks were going well and Iran wants to talk with the US again. In a rare on-camera interview with the UK’s Sky News, an Israeli reservist soldier who served three terms in Gaza says his unit was often ordered to shoot anyone entering no-go zone areas defined by the IDF, regardless of whether they posed a threat. Aside from arbitrary killings, the soldier described a prevailing belief among troops that all Palestinians living in Gaza were terrorists, which was often endorsed by commanders and wasn’t challenged by many soldiers. Concerning the already controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Reuters reported that they had the “good” idea of proposing building camps called “Humanitarian Transit Areas” for displaced Gazans, located both inside and outside of the Gaza Strip. During the dinner, Trump added that Iranian officials tried to contact their US counterparts for talks on the country’s nuclear program. US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff said the meeting could happen sometime next week. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel tried to kill him in the 12-day war, and says he is open to dialogue with the US over Iran’s nuclear program. Based on reporting by Axios, Israeli officials were confident that Trump could give them the green light to attack Iran again.

Continuing Netanyahu’s visit in Washington, the Israeli leader vowed to combat a concerted “vilification and demonization” effort against Israel on social media, telling members of Capitol Hill that “It’s directed, it’s funded. It is malignant. We intend to fight it, because nothing defeats lies like the truth, and we shall spread the truth for everyone to see Once people are exposed to the facts, we win hands down. That’s what we intend to do in the coming months and years.” By night, Netanyahu had closed-door talks in the White House with Trump and JD Vance. Back in Israel, the country’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said he has instructed the IDF to prepare a plan to move all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp located in the southern region of the territory.

By Wednesday, Netanyahu said his meetings with Trump are prioritized on releasing the hostages, saying Israel still has to “finish the job” in Gaza. According to reporting by Axios, senior US, Israeli, and Qatari officials held secret talks at the White House on Tuesday in a bid to resolve key sticking points on the Gaza ceasefire. One of the key sticking points is whether the IDF will resume the Gaza war after a 60-day ceasefire, which the US says it won’t allow Israel to do so. By the end of the day, talks of a materialized Gaza ceasefire seemed to be happening. In other Gaza news, French President Emmanuel Macron urged the UK to recognize Palestine as a state during his visit to the country, BCG’s role in a controversial plan to rebuild Gaza is under scrutiny by a UK parliamentary committee, while the US issued sanctions against Francesca Albanese over her investigations of abuses in Gaza.

Israel found some of Iran’s underground stockpile of near-bomb-grade enriched uranium survived the US and Israeli attacks last month, and could be accessible to the country’s nuclear engineers. The EU and Israel struck a deal on Thursday, allowing more aid to flow into Gaza. The new measures include reopening aid routes into Gaza, allowing bakeries and public kitchens to distribute food, and resuming fuel deliveries for humanitarian facilities. Inside Gaza, the situation isn’t better, as health officials report an IDF strike killed a group of women and children waiting to receive nutritional supplements outside a clinic in central Gaza. In the category of actions that have consequences, two top BCG executives were stripped of leadership roles over the group’s controversial Gaza project.

As Netanyahu left Washington without any signs of a Gaza ceasefire, the UN reports nearly 800 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops at Gaza food hubs and aid convoy routes since the end of May, most of them near the vicinity of sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In a bombshell bit of news from Axios, Vladimir Putin told Trump and Iranian officials that he supports a nuclear deal in which Iran cannot enrich uranium. Over the weekend, one Palestinian American was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, while Israeli attacks in Gaza killed more than 110 Palestinians, including 34 aid seekers. The Israeli defense minister’s plans to build a “humanitarian city” on the ruins of southern Gaza to eventually house the entire Palestinian population is so bad that the former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert said it would essentially be a concentration camp for Palestinians.

