Unpaid EU back taxes cost Apple billions Tech company ordered to pay up to $14.5bn in back taxes over deal with Ireland; Trump rejects former KKK leader's support; 'freaks on the peaks' keep lonely watch for forest fires The fine against Apple stems from arrangements it made over nearly 25 years with the Irish government. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Edward Helmore in New York Apple hit by EU tax ruling Apple is facing a $14.5bn fine from the European commission over unpaid back taxes, stemming from arrangements it made over nearly 25 years with the Irish government. The ruling found that Dublin afforded Apple illegal state aid, allowing the US tech company to pay as little as 1% corporate tax rate on two-thirds of its global earnings, and levies a heavier fine than expected. The result of the Irish arrangement was that Apple avoided tax on almost all profits from sales of its products across the EU's single market by booking the profits in Ireland rather than the country in which the product was sold. Ireland's finance minister said Dublin would appeal against the ruling, which columnist Owen Jones calls a vindication of protest. Here is an explainer. EU orders Apple to pay up to €13bn Trump rejects David Duke robocall Republican nominee Donald Trump has rejected a robocall from white supremacist and onetime Ku Klux Klan imperial wizard David Duke encouraging Louisiana voters to vote for him in November's election. As Trump's presidential campaign becomes mired in accusations of racism, his campaign released a statement to Politico saying the candidate "continued to denounce David Duke and any group or individual associated with a message of hate. There is no place for this in the Republican party or our country. We have no knowledge of these calls or any related activities, but strongly condemn and disavow." David Duke releases robocall in support of Donald Trump Earth's warming 'unprecedented in 1,000 years' Nasa is reporting that the Earth is warming at a pace not experienced within the past 1,000 years, at least, making it "very unlikely" that the world will stay within a crucial temperature limit agreed at the Paris climate accord just last year. This year has already seen scorching heat around the world, with the average global temperature peaking at 1.38C (2.48F) above levels experienced in the 19th century, perilously close to the 1.5C (2.7F) limit agreed in Paris. Nasa: Earth is warming at a pace 'unprecedented in 1,000 years' News module devolves into chaos as Facebook fires editors Just months after the discovery that Facebook's Trending news module was curated and tweaked by human beings, the company has abruptly dismissed its editors and left the algorithm to do its job. The results are not promising: the algorithm has pushed a false story about Fox's Megyn Kelly, an offensive Ann Coulter headline and one about a man masturbating with a McDonald's sandwich. Facebook fires trending team, and algorithm without humans goes crazy Scientists tune in to HD164595b At only 95 light years away, HD164595 is 99% the size of the sun and with at least one planet, HD164595b, which is about the size of Neptune and has a 40-day year. This is where a Russian radio telescope, Ratan-600, observed a "strong signal" a year ago. Claudio Maccone of the University of Turin in Italy said "the power of the signal received is not unrealistic for type I civilizations", civilizations with a similar level of technology to Earth. Alien life, or noise? Telescope detects 'strong signal' from sun-like star Gene Wilder, Willy Wonka star, dies at 83 The actor, who starred in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and The Producers, died from complications from Alzheimer's aged 83. The frizzy-haired actor was a master at playing panicked characters caught up in schemes that only director Mel Brooks could devise, whether reviving a monster in Young Frankenstein or bilking Broadway in The Producers. Gene Wilder dies aged 83 Racism in tech: one man's solution Racist posts on Nextdoor.com – billed as a "private social network for your neighborhood" – became so frequent that they started to make Shikira Porter feel physically ill. "It's incredibly toxic," says Porter, 42, who said she has had migraines after arguing with racist users. "I just feel like I'm in a constant state of rage that I have to manage." Now Porter is a part of Neighbors for Racial Justice, an advocacy group to combat racial profiling. What happens when tech firms end up at the center of racism scandals? North Korea executes officials with anti-aircraft gun North Korea's purge of senior officials who are deemed a threat to Kim Jong-un's leadership of the country has continued with the public executions of two senior officials, according to South Korean media, possibly to generate fear among members of the elite after recent high-level defections. The conservative daily, the JoongAng Ilbo, reported on Tuesday that Hwang Min, a former agriculture minister, and Ri Yong-jin, a senior official at the education ministry, were executed by anti-aircraft gun at a military academy in Pyongyang earlier this month. North Korea executes officials in new purge – report Kaepernick has our attention. Now what? It's one thing to spark debate by refusing to stand for the national anthem or complaining about "what's really going on in this country", but now San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has to take meaningful action if he is to fight injustice, says Les Carpenter. And that means talking about issues such as police brutality, racial stereotyping and a system weighted toward the rich. It means convincing other athletes to join in and going to rallies and protests and city council meetings and demanding to be heard. Colin Kaepernick has our attention: so what does he do now? In case you missed it ... Once there were 10,000 lookouts, some among them famous writers and poets, scanning the wilderness for signs of smoke. Now just a few hundred remain. They are known, unofficially, as the "freaks on the peaks" – the name given to fire lookouts who live in elevated huts, armed with binoculars, a compass and a radio, scanning the wilderness for smoke. Twenty-six-year-old Levi Brinegar, at the Stonewall fire lookout in Montana's Helena-Lewis and Clark national forest, says he could not be happier. "It's fun. I'll definitely try to get back next year." 'Freaks on the peaks': the lonely lives of the last remaining forest fire lookouts Manage your emails | Unsubscribe | Trouble viewing? You are receiving this email because you are a subscriber to Guardian US Briefing. Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: 222 Broadway, 22nd and 23rd Floors, New York, New York, 10038