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US Fed set to hold firm against Trump pressure

The US central bank is expected to defy political pressure and keep interest rates unchanged Wednesday at the end of a two-day policy meeting, as the effects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs emerge.The Federal Reserve’s decision, due to be announced at 2:00 pm US eastern time (1800 GMT), comes amid a flurry of data releases this week, including an early estimate of second quarter economic growth.”It’s a high-wire act for the Fed, because they’re balancing a lot of risks without a net,” KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk told AFP.”Some of the most tariff-sensitive sectors have begun to show price increases, but the bulk of any inflation bump due to tariffs is still ahead of us,” Swonk added in a recent note.Meanwhile, there are cracks in the foundation when it comes to the labor market, she said, adding that “it doesn’t take much of a pick-up in layoffs to have a bigger effect on demand.”Analysts broadly expect the Fed to hold interest rates steady at a range between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent. Its last reduction was in December.The outcome could vex Trump, who has lashed out repeatedly at independent Fed Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering rates sooner — calling him “too late,” a “numbskull” and “moron.”JP Morgan chief US economist Michael Feroli said in a note that Powell will likely sidestep questions at a press conference Wednesday on issues like Trump’s threats to fire him or speculation over a possible early retirement.Powell’s term as Fed Chair ends in May 2026.- ‘Hyper-politicized’ -But the central bank could well see renewed criticism from Trump after unveiling its decision, particularly as the outcome may show internal disagreements.Economists anticipate potentially two dissents among Fed policymakers, given that a couple of officials have signaled willingness to reduce rates as soon as in July.This month, Fed governor Christopher Waller flagged that indicators do not point to a particularly healthy private sector jobs market.While he did not commit to a decision, he has made the case for a July rate cut and stressed that policymakers need to respond to real-time data.Analysts said it is not too unusual to see a couple of dissents when the Fed unveils its decision, and financial markets would already have braced for this possibility given officials’ recent remarks.But Swonk warned: “What I worry about is how, in this hyper-politicized environment, that’s perceived.””Multiple dissents by governors, who are closest to the Chair, could signal an unintended view that they have lost confidence in the chairman,” Swonk noted.Already, Trump has called for interest rates to be dropped by as much as three percentage points.- Cruel summer -Swonk of KPMG said: “it’s going to get tougher over the summer.””Tariff-induced price pressures are starting to filter through the economy,” said EY chief economist Gregory Daco in a note.Companies are citing weaker earnings and higher input costs, while elevated consumer prices are beginning to weigh on retail sales.”More demand erosion is likely in the months ahead,” Daco said.He expects Powell to “strike a tone of cautious patience” in his press conference after the rate decision.Powell would likely reiterate that policy remains data-dependent, and that the Fed can adjust this as conditions evolve, Daco added.Looking ahead, Swonk said, “the real issue will be, what does he say at Jackson Hole now?”Powell typically addresses an annual central banking conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and it takes place this year in late August.”The next shoe to drop is: Will there be enough data by the time we get to Jackson Hole to open the door to a September rate cut?” Swonk said.

