The sectarian violence between Bedouin groups and militias from the Druse religious minority killed more than 50 people, according to a local health official and a monitoring group.
Trump’s new tariff threats are being met with approval by stock markets as the S&P approaches its record high
- Another tariff threat, another strong day for U.S. stocks, which swung from a loss to a gain on Monday, with the S&P 500 near its all-time high.
President Donald Trump is taking recent stock-market highs as a sign investors approve of his threats to slap tariffs on trading partners—and so far, the markets are proving him right.
Equities kicked off Monday strong after a fresh round of tariff threats over the weekend. The S&P 500 gained 0.17%, closing within 0.2% several points of its all-time high, set on Thursday. The Dow rose 0.2% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.27%.
Trump on Saturday threatened the European Union and Mexico with a 30% tariff. The higher levies would kick in Aug. 1, the same day that reciprocal tariffs with most of the U.S.’s trading partners are set to rise. On Monday, Trump threatened to slap Russia’s trading partners with 100% tariffs if President Vladimir Putin doesn’t end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.
But the markets have learned to ignore such threats, Deutsche Bank’s Jim Reid wrote in a recent note, calling them “mostly a negotiating tactic.”
“If ‘tariff’ isn’t the word of the year for stock investors so far, then perhaps it’s ‘uncertainty,’” LPL Financial wrote in a research note Monday. “Tariffs influence the key drivers of stock market performance: economic and corporate profit growth, inflation, and interest rates. If stocks continue to move higher in the second half of the year, trade policy will need to cooperate.”
While markets so far have been sanguine, data releases this week could upend that. On Tuesday and Thursday, the Labor Department is set to release inflation data for June. Analysts expect it to show consumer inflation accelerated last month from 2.4% to 2.6%.
Earnings season also kicks off this week, with the major U.S. banks reporting their financial results for the previous quarter. This comes after many large companies yanked earnings guidance on the pretext of tariffs, but the results will offer a hint of the answer to the hottest question in the economy: whether companies or consumers are paying the $100 billion in tariffs collected so far by the U.S. Treasury.
“Tariffs are not magically disappearing if they don’t show up in consumer prices but somewhere along the supply chain someone is getting clipped,” Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Financial Group, said in a note.
Introducing the 2025 Fortune 500, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in America. Explore this year’s list.
Church leaders and diplomats express strong condemnation of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank | Latest news from the Occupied West Bank
Top church leaders and diplomats have called on Israeli settlers to be held accountable during a visit to the predominantly Christian town of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, after settlers intensified attacks on the area in recent weeks.
Representatives from more than 20 countries including the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Japan, Jordan, and the European Union, were among the delegates who visited the village in the West Bank on Monday.
Speaking in Taybeh, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III and Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa denounced an incident last week when settlers set fires near the community’s church.
They said that Israeli authorities failed to respond to emergency calls for help from the Palestinian community.
In a separate statement, the patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem demanded an investigation into the incident and called for the settlers to be held accountable by the Israeli authorities, “who facilitate and enable their presence around Taybeh”.
The church leaders also said that settlers had brought their cattle to graze on Palestinian lands in the area, set fire to several homes last month, and put up a sign reading “there is no future for you here”.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Doha, said church leaders have been calling this a “systemic and targeted attack” against Christians.
“About 50,000 of them live in the occupied West Bank, a small but very proud minority,” Ibrahim said. “They also consider themselves under attack, not just because they’re Christians but because they’re Palestinians.”
The church has been trying for years to “enhance the steadfastness of the Christian community in Palestine”, Ibrahim said.
“We’ve been seeing how Israeli settlers have been pushing them out of their lands, out of their homes.”
Settlers, who are often armed, are backed by Israeli army soldiers and regularly carry out attacks against Palestinians, their lands, and property. Several rights groups have documented repeated instances where Israeli settlers in the West Bank ransack Palestinian neighbourhoods and towns, burning homes and vehicles.
Assaults have grown in scale and intensity since Israel’s brutal war on Gaza began in October 2023. These assaults also include large-scale incursions by Israeli forces into Palestinian towns and cities across the West Bank that have killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced tens of thousands.
