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A United States appeals court confirmed yesterday after a divided vote that Trump's tariffs are illegal, but the Trump administration is expected to file an appeal to the Supreme Court. The court stated that most of Trump's tariffs – including his reciprocal tariffs on all nations – are not legal after the vote ended 7-4 in favor of the appealing party. Currently, Trump has taken advantage of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose his tariffs– the act allows for the president to take various actions during a national emergency. Nevertheless, the court confirmed that the act does not specifically state what actions are viable, meaning that it does not give the president explicit power to impose tariffs. Furthermore, the court expressed their beliefs that the initial purpose of the act was not to allow the actions Trump has been taking– it was originally passed to allow the government to impose sanctions on other nations. This would force Trump to rescind all of the tariffs he has placed over the last few months, which have heavily reshaped the global economy as countries attempt to strike trade deals with the US to avoid substantial tariffs. However, the court has not removed Trump's tariffs. Instead, they established that the Trump administration would be able to reverse the decision with an appeal to the Supreme Court before October 14. Trump later claimed that the appeals court was highly biased and expected the Supreme Court to overturn the decision in his favor, which could be likely considering the fact that six of the justices are Republican– in fact, three were appointed to the position by Trump himself. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court has taken an unfriendly approach to allowing presidents to use loopholes in older bills for other purposes. Additionally, experts also strongly believe that the Trump administration has devised a second strategy, allowing them to utilize some sort of other law to keep the tariffs in place. Due to these factors, it is still unknown whether Trump's tariffs will actually take effect for good or whether they are simply temporary before the Supreme Court strikes them down. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): “Opposites attract” is a common myth. People are actually attracted to people who look like family members or those with a similar personality type. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye. (Helen Keller) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Incisive (adj, in-SYE-siv) - Incisive means "impressively direct and decisive." It is generally applied to either something communicated in a way that is very clear and direct, or to a person who is able to explain difficult ideas clearly and confidently. In a Sentence: The columnist is known for her incisive commentary on local politics. Image credit to CNN

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been officially removed from office after having violated the government's ethics rules. Shinawatra was elected by the Thai House of Representatives and Senate in August 2024, meaning that she is only one year into her four-year tenure. However, Thailand's Constitutional Court has ruled that her flagrant ethics violations have made it unconstitutional to allow her to remain in office. The ruling comes several months after a highly controversial call she had with Cambodian President of the Senate and former Prime Minister Hun Sen on June 15. The call took place during a time of high tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, with both sides exchanging fire near their disputed border and launching strikes at each other before the conflict was settled. In the leaked call, she could be heard calling Hun Sen "uncle" and expressed displeasure with her own army's actions, raising concerns. Additionally, she also stated that if Sen " wants anything, just tell me, and I will take care of it," sparking outrage over her loyalty to the country. The call was confirmed by both sides to have taken place and was not altered in any way, leading to intense suspicion and anger towards Shinawatra. The prime minister was then suspended from office on July 1, with a court case following the public outcry. Shinawatra claimed that her statements to Hun Sen were her way of attempting to negotiate and reduce tensions, but the court's final ruling yesterday confirmed that she would be ousted from office immediately. The incident is yet another example of Thailand's extremely unstable government, which has seen various changes and ejections over the past decade. In 2014, former army commander Prayut Chan-o-cha took power in a coup d'état, keeping the prime minister position until 2023. Then, Srettha Thavisin was elected as prime minister, but he was dismissed by the Thai Constitutional Court just one year later for gross ethics violations. Now, Shinawatra has been dismissed for a breach of ethics rules, meaning that the country will be forced to find yet another leader. These issues can be primarily attributed to various constitutional rules that increase the risks of government instability. The Thai constitution allows for a significant military influence on politics, leading to frequent coups– the nation has experienced