Kremlin says Putin-Trump meeting will happen in ‘coming days'
Trump revealed a day before that he was hopeful of a meeting with his Russian counterpart in an attempt to end the war in Ukraine. It would be his first in-person discussion with Putin during his second term.
'At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement in principle was made to hold a bilateral meeting at the highest level in the coming days,' Putin's longtime foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said in a statement.
The comments came on the eve of Trump's deadline ultimatum to Putin, challenging him to end the war in Ukraine or face tough new economic sanctions.
In recent weeks, the American leader has adopted far tougher language than his historical warmth toward his Russian opposite number — decrying Russia's continued bombing of Ukrainian civilians and pledging arms sales to Ukraine via Europe.
Amid that hardening stance, Wednesday saw Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, enjoying a cordial visit to Moscow with Putin and his close friend and investment chief, Kirill Dmitriev.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
US applications for jobless benefits up modestly
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits slightly increased last week, a sign that employers are still retaining workers despite economic uncertainty related to US trade policy. Jobless claims for the week ending August 2 rose by 7000 to 226,000, the Labour Department reported on Thursday, slightly more than the 219,000 new applications that economists had forecast. The report is the first government labour market data release since Friday's grim July jobs report sent financial markets spiralling downward, spurring President Donald Trump to fire the head of the agency that tallies the monthly jobs numbers. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are seen as a proxy for US layoffs and have mostly settled in a historically healthy range between 200,000 and 250,000 since COVID-19 throttled the economy in the spring of 2020. It was just the second time in eight weeks that jobless benefit applications rose. While layoffs remain low by historical standards, there has been a noticeable deterioration in the labour market this year. Last week, the government reported that US employers added just 73,000 jobs in July, well short of the 115,000 expected. Worse, revisions to the May and June jobs figures shaved a stunning 258,000 jobs off previous estimates and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2 per cent from 4.1 per cent. Many economists contend that Trump's erratic tariff rollout in April created uncertainty for employers, who have grown reluctant to expand their payrolls. The grim jobs data raised the ire of Trump, who alleged that the data was manipulated for political reasons and ordered the firing of Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labour Statistics, which produces the monthly jobs figures. The firing was roundly criticised by economists, who, along with Wall Street investors, have long considered the job figures reliable. Stock and bond markets often react sharply when they are released. US markets recoiled at last week's jobs report, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling more than 600 points on Friday. The Bureau of Labour Statistics does not contribute to the weekly unemployment benefits report except to calculate the annual seasonal adjustments that account for changes in weather, holidays, and school schedules. The Department of Labour's Employment and Training Administration collects the weekly unemployment insurance claims reported by each state. There was another indicator that the labour market is softening in a government report last week that revealed employers posted 7.4 million job vacancies in June, down from 7.7 million in May. The number of people quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in finding a better job — fell in June to the lowest level since December. Hiring also fell from May. Major companies have announced job cuts this year, including Procter & Gamble, Dow, CNN, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook's parent company, Meta. Most recently, Intel and The Walt Disney Co announced staff reductions. The deadline on most of Trump's stiff proposed taxes on imports kicked in on Thursday, though some deals have been made and other deadlines to negotiate have been extended. Unless Trump reaches deals with countries to lower the tariffs, economists fear they could act as a drag on the economy and spark another rise in inflation. Thursday's report also showed that the four-week average of claims, which smooths out some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 500 to 220,750. The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits for the previous week of July 26 jumped by 38,000 to 1.97 million, the highest level since November 2021.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Tech stocks power Wall Street gains, tariff relief hope