Pizzaballa, the top Catholic cleric in Jerusalem, said he believed the West Bank was becoming a lawless area.
“The only law [in the West Bank] is that of power, of those who have the force, not the law. We must work for the law to return to this part of the country, so anyone can appeal to the law to enforce their rights,” Pizzaballa told reporters.
He and Theophilos prayed together at the Church of St George, whose religious site dates back centuries, adjacent to the area where settlers ignited the fires.
The visit comes as Palestinians report a new surge of settler violence.
On Monday, Israeli settlers and soldiers launched several more attacks across the West Bank, including in Bethlehem, where settlers uprooted hundreds of olive trees in al-Maniya village, southeast of the city, and Israeli authorities demolished a four-storey residential building.
The head of the al-Maniya village council, Zayed Kawazba, told Wafa news agency that a group of settlers stormed al-Qarn in the centre of al-Maniya, set up four tents and uprooted approximately 1,500 olive saplings belonging to families from the al-Motawer and Jabarin clans.
A day earlier, hundreds descended on the village of Al-Mazraa ash-Sharqiya, south of Taybeh, for the funeral of two young men killed during a settler attack on Friday.
The occupied West Bank is home to more than three million Palestinians who live under harsh Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority governing in limited areas separated from each other by a myriad of Israeli checkpoints.
Israel has so far built more than 100 settlements across the West Bank, which are home to about 500,000 settlers who live illegally on private Palestinian land.
SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man introduces a new app allowing fans to chat with AI versions of K-Pop artists
A2O Entertainment, the record label founded by SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, plans to launch an AI-powered chatbot in August that enables conversations between fans and A20 artists.
The app, called Blooming Talk, will let fans talk 24/7 with Chinese girl group A2O May and other pop artists from A2O Entertainment, Korea JoongAng Daily reported Monday (July 14).
The app features two communication modes: “Human Talk” for direct messaging with artists and “AI Talk,” which offers AI-generated responses from virtual versions of the artists.
Users can engage in real-time AI voice calls across 30 languages, including English, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and French, the report said.
Blooming Chatbot, established under Lee’s Blooming Grace company in May 2024, developed the new app with help from Seoul-based language model startup Mindlogic, which has secured KRW 7 billion (approx. USD$5 million) in funding from Lee’s venture, according to JoongAng.
The platform will initially feature A2O May, which released their debut single Under My Skin in December 2024. The service will expand to Korea, China, the US and Japan in August, the report said, without disclosing the pricing or subscription models for the service.
“The company is currently developing an ethical persona guideline that prohibits certain actions or language.”
Blooming Talk
The AI personas draw from actual artist conversations and adapt responses based on individual user preferences, the report said, citing Blooming Grace. The chatbot learns from each interaction to customize future exchanges, while a social media-style “moment” section allows artists to share photos and messages.
Blooming Talk also includes an “exclusive photo” feature that unlocks content based on user engagement, plus personalized notifications and the ability to set artist voices as morning alarms, according to the report.
Lee’s company said it will enforce strict ethical guidelines and operational policies prohibiting sexual material, inappropriate requests, and offensive language, the report said, adding that all participating artists agreed to participate under fixed contract terms.
A spokesperson from Blooming Talk told JoongAng: “The company is currently developing an ethical persona guideline that prohibits certain actions or language.”
Lee’s return to entertainment follows his dramatic departure from SM Entertainment, which he established in 1995. SM terminated its production agreement with Lee’s Like Planning company in October 2022, announcing a restructuring strategy that excluded his involvement by February 2023.
The split escalated when Kakao Entertainment acquired a significant stake in SM and partnered with the company on new projects. Lee opposed these moves through legal action, attempting to block new share issuances and convertible bonds. He subsequently sold his SM stake to competitor HYBE, triggering a control battle that ultimately saw Kakao gain operational authority over SM.
Under Lee’s leadership, SM developed the systematic training model that would become the blueprint for K-Pop idol development, launching acts such as H.O.T., Girls’ Generation, EXO, NCT, and aespa, MBW previously reported.
Reports in June last year indicated Lee’s intention to re-enter the K-Pop music industry through A2O Entertainment, with Blooming Grace securing trademark rights for the label in May, according to Korean Intellectual Property Office records cited by The Korea Herald.
Music Business Worldwide
MIT’s Hydrogen Motorcycle Promotes Eco-Friendly Transportation
Sustainable mobility is a recurring theme for us. While electric vehicles dominate the present, we continue exploring alternatives such as green hydrogen. Recently, we featured a hydrogen bike recharging via solar panels. MIT students have now introduced a prototype motorcycle moving in a similar green direction. Discover their breakthrough and other emerging alternatives.
MIT’s groundbreaking prototype
MIT’s Electric Vehicle Team leads a project to create a financially viable hydrogen motorcycle, addressing a gap in the market. Since January 2023, the team has focused on integrating a commercially available hydrogen fuel cell and electric motor, subjecting the vehicle to various tests, first with a dynamometer similar to a “treadmill” for motorcycles and then on a real-world track. In addition, they have been working on the installation of the hydrogen tank and the various connectors. The next step will be to develop a custom electric motor, which will give them much more flexibility.
More than just a motorcycle, this prototype is a versatile development platform, allowing for swift component replacement and iterative testing. The team believes successful hydrogen vehicles will spur the growth of refueling infrastructure, promoting widespread adoption.
Thus, they plan to use an open-source approach, providing documentation for fellow industry players and research teams interested in advancing hydrogen-powered transportation. So far, they have presented their progress at the Hydrogen Americas Summit and hope to showcase a more advanced version at the World Hydrogen Summit.
How does a hydrogen motorcycle work?
Generally, this type of vehicle can equip either an internal combustion engine adapted for direct hydrogen injection or a hydrogen fuel cell that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. In the latter case, we are not talking about hydrogen engines, but electric motors powered by fuel cells.
Without going into technical details, hydrogen cells use electrodes to obtain protons and electrons from hydrogen. In addition, they have an electrolyte, i.e., a chemical solution, which separates the gases and allows the ions to move. The result is the generation of electricity and the emission of heat and water as a by-product of the reaction. For this reason, as long as green hydrogen is used, it is considered a clean and renewable energy.
What other prototypes are there?
Among the prototypes in development, Kawasaki showcased its hydrogen-powered model at the 2022 Milan show. Featuring a direct hydrogen injection system, and based on its H2 SX street model, it features two hydrogen tanks at the rear. Unlike the MIT hydrogen motorcycle, it will operate with a direct hydrogen injection system instead of a fuel cell. The first street tests will be conducted in 2024, but it is not expected to reach the market until 2030.
For now Kawasaki has not announced the price of this model, but other companies such as Xiaomi or Segway are working on their own hydrogen motorcycles that will go on sale for about 10 000 €. If you want to know more about this kind of sustainable mobility and clean energy technologies, subscribe to our newsletter below.
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Production Begins on HBO Series with Release of First Image
Production has begun on the new TV adaptation of Harry Potter, as the first picture of the lead actor in costume was released.
JK Rowling’s series of novels has already been made into a film, but HBO is now producing a TV series which is expected to take 10 years to complete.
Producers released the first picture of 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin in costume as Harry Potter on Monday and confirmed several new cast members.
Rory Wilmot hast been cast as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.
They join stars such as John Lithgow, who will play Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape.
The three child actors who will play Harry, Ron and Hermione were announced in May.
The programme will be filmed at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, which is where the eight Harry Potter movies were also shot.
HBO has previously said the series would be “a faithful adaptation of the iconic books”.
The TV series will have more breathing space to explore the plot lines from the books without the time constraints of the film.
Producers also announced new production staff, several of whom have previously worked on The Crown such as director of photography Adriano Goldman and hair and makeup designer Cate Hall.
The first series will launch in 2027.
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What is Crypto Week in the US and why has Bitcoin reached a new all-time high? | Latest Crypto Updates
Bitcoin has scaled $120,000 for the first time, a major milestone for the world’s largest cryptocurrency in the run-up to what could be a landmark week.
Starting July 14, “Crypto Week” will see the US House of Representatives debate three industry-friendly bills that are likely to provide cryptocurrencies with the US regulatory framework that crypto insiders have long demanded.
US President Donald Trump has urged policymakers to revamp their rules, away from the plethora of lawsuits brought against crypto firms by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under former President Joe Biden (2021-2025), in favour of the industry.
Expectations of further tailwinds helped propel Bitcoin, up 29 percent so far this year, to a record high of $122,055 on Monday. Bitcoin, the very first cryptocurrency, began trading in January 2009, when it was valued at just $0.004.
The surge has sparked a broader rally across other cryptocurrencies as Ether, the world’s second-most popular token, reached a five-month high of $3,048.2 on Monday.
More generally, the sector’s total market value has swelled to roughly $3.8 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Cryptocurrencies are a form of monetary exchange that allows people to bypass central banks and traditional payment methods.
What is at stake?
US lawmakers will discuss three key pieces of legislation during “Crypto Week”:
- The GENIUS Act aims to clarify when digital assets like crypto tokens are considered securities or commodities, helping startups avoid legal uncertainty by providing clear regulatory rules. The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act has already passed the Senate.
- The Clarity Act would block federal agencies from using court rulings to overextend regulatory power, ensuring that Congress – and not courts – defines how crypto assets are classified and governed.
- The Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), arguing it could enable government surveillance of Americans’ financial activity and threaten individual privacy.
This marks a sharp reversal for a sector that once threatened to do its business outside the US, citing a hostile environment and heavy-handed enforcement.
Crypto companies have long accused US financial regulators (like the SEC) of enacting confusing or conflicting rules.
“We expect capital that was previously sidelined due to regulatory uncertainty to re-enter … even if final passage stalls,” Jag Kooner, head of derivatives at Bitfinex crypto exchange, told Reuters.
This week’s decisions could make it easier for companies to launch new digital asset products and to trade in crypto.
Does the proposed legislation have critics?
Democrats are expected to offer amendments to the GENIUS and Clarity Acts.
Critics have argued that the Trump administration is conceding too much ground to the crypto industry.
“I’m concerned that what my Republican colleagues are aiming for is another industry handout,” Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said on July 9 at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing.
She urged Congress to bar public officials, including Trump, from issuing, backing or profiting from crypto tokens.
Warren also argued that new crypto rules should not “open a back door to destroy” longtime securities laws, or allow volatility in the crypto market to spill over into the traditional financial system.
Finally, she underscored that anti-money laundering rules should apply to the industry. Crypto users are identified by alphanumeric wallet addresses, not their names, allowing bad actors to obscure the source of their illicit funds.
The Biden administration adopted a tough regulatory stance towards cryptocurrencies, aiming to oversee the digital assets as securities subject to the same regulations as stocks and bonds.
What’s Trump’s interest in crypto?
Trump, once a crypto sceptic, became a major promoter during his presidential campaign last year, even becoming the first major-party presidential candidate to accept campaign donations via crypto.
During the 2024 campaign, crypto insiders spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, according to Federal Election Commission data, in support of crypto allies – and to try and weed out antagonists.
In March, Trump said he would create a crypto reserve that would include five cryptocurrencies (including Bitcoin), adding he would make the US “the crypto capital of the world”.
Meanwhile, Trump’s family business has launched several cryptocurrency meme coins, flash-in-the-pan assets inspired by internet jokes or cultural references, such as $Trump and $Melania.
Trump has faced criticism over conflicts of interest regarding his family’s ventures. For instance, World Liberty Financial – a crypto group backed by Trump and his sons in 2024 – has earned the president $57m.
Elsewhere, Trump Media & Technology Group filed paperwork with the SEC in July seeking approval to launch its own “Crypto Blue-Chip ETF”, an exchange-traded fund holding Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
How has Bitcoin performed since Trump was re-elected?