over a dozen coups since the end of its absolute monarchy in 1932. Furthermore, the Thai Constitutional Court maintains an all-powerful role in all decisions, and their final say cannot be reversed. This has led to dramatic changes in government in the blink of an eye, with the court ousting prime ministers and even dissolving entire parties. For example, in August 2024, the court dissolved a major electoral party. The Move Forward Party actually won the majority of the House in 2024, but the military-appointed Senate blocked their candidate from becoming prime minister due to their plans to change the status quo. This was seen as biased by most of the world, but the court went even further– they dissolved the party on the basis of "attempting to undermine the monarchy" and banned its leaders from politics, proving the court's ultimate power– and this wasn't the first time it had occurred. The Thai Constitutional Court has dissolved a staggering 111 parties since 1997, making any opposition to the court virtually impossible. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): To correctly write adjectives in order, you would list them by opinion, size, physical quality, shape, age, color, origin, material, type, and then purpose. However, many native English speakers naturally pick up on this. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want. (Ben Stein) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Diminution (noun, dim-uh-NOO-shun) - Diminution is a formal word that refers to the act or process of becoming less. In a Sentence: The company is committed to seeing that efforts to scale up production do not result in a diminution of quality. Image credit to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights

Nvidia, the world's most valuable company, reported earnings yesterday, with all of Wall Street observing closely to see how AI markets will move in the coming months. Nvidia released Q2 2026 earnings after the bell at 4 pm EST yesterday, reporting record-breaking revenue and significant growth from the previous quarter. Analyst expectations for the business are extremely high due to its position has the world's most valuable company, and Nvidia proved that the AI industry is still going strong. Revenue for the second quarter was reported at $46.7 billion – a 6% increase from Q1 and a 56% increase from last year – which just beat analyst expectations of $46.52 billion. Meanwhile, profits were reported to be $26.4 billion, which increased by a staggering $40.8% from last quarter. Additionally, diluted earnings per share, or EPS, increased to $1.08, beating predictions of $1.02, and Nvidia's gross margins – a measure of their profit from their products after subtracting the direct costs to manufacture the product – grew to 72.4%, skyrocketing from 61% in Q1. So why is the stock falling? Due to US President Donald Trump's administration, Nvidia was banned from selling its H20 chips to China for the entire quarter, and licenses for specific Chinese companies to purchase Nvidia chips were just approved by the US government. Furthermore, Trump announced that Nvidia and AMD had agreed to a deal to pay 15% of their revenue from Chinese companies to the US government, but Nvidia has argued that no action has been taken to actually make good on the deal yet. Because of this, Nvidia lacked the ability to sell its chips to China during the entire second quarter, likely resulting in a significant decline in revenue. Additionally, Nvidia reported data center revenue of $41.1 billion, growing 5% from last quarter and 56% from last year, but it barely missed analyst predictions of $41.3 billion. Experts have confirmed, though, that this small miss can be attributed to their loss of the Chinese market. In fact, Nvidia reported that they could make around $2 to $5 billion more if H20 chip shipments to China were approved– and this figure does not include the possibility for them to sell their next-generation Blackwell chips to China, which would increase revenue even further. However, persistent geopolitical tensions are hindering their abilities, and the issues are likely to continue. Nevertheless, despite losing one of their largest markets, Nvidia still managed to beat expectations on almost all fronts, showing the ongoing strength in the AI market and proving that the industry is expected to keep growing in the coming years. The company also forecasted revenue in the third quarter to be at least $54 billion. Still not convinced? Check out this article  on the rise of Nvidia, AI, and how the technology is impacting markets across the world from our member-exclusive Business  collection, The Profit Playbook . Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The average American child is given $4.57 per tooth that falls out. This figure changes each year along with market dynamics and inflation, though. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If you are afraid to take a chance, take one anyway. What you don’t do can create the same regrets as the mistakes you make. (Iyanla Vanzant) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Nebulous (adj, NEB-yuh-lus) - Nebulous is a formal word used to describe something that is difficult to see, understand, or describe—in other words, something indistinct or vague. In a Sentence: A lot of philosophical concepts can seem nebulous at first, but a good instructor can cut through the jargon and help students see how they apply to day-to-day life. Image credit to The Brand Hopper

