Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

United States consumer prices continued to climb in July, according to key economic data released on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump’s international tariffs started to impact costs for American consumers. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks the price changes of a basket of goods and services, revealed that prices were up 2.7% in July compared with the same month last year. While inflation had eased in the spring, the annual inflation rate saw an uptick of 0.4% since April. Although inflation remained stable between June and July, core inflation rose by 3.1%, accelerating faster than in June. Food prices…

A leading US medical journal has issued a warning about using ChatGPT for health-related information after a man developed a rare condition following advice from the chatbot. The Annals of Internal Medicine published a case study detailing how a 60-year-old man developed bromism, or bromide toxicity, after consulting ChatGPT about removing table salt from his diet. Bromism was once a well-recognised condition in the early 20th century, thought to have contributed to up to one in 10 psychiatric admissions. In this case, the patient told doctors that after reading about the harmful effects of sodium chloride, or table salt, he…

Paramount has signed a $7.7bn (£5.7bn) agreement to become the exclusive United States broadcaster of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), just days after completing its controversial merger with Skydance Media. Under the seven year deal with UFC’s parent company, TKO Group, all 13 of the sport’s high-profile numbered events and 30 “Fight Nights” per year will be available to stream on the Paramount+ service from next year, with a selection also simulcast on CBS. The agreement will mark the end of UFC’s current pay-per-view arrangement on Disney-owned ESPN+ in the US. Paramount will pay an average of $1.1bn annually for…

Donald Trump has invoked section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to place the city’s Metropolitan Police Department under federal control, ordering the deployment of the national guard and describing Washington DC as “lawless”  despite official figures showing crime at historic lows. Speaking on Monday, the US president vowed to allow officers to “do whatever the hell they want” in the face of what he called provocations. “That’s the only language they understand,” he said. “They like to spit in the face of the police. You spit, and we hit, and they get hit real hard.” Defence…

Villagers in Vietnam whose farms are set to be demolished to make way for a $1.5bn (£1.18bn) golf resort backed by the Trump family have reportedly been offered rice provisions and cash compensation of as little as $12 (£9.40) per square metre by state authorities. According to Reuters, thousands of villagers in Hung Yen province, south of Hanoi, will receive payouts based on the size and location of their land. Elderly farmers told the agency they feared losing their farms would leave them without a stable livelihood. The luxury development, the first project by the Trump Organization in Vietnam, broke…

In a Fox News interview broadcast on Sunday, Vance sought to deflect criticism of the administration’s refusal to release the “Epstein files” by blaming Democrats.

The Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France has been forced to shut down after a massive swarm of jellyfish clogged the filter drums that draw in cooling water, its state-owned operator, EDF, has confirmed. The facility, one of the largest in France, is cooled via a canal linked to the North Sea. According to EDF, four reactors were affected in the incident, which occurred late on Sunday, prompting a complete halt in production. Reactors 2, 3 and 4 automatically shut down when the pumping station’s filter drums became packed with what EDF described as a “massive and unpredictable” influx…

Tourist trails on Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy have been closed as firefighters continue to battle a huge blaze sweeping across the volcano’s slopes. Officials have also warned of another “challenging day” for crews tackling France’s largest wildfire since 1949. The wildfire on Mount Vesuvius, near Naples, broke out several days ago and by Saturday afternoon had spread to roughly 3km (1.9 miles) wide, destroying hundreds of hectares of woodland and killing wildlife. Thick smoke was visible from both Pompeii and Naples. Six Canadair firefighting aircraft have been deployed from the state fleet, while teams comprising firefighters, soldiers, forestry corps,…

Shares in US footwear company Crocs tumbled by almost 30% on Thursday after the firm warned of falling sales, citing the impact of tariffs, “super cautious” American consumers and signs that the “ugly shoe” trend may be losing steam. The Colorado-based maker of foam clogs and sandals saw its share price fall 29.2%, following a forecast that revenues could decline between 9% and 11% in the current quarter. Analysts had expected a slight increase. The plunge wiped the company’s valuation to its lowest level in almost three years. Chief executive Andrew Rees said there was “ample evidence” that many North…

The summit at Chevening came ahead of a planned meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin next Friday in Alaska.