Ukraine/Russia War Watch - A Sudden Shift In Ukraine’s Favor

In a revelation by the Wall Street Journal, Trump told Zelensky he did not make the order that halted a batch of weapons from being shipped to Kyiv, signalling openness to continuing military aid for Ukraine. In public, Trump says the US must send more weapons to Ukraine, in a positive TACO moment for the president. This comes as Zelensky and Trump talked about replacing the current US ambassador, Oksana Markarova, who MAGA Republicans criticized over her efforts in coordinating US military and financial support since the invasion began. In Russia, Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt was found dead in what authorities say is a suspected suicide, hours after he was fired by Putin. It comes days after a top Russian oil executive died last week after falling from the window of his apartment in Moscow.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump further voiced his frustration towards Russia, saying, “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” He also promised to send 10 Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went around the White House to stop military aid from being delivered to Ukraine. Based on the Guardian’s reporting, the reason behind the pause in Patriot missile transfers is due to a low stockpile needed for the Pentagon’s military plans. First reported by CNN, Trump told a private gathering of donors that he would “bomb the shit out of Moscow” to deter Putin from invading Ukraine. According to a new investigation by Bloomberg, Chinese firms were key in supporting a Russian company named Aero-HIT. Documents show that different Chinese companies helped Russia in making new combat drones, which were then used on the battlefield in Ukraine.

In a monumental move from the realm of international law, Europe’s top human rights court delivered two rulings against Russia on Wednesday. One ruling says Russia breaks international law in the Ukraine war, the first time any international court has found Moscow responsible for human rights abuses since the war began. Another ruling says Russia was behind the downing of Flight MH17, another historic first as an international court named Moscow as being responsible for the 2014 tragedy that killed 298 people. In Washington, a Senate bill that would impose harsh sanctions on Russia gained new momentum after South Carolina’s Republican Senator Lindsay Graham said Trump now backs the sanctions bill.

Ukraine was hit overnight by the biggest ever aerial attack from Russia to date, with a new wave of drones and missiles targeting the country’s capital, Kyiv. Meanwhile, Trump announced the US resumes sending some weapons to Ukraine following an embarrassing pause from the Pentagon. As both House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have shown openness for the sanctions bill, Thune said he hopes to pass the Russia sanctions bill by August. From the serious to the downright stupid, Volodymyr Zelensky’s clothing choices have sparked a Polymarket rebellion, with his outfit a few weeks ago causing heated debate among gamblers who claim the Ukrainian leader is or is not wearing a suit.

Italy holds a Ukraine recovery conference in Rome, which saw European leaders urging private businesses and equity to start investing in the war-torn country now. The conference was expected to finalize guarantees that would unlock more than 10 billion euros in investment deals. During the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the diplomatic meetings. Marco Rubio described that he had relayed Trump’s “disappointment and frustration” during a “frank conversation,” and described that Russia had put forward a “new and different approach.”

By Friday, Zelensky said the US has resumed shipping military supplies to Ukraine. It comes as Trump said NATO countries will buy weapons from the US, and then send them to Ukraine. During Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s trip to North Korea, the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, offered Moscow his "unconditional support" regarding the Ukraine war.

Geopolitical Shakeup - Troubling The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) And ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

This week marks the BRICS summit, featuring the world’s top developing countries. Interestingly enough, China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin were a no-show, as well as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was expected to attend before the June attacks. China sent Premier Li Qiang to the event, while Russia and Iran sent their foreign ministers to represent their countries. Kicking off the two-day summit last Sunday, the group’s declaration raised “serious concerns” about the rise of tariffs while not naming the US or Trump directly, only saying they were “inconsistent with WTO rules.” The bloc also condemned the attacks on Iran and Israel’s military actions in the Middle East, as member states conveniently left out Russia and its brutal war in Ukraine from the “pro-peace” critiques. In response, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional 10% tariffs on any country aligning itself with BRICS, calling the group’s policies “anti-American.”

On Monday, China said the BRICS coalition was not seeking “confrontation” after Trump’s threat, with a foreign ministry spokesperson saying, “China has repeatedly stated its position that trade and tariff wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way forward.” During the second and last day of BRICS in Brazil, the country’s president Lula called Trump’s comments “irresponsible,” adding, "We don't want an emperor, we are sovereign countries. It's not right for a president of a country the size of the United States to threaten the world online." South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa told journalists at the summit that "the powerful should not seek vengeance against those working for good in the world.” China’s Li Qiang called for BRICS countries to work together to uphold justice and safeguard world peace, after saying the flames of war continue to rage in some regions.