K-Pop Demon Hunters, a relatively new show on Netflix, has just surpassed Red Notice to become the most-watched movie on Netflix in its first 90 days of release. The movie was produced by Sony Pictures Animation, who were also the ones behind the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Hotel Transylvania, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs series. It follows three members – Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) – of a Korean pop band named HUNTR/X who maintain secret identities as demon hunters during the night. Their primary enemies throughout the movie are a group of demons disguised as a rival K-pop band, the Saja Boys, sparking conflict. Since its release on June 20, the movie has garnered 236 million views on Netflix in just two months, making it Netflix's most-watched movie of all time– and it still has potential for more. Netflix's all-time leaderboard ranks movies based on its number of views in the first 90 days of release, and while other movies on the list have already passed that number – Red Notice, the previous title holder, was released in 2021 – K-Pop Demon Hunters still has another month to go before that deadline hits. Meanwhile, the movie broke records in the music industry as well. Ranging from peppy, powerful anthems to relaxed, slower melodies, K-Pop Demon Hunters contains one of the most popular movie soundtracks in history– and it is loaded with talent. Among the contributors to the soundtrack are TEDDY, the co-founder of major K-pop record label THEBLACKLABEL; Lindgren, a Grammy winner who has worked with BTS on their hit song, "Boy with Luv," English singer Dua Lipa on her hit album Future Nostalgia , and K-pop groups BLACKPINK and TXT; Stephen Kirk, another Grammy nominee who has also worked with bands like BTS and TXT; singer-songwriter Jenna Andrews, who has worked with BTS, Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Little Mix, and more; and finally, the producers enlisted major K-pop group TWICE to sing several songs themselves. The soundtrack, consisting of a total of 12 songs, became the first-ever soundtrack to have four songs simultaneously reach Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, with HUNTR/X's single "Golden" reaching the No. 1 spot. In fact, the soundtrack has returned to the top 10 in this week's Hot 100, with "Golden" taking the No. 1 spot once again. Meanwhile, Saja Boys songs "Your Idol" and "Soda Pop" have resurged to take spots 4 and 5, and HUNTR/X's "How It's Done" rounding out the top 10. In total, the soundtrack has accumulated over 3 billion global streams, and a special sing-along version of the movie was released in theaters for two days (and now on Netflix) for the music lovers. The sing-along played in over 1,750 theaters worldwide and likely grossed at least between $16 and $20 million in just one weekend. Some estimates say that number could be even higher. After the movie's massive success, multiple reports have confirmed that Netflix is already planning two sequels, which will explore various questions and undiscovered character backstories that were not explained in the first movie. As per the average timeline to produce an animated movie, fans can expect a sequel somewhere in 2027 or 2028, but that date could be as soon as mid-to-late 2026 if the movie is fast tracked. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): In 2017, China began an initiative to spend over $3 billion dollars to build around 100 panda-shaped solar farms in order to get more young people interested in renewable energy. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I’m a wanderer. But I don’t wander to explore the outer physical world, I do it to explore the universe inside me. ( Appu Nirmal) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Trepidation (noun, trep-uh-DAY-shun) - Trepidation refers to a feeling of fear that causes someone to hesitate because they think that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen. In a Sentence: The students felt a sense of trepidation upon being summoned to the principal's office. Image credit to Netflix

The Trump administration's removal of the de minimis tariff exemption will take place on Friday, sparking chaos among international carriers and likely leading to higher prices for American consumers. The de minimis tariff exemption is a rule that exempts all items worth $800 or less from tariffs, allowing carriers to ship low-value goods into the US without formal customs paperwork or levies. The rule was passed in the 1930 Tariff Act, with the initial threshold beginning at just $1, but that level has been increased over the years. On May 2, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending the de minimis exemption for China as part of his efforts to combat the opioid trade. Trump claimed that de minimis shipments were a secret way to smuggle drugs like fentanyl into the country, along with a way for business to avoid paying tariffs to the US government. Due to this, the removal of the exemption for China also heavily affected ultra-fast fashion