US, India to launch powerful Earth-monitoring satellite

A formidable new radar satellite jointly developed by the United States and India is set to launch Wednesday, designed to track subtle changes in Earth’s land and ice surfaces and help predict both natural and human-caused hazards.Dubbed NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), the pickup truck-sized spacecraft is scheduled to lift off at 5:40 pm (1210 GMT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeastern coast, riding an ISRO Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket.Highly anticipated by scientists, the mission has also been hailed as a milestone in growing US-India cooperation between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”Our planet surface undergoes constant and meaningful change,” Karen St Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science division, told reporters. “Some change happens slowly. Some happens abruptly. Some changes are large, while some are subtle.”By picking up on tiny changes in the vertical movement of the Earth’s surface — as little as one centimeter (0.4 inches) — scientists will be able to detect the precusors for natural and human-caused disasters, from earthquakes, landsides and volcanoes to aging infrastructure like dams and bridges.”We’ll see land substance and swelling, movement, deformation and melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets covering both Greenland and Antarctica, and of course, we’ll see wildfires,” added St Germain, calling NISAR “the most sophisticated radar we’ve ever built.”Equipped with a 12-meter dish that will unfold in space, NISAR will record nearly all of Earth’s land and ice twice every 12 days from an altitude of 464 miles (747 kilometers).- Microwave frequencies -As it orbits, the satellite will continuously transmit microwaves and receive echoes from the surface. Because the spacecraft is moving, the returning signals are distorted — but computer processing will reassemble them to produce detailed, high-resolution images. Achieving similar results with traditional radar would require an impractically large 12-mile-wide dish.NISAR will operate on two radar frequencies: L-band and S-band. The L-band is ideal for sensing taller vegetation like trees, while the S-band enables more accurate readings of shorter plants such as bushes and shrubs.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and India’s ISRO shared the workload, each building components on opposite sides of the planet before integrating and testing the spacecraft at ISRO’s Satellite Integration & Testing Establishment in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.NASA’s contribution came to just under $1.2 billion, while ISRO’s costs were around $90 million.India’s space program has made major strides in recent years, including placing a probe in Mars orbit in 2014 and landing a robot and rover on the Moon in 2023.Shubhanshu Shukla, a test pilot with the Indian Air Force, recently became the second Indian to travel to space and the first to reach the International Space Station — a key step toward India’s own indigenous crewed mission planned for 2027 under the Gaganyaan (“sky craft”) program.

Five products to be hit by Trump’s incoming tariffs

The United States is set to raise tariffs on dozens of trading partners Friday if they fail to reach accords with President Donald Trump to avert the higher rates, and this risks raising prices for consumers.Economists have warned that steeper US tariffs, paid for by importers of foreign products, could add to business costs and trickle down to households.The risk is a dampening of consumption — a key driver of the world’s biggest economy.Trump’s tariffs could impact everything from coffee beans and rice to cocoa, seafood or even electronics.Here are some examples of products in the crosshairs:- Coffee -Over 99 percent of America’s coffee is imported, according to the National Coffee Association. It told AFP that two-thirds of US adults drink coffee daily.Top suppliers of coffee beans include Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).But Brazil, which accounted for over 30 percent of such imports in recent years, faces a 50 percent tariff threat come August 1.In a letter to Brazil’s leadership, Trump cited a judical “witch hunt” against his right-wing ally, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, in unveiling the rate.Imports from Vietnam, meanwhile, face a 20 percent additional tariff even after a deal the Southeast Asian country recently struck with Trump.- Shirts -Clothing like shirts and sweaters could also become pricier.China, Vietnam and Bangladesh accounted for more than half of US apparel imports from January through May this year, said the American Apparel & Footwear Association.All three countries face different tariff levels under the Trump administration.Chinese goods, which account for nearly a third of apparel imports, were hit by a fresh 30 percent duty this year — piling atop existing ones.If an existing truce expiring August 12 is not extended, tariffs on products from China could surge even higher, causing companies to halt imports or be forced to pass on more costs.Vietnamese goods accounted for nearly 20 percent of clothing imports while those from Bangladesh made up about 11 percent, the association said.Trump has threatened to impose a 35 percent duty on Bangladesh goods.- Jasmine rice -The United States is the biggest rice importing country in the Western Hemisphere, bringing in some 1.3 million tons, according to the USDA.More than 60 percent of the country’s rice imports are aromatic varieties, mostly jasmine from Thailand and basmati from India and Pakistan.Thailand faces a prospective 36 percent tariff come Friday, India 26 percent and Pakistan, 29 percent.The United States also takes in smaller quantities of medium and short-grained rice from Asia and some products from South America.- Cocoa -US imports of cocoa beans — mostly from places like the Ivory Coast and Ecuador — averaged over $1.1 billion annually from 2017 to 2021, according to the USDA.Among them, the Ivory Coast faces a 21 percent tariff.Cocoa butter shipments were valued at $576 million annually and mainly supplied by Indonesia and Malaysia, facing fresh duties of 19 percent and 25 percent respectively.- Electronics -Besides tariffs on imports from specific countries, Trump has also threatened a 50 percent duty on copper imports come August 1.Consulting firm BCG warned that this would add $8.6 billion to the cost of raw copper and refined copper imported into the country — and more if tariffs extended into derivative products.BCG expects material costs to jump for the construction industry — which uses 42 percent of copper products consumed domestically — and makers of electronics goods.