After the BRICS summit, Malaysia held the 2025 ASEAN summit, kicking off on Thursday, with China being the talk of the town. During the opening address of the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says talks about the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement 3.0 have been completed, and he expects the deal to be signed by the end of this year. Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan says China’s relationships with ASEAN are one of the most substantive and dynamic partnerships they have. Regarding the South China Sea, Hasan urges all parties to manage the situation in the South China Sea with wisdom and prudence, and ensure geopolitical tensions do not escalate or undermine trade and security in the region. Despite some media outlets choosing to ignore it, Hasan says China is ready to sign the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone treaty that bans using nuclear weapons in the region as soon as all documentation is ready. The SEANWFZ has been in force since 1997 and enforces member states to only use nuclear power for peaceful purposes. Interestingly enough, just last month, new research suggests China is stockpiling nuclear warheads at the fastest rate globally.

Speaking of Malaysia, Trump has appointed “Alpha Male” influencer Nick Adams, who has built his identity around hypermasculinity and crass jokes about Hooters, to be the US ambassador to the country with 35 million people. On Friday, Wang criticized Trump’s policies and the US for imposing excessive tariffs, calling it "typical unilateral bullying behavior" that no country should support or agree with. Hours later, Wang met with Rubio in person for the first time. After what Rubio described as “constructive” talks with his Chinese counterpart, the US Secretary of State said the odds of a summit between Trump and Xi are high.

The Odd News Out - Trouble In X-Land

Last week, Elon Musk announced that users will notice some changes when using Grok, xAI’s chatbot, following an update. The apparent change: Grok started generating antisemitic content on answers on Twitter (Now known as X) without any clear prompting. The posts ranged from alleging "patterns" about Jewish people to outright praising Hitler. Grok’s Twitter account acknowledged the emergence of hate speech coming from its chatbot and is fixing the issue on Tuesday, which comes as NBC News found Grok’s response has adopted a right-wing tone. A day after the Grok fiasco, Linda Yaccarino has quit her role as the chief executive of the social media company, ending her two-year stint in the controversial company.

In other tech news, the chipmaker company Nvidia became the world’s most valuable company, and the first company to be worth more than $4 trillion. It is a stunning achievement given it has rallied by 70% from its April low, caused by the rout from Trump’s “Liberation Day.”

Because I’m Too Busy For Memeing: Some Other Important News From The Rest Of The World

Dateline Seoul, South Korea:

Early Thursday, the disgraced ex-South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol returned to jail after a court approved a warrant from prosecutors investigating his martial law attempt in December 2024. The Seoul Central District Court’s decision cited concerns that Yoon might destroy evidence, and bolsters the special counsel investigation into allegations that the former leader had obstructed justice and abused his powers.

Dateline The Hague, the Netherlands:

On Tuesday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, over charges of abuses against women and girls. The judges say there were “reasonable grounds” to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhunzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani are committing gender-based persecution, adding the Taliban has “severely deprived” girls and women of numerous rights like education and privacy. A statement by the ICC wrote, “While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms.” Furthermore, “Other persons were targeted because certain expressions of sexuality and/or gender identity were regarded as inconsistent with the Taliban’s policy on gender.” Responding with the political equivalent of the middle finger, the Taliban rejected the warrants as “baseless rhetoric,” adding that it does not recognize the court’s authority by citing the failure to stop “hundreds of women and children being killed daily” in Gaza.

Dateline Brussels, Belgium,

Ahead of a no-confidence vote, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen offered a big budget concession to MEPs. It comes as Socialists and Liberals are seeking to squeeze concessions from Von der Leyen ahead of the EU budget. The European Commission head promises to give more power to EU regions and will keep funds dedicated to social spending in the EU’s seven-year budget from 2028. As a result, the Socialists made a U-turn and decided to back Von der Leyen, effectively saving her political career for the moment. After Von der Leyen survived the vote on Thursday, she was warned that this is her “absolute last chance.”