Headlines: 20-27 July 2026

Thursday, 23 July 2026

The US is issuing billions in tariff refunds, including 6% interest. More tariffs on way from 24 July (LINK) — 23 July 2026

— The Conversation: Of the roughly US$166 billion due to be refunded, more than US$85 billion has already been returned to businesses after a US Supreme Court ruling in February reversed the tariffs. The US Trade Representative's findings on alleged forced labour have prepared the ground for a 12.5% tariff on exports from 54 countries, including Australia, China, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, starting on July 24 2026.

— Trump's April 2025 tariffs relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1977 law that lets presidents respond to extraordinary foreign threats – yet never mentions the word "tariff". On February 20 2026, the US Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that IEEPA did not authorise tariffs – under the Constitution, only Congress has the power to impose taxes and duties. Trump responded with a temporary 10% global tariff, which expires on July 24 after the statutory 150-day limit. Trump has also pursued more targeted tariffs under laws dealing with unfair trade practices, national security and anti-slavery claims. These require investigations into foreign trade practices and lengthy procedures, which slow the process and also create a record that can be scrutinised in court. The US Trade Representative's findings on alleged forced labour have prepared the ground for a 12.5% tariff on exports from 54 countries, including Australia, China, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, starting on July 24 2026.

Hackernoon critical: UN warns AI is eroding information integrity and undermining public trust: "Unelected globalists want the same power and influence over narratives and information that big tech has for themselves" (LINK) — 23 July 2026

Wednesday, 22 July 2026

FIFA issues strong statement countering match-fixing allegations at the World Cup: its "Task Force identified no suspicious betting activity or indications of match manipulation in connection with any fixture" (LINK) — 22 July 2026

The US is issuing billions in tariff refunds, including 6% interest. More tariffs on way from 24 July (LINK) — 23 July 2026

— The Conversation: Of the roughly US$166 billion due to be refunded, more than US$85 billion has already been returned to businesses after a US Supreme Court ruling in February reversed the tariffs. The US Trade Representative's findings on alleged forced labour have prepared the ground for a 12.5% tariff on exports from 54 countries, including Australia, China, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, starting on July 24 2026.

— Trump's April 2025 tariffs relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1977 law that lets presidents respond to extraordinary foreign threats – yet never mentions the word "tariff". On February 20 2026, the US Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that IEEPA did not authorise tariffs – under the Constitution, only Congress has the power to impose taxes and duties. Trump responded with a temporary 10% global tariff, which expires on July 24 after the statutory 150-day limit. Trump has also pursued more targeted tariffs under laws dealing with unfair trade practices, national security and anti-slavery claims. These require investigations into foreign trade practices and lengthy procedures, which slow the process and also create a record that can be scrutinised in court. The US Trade Representative's findings on alleged forced labour have prepared the ground for a 12.5% tariff on exports from 54 countries, including Australia, China, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, starting on July 24 2026.

Yemen's Houthis claim attack on two Saudi oil tankers (LINK) — 22 July 2026

US signs landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could pave the way for domestic nuclear enrichment (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Trump vows to hit Iranian bridge or power plant each time Tehran strikes ships in Strait of Hormuz (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Raw Story: Trump openly vows war crimes in revenge for Iran attacks: 'Bomb and destroy' (LINK) — 22 July 2026

— "Any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran."

— Under international law, deliberately destroying civilian infrastructure like bridges and power plants is unlawful in most cases, with narrow exemptions only for targets that make a direct contribution to military action.

Iran war: Pentagon identifies 4th service member killed in recent days as U.S. carries out more strikes (LINK) — 22 July 2026

U.S. Congress: House passes $1.15 trillion defence bill, tees up billions more for Iran war: collapse of normally a large bipartisan coalition that advances the annual national security legislation, one of the last reliable areas of consensus in Congress (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Israel building 14-mile barrier inside Gaza (ground news LINK) — 22 July 2026

UNCTAD: Global trade continues to expand amid rising price pressures: up 12.5% on first 6 months of 2025. Services trade grew by 10.5%. "A significant share of the increase reflects higher prices rather than stronger trade volumes." East Asia was the main engine of global trade growth in the first quarter of 2026 (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Trump's AI safety chief resigns after just 90 days on the job: no reason given (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Donald Trump wants to nominate Gianni Infantino for United Nations Sec-Gen post after FIFA World Cup: Reports (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Ukraine's drone offensive hits 13 Russian ships and Crimea's power grid in 48 hours (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Kyiv Post: Why was Ukraine army chief Syrskyi fired? Some see the move as a response to public pressure and a step toward military reform, while others praise Syrskyi's wartime record or criticize Zelensky's leadership style (LINK) — 22 July 2026

US computer-science enrolment just fell for the first time in 20 years (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Substack adds AI detection: partnered with the AI detector Pangram so readers can scan posts, notes, and comments for how much a human actually wrote (LINK) — 22 July 2026

For the first time ever, humanoid robots perform surgery on live animals (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Geneva Watch Days was never supposed to happen (LINK) — 22 July 2026

— World Tempus: A victim of its own success? In just seven editions, Geneva Watch Days has become one of the defining moments of the watchmaking calendar, bringing to Geneva an open, decentralized format inspired by Dubai. But can that model survive now that attendance is approaching 15,000 visitors?

