Temu accused by EU regulators of failing to prevent sale of illegal products
The preliminary findings follow an investigation opened last year under the bloc's Digital Services Act . It's a wide-ranging rulebook that requires online platforms to do more to keep internet users safe, with the threat of hefty fines.
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Boston Globe
6 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
With sanctions looming, Trump's envoy to Russia meets with Putin
But a few hours after the meeting's end, Trump announced that he would increase his tariffs on India to 50 percent, describing the move as a penalty for purchasing Russian oil. Trump also ordered his administration to determine whether other countries are importing Russian oil and recommend whether they should face similar tariffs. Advertisement Trump said Tuesday that, depending on the results of Witkoff's meeting, the United States could impose new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its fossil fuels. A White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting, said Trump's timetable was unchanged and that the secondary sanctions he has threatened were still expected to be implemented Friday. Ushakov said Witkoff had passed along 'signals' from Trump and that Putin had conveyed 'some signals' back. He added that he would offer more details once Witkoff had briefed Trump. Trump wrote in his post on social media that he had shared an update of Witkoff's meeting with several European allies, and said that 'everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.' Advertisement Previous meetings between Witkoff and Putin drew praise from the Kremlin without leading to any breakthroughs in stopping the Ukraine war, which Trump describes as his primary goal in diplomacy with Russia. But Witkoff's visit Wednesday held particular weight because it came just days before a deadline imposed by Trump for Putin to make peace. Brief video footage released by the Kremlin from the meeting's start showed a smiling Putin greeting Witkoff with a warm handshake as Ushakov looked on from behind an oval conference table. Earlier Wednesday, Witkoff was met at Moscow's Vnukovo airport by Kirill Dmitriev, an economic aide to Putin who has been his main counterpart at the Kremlin. Russian state television then showed Dmitriev and Witkoff taking a walk in the morning sun in Zaryadye, a landscaped park just outside the Kremlin walls, before Witkoff headed into the Kremlin for his meeting with the Russian president. During his recent visits to Russia, Witkoff, a longtime personal friend of Trump who now holds the title of special envoy for peace missions, has held hourslong talks with Putin himself. That has given him extraordinary access to a Russian leader who has met with few Western officials since he invaded Ukraine, and who rarely grants audiences to foreigners who are not heads of state. Those meetings helped facilitate prisoner exchanges that freed two Americans jailed in Russia, and helped pave the way for phone calls between Putin and Trump. But none brought clear signs of progress in ending the war in Ukraine. While Trump initially appeared to give Putin the benefit of the doubt and blamed President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine for dragging out the three-year war, he has increasingly soured on Putin in his public comments lately. Putin, on the other hand, has sought to placate and engage with Trump without showing any willingness to compromise on his far-reaching goals in his war against Ukraine. Advertisement Trump said on July 28 that he would give Moscow 10 to 12 days to end the conflict or face a new round of financial penalties — a deadline that expires soon. Asked Tuesday whether he was still considering sanctioning countries like China that buy Russian energy, Trump said the United States would 'be doing quite a bit of that,' but suggested that Witkoff's visit would determine the next steps. Putin's forces have been advancing on the ground and have pummeled Ukraine with some of their fiercest airstrikes of the war in recent months, even as Trump has tried to negotiate peace. The United Nations said that June saw the most civilian casualties in a single month over the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 injured, and that preliminary data showed that 'this alarming pattern' continued in July. Overnight, Russia again hit Ukraine with drone strikes. A summer holiday resort in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine was targeted, killing two people and injuring 12, including children, Ukrainian officials said. Zelensky said he discussed the details of Wednesday's call with Trump and European leaders in a separate conversation. He didn't release any of those details, but said, 'Our joint position with our partners is absolutely clear — the war must end.' Energy exports are the main source of revenue for the Russian government, though those earnings have declined as the price of Russian oil has fallen. The Russian government collected about $9.8 billion in oil and gas taxes in July, Russia's Finance Ministry said Tuesday, a 27 percent drop from a year earlier when measured in Russian currency. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Eater
6 minutes ago
- Eater
A Vendor Is Accusing the Bite of Seattle of Favoritism and High Fees