Wall Street's main indexes have advanced, lifted by hopes that technology giants might dodge President Donald Trump's newest tariffs on chip imports. Apple's shares climbed 2.4 per cent, having risen 5.1 per cent and led gains on Wall Street in the prior session, after Trump said the iPhone maker will invest an additional $US100 billion ($A153 billion) in the US. This brings its total commitment to $US600 billion ($A920 billion) over the next four years. Trump also announced a tariff of about 100 per cent on imports of semiconductors, but said it would not apply to companies that are manufacturing in the US or have committed to do so. Shares of chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom rose 1.3 per cent each, while peer Advanced Micro Devices advanced 3.0 per cent. The tech sector emerged as the top performer, gaining 1.1 per cent, while the healthcare sector fell to the bottom. Eli Lilly dropped 11.2 per cent after reporting data on its late-stage oral weight-loss drug. The drugmaker also raised its full-year profit forecast. In early trading on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 263.08 points, or 0.60 per cent, to 44,456.20, the S&P 500 gained 37.82 points, or 0.60 per cent, to 6,382.88 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 177.85 points, or 0.84 per cent, to 21,347.27. Trump's higher tariffs of 10 per cent to 50 per cent on dozens of trading partners took effect on Thursday. Fresh signs of a faltering labour market, especially after a disappointing July payrolls report, have fuelled speculation that the Federal Reserve could soon kick off a rate-cutting cycle. Underscoring the jitters, new data showed jobless claims came in at 226,000 for the week of August 2, surpassing economists' expectations of 221,000. "It's certainly validating the increase in jobless claims we've been seeing, which also jives with the weakness we saw in the employment report," said Ben Laidler, head of equity strategy at Bradesco BBI. "The narrative is clear, the economy is slowing. It may not be headed towards recession, but it's definitely slowing." Traders are now betting almost fully on a September rate cut, with at least two moves expected this year, CME Group's FedWatch tool showed. Investors are also watching for Trump's interim replacement for Fed Governor Adriana Kugler in the coming days, amid expectations that the nominee would be a policy dove who will likely favour bringing interest rates lower. Kugler's resignation leaves an opening at the seven-member Fed Board led by Chair Jerome Powell, who Trump has repeatedly criticised for not cutting borrowing costs. Powell's tenure is due to end in May. Meanwhile, chipmaker Intel lost 0.7 per cent after Trump called for its chief executive's resignation, saying, "the Intel CEO is highly conflicted and should resign immediately". Second-quarter earnings barrage continued at full throttle. DoorDash topped revenue estimates and forecast a stronger-than-expected gross merchandise value for the current quarter. Its shares jumped 4.9 per cent. Datadog gained 6.2 per cent after beating estimates for second-quarter results. Airbnb slumped 8.4 per cent after the company forecast slower growth for the second half of the year. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 4.32-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 2.32-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 17 new 52-week highs and no new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 41 new highs and 28 new lows.
9 News
2 hours ago
- 9 News
Former Superman actor says he's joining ICE, backs Trump's immigration crackdown
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here The comic book hero that Cain portrayed in the 1990s television show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman might have been an immigrant himself, but it seems the actor has a more hardline view on foreign arrivals to the United States . In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Cain revealed that he decided to join the agency after sharing one of ICE's recruitment videos on social media the day before. Dean Cain revealed in an interview with Fox News that he decided to join ICE after sharing one of their recruitment videos on social media. (Fox News) "I'm actually … a sworn deputy sheriff and a reserve police officer – I wasn't part of ICE, but once I put that (the recruitment video) out there and you put a little blurb on your show, it went crazy," Cain told Fox News host Jesse Watters. "So now I've spoken with some officials over at ICE and I will be sworn in as an ICE agent ASAP." Asked what motivated the move, Cain, who is a well known conservative in Hollywood, said: "This country was built on patriots stepping up, whether it was popular or not, and doing the right thing. I truly believe this is the right thing." Cain described the US's immigration system as "broken," saying, "Congress needs to fix it, but in the interim, President Trump ran on this. He is delivering on this. This is what people voted for. It's what I voted for and he's going to see it through, and I'll do my part and help make sure it happens." Cain's public pledge to join ICE comes amid a significant acceleration in immigration enforcement, as the Trump administration is apprehending hundreds of immigrants every day across the country. Dean Cain portrayed in the 1990s television show "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman." (Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock) Cain has revealed that he's joining the ranks of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. (Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images) But a CNN analysis of agency data revealed a stark split in where ICE makes those arrests in blue states and red states. In states that voted for Trump, ICE agents are most likely to arrest immigrants directly from prisons and jails. By contract, in Democratic-leaning states ICE is frequently arresting immigrants from worksites, streets and mass roundups that have sparked protests and intense backlash in cities such as Los Angeles. Most of those arrested don't have a criminal record. Overall, ICE is making more arrests in red states than blue states – both in the community and, especially, in prisons and jails – the ICE data shows. World USA Donald Trump celebrity Politics immigration CONTACT US
