Military Pauses In Gaza, Thai-Cambodian Ceasefire, Pogačar’s Triumph

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Belgian daily La Libre lends its front page to the deal reached Sunday in Scotland between U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after a months-long standoff. The agreement includes establishing a 15% tariff on European exports to the U.S. — i.e. half the 30% import tax rate Trump had threatened to implement starting negotiations on Friday. EU steel and aluminium will still face a 50% tariff. Von der Leyen welcomed the “huge deal” Monday while reactions in Europe have been mixed, with some viewing the deal as a vector for stability but requiring further measures. Others took a much more critical stance such as Hungarian President Viktor Orbán, who described the talks as “Trump eating von der Leyen for breakfast.”

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Israel begins daily “tactical pauses” in Gaza for aid delivery. Israel announced Sunday that they will halt fighting for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza as aid corridors opened and Jordan and the UAE continued airdropping aid into the territory. The pauses began at 10 a.m. on Sunday and will continue “until further notice,” according to the Israeli military. The move comes amid a starvation crisis in Gaza, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting the deaths in the enclave of another 14 people due to malnutrition in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, starting today, France and Saudi Arabia will co-chair a UN conference on a two-state solution in New York, after French President Emmanuel Macron announced he would recognize a Palestinian state in September. For more, read this La Stampa piece, translated from Italian by Worldcrunch: Desperate Testimony As Israel Launches Assault On Gaza Humanitarian Zone.

• Cambodia and Thailand reach a ceasefire. Cambodian and Thai leaders have agreed to an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim announced in a press conference Monday, after mediating peace talks between the Southeast Asian neighbors. The agreement, which takes effect at midnight local time, brings an end to the deadly border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, which had entered its fifth day, resulting in at least 35 deaths and more than 260,000 people being displaced.

• U.S. and China to restart trade talks. With the current 90-day trade war truce set to expire on Aug. 12, the U.S. and China are beginning a new round of negotiations today in Sweden. The talks, between American Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice President He Lifeng, could lead to another 90-day pause in the escalating trade conflict, which began during Trump’s second term and saw the world’s biggest economies impose import levies of over 100% on each other. Read more about it in this Die Zeit analysis translated from German by Worldcrunch: Trump’s Greatest Miscalculation? China Had Been Preparing For A Trade War For Years.

• Syria to hold first election since Assad’s fall. Syria will hold parliamentary elections in September, the head of the state’s election body told state media Sunday. Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa will appoint one third of the 270 seats while the rest will be elected. The elections, set to take place from Sept. 15 to 20, will be the first elections held under the new regime, following the removal of former President Bashar al-Assad. The election announcement comes shortly after the new government intervened in sectarian fighting in the province of Suwayda.

• Germany train derailment that killed three believed to be caused by landslide. Investigators believe that a landslide sparked by heavy rainfall caused a Deutsche Bahn train to derail on Sunday in southern Germany, killing three and injuring an estimated 41. The train’s driver, another employee and a passenger were killed and there is no evidence of an external influence that could have caused the accident, police said. 

• England outshoots Spain to take Women’s Euros. After ending the game 1-1, England beat the Spanish team in a penalty shootout 3-1, winning the UEFA Women’s Euro to claim their second successive title. England’s Chloe Kelly scored the winning penalty, helping England avenge their loss to Spain in the 2023 World Cup final.

• News Quiz! Researchers found a 4,000-year-old mark on an ancient Egyptian tomb. What kind of mark is it? 
A. A signature
B. Lipstick 
C. Food stains
D. A handprint

[Answer below]

#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS

469

Google has acknowledged that its Android Earthquake Alerts system failed to provide timely and accurate warnings during the devastating earthquakes that struck southeastern Turkey in February 2023. Despite the potential to alert up to 10 million people within 98 miles of the epicenter — offering as much as 35 seconds to seek safety — the system sent only 469 top-tier “Take Action” alerts for the initial 7.8 magnitude quake. Instead, around 500,000 people received a lower-level notification intended for “light shaking,” which does not trigger a prominent alert on users’ devices. The disaster claimed more than 55,000 lives.

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🏠 Across Mexico, where gentrification has pushed housing prices up by 247% from 2005 to 2021, locals are angry over their forced displacement and lack of housing rights. They recently protested against mass tourism and “digital nomads.” 
— EL ESPECTADOR

🌬️ Environmentalists crusading against air conditioners are mistaken: excessive heat actually harms economic growth and, indirectly, the decarbonization of our society.
— LE FIGARO

😂 As people turn to AI for therapy and companionship, some say the models still need to learn the nuances of human humor.
— UNDARK

📣 VERBATIM

“It’s not even something worth our assessment.”

– Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in North Korea’s ruling party and sister of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, dismissed recent peace overtures from Seoul, stating that Pyongyang has “nothing to discuss” with South Korea and will not engage in talks regardless of any new policies or proposals. In a bid to ease tensions, Lee suspended anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and ordered a halt to leaflet campaigns criticizing the North’s leaders by anti-Pyongyang activists. He also said he would consider further plans to resume dialogue with its neighbor, despite the two Koreas remaining technically at war.