and low-cost companies like Shein and Temu. Then, after much discussion, Trump signed another executive order on July 30 stating that all de minimis exemptions would end on August 29– this Friday. Additionally, the One Big Beautiful Bill, passed on July 4, authorizes the US government to end the de minimis exemption by July 1, 2027, but Trump is attempting to speed up that process. Around 90% of all shipments into the US are de minimis shipments, but none of them face tariffs or are inspected by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Because of this, external organizations are often able to send illegal drugs or other items into the country without being detected. However, this also means that Americans will be seriously affected by the change. Many of the products that the average consumer purchases are de minimis shipments, as most people rarely buy items worth over $800 from week to week. As these regular items begin to face the tariffs placed on the rest of the world, consumers will begin to see the true impact of the levies on individual items purchased from overseas. Nevertheless, Americans are unlikely to see significant price increases at major stores, as larger companies already import items in bulk and have never used the de minimis exemption. Additionally, various postal companies are also temporarily halting shipments to the United States to deal with the new changes. The removal of the de minimis rule means that all packages sent to the US will now face tariffs, no matter their value, which creates much more work for the carriers– many carriers are forced to pay tariffs to the CBP at the port of entry and collect the money from the importer later on. Due to this added work, countless postal services have paused their shipments into the US. Among these carriers are DHL, the UK's Royal Mail, and the international post offices of various countries, including Spain, France, Belgium, India, and New Zealand. According to Finland's post office, multiple airlines have also halted all shipments, which could temporarily disrupt the exchange of packages between companies. However, the suspension of smaller shipments from carriers is unlikely to impact major stores, as they ship their items into the United States through large containers on cargo ships. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): In 1994, the company that had a patent on GIFs, Unisys, tried to charge a fee for using GIFs. The PNG was invented as an alternative, and the company decided not to renew their patent once it expired in the early 2000s. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. (Margaret Mead) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Undulant (adj, UN-jun-lant) - Undulant describes things that rise and fall in waves, or things that have a wavy form, outline, or surface. In a Sentence: The exhibit featured a painting with beautiful green strokes that resembled undulant hills. Image credit to the Export Compliance Training Institute

Keurig Dr Pepper, one of the giants of the drink industry, is set to acquire European coffee company JDE Peet's as part of their strategy to split into two companies. Keurig Green Mountain, a coffee giant, acquired the Dr Pepper Snapple Group for $18.7 billion in 2018, forming one company that could provide customers with various beverages. The group's subsidiaries include Snapple, 7UP, Crush, Sunkist, A&W, and Schweppes in the drink market, along with various coffee and donut shops like Krispy Kreme, McCafé, and LavAzza. Now, in an $18 billion deal, the company will acquire JDE Peet's, a Dutch multinational coffee company. JDE Peet's was formed after the merger of the coffee division of Mondelez International and Dutch coffee company Douwe Egberts, creating Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE). Then, in 2019, the enterprise merged with Peet's Coffee, forming JDE Peet's, which also owns subsidiaries like L'Or, Moccona, and Pilāo. However, Keurig Dr Pepper's purchase of JDE Peet's actually isn't an acquisition– it is part of their strategy to reorganize their business. As coffee sales have slowed down in recent years, Keurig Dr Pepper has struggled to keep up with increasing coffee bean prices and tough competition. These increasing prices are primarily due to climate change, which has caused droughts across major coffee bean-producing countries, along with tariffs from the American government– US President Donald Trump has placed a staggering 50% tariff on Brazil, which supplies around 35% of unroasted American coffee beans. On the contrary, the soda industry has boomed in recent years, with Keurig Dr Pepper's soda sales increasing by over 10.5% last quarter. Because of this, the company has been looking to spin off into two different businesses, with one focused on coffee and the other on soda and beverages. To execute this, though, the company needed to bolster their coffee division before splitting up, and their newly-announced acquisition of JDE Peet's does exactly that. JDE Peet's, a European multinational company with subsidiaries all over the world, has not taken a hit from tariffs due to their lack of dependency on Brazilian coffee, and the coffee industry in other parts of the globe is still going strong– in fact, in the first half of this year alone, JDE