Plus: Starbucks caught in South Korea's heated election ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. As US President Donald Trump suggests high tariffs against smartphone manufacturers and the European Union, economics editor Faisal Islam looks at whether the threats will be taken seriously. Also, BBC Korean Service's Yuna Ku reports on how businesses and celebrities navigate political tensions ahead of South Korea's presidential election. Finally, Kermit the frog delivers a commencement speech - and don't forget to give our weekly news quiz a go. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Tariff threats target iPhones and EU goods |
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|  | Trump has long singled out Apple as a firm he hopes to see manufacture in the US. Credit: Getty Images | Trump has threatened a 25% tariff - a tax charged on imports - on Apple and other smartphone manufacturers and a 50% one on EU goods. The president signalled dissatisfaction with Apple's plans to make US-bound smartphones in India and with the EU's stance in trade talks. Neither Apple nor the EU immediately issued a response. Analysts said it remained to be seen whether the rhetoric would turn into reality. As Faisal Islam notes, many in the EU believe the US administration is bluffing - it backed down against China in the face of rising inflation and market volatility - and will inevitably do so again. |
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| Twelve injured in knife attack at Hamburg station | Police in the German city say they have arrested a 39-year-old woman whom they believe acted alone. | What happened > |
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| Largest Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap takes place | Each have handed over 390 soldiers and civilians in the biggest exchange since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. | Get the details > |
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| Photos show damaged North Korean warship | Satellite images have for the first time shown the extent of a shipyard accident that damaged a new warship. | Take a look > |
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| Court hands out verdict in Kim Kardashian heist trial | Eight people have been found guilty after the US celebrity was robbed at gunpoint in Paris in 2016. | Read more > |
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| Serving politically neutral coffee |  | An outfit's colour choice can be seen as a show of partisan support. Credit: Reuters | South Korean businesses usually strive to be seen as politically neutral. But this has become even more important in recent months, as turmoil triggered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol left the country more divided than ever. Coffee chain Starbucks has learnt that the hard way. |
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| | Yuna Ku, BBC Korean service |
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| | Starbucks had seen an increasing number of customers ordering drinks through their app and keying in phrases such as "arrest Yoon Suk Yeol" or "[opposition leader] Lee Jae-myung is a spy" as their nicknames. Baristas had little choice but to yell out these names once the drinks were ready for collection.
Starbucks has now temporarily blocked customers who are ordering drinks from using the names of the candidates running in the upcoming presidential race. The company said it needed to "maintain political neutrality during election season", adding that this would be lifted after the election on 3 June. Some think the coffee giant is taking things a bit too far. |
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PICK OF THE WEEK | Harvard's foreign students left in limbo |
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|  | Around 6,800 international students attend Harvard, making up more than 27% of its enrolments this year. Credit: Getty Images | A judge has blocked the Trump administration's plan to bar Harvard from enrolling foreign students after the university filed a lawsuit. The escalating dispute between the government and one of America's most prestigious institutions leaves current and prospective foreign students facing an uncertain future. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Lawrence 'better than ever' | While Jennifer Lawrence excels in Die, My Love, our critic only gives it three stars. | |
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And finally... in the US | "Stay connected to your dreams, no matter how big, no matter how impossible they seem," said Kermit the Frog to graduating students at the University of Maryland, where his creator, Jim Henson, once studied. Watch the world's most famous frog deliver more of his pearls of wisdom. | |
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US Politics Unspun newsletter | No noise. No agenda. Just expert analysis of the issues that matter most, from North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher. | |
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