Our daily trip around the world

🇬🇧🎤 Taylor Swift’s Eras tour may have killed the chances of a UK rate cut. New government figures show UK inflation held steady last month, instead of declining as economists had predicted. UK officials say the largest upward contribution to inflation came from restaurants and hotels, with some analysts attributing the increases to Taylor Swift’s sold-out 13-show tour of the UK from June 7–30. After the inflation data was released, financial markets downgraded the chances of a UK rate-cut in August (which, coincidentally, is when Swift comes back to town).

🇰🇷 South Korea recognized health benefits for same-sex couples in a landmark decision. South Korea’s supreme court ruled yesterday that the government must provide same-sex couples with health insurance and spousal benefits, even though the country doesn’t legally recognize gay marriage. The decision confirmed a landmark ruling by a lower court last year, meaning the law is now officially in effect.

🇺🇳 The global population is projected to peak roughly five years earlier than expected, per a new UN report. The world’s population is expected to grow by 2+ billion people over the next several decades, before peaking at 10.3 billion people in the mid-2080s, the UN said in a new biennial report. The earlier-than-anticipated peak is largely due to declining fertility rates and an increasingly aging population across the globe. The report found populations have already peaked in 63 countries and territories, including China, Germany, Japan, and Russia.