Peet's sales increased by over 19.8% from 2024. To complete the reorganization, Keurig Dr Pepper will spin off into two companies in early 2026. The coffee giant, named Global Coffee Co., will contain Keurig, JDE Peet's and their coffee-related subsidiaries, while the Beverage Co. will take ownership of Dr Pepper and the rest of Keurig Dr Pepper's refreshment-related subsidiaries. Global Coffee Co. is expected to have an annual revenue of around $16 billion, while the Beverage Co. will generate around $11 billion in annual revenue, and the split is expected to save a total of around $400 million for the company. Meanwhile, the leadership of both companies will change as well. Tim Cofer, the current CEO of Keurig Dr Pepper, will lead the Beverage Co. at its headquarters in Frisco, Texas, while CFO Sudhanshu Priyadarshi will lead the Global Coffee Co. from its headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts. Nevertheless, the enterprise will maintain an international headquarters in Amsterdam. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): The Ethiopian calendar is around 7-8 years behind the Gregorian calendar due to the fact that they believe Jesus Christ was born around 7-8 years later. Additionally, their calendar has 13 months, but this has a minimal impact on the accuracy of the calendar. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Extroverts sparkle, introverts glow. Extroverts are fireworks, introverts are a fire in the hearth. (Sophia Dembling) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Cloister (verb, KLOY-ster) - To cloister someone or something is to shut the person or thing away from the world. In a Sentence: The scientist cloistered himself in his laboratory all weekend to finish analyzing data. Image credit to PR Newswire

Hungary and Slovakia could lose Russian oil imports for at least five days after Ukraine struck a crucial pipeline traveling into the European Union. The strike hit the Unecha oil pumping station, located on the Druzhba pipeline that carries Russian oil into much of eastern Europe. The pipeline begins in Russia before moving into Belarus, where it splits into various different smaller pipelines. These pipes carry oil into Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, and Slovakia, many of which were heavily dependent on Russian oil. Nevertheless, as the European Union has attempted to move away from Russian oil in recent years, Hungary and Slovakia remain the only two EU member nations that still import pre-war levels of oil from Russia. This is the third strike on the pipeline within one week, with Ukraine targeting Russian energy as a counter to Putin's actions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure throughout the ongoing three-year war, hitting nuclear plants in addition to thermal, hydroelectric, and gas facilities. However, Hungary and Slovakia, two of the European countries most dependent on Russian oil, have called on the European Union to halt Ukraine's pipeline strikes right away. Contrary to the moves many other European countries are making, Hungary and Slovakia continue to import a significant amount of Russian oil despite the war, making them more vulnerable after Ukrainian attacks on gas pipelines. They claim that their support for Ukraine in the fight against Russia should not end up negatively affecting them, calling Ukraine's actions " completely irresponsible." Now, it is expected to take at least five days to repair the pipeline, forcing both countries to find alternative energy solutions. Additionally, US President Donald Trump has publicly expressed his anger after the strikes, personally sending a message to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán regarding the topic. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): There are times when Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune – one of these timelines was from 1979 to 1999. Pluto crosses Neptune's orbit for a 20-year period every 248 years, meaning that the occurrence will not happen again until the year 2226. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining. (Anne Lamott) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Flagrant (adj, FLAY-grant) - Something may be described as flagrant if it is conspicuously bad—that is, too bad to be ignored. In a Sentence: In a flagrant violation of the family's code of ethics, someone finished the ice cream and left the empty container in the freezer. Image credit to Reuters

A top Indian court has allowed stray dogs to be released back into the massive city of New Delhi, but the animals are to be neutered and vaccinated before then. On August 11, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that all stray dogs were to be removed from the streets of New Delhi – which is home to around one million of them – and placed into permanent shelters within eight weeks. This brought relief to many citizens, who have struggled with the dangers of stray dogs on the streets for decades, but also sparked outrage among others. Animal rights activists, as well as many citizens who have befriended the animals, stood up for the dogs, calling for the decision to be reversed. Additionally, other critics pointed out that New Delhi does not have the infrastructure to house one million dogs, which