What Gazans saw near hospital struck by Israel

Hello. We're reporting today that the US has given Israel 30 days to boost humanitarian aid access to Gaza or risk having some US military assistance cut off. It is one of the strongest warnings from Washington, coming after the UN and NGOs condemned the large number of civilian casualties in the Strip. With a freelancer in Gaza, my colleague Mallory Moench has been collecting testimonies from witnesses to a strike on the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital compound. Also in your newsletter: Trump tariffs, India-Canada relations, and Czech cuisine.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Behind Trump's plan to raise tariffs

Donald Trump has defended his tariff policy arguing they protect and create domestic jobs. Credit: Reuters

Donald Trump has pledged to drastically increase tariffs on foreign goods entering the US if he is elected president again. The Republican candidate in the 5 November election sees tariffs as a way of growing the US economy, protecting jobs and raising tax revenue. But would they hurt US consumers?

How do tariffs work?

In practical terms, a tariff is a domestic tax levied on goods as they enter the country, proportional to the value of the import. So a car imported to the US with a value of $50,000 (£38,000) subject to a 10% tariff, would face a $5,000 charge. The charge is physically paid by the domestic company that imports the goods, not the foreign company that exports them. So, in that sense, it is a straightforward tax paid by domestic US firms to the US government.

What is Donald Trump pledging?

He has promised tariffs of up to 20% on goods from other countries and 60% on all imports from China. He has even talked about a 200% tax on some imported cars. He has claimed on the campaign trail that these taxes are "not going to be a cost to you, it’s a cost to another country". This is almost universally regarded by economists as misleading.

How so?

Let’s use a concrete example. Trump imposed a 50% tariff on imports of washing machines in 2018. Researchers estimate the value of washing machines jumped by around 12% as a direct consequence, equivalent to $86 per unit, and that US consumers paid around $1.5bn extra a year in total for these products. There is no reason to believe the results of even higher import tariffs from a future Trump administration would be any different in terms of where the economic burden would fall.

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THE BIG PICTURE

India-Canada relations hit rock bottom

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau claimed police were investigating allegations of Indian agents' direct involvement in a killing. Credit: AFP

The relationship between Delhi and Ottawa has historically been cordial. But now India and Canada have expelled their top diplomats amid escalating tensions over the assassination of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. Soutik Biswas explains what's behind this heightened level of open confrontation.

And finally... in the UK

An American woman's victory in Britain's World Conker Championships has been overshadowed by claims of cheating in the men's competition. David 'King Conker' Jakins, 82, denies he used a metal substitute to 'obliterate' his opponents' nuts.