Israel-Iran conflict is 'far from over' as yet, says Michèle Flournoy
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UPI
36 minutes ago
- UPI
Rap duo Bob Vylan: 'We are being targeted for speaking up' after IDF chants
July 1 (UPI) -- The English alternative rap duo Bob Vylan responded Tuesday to recent backlash over comments in regard to the Israel-Hamas conflict during a performance over the weekend. "We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people," the band posted to its social media platform Tuesday. "We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use unnecessary lethal force against innocent civilians waiting for aid." "A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza," the post continued. In a performance streamed live from the Glastonbury Festival in England on Saturday by the BBC on Saturday, Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan led the crowd in chants like "Free, free Palestine," "Death, death to the IDF," in reference to the Israel Defense Forces," and "From the river to the sea." The American Jewish Committee states that "from the river to the sea" is "a phrase that can be used to call for the elimination of the State of Israel and/or ethnic cleansing of Jews living there, to be replaced with Palestinian control over the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea." Since the performance, the U.S. State Department banned them from the United States. "The [State Department] has revoked the U.S. visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants," said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau in an X post Monday. "Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country," he added. The Avon and Somerset Police Department, who include Glastonbury in its jurisdiction, announced Monday that after having viewed video of the concert, "We have decided further enquiries are required and a criminal investigation is now being undertaken." The BBC also put out a statement Monday that "with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen." It also appears that Bob Vylan has been dropped by its representation group United Talent Agency, as the band's name is no longer listed on the UTA website. A link to a Bob Vylan UTA page now just leads back to the site's front page. "We are being targeted for speaking up," continued the post from Bob Vylan, "We are not the first. We will not be the last." "And if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up, too," it concluded. The group still lists tour dates for later this year set to take place around the United States, with no mention of the actions of the U.S. State Department.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Too soon' to see price effects from tariffs, says Bank of England's Bailey
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said it is "too soon" to see the price effects from the trade and tariffs action. Speaking at the European Central Bank's annual Forum on Central Banking in Sintra, Portugal, Bailey said he was observing a 'softening' in the UK economy and 'softening in the labour market,' reinforcing expectations that the BoE's next move on interest rates will be to lower them. Earlier in the day, Bailey left the door open to a rate cut at the monetary policy meeting in August. 'I think the path of interest rates will be gradually downwards, I've not changed my mind on that,' Bailey told CNBC ahead of the summit. Futures markets are pricing in a 75% chance that the monetary policy committee will lower the base rate from 4.25% to 4% in August, with two more quarter-point cuts anticipated by year-end. Bailey noted that the UK labour market, an important source of inflation pressure, is beginning to cool. "The key question" for the next MPC meeting, he said, is whether that softening "is going to come through and create the context where inflation will come back down to target". Read more: Eurozone inflation hits 2% ECB target after June interest rate cut Average wage growth excluding bonuses slowed to 5.3% in May, according to the latest Office for National Statistics data, down from 5.6% a month earlier. Bailey said this easing, along with softer demand, would help bring inflation back to the Bank's 2% target. It currently sits at 3.4%. Bailey also welcomed the decline in energy prices following the Israel-Iran ceasefire. This, he said, created a "helpful backdrop" for the MPC's deliberations. He also acknowledged the impact of global uncertainty on UK business investment, suggesting the BoE may need to prioritise supporting growth. With British businesses 'putting off investment decisions,' Bailey hinted that further tightening could be counterproductive. Elsewhere in Sintra, US Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell echoed Bailey's caution on tariffs, saying the full inflationary effects of Donald Trump's recent trade measures had yet to materialise. 'If you ignore the tariffs for a second, inflation is behaving pretty much exactly as we have expected and hoped that it would,' Powell said. 'We haven't seen the effects much yet from tariffs and we didn't expect to by now.' He added: 'We went on hold when we saw the size of the tariffs, and essentially all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence ... We didn't overreact. In fact, we didn't react at all. We're simply taking some time. "As long as the US economy was in solid shape, we think the prudent thing to do is to wait and learn more and see what those effects might be.' The Fed chair's comments come as he faces mounting pressure from Donald Trump to cut rates to mitigate the consumer impact of the trade war. Powell, however, reiterated the Fed's independence: 'I'm very focused on just doing my job. The things that matter are using our tools to achieve the goals that Congress has given us.' His remarks were met with applause from the audience. Read more: Global economy to slow amid 'most severe trade war since 1930s', says Fitch Powell added he couldn't say whether the Fed could cut interest rates as soon as this month. "It all depends on the data", he insisted, adding that the Fed is going "meeting by meeting". Christine Lagarde, president of the ECB, struck a cautiously optimistic tone in the wake of news that eurozone inflation had edged up to 2% in June from 1.9% in May — reaching the central bank's medium-term target. 'I am not saying 'mission accomplished', but I say 'target reached', OK,' Lagarde said. But she warned of continued uncertainty, citing geopolitical tensions and the risk of economic fragmentation as 'two-sided risks' to the inflation outlook. 'We have to continue to be extremely vigilant, and remain committed to delivering on the inflation target,' she said, concluding: 'We are well-equipped to navigate the tormented waters that we should anticipate.'
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Iranian hackers threaten to release treasure trove of White House emails
A group of Iranian-linked hackers threatened to leak emails they claim to have stolen from key White House officials and advisers on Monday, the latest iteration in the cybersecurity battle. Months after distributing material stolen from President Donald Trump's campaign, the group of hackers informed Reuters that they had roughly 100 gigabytes of emails from accounts belonging to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan, Trump adviser Roger Stone, and adult film star Stormy Daniels. The group, which goes by the name 'Robert,' did not disclose details of the emails to Reuters but said they were considering selling the materials. The hacking disclosure arrived shortly after the Trump administration issued a warning to people about the potential for cyberattacks against critical infrastructure by Iranian state-sponsored or affiliated groups. The White House and FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that it 'takes all threats against the president, his staff, and our cybersecurity with the utmost seriousness' and that it was a 'top priority' to safeguard the administration's ability to execute the president's mission. 'Anyone associated with any kind of breach of national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' Patel said in the statement. In recent years, the U.S. has experienced similar cyberattacks from foreign-linked hacking groups. Last year, Chinese-affiliated hackers tried to target data from Trump and Vice President JD Vance's phones while the 'Robert' group released a trove of emails obtained from the Trump campaign to reporters, including some from Stone. 'This so-called 'cyber attack' is nothing more than digital propaganda, and the targets are no coincidence,' Marci McCarthy, the director of public affairs for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said in a statement. 'This is a calculated smear campaign meant to damage President Trump and discredit honorable public servants who serve our country with distinction. These criminals will be found and they will be brought to justice. Let this be a warning to others, there will be no refuge, tolerance, or leniency for these actions,' McCarthy added. Tensions between Iran and the U.S. have mounted recently after Trump ordered missile strikes on nuclear facilities in the country, raising the threat of cyber attacks. Officials have also warned that groups supportive or affiliated with Tehran may seek to disrupt critical infrastructure systems, defense contractors, or other American companies with ties to Israel.
