Here’s the latest edition of “Five Things We Learned This Week” for July 5–11, 2025, featuring all-new insights within the past seven days—no repeats from previous lists:

⚖️ 1. Trump Intensifies Trade War with 30–50% Tariffs

• Between July 7–11, President Trump sent letters threatening 30% tariffs on EU & Mexico (starting Aug 1), 35% on Canada, and 50% on imported copper, along with an extra 10% on BRICS allies  .
• Global markets responded with caution—stocks dipped, safe-haven assets steadied, and commodity currencies showed volatility  .
• Trade partners expressed strong concern, calling the moves disruptive amid ongoing negotiations  .

🛢️ 2. Oil Prices Jump Over 2% amid Tight Markets and Tariff Fears

• On July 11, Brent rose ~2.5% ($1.72/barrel) to $70.36, and WTI climbed 2.8% to $68.45, sparked by IEA warnings of tighter supply, OPEC+ compliance, and trade policy risks  .
• U.S. rig counts fell for the 11th straight week, intensifying concerns about future output ().

🌍 3. UN Adopts Climate–Human Rights Resolution

• On July 8, the UN Human Rights Council passed a climate change motion that ties environmental harm to human rights—adopted by consensus after the Marshall Islands withdrew a controversial fossil-fuel phase-out amendment  .
• The resolution calls for “defossilizing our economies” and sets a benchmark for framing climate action as a global human-rights priority  .

💼 4. BRICS Summit Highlights Climate Funding Demands

• On July 7, at their Rio meeting, BRICS leaders urged wealthy nations to fund climate transitions in developing countries, while also affirming continued fossil fuel usage in their economies  .
• Brazil’s President Lula warned against denialism, contrasting BRICS multilateralism with U.S. isolationism ().

🎤 5. Reuters NEXT Asia Summit Tackles Trade, AI & Global Stability

• July 7, the Reuters NEXT Asia forum in Singapore convened ~350 global leaders to debate pressing issues—covering AI innovation, trade disputes, and geopolitical uncertainty  .
• Discussions stressed AI’s dual potential for disruption and opportunity, with trade tensions—especially tariffs—looming large.

Each of these five highlights occurred between July 5–11, 2025, and brings fresh, global perspectives to this week’s roundup. Want full article links or deeper analysis? Just say the word!