could lead to the rapid euthanasia of most – if not all – of them. However, in a major court ruling yesterday, a three-person panel decided to rescind the order, allowing the dogs to remain on the streets. The panel confirmed that the dogs would still be rounded up by authorities, but would instead be neutered and vaccinated before being released back into the area from which they were taken. This would decrease the risk of rabies or other diseases while also controlling the population, which has gotten extremely out of hand. Nevertheless, any dog found to be carrying rabies or displaying aggressive behavior will still be kept in shelters. The ruling also calls on residents to stop feeding strays, as this draws them to highly-populated areas– instead, they have instructed dog-loving citizens to adopt the stray dogs that they feel extremely connected with. However, once the dog is adopted, it cannot be sent back onto the streets, and authorities plan to impose legal punishments for feeding strays in public spaces. Stray dogs have long been a problem in India due to rabies and dog attacks. Rabies, a dangerous viral disease that is spread through saliva or nervous tissue, can have severe effects on the central nervous system, often leading to death if a rabies shot is not taken quickly after the infection sets in. Around 99% of global rabies cases can be traced back to dogs, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that India accounts for around 36% of global rabies deaths– over 20,000 Indians die each year due to rabies. Meanwhile, dog attacks are also common across the country. Many of the rabies cases in India occur due to bites or scratches from infected dogs, and videos showing young children or toddlers being mauled by stray dogs have drawn outrage across the nation. In fact, some studies show that over 2,000 dog bites occur each day within the city of New Delhi alone. Furthermore, according to the Press Trust of India, there are over 62 million stray dogs across the country, meaning that these risks are everywhere, and a lack of control over the dog population is contributing to the population growth. Due to the massive number of dogs within the country, most of the government's efforts to control the population have failed, as they are able to reproduce faster than authorities can neuter them. However, the court's latest steps prove that India is taking steps towards a safer, more hospitable environment for its citizens, even if the cost is high. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): In 2015, an expedition to the Kavachi underwater volcano in the Solomon Islands found sharks living at the center of the volcano. The sharks were described as "mutant-like" due to their adaptations to the harsh environment, and the volcano has been nicknamed "Sharkcano." Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Always look at what you have left. Never look at what you have lost. (Robert H. Schuller) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Apathy (noun, AP-uh-thee) - Apathy refers either to a lack of feeling or emotion, or to a lack of interest or concern. In a Sentence: Though the girl’s expression communicated apathy , Gina knew her daughter was actually very pleased at having won the poetry prize. Image credit to National Geographic

New Zealand's government has confirmed a huge, $1.6 billion military spending package that will include the purchase of helicopters from the United States. New Zealand, a country with few enemies and many friends, has not been the most military-focused in recent years. The country remains around 1,000 miles away from its closest major neighbor, Australia, and is primarily surrounded by the seemingly endless Pacific Ocean. Nevertheless, military capabilities of countries across the world have increased over the past few years, meaning that the safety provided by their lack of proximity to other nations continues to dwindle. Furthermore, the country has experienced several military failures due to aging equipment, leading to embarrassing situations for leaders and ministers. New Zealand's fleet is currently quite old, and many of their aircraft are in desperate need of replacements. As of right now, the military operates two Boeing 757s that are over 30 years old and were already secondhand when bought– in fact, the planes are so old that they have broken down several times, stranding major leaders and forcing them to take commercial flights. On these grounds, New Zealand finally approved an increase in defense spending, with the official release of the plan coming earlier this year in April. They confirmed that they would double their defense spending, raising it from 1% of GDP to 2% over the next 10 years, in addition to spending over NZ $9 billion ($5.2 billion) on defense in the next four years. As part of the new deal, New Zealand will spend around NZ $700 million to acquire two Airbus A321XLRs, a long-range commercial jet with a range of around 5,400 miles. Additionally, to upgrade their rapidly aging helicopter fleet, New Zealand will spend NZ $2 billion to purchase five new MH-60R Seahawk helicopters from the United States. Each helicopter is also equipped with torpedoes and missiles, increasing their defense capabilities. However, New Zealand officials have confirmed that it could take several years to obtain the helicopters, as a large line of countries are looking to purchase the model, including India and Australia. Meanwhile, the planes are scheduled to be delivered in 2028. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): St. Lucia is the only country in the world named after a woman. The country was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse by the French. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): One must be a sea, to receive a polluted stream without becoming impure. (Friedrich Nietzsche) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Validate (verb, VAL-uh-dayt) - To validate something is to show that it is real or correct. Validate can also mean “to state or show that something is legal or official,” “to put a mark on something to show that it has been checked and is official or accepted,” and “to show that someone’s feelings, opinions, etc., are fair and reasonable.” In a Sentence: The company’s claims about its latest product are yet to be validated . Image credit to Lockheed Martin

India and China, two of the world's largest economies, have finally begun to strengthen ties with each other as they face Trump's tariffs. Relations between India and China have always been relatively spotty, with several battles and standoffs in past years near the McMahon Line. This line separates the eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh from Tibet, and has seen various skirmishes and battles over the years as India and China fought over the disputed line. Another area known as Aksai Chin, located near the northern Indian region of Kashmir, has also been disputed in recent years– it is now claimed by India but remains under Chinese occupation. Due to these border disputes, India and China have maintained a cold relationship, with both sides attempting to side with the enemy of the other. China and Pakistan have developed strong ties as China funds various projects to grow the Pakistani economy, and India has stepped up relations with the United States. Furthermore, tensions reached their peak in June 2020 after the construction of a road through the Galwan Valley of Ladakh, in northern India, to get to a high-altitude airbase. China saw this infrastructure project as a threat, leading to a battle between the two sides that resulted in 20 Indian and 4 Chinese fatalities. However, that incident was seen as a breaking point, and relations began to mend themselves after that– as Trump imposed tariffs, both countries began to look for alternatives, and they seem to have found an ally in each other. In recent months, India's friendship with the US has begun to splinter after some of the moves US President Donald Trump has taken since he entered office. His tariffs have placed repeated pressure on allies like India, and their refusal to stop buying Russian oil has prompted him to increase tariffs to 50%– the updated tariff will go into effect on August 27. Meanwhile, China has also been facing serious pressure from the US to place restrictions on the ever-growing drug trade, in addition to various tariffs. After a trade war earlier this year, the US and China agreed on a tariff treaty that would reset levels back to around 30%. While that treaty was set to expire on August 12, it was extended by three months , giving the two countries more time to negotiate on a deal. Now, India and China have set their border dispute aside in an attempt to grow their weakened friendship, potentially showing a sign of strength against the Western world. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed that relations had been improving since his visit to Kazan, Russia, to talk with leaders of BRICS nations, which included Chinese President Xi Jinping– at that meeting, they also agreed upon the 2024 India-China Border Patrol Agreement, allowing them to defuse tensions near their disputed borders. Then, on Tuesday, Modi met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, allowing them to further strengthen ties. Both countries agreed to resume direct flights, which had been suspended since the skirmishes in the Galwan Valley in 2020. Additionally, the two major powers will allow border trade once again, beginning with three areas, and rules on visas will be relaxed. These new trade rules will allow them to build up each others' economies, possibly making up for some of the damage caused by American tariffs. Finally, on August 31, Modi will also attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin, making it the first time the Indian Prime Minister has traveled to China in over seven years. Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Red Solo cups are a common souvenir for foreign tourists to bring back from the United States. The novelty comes from the cups being used in many party scenes in movies. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): First, accept sadness. Realize that without losing, winning isn’t so great. (Alyssa Milano) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Sailent (adj, SAIL-yunt) - Something described as salient is very important or noticeable. In a Sentence: The assignment was to write down the most salient points made in the article. Image credit to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs