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President Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday imposing new tariffs on imports from 68 countries and the 27-member European Union, set to take effect at 12:01 am ET on Aug. 7. The new deadline replaces an original one that had been anticipated for today, when dozens of countries had been warned to strike trade deals or face steep tariff hikes.
The latest batch of levies will range from 10% on countries where the US exports more goods than it receives (and for trading partners that are not listed in the executive order) to as high as 41% for countries deemed to have unbalanced trade relationships with the US. See the full list of new rates here.
Separately, the Trump administration increased tariffs on Canada to 35% from 25% (expected to take effect today), while Mexico struck a temporary deal with the US to maintain current 25% rates for another 90 days.
Earlier in the day, a federal appeals court weighed Trump’s tariff authority. Trump is the first president to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to levy tariffs, citing fentanyl trafficking and long-standing trade deficits as justification. The 1977 law allows presidents to issue economic sanctions to counter exceptional threats. |
The Piprahwa Gems have been returned to India after 127 years, India’s government has announced. The collection is considered sacred by Buddhists and is believed to be linked to the Buddha himself.
The discovery dates back to 1898, when British estate manager William Claxton Peppé excavated an ancient monument in Piprahwa, northern India, near the Buddha's birthplace. He unearthed a chest containing nearly 1,800 pearls, rubies, sapphires, and other gems and gold pieces (see here) alongside bone fragments and an urn attributing the remains to the Buddha. Peppé relinquished most of the relics to the colonial Indian government but retained over 300 pieces. See a trailer for a documentary on the story here.
Peppé’s descendants planned to auction the collection through Sotheby’s this year before the Indian government threatened legal action. Sotheby’s says it negotiated a sale of the collection to Mumbai-based conglomerate Godrej Industries Group for an undisclosed sum. The jewels will go on permanent display in India. |
World's 'Oldest' IVF Baby |
A baby boy born in Ohio on July 26 has set a world record as the oldest baby ever born from a frozen embryo. Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was conceived from an embryo created and cryopreserved in 1994 by Linda Archerd during an in vitro fertilization cycle.
Now 62, Archerd donated her remaining embryos after menopause through a process known as embryo adoption, in which donors have input on where embryos are placed and which are often handled by Christian agencies. Lindsey and Tim Pierce adopted the embryo, which had been stored for over 30 years in a slow-frozen plastic vial. Archerd previously gave birth to a daughter from the same IVF procedure—that daughter is now 30 and has a 10-year-old child.
Since the first IVF baby was born in 1978, over 13 million babies worldwide have been born through IVF or similar technologies. In the US, about 2% of babies—one in every 42—are born using IVF. |
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In partnership with Pendulum |
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In partnership with Saatva |
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In partnership with Pendulum |
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'The Best Probiotic I've Ever Found' |
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Best of Etcetera—July 2025 |
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