It's been a couple of years since there's been any controversy around the Bite of Seattle, the city's most popular and longest-running food festival. In 2023, the Bite returned from a pandemic-induced hiatus under the ownership of Cheq, an obscure digital payment startup, and the festival that year was marred by poor logistics and glitches involving the Cheq app. Cheq then sold the Bite to experienced fest operator FoodieLand, who has been running it ever since. Now Fox 13 has reports of fresh complaints from vendors and customers at this year's Bite, which was held at the end of July. Guests at the admission-free event complained on social media about high prices and a lack of local vendors. One anonymous vendor told Fox 13 that prime spots were given to 'out-of-state vendors who regularly follow FoodieLand's nationwide festival circuit,' the local news channel reported. Vendors also have to agree to use a payment system that takes a 21 to 29 percent commission. 'The anonymous vendor also claimed that FoodieLand sent in 'secret shoppers' to monitor compliance. Vendors who accepted cash and failed to log transactions in the official system were allegedly removed from the festival mid-event,' Fox 13 wrote. Additionally, an arts and crafts vendor was burglarized during the event. In a statement, FoodieLand told Fox 13 that 'all participating vendors agree in advance to use a common point-of-sale system, a standard practice for major festivals,' adding, 'We stand behind the integrity of this event — food vendors and artists who make it such a huge success year after year. So, it's especially disappointing to hear of the anonymous complaint from one of the nearly 300 vendors who participated.' Homer looks after its own When acclaimed Beacon Hill restaurant Homer had to close due to a fire earlier this summer, it was a blow to the business, but the employees were taken care of. The South Seattle Emerald reports that co-owners Sara Knowles and Logan Cox pressured their insurer to cover not just the cost of employees' wages but their tips as well, ensuing they were all paid for the eight weeks the restaurant was closed. 'While corporations with record profits continue to axe jobs at will, Homer, a small, independent restaurant, chose to embody care,' wrote Emerald publisher Marcus Harrison Green. Panda Express testing 'spiciest-ever' dish in Seattle If you can't stand the heat, get out of the Panda Express! The Chinese fast food chain has picked Seattle as one of the markets to test out its 'Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken,' marketed as Panda Express's spiciest dish ever. The spice comes from Buldak, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune, a sauce made by South Korea's Samyang Foods, which is partnering with Panda Express on the dish. The downtown waterfront is getting another taproom Finally, Puget Sound Business Journal has news of yet another brewery expansion on the revamped downtown waterfront. Ballard-based Urban Family Brewing Co. is opening a massive 8,500-square-foot taproom next to Pier 55, where it will serve 'a selection of fruited beers and hazy IPAs, along with craft cocktails and local wines,' plus coffee in the mornings and an in-house food menu, reports the Journal. No opening date has been set, but it will open before the World Cup next year. When it opens, it'll be in the same neighborhood as the huge new Reuben's taproom that debuted last month. Eater Seattle All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Newsweek
8 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Trump Scores Two Big Wins in One as NATO Buys US Arms for Ukraine
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A string of NATO state pledges to acquire mostly U.S. weapons to provide to Ukraine has marked a victory for President Donald Trump in his effort to strike a balance on shifting the burden of Washington's role in the war to European allies while maintaining a role in the conflict. The developments take place as Trump has hardened his rhetoric against Russian President Vladimir Putin, offering him until Friday to demonstrate progress on stalled peace talks. "This initiative strikes the correct balance between ensuring Ukraine has the weapons needed to continue to resist Russian aggression and buying time for President Trump's diplomacy and economic pressure to take hold," Alexander Gray, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council who served on the staff of the National Security Council under the first Trump administration, told Newsweek. Gray also pointed out the broader geopolitical stakes that the Trump administration had in mind, including "the very real need of the United States to empower Europe to take the lead in its backyard while U.S. attention adjusts to the existential threat of China in the Indo-Pacific." U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in The Hague on June 25, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in The Hague on June 25, 2025. JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images Money and Munitions on the Move The Netherlands was the first to announce on Monday that it would deliver an estimated $580 million package of U.S. weapons, including Patriot air defense systems and artillery equipment, to Ukraine. NATO reported the following day that Denmark, Norway and Sweden had confirmed they would purchase $500 million worth of U.S.-sourced equipment. Both moves mark the first two tranches under the NATO-led Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce welcomed the back-to-back moves as critical for Ukraine, as well as for the Trump administration's broader outlook on recalibrating the transatlantic security partnerships in a way that was more beneficial to the U.S. "These commitments deliver on President Trump's initiative to facilitate billions of dollars in investment to the United States defense industry and create American jobs while ensuring Europe can ultimately defend itself long term," Bruce told reporters on Tuesday. They also come on the heels of a trade deal reached late last month between the U.S. and the European Union, through which Trump said EU member states—the majority of whom are also in NATO—agreed to purchase "hundreds of billions of dollars-worth of military equipment" from the U.S. Last week, EU Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupšienė spoke to the importance of the military component of the trade agreement, both in the context of the war in Ukraine and EU member states' own security, in an interview with Newsweek. "Because of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, and because for European countries, security is really an existential topic right now," Neliupšienė told Newsweek at the time, "I think cooperation on the strategic level, but as well on defense procurement with the U.S., is extremely important." A Patriot air defense system is seen installed at the military hub for Ukraine at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in Jasionka, south-east Poland, on March 6, 2025. A Patriot air defense system is seen installed at the military hub for Ukraine at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in Jasionka, south-east Poland, on March 6, 2025. SERGEI GAPON/AFP/Getty Images A Transatlantic Shift Neliupšienė also discussed how European allies of the U.S. were looking to double down on investments in their own defense industrial base in order "to make sure we have more strategic independence, we have diversification, and we are really increasing the production and real defense industry on the ground, to have a possibility to not only to defend ourselves, but to deter." EU and NATO leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have long sounded the alarm on the necessity for Europe to improve on defense. Such calls have accelerated this year since the reelection of Trump, who has repeatedly accused European leaders of taking advantage of U.S. security guarantees. The EU took an unprecedented step on this front in March, announcing that member states would spend some $685 billion—on top of more than $170 billion in EU loans—to launch a large-scale rearmament plan. With the tides of transatlantic security changing, Gray argued that the Trump administration should "continue to encourage Europe to invest in its own defense, including by purchasing U.S. systems like Patriot and others that strengthen our defense industrial base and further integrate our militaries." "This also has very real domestic benefits for the United States," he added. "President Trump is likely to continue encouraging significant arms sales from our partners globally, as he did in his first term for strategic and economic reasons, including to balance our trade deficits." A Ukrainian soldier stands on a U.S. Bradley Fighting Vehicle, on January 15, 2025, in Sumy, Ukraine. A Ukrainian soldier stands on a U.S. Bradley Fighting Vehicle, on January 15, 2025, in Sumy, Off of Washington While the rush of U.S. arms may serve to meet some of Ukraine's shortfalls on the battlefield, some argue the tranches also run the risk of deepening rather than countering European dependence on the U.S. in the long run. "Arms sales are an unfortunate Catch 22 situation, both for European policymakers and for American advocates of greater burden-shifting to Europe," Emma Ashford, senior fellow at the Stimson Center's Reimagining US Grand Strategy program, told Newsweek. "In the short run, purchasing U.S. arms may be good for the American economy— and also may enable European states to step up their military capabilities more quickly," Ashford said. "But in the long run, these purchases from the United States also undermine the development of a robust European defense industrial base." At the same time, she argued that "European allies buying American weapons to send to Ukraine is more sustainable from the point of view of U.S. public opinion, in that it reduces the concerns over cost among the public and policymakers." "It also means that Congress does not need to take up another supplemental spending bill, which could be politically problematic for many members," Ashford said, "and that the Trump administration—which has publicly opposed such a bill—would not have to sign it." There's another challenge she points out, and that's a "concrete shortfall in some weapons systems needed for both the Indo-Pacific and Europe, and in a few cases, the Middle East." "Money does not resolve this concern, which particularly attaches to things like air defense systems," she said, "this was the source of the recent disagreement over the Pentagon's halt on weapons systems to Ukraine." A destroyed U.S.-made M1 Abrams tank is seen in footage released by the Russian military on April 8, 2025. A destroyed U.S.-made M1 Abrams tank is seen in footage released by the Russian military on April 8, 2025. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service Press Service/AP 'Europeans Need to Do More' With the dust still settling from the U.S.-EU trade deal, some analysts in Europe see the recent NATO arrangement as a step forward, though not without uncertainty. "From a U.S. political perspective, it is understandable that President Trump— frustrated by his failed efforts to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and constrained by his MAGA base and campaign promises to end military aid— has been seeking an alternative solution to keep Ukraine armed," Juraj Macjin, policy analyst at the European Policy Center in Brussels, told Newsweek. "Despite repeatedly calling it 'Joe Biden's war,'" Macjin said, "Trump knows that the fall of Kyiv would mark a major strategic failure for any U.S. administration, including his own." He called the new NATO mechanism as "commendable," but argued it "does little to strengthen the quality of the transatlantic partnership" at a time when European skepticism toward Trump's long-term commitments on the continent remained high. "Many in Europe perceive this approach as a way for the United States to quietly distance itself from both the war in Ukraine and its European allies," Macjin said, "however diplomatically framed by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte." "Furthemore, viewed in the context of the recently concluded EU–U.S. trade agreement," he added, "many in Europe feel that the deal offers limited benefits for the EU and is largely tilted in favor of Washington." And at a time when the U.S. was eyeing its rivalry with China in the Asia-Pacific, he said that "Europeans need to do more to persuade Trump that supporting Ukraine is in America's strategic interest." "With only a fraction of its GDP, the U.S. is significantly degrading military capabilities of one of its main adversaries—Russia—while also sending a clear message to China," he added, "which is closely watching how Washington manages its security commitments."