Tuesday, 21 July 2026

Ukraine: Zelenskyy replaces army chief after protests (LINK) — 21 July 2026

French lawmakers approve a sweeping social media ban for children under 15: the first country in the European Union to pass a blanket ban (LINK) — 21 July 2026

AI is writing, acting and producing China's minidramas. It's shaking a $14 billion industry (LINK) — 21 July 2026

Gray whales are dying in the Pacific: reduced food is the likely cause (LINK) — 21 July 2026

UNHCR set for Geneva move from Palais Wilson to Palais des Nations following cuts: around 5,000 UNHCR posts were cut worldwide, including some at headquarters, following reductions in funding from the US and other countries. The move is expected to save around 50% of rental costs (LINK) — 21 July 2026

Judge says Trump must hand over financial records to BBC: detailed financial information in connection with his defamation lawsuit against the BBC (LINK) — 21 July 2026

Heather Cox Richardson: the impact of Trump's SNAP cuts (LINK) — 21 July 2026

100-tonne buoy earns world-first wave energy certification (LINK) — 21 July 2026

Ukraine's new drones turn Russian supply routes into hunting grounds (LINK) — 21 July 2026

Monday, 20 July 2026

US to announce deal allowing Saudi Arabia a nuclear programme (LINK) — 22 July 2026

Ukraine fires 400 drones toward Moscow as Zelenskyy grapples with protests (LINK) — 20 July 2026

Ukraine unleashes more than 400 drones near Moscow in one of war's biggest attacks, striking an oil depot and logistics facilities more than 250 miles (640km) from the Ukrainian border (LINK) — 20 July 2026

Ukraine: UN humanitarian coordinator and agencies condemn Russian attacks, WHO warehouse damaged (LINK) — 20 July 2026

Iran attacks US command center in Syria and Gulf ally Bahrain amid escalating regional conflict (LINK) — 20 July 2026

Trump imposes 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, citing disputes over autos, alcohol and cheese (LINK) — 20 July 2026

'Totally DISCREDITED!' Trump orders probe of National Academy of Sciences over 'bogus' climate guidance (LINK) — 20 July 2026

— "Of course, the Academy has been run by Radical Left Dumocrats who, it turns out, published fraudulent, biased, and misleading Manuals on Climate Change."

Mexican drug lord 'El Mayo' sentenced to life without parole in U.S. (LINK) — 20 July 2026

AI falls short on context and cultural rhetoric in its versions of United Nations speech translations (LINK) — 20 July 2026

The secret language of dolphins decoded by researchers revealing complex linguistic structures that challenge our understanding of animal communication (LINK) — 20 July 2026

— One of the most fascinating discoveries in dolphin communication research is the existence of signature whistles. Each dolphin creates its distinctive signature whistle by about one year of age and uses it throughout its lifetime. The development of CHAT (Cetacean Hearing and Telemetry): this underwater computer interface allows humans to produce dolphin-like sounds and potentially establish two-way communication. The CHAT system includes a set of artificial whistles assigned to specific objects like "sargassum" (a type of seaweed) or activities like "play". In a landmark moment, a wild dolphin appeared to mimic the artificial whistle for "sargassum" after researchers used it—potentially the first documented case of interspecies communication using a mutually created, artificial language element.

American Heart Association reveals the optimal daily cups of coffee for your health: it depends (LINK) — 20 July 2026

For the first time in 27 years, a man set a new world record for fastest mile (LINK) — 20 July 2026

— Smithsonian mag: Scottish runner Josh Kerr, [28], delivered on their hopes and set a new world record for fastest mile, running the distance in a blistering 3 minutes and 42.66 seconds. The effort shattered the previous mark of 3 minutes, 43.14 seconds, which was set in 1999 by Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj. Kerr is an Olympic medallist over 1500 metres and one of the most accomplished modern middle-distance runners. Roger Bannister in 1954 became the first man credited with beating the 4-minute mile. Bannister's mark was beaten soon after by Australian John Landy.

U.S. DOJ seizes more than 1,000 websites accused of illegally streaming FIFA World Cup matches (LINK) — 20 July 2026

Team creates better way to teach robots to walk on tricky terrain: Georgia Tech student: "our very efficient training recipe here can actually work for all kinds of terrain and environments" (LINK) — 20 July 2026