| Trump plans to announce a new Federal Reserve governor and a jobs-data statistician in the coming days, appointments that may shape his economic agenda. The US president has faced criticism for relentless attacks on the Fed and for firing Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Erika McEntarfer after data showed weak jobs growth — moves seen as undermining institutions typically viewed as free from political influence. Secretary General António Guterres is slashing more than $700 million in spending and laying out plans to overhaul the United Nations as its largest sponsor, the US, pulls back support. The plan calls for 20% cuts in expenditures and employment, which would bring its budget, now $3.7 billion, to the lowest since 2018. About 3,000 jobs would be lost.  A United Nations Security Council meeting on June 20. Photographer: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images Canada sees a chance of lowering some tariffs imposed by the US after failing to reach a deal by Aug. 1, the minister in charge of trade said yesterday. With US levies as high as 35% on some Canadian imports — although the USMC trade deal exempts many goods — Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump are expected to talk in the coming days. Cambodian and Thai officials began talks aimed at de-escalating border tensions, after Cambodia yesterday accused Thailand of plotting fresh attacks along frontier areas, a charge rebuffed by Bangkok. While a July 29 ceasefire halted clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbors which had left more than 40 dead, hundreds of thousands of people on both sides are still confined to evacuation camps over fears of fresh fighting. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gave a defiant speech to his Workers’ Party in Brasilia yesterday in which he said that Brazil is open to trade talks with the US but only if negotiations are on equal terms, reiterating that he won’t bow to political pressure from Trump. The US last week delayed the imposition of 50% tariffs over coup charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, but placed sanctions on the justice overseeing the case. The UK plans to spend an extra £100 million ($133 million) to target people smuggling and implement a migrant-return deal with France, as the Labour government tries to crack down on record levels of irregular migration. South Korea’s $350 billion investment pledge as part of its US trade deal is largely structured as loan guarantees rather than direct capital injections, the presidential policy chief said, seeking to ease domestic concerns over the scale and risks of the agreement. Tens of thousands of people participated in a rare march across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge yesterday in support of Gaza, calling on the Australian government to increase pressure on Israel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.  People march across Sydney Harbour Bridge. Photographer: Izhar Khan/Getty Images AsiaPac | 