If Bitcoin were a country, it would rank in the top 10 by gross domestic product, roughly on par with countries like Brazil ($2.17 trillion) and Canada ($2.14 trillion).
Since Donald Trump’s re-election in November 2024, Bitcoin has surged by 75 percent, rising from about $69,539 at close on Election Day to its current record level. It rallied to above $100,000 for the first time last December.
The cryptocurrency briefly dropped below $90,000 on February 25, amid market jitters triggered by Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on multiple countries and industries worldwide, before recovering after Trump’s “crypto reserve” announcement.
Bitcoin’s rise also arrives amid a wider backdrop of economic uncertainty, notably the global turmoil from Trump’s steep – and on-again, off-again – tariffs imposed on key trading partners worldwide, in addition to ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“Bitcoin has shown resilience this year, rebounding in line with its macro exposures following tariff announcements,” Citibank analysts wrote in a research paper last week.
Oil prices stabilize near three-week high amid signs of reduced supply
Oil steadies near three-week high on signs of tighter supply
First Indian astronaut returning from ISS
EPAAstronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who created history by becoming the first Indian ever to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS), is on his way back.
A live broadcast showed the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission undocking from the orbiting laboratory with its four-member crew on Monday. It is expected to splash down in just under 24 hours.
Led by former Nasa veteran Peggy Whitson and piloted by Group Captain Shukla, Ax-4 had arrived at ISS on 26 June. Its crew included Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Group Captain Shukla is only the second Indian to have gone to space. His trip came 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma flew aboard a Russian Soyuz in 1984.
Axiom SpaceAx-4 – a commercial flight operated by Houston-based private firm Axiom Space – is a collaboration between Nasa, India’s space agency Isro, European Space Agency (Esa) and SpaceX.
On Monday, ISS posted on X that the Ax-4 crew had taken their places in the spacecraft and its hatches had been closed. The undocking of the craft – when it separated from the ISS – was broadcast live.
Axiom Space said the craft would splash down in the ocean off the coast of California and a vessel would then pick it up.
Indian Science Minister Jitendra Singh has said the splash down is scheduled for 15 July at approximately 15:00 India time (09:30 GMT).
In his farewell address from aboard the ISS on Sunday, the Indian astronaut said India’s journey in space exploration may be tough, but it has begun.
“It has been an incredible journey. Even though now it is coming to an end, for you and me there is a long way to go. The journey of our human space mission is very long and difficult. But if we are determined, even the stars are attainable.”
He referred to India’s first man in space cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma famously quoting from a 1924 Urdu song “Sare jahan se achcha” to say “India looked better than the rest of the world”.
“Even today we want to know how it looks from space. I’ll tell you. From space, today’s India looks ambitious. It looks fearless. It looks confident. It looks proud. And so, I can once again say that today’s India still looks better than the rest of the world,” Group Captain Shukla said.
Axiom SpaceAx-4, which was originally expected to spend two weeks on the ISS, ended up staying a few days longer. During their stay, Axiom Space said the crew conducted 60 scientific experiments, including seven designed by Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).
Isro, which had paid 5bn rupees ($59m; £43m) to secure a seat for Group Captain Shukla on Ax-4 and his training, has said the hands-on experience he gains during his trip to the ISS will help India in its human space flights.
Isro has announced plans to launch Gaganyaan – the country’s first-ever human space flight in 2027 – and has ambitious plans to set up a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
Group Captain Shukla is among four Indian air force officers shortlisted last year to travel on Gaganyaan.
Born on 10 October 1985 in the northern city of Lucknow, Group Captain Shukla joined the air force as a fighter pilot in 2006.
He has flown MiGs, Sukhois, Dorniers, Jaguars and Hawks and has more than 2,000 hours of flying experience.
Before flying into space, Group Captain Shukla described the past year as “nothing short of transformative”.
“It has been an amazing journey so far, but the best is yet to come,” he said. “As I go into space, I carry not just instruments and equipment, I carry hopes and dreams of a billion hearts. I request all Indians to pray for the success of our mission,” he had said.