Trump 2.0 has no qualms about making money on the side

Donald Trump has abandoned any qualms he had in his first term about making money on the side while serving as president, as he unabashedly promotes his business interests.In the latest instance of him blending diplomacy, pageant and the profit motive, Trump on Tuesday inaugurated another golf course bearing his name in the town of Balmedie as he concluded a five-day visit to Scotland.The ceremony, which featured bagpipes, fireworks and a Trump campaign song — the Village People’s “YMCA” — was broadcast live on the White House YouTube channel.Trump had led UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a tour of the course on Monday.And Trump on Tuesday welcomed Scotland’s leader, First Minister John Swinney, who has ruffled feathers by granting subsidies to hold a golf tournament at the Trump property.   – ‘Deeply troubling’  -“All of this looks like foreign governments paying, or paying tribute to, Donald Trump’s businesses in apparent attempts to curry favor with him and receive better treatment from him on key policy issues including trade deals,” said Noah Bookbinder, head of an NGO called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).Bookbinder called it “deeply troubling” that US diplomacy could be guided by the financial interests of the Trump family.A White House official denied there was anything awry in Trump’s golf diplomacy stay in Scotland, saying the president’s assets are in a trust managed by his children and there is no conflict of interest.The 79-year-old president teed off Tuedsay to play the new golf course with his son Eric, who led the project.”We wanted this to be the greatest 36 holes anywhere on Earth. And there’s no question that that’s been achieved,” said the younger Trump.A journalist then asked Trump if blurring the line between his official duty as president and trying to make money amounted to a conflict of interest.”I haven’t heard that,” Trump said, immediately changing the subject to his golf game.”Did you get to see my drive in the first hole? … Pretty long, pretty long,” Trump said.Eric and Donald Trump Jr, who was also here for the course inauguration, are both executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization, a holding company that features a wide range of Trump properties and other assets.During his stay in Scotland, Trump also received European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at another opulent Trump golf resort in the southwestern town of Turnberry.- Cryptocurrencies -The Trump family has more than a dozen ritzy golf resorts scattered around the world that can host receptions or tournaments, and the president has expressed hopes that the British Open will be played at their property in Turnberry one day.Trump’s sons are involved in a range of other businesses, encouraged openly by their father from the White House.The president in particular has gotten involved in a number of cryptocurrency endeavors that have inflated his wealth as his government actively promotes the burgeoning sector of the economy.Trump was roundly criticized for hosting a private dinner in April for the top 25 holders of $TRUMP, a crypto product associated with him and called a meme coin.He has promoted this product on his social media platform Truth Social, which is part of the company Trump Media. Trump also uses the platform for official government announcements on anything from tariffs to ties with Russia.- World Liberty Financial -Trump’s wife Melania is also involved in moneymaking endeavors, including a new documentary series produced by Amazon.The president and Steve Witkoff, his envoy for Russia and the Middle East, are linked through their families to a cryptocurrency company called World Liberty Financial.The company — which lists Trump as “co-founder emeritus” on its website — came under virulent criticism over a recent transaction with a company in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.During a spring tour of the Middle East, Trump agreed to a request from UAE authorities to be able to buy cutting-edge US electronics.While on the same trip, Trump agreed to accept a Boeing jetliner as a gift from Qatar to the United States, dismissing howls of protest from the Democrats over a gesture which they called a blatant conflict of interest.During Trump’s first term in office from 2017-2021, the Trump Organization declared a moratorium on investments with private companies in other countries. This time around there is no such abstention. 

Qatar, Saudi, Egypt join call for Hamas to disarm, give up Gaza rule

Arab countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt joined calls Tuesday for Hamas to disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end the devastating war in the Palestinian territory.Seventeen countries plus the European Union and Arab League threw their weight behind a seven-page text agreed at a United Nations conference on reviving the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. “In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State,” said the declaration.It followed a call Monday by the Palestinian delegation at the United Nations for both Israel and Hamas to leave Gaza, allowing the Palestinian Authority to administer the coastal territory.The text also condemned the deadly October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas against Israel, something the UN General Assembly has yet to do.France, which co-chaired the conference with Saudi Arabia, called the declaration “both historic and unprecedented.””For the first time, Arab countries and those in the Middle East condemn Hamas, condemn October 7, call for the disarmament of Hamas, call for its exclusion from Palestinian governance, and clearly express their intention to normalize relations with Israel in the future,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.The text, co-signed by France, Britain and Canada among other western nations, also called for the possible deployment of foreign forces to stabilize Gaza after the end of hostilities.Israel and its ally the United States did not take part in the meeting.- 21 months of war -The document was issued at the second day of the conference in New York at which Britain announced it may recognize a Palestinian state in September.British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said London would proceed with recognition if Israel did not fulfil conditions including implementing a ceasefire in Gaza and allowing in sufficient aid.French President Emmanuel Macron last week said he would formally announce France’s recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September.For decades, most of the global body’s members have supported a two-state solution with Israel and a Palestinian state existing side-by-side.But after more than 21 months of war in Gaza, the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and Israeli officials declaring designs to annex occupied territory, it is feared a Palestinian state could become geographically impossible.The current war in Gaza started after the Hamas attacks on Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed.Israel responded with large-scale military action that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives and destroyed most infrastructure in the enclave.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the meeting Monday “the two-state solution is farther than ever before.”In a statement issued late Tuesday, 15 Western nations including France and Spain, affirmed their “unwavering support to the vision of the two-state solution.”Among the signatories, nine that have not yet recognized a Palestinian state expressed “willingness or positive consideration of their countries” to do so: Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal, and San Marino.

US pushes to revoke scientific ruling that underpins climate regulations

President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to reverse a foundational scientific determination that underpins the US government’s authority to limit greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and, more broadly, to combat climate change.Speaking at an auto dealership in Indianapolis, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin argued that the 2009 Endangerment Finding was based on flawed reasoning and had inflicted serious economic harm.”If finalized, today’s announcement would amount to the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States,” said the former Republican congressman.He was joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former fracking company CEO, whose department published a climate science study cited in the EPA action.The proposed reversal — first announced in March — will be subject to a 45-day public comment period and is certain to face legal challenges.While Zeldin cast the move as a way to undo what he called the “Biden-Harris administration’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate,” revoking the Endangerment Finding could also unravel the legal basis for a wide array of climate regulations, including those on power plants and oil and gas operations.In his remarks, Zeldin accused the EPA under former president Barack Obama, a Democrat, of making “mental leaps” in determining that heat-trapping gases posed a threat to public health and welfare.The EPA said in a press release that the finding had “been used to justify over $1 trillion in regulations” and undoing it would save $54 billion annually.A 302-page document outlining the rationale for the revocation makes a number of bold claims around climate science, including the assertion that “extreme weather events have not demonstrably increased relative to historical highs,” citing the Energy Department report.It also speaks about the “beneficial impacts” of carbon emissions on plant growth and agricultural productivity.The Endangerment Finding was grounded in overwhelming scientific consensus and peer-reviewed research. It followed a landmark 2007 Supreme Court ruling that found greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act and directed the EPA to revisit its position.Transportation accounts for 28 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions — more than any other sector.If it were a country, the US transportation sector would rank as the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, while the power sector would be fifth.- Legal battle looms -Environmental groups and states are expected to swiftly sue. The case could ultimately reach the Supreme Court, which may need to overturn its own 2007 precedent to side with the current Republican administration.Dan Becker of the Center for Biological Diversity told AFP the Endangerment Finding has survived multiple legal challenges by industry over the years, “but this time, it’s the government itself mounting the attack.””Hopefully they will recognize that this is science and not politics — that there was a good reason for that precedent and no good reason to revoke it,” said Becker. “But this is a very political court.”He added that the administration’s cost-saving arguments were misleading, pointing to official data showing that rules now targeted for repeal saved the average American driver $6,000 in fuel and maintenance over the lifetime of vehicles built under the standards.Camille Pannu, an environmental law specialist at Columbia University, told AFP the Trump administration had failed to present robust legal arguments grounded in scientific evidence in its proposal.”I think they’re hoping they can just refuse to regulate for four years and do crazy things during that time while it’s all tied up in court,” she said.Since returning to office, Trump has withdrawn the US from the Paris Agreement and launched a sweeping campaign to expand fossil fuel development. The announcement comes as tens of millions of Americans are baking under a brutal heat dome in the Southeast, while climate-fueled flooding earlier this month killed more than 100 people in Texas.

Taiwan says President Lai not blocked from US stopover

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has not been blocked from visiting the United States, Taipei’s foreign ministry said Tuesday, insisting he has no plans to travel overseas “in the near future”.The remarks came after US President Donald Trump’s administration reportedly denied permission for Lai to transit in New York as part of an official trip to Latin America next month.Lai’s office had never confirmed his travel plans, but Paraguay, Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in South America, said in mid-July that Lai would visit the country in 30 days.Such a visit would likely mean Lai would need to fly through US territory.”There has been no postponement, cancellation, nor any denial of permission for the transit by the US side,” spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei told reporters in Taipei.”Given the ongoing post-disaster recovery efforts in southern Taiwan, the ongoing reciprocal tariff negotiations with the US, and the relevant international situation, the president has no plans for overseas visits in the near future.”In Washington, asked about the report, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told a media briefing that there had been no travel plans presented for Taiwan’s president and therefore “nothing canceled.”She reiterated Washington’s policy that “transits by high-level Taiwan officials, including presidents, are fully consistent with our long-standing policy and practice. This has not changed.”The Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, reported Tuesday that the Trump administration had denied permission for a Lai stopover in New York, after Beijing objected.China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and opposes any international exchanges with the democratic island.Asked about the reports on Tuesday, Beijing’s foreign ministry reiterated its opposition to Taiwan’s leaders visiting the United States.”This position is consistent, clear, and firm,” spokesman Guo Jiakun said.The Financial Times said Lai decided not to travel after he was told he couldn’t enter New York.Chinese and US officials held trade talks Tuesday in Stockholm, in a bid to extend a fragile truce in the face of Trump’s global tariff war.While the United States does not recognise Taiwan as a country, Washington remains the island’s most important partner and biggest arms supplier.Commenting on the Financial Times article, the former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the decision “sends a dangerous signal”. “But once again, (Chinese) President Xi has achieved a victory over the values, security and economy of the United States in the Trump Administration blocking the democratically elected president of Taiwan from making a diplomatic trip through New York,” Pelosi wrote on Facebook.”Let us hope President Trump’s denial of this stopover in New York is not indicative of a dangerous change in U.S. policy on Taiwan.”Lai had originally planned stopovers in New York and Dallas as part of the trip to Paraguay and Central American allies Guatemala and Belize next month, Bloomberg News previously reported.They are among Taiwan’s 12 remaining diplomatic allies. 

Trump says fell out with Epstein because he was taking Mar-a-Lago spa staff

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he fell out with Jeffrey Epstein because the convicted sex offender had poached staff from his club’s spa, including the woman at the center of an underage sex scandal involving Prince Andrew.The White House has said previously that Trump threw Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club two decades ago “for being a creep” and US media has reported that they became estranged over a Florida real estate deal.Speaking to reporters on Air Force One while flying home from Scotland, Trump gave some of his most expansive public comments yet about his falling out with Epstein, the wealthy and well-connected financier who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls.”People were taken out of the (Mar-a-Lago) spa, hired by him, in other words gone,” Trump said. “When I heard about it, I told him, I said, ‘Listen, we don’t want you taking our people.'”And then not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, ‘Out of here.'”Trump also confirmed that one of the Mar-a-Lago spa attendants taken by his longtime friend Epstein was Virginia Giuffre, who brought a civil case against Epstein friend Prince Andrew, accusing him of sexually assaulting her when she was 17.Giuffre, who accused Epstein of using her as a sex slave, committed suicide at her home in Australia in April.”I think she worked at the spa,” Trump said. “I think that was one of the people. He stole her.”Before taking office in January, Trump promised to release more information about Epstein, who right-wing conspiracy theorists allege trafficked young girls for VIPs.Trump infuriated some of supporters, however, when the FBI and Justice Department announced in early July that they had not discovered any new elements warranting the release of additional information about Epstein.Scrutiny has been intensifying ever since on Trump’s own relationship with Epstein.- ‘Clemency’ -Seeking to tamp down the furor, the Justice Department has sought the release of grand jury transcripts from the investigation into Epstein and interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s imprisoned accomplice, last week.Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — who is also Trump’s former personal attorney — met with Maxwell over two days but declined to say what was discussed in the highly unusual meetings between a convicted felon and a top Justice Department official.Maxwell, 63, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2021 of recruiting underage girls for Epstein, offered meanwhile to testify before a House of Representatives committee but only if granted immunity.Maxwell’s lawyers, in a letter to the House committee which has subpoenaed her to testify next month, said she would be prepared to do so “if a fair and safe path forward can be established.””If Ms Maxwell were to receive clemency, she would be willing — and eager — to testify openly and honestly, in public,” they said.Without clemency, the former British socialite would only testify if granted immunity.”Ms Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity,” her lawyers said.Maxwell would also need to see potential questions in advance and would not agree to be interviewed at the Florida prison where she is being held, they said.Finally, her lawyers said, any testimony could only come after the Supreme Court decides whether or not to hear Maxwell’s appeal seeking to have her conviction overturned.They said that if the conditions could not be met Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

Russia strikes kill 25 in Ukraine as Trump shortens Moscow deadline

Russia said on Tuesday it wanted peace in Ukraine hours after mounting attacks that killed at least 25 people, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman and more than a dozen prison inmates. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday twice shortened his deadline for Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine — now into a fourth year — or face new sanctions, saying hours after the latest deaths the Kremlin had 10 days to act.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of wilfully targeting a prison in the Zaporizhzhia region, which Russia claims as its own territory, killing 16 people and wounding dozens of others.”It was a deliberate strike, intentional, not accidental. The Russians could not have been unaware that they were targeting civilians in that facility,” Zelensky said on social media in response.The Kremlin denied the claim.”The Russian army does not strike civilian targets,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including from AFP.The attacks came hours after Trump said he was cutting the deadline for President Vladimir Putin to halt the war from 50 days to 10-12 days.Hours later, Trump solidified the deadline to 10 days, threatening to impose “tariffs and stuff” and conceding he did not know if the measures would have any effect.Trump told reporters flying with him back from a visit to Scotland that he had not heard from Putin, adding “It’s a shame.”After the first deadline from Trump, Peskov said Moscow had “taken note” and that it remained “committed to the peace process to resolve the conflict around Ukraine and secure our interests”.- ‘War crimes’ -Ukraine’s justice ministry said Russian forces hit the prison in Bilenke with four glide bombs. Police said 16 inmates were killed and 43 wounded.Bricks and debris and blown out windows were strewn on the ground, according to images released by the ministry. The facility’s perimeter was intact and there was no threat that inmates would escape, it added.Rescue workers searched for survivors in pictures released by the region’s emergency services.A senior Ukrainian source said that 274 people were serving sentences in the Bilenkivska facility.The source added there were no Russian war prisoners at the centre.Nadiya, a resident of Bilenke, told AFP the attack damaged her house.”At about 10 minutes to six, a neighbour called and said: ‘Come quickly, your roof is gone.’ Is that normal? Not a single window is intact,” the 74-year-old said.The Ukrainian air force said Russia also launched 37 drones and two missiles overnight, adding that its air defence systems had downed 32 of the drones.One attack targeted a hospital in the town of the Kamyanske in the Dnipropetrovsk region, wounding 22 people. “Putin is rejecting a ceasefire, avoiding a leaders’ meeting, and prolonging the war,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said on social media.”He will only end his terror if we break the spine of his economy,” he added, calling on Western allies to consolidate around sanctions on Moscow.- Hospital targeted -“Three people were killed in the attack, including a pregnant woman. Her name was Diana. She was only 23 years old,” Zelensky said.Separate strikes in the eastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia killed six people, regional authorities said.In the southern Russian region of Rostov, a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person, the region’s acting governor said.Kyiv has been trying to repel Russia’s summer offensive, which has made fresh advances into areas largely spared since the start of the invasion in 2022.The Russian defence ministry claimed fresh advances across the front line on Tuesday, saying its forces had taken two more villages — one in the Donetsk region, and another in Zaporizhzhia region.The prison strike on Tuesday came on the third anniversary of an attack on another detention facility.Ukraine and Russia blamed each other for the night-time strike three years ago on the Olenivka detention centre in Russian-occupied Donetsk, Ukrainian territory claimed by Moscow.Ukraine says dozens of its soldiers who laid down their arms after a long Russian siege of the port city of Mariupol were killed in the attack.burs-jxb/gv

New York mass shooter blamed NFL for his brain injuries

A man who gunned down four people then killed himself in a Manhattan skyscraper may have targeted the American football league because he blamed it for brain injuries he claimed he suffered, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.Information that the killer carried in a note referring to the degenerative brain disease CTE offered a possible motive for the Monday shootings at offices used by the National Football League, among others.A source confirmed that in a three-page handwritten note found in the gunman’s wallet, he wrote “Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Study my brain please. I’m sorry.””Football gave me CTE and it cause me to drink a gallon of antifreeze. You can’t go against the NFL. They’ll squash you.”The suspected shooter, identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura, went on to ask that his brain be studied for CTE, and alleged that the league “knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits.”Armed with a semi-automatic rifle, the attacker shot a police officer outside the tower on Park Avenue, then opened fire in the lobby before trying to access the NFL’s offices.Tamura had never actually played for the top professional league, Adams said, though he was reportedly a star player in high school in California.The bloodshed sparked a massive police response in the teeming center of the city — not far from where a man with a grievance against UnitedHealthcare gunned down the medical insurance company’s CEO last December.New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a news conference that Tamura had a history of mental health issues.President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the mass shooting a “senseless act of violence” carried out by a “lunatic.”- Deadly journey -New details emerged Tuesday about the gunman’s bloody attack and final journey.Authorities said he had driven across the country from Nevada and stopped outside the skyscraper in a black BMW, carrying a rifle.He killed a police officer immediately, then began “spraying the lobby” with bullets,” Tisch said.A female bystander and a security guard were hit, Adams said, explaining that this prevented anyone pushing a panic button that would have stopped the elevators from working.As the guard “attempted to hide himself behind the counter, he was killed as well, and the suspect then took the elevator upstairs,” Adams said. “If he was able to get to the button, he could have froze the elevator.”One of the victims shot was an NFL employee, who was “seriously injured” but stable in hospital, league commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement to employees.But while his target was determined to be the NFL offices, Tamura “took the wrong elevator,” Adams said, ending up on the 33rd floor, which houses the building’s management. He murdered one person there and then shot himself in the chest.Adams said the fallen police officer was a 36-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh.Office worker Shad Sakib told AFP that he was preparing to leave work when a public address announcement warned him and his colleagues to shelter in place. “Everyone was confused,” he said.There have been 254 mass shootings in the United States this year including Monday’s in New York, according to the Gun Violence Archive — which defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot.