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President Biden leaving Delaware yesterday for the Group of 7 summit in Italy. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times |
At G7, Biden will push to use Russian assets for Ukraine
For two years, Western allies have debated how to deal with $300 billion in frozen Russian assets. The G7 leaders, who will meet beginning today in Italy, seem to be on the brink of announcing a compromise.
European leaders feared that seizing the assets would violate international law. So the Biden administration devised a plan to use the interest generated by them to back a loan that could be delivered immediately to Ukraine.
The loan could be as large as $50 billion and would be repaid over time with the profits being generated from Russia’s money, Western officials said.
The leaders are also expected to discuss the question of how to stop China from bolstering Russia by selling it “dual use” microelectronics and other gear to rebuild its military. The Biden administration announced yesterday that it would add sanctions aimed at stopping China from helping the Kremlin in its invasion of Ukraine.
In related news, Ukraine plans to auction about 20 state-owned companies to fund its war effort and help its economy.
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An electric vehicle plant in Ningbo, China. Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times |
E.U. placed more tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles
The E.U. said yesterday that it would impose additional tariffs of up to 38 percent on electric vehicles imported from China. Leaders called the measure an effort to protect manufacturers from unfair competition. The move comes a month after the U.S. quadrupled its tariffs on Chinese E.V.s to 100 percent.
“By making it more expensive for consumers to buy lower-cost Chinese imports, the tariffs could slow adoption of electric vehicles in Europe — and also slow progress on emissions reduction,” said my colleague Jim Tankersley, who writes about U.S. economic policy.
“But they could also help guard against job losses for European automakers,” he added. “That protection could help to maintain political support for green initiatives at a time when Europe’s decarbonization efforts are increasingly drawing backlash from voters who are upset with rapid price increases in recent years.”
Here’s what this means for consumers and what could happen next.
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Migrants arriving in the Canary Islands in April. Carlos De Saa/EPA, via Shutterstock |
How migration is shaping Western politics
The recent European Parliament elections are the latest sign of immigration’s power to shape the West, David Leonhardt writes. Right-wing parties that had promised to reduce the flow of migration made gains, and center-right parties finished first by adopting a more restrictive stance.
The modern migration boom in the West has had major advantages, but it has also had downsides. More competition can hurt workers, governments strain to provide social services and some people can feel uncomfortable with societal changes. Historically, major immigration spikes have led to political backlashes, like Brexit.
For years, mainstream Western politicians dismissed voters’ concerns about immigration as inherently ignorant or xenophobic, and many of those disaffected voters came to support parties on the extreme right. But recently, there are signs that the political left and center have returned to a more nuanced approach that celebrates immigrants while emphasizing border security.
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Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times |
The Middle East
War crime allegations: A commission accused both Israel and Palestinian groups of committing offenses in the U.N.’s most detailed look at Oct. 7 and the war in Gaza.Cease-fire: Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, said that some changes Hamas proposed to hostage negotiations were not workable.Hostages: The people recently freed from Hamas captivity by an Israeli raid were malnourished and had suffered varying degrees of abuse, a doctor who treated them said.Lebanon: Hezbollah fired heavy rocket barrages into northern Israel after an Israeli strike killed a commander for the group. |
Other News
France: The country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, warned of chaos, lawlessness and a society with “true French citizens and lesser ones” if the far right came to power. |
Kuwait: At least 49 people were killed yesterday when a fire broke out in a building with scores of low-income workers.Germany: The coalition of the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was thrashed in European Parliamentary elections, but he is unlikely to call for snap elections like France’s president did. Here’s why. |
Pakistan: Deadly street crime has returned to Karachi, the country’s largest city.Greece: Some schools closed and the Acropolis restricted visiting hours because of intense heat. Temperatures might set a record today.Britain: Voters in postindustrial regions have soured on the Conservatives.Netherlands: Three men were convicted in the killing of the renowned crime journalist Peter de Vries. |
MORNING READ |
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SpaceX |
Space travel changes people, and not just by instilling a sense of awe. Four nonprofessional astronauts who spent three days off Earth experienced physical and mental effects, like modest declines on cognitive tests and genetic changes within their cells, scientists reported in several papers.
None of the changes appeared to be serious, and the astronauts mostly returned to normal after touching back down on Earth. But the results highlighted how little researchers know.
Lives lived: Françoise Hardy, the pop icon who incarnated a 1960s cool still treasured by the French, died at 80. Listen to a selection of her songs.
SPORTS NEWS |
Euro 2024: A data guide for the tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz: How he has won Grand Slam singles titles on three surfaces.
Competitive eating: Joey Chestnut was the face of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, until he endorsed a rival brand’s vegan dogs.
Coaching Scottie Scheffler: Lessons from the man who taught the golfer.
ARTS AND IDEAS |
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Andrew Couldridge/Action Images, via Reuters |
Saudi Arabia sets its sights on boxing
Saudi Arabia has begun a hostile takeover of professional golf and invested billions of dollars in soccer. Now, it wants to own professional boxing, too.
A Saudi plan that would reshape the economics, structure and future of boxing is in the final stages of approval, according to two people with direct knowledge of it. The initial investment is said to be as much as $2 billion. The project, developed with the help of consulting firms, would effectively create a single worldwide boxing entity featuring about 200 of the top men’s boxers.
The sport, which is run by a tangled web of promoters and sanctioning bodies, desperately needs revamping. It has steadily lost fans to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, whose model is similar to this proposed arrangement.
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Kate Sears for The New York Times |
Cook: This smoked prime rib traps moisture with molasses.