Ukraine has said it will agree to US proposal for 30-day ceasefire
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel still mulling response to Hamas positive response on ceasefire proposal
Israel said Saturday it was still mulling its response to a positive reaction from Hamas to the latest US-sponsored proposal for a Gaza ceasefire. "No decision has been made yet on that issue," a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly about it. Israel's security cabinet was due to meet later on Saturday, after the end of the Jewish sabbath at sundown, Israeli media reported. Reporting by AFP.
Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Democrats see Trump's big bill as key to their comeback
Steve Peoples and Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press It is big and it is beautiful, President Donald Trump says. But for many Democratic leaders, the tax break and spending cut package passed by Trump's Republican allies in Congress on Thursday represents the key to the Democratic Party's resurgence. Even before the final vote, Democratic officials were finalizing ambitious plans for rallies, voter registration drives, attack ads, bus tours and even a multiday vigil, all intended to highlight the most controversial elements of Trump's "big beautiful" bill: deep cuts to the nation's safety net that will leave nearly 12 million more people without health coverage and millions of others without food assistance, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In political battlegrounds across Alaska and Iowa, Pennsylvania and California, Democrats have begun to use the bill against Republicans. Democrats are promising that the Republican president's domestic policy achievement to date will be the defining issue of every major election between now and next fall's midterms. "One thing is abundantly clear: Republicans own this mess and it's an albatross around their necks heading into the midterms," Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin told the medeia. "This is the least popular legislation in modern history, and the more voters learn about it, the more they hate it. That's a clear directive for Democrats — we're going to make sure every single voter knows who is responsible." Even with early public opinion on their side, however, it's far from certain that the legislation will be the political winner Democrats hope. The Democratic brand remains deeply unpopular, the party has no clear leader, its message is muddled and core elements of the Democratic base are frustrated and drifting. Some of the bill's provisions will not take effect until after the 2026 election, so voters may not have felt the full impact by the time they vote. At the same time, it's unclear how many voters are paying attention to the Washington-based debate. The Democratic super political action committee Priorities USA warned this week that Democrats must work harder if they want their message to break through. "We can't just assume that because we're angry that the voters that we need to communicate with are angry. Everyone needs to step up and realise the enormous challenge that's in front of us," executive director Danielle Butterfield said. "We're nowhere near a good starting place." The bill provides for $4.5 trillion in tax breaks that were enacted in Trump's first term and would have expired if Congress failed to act. New breaks will allow workers to deduct tips and overtime pay. There are $1.2 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps and a major rollback of green energy investments. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the package will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the decade. Privately, some Democrats conceded that Republicans were smart to pass the bill on the eve of a holiday weekend when fewer voters would be paying attention. As some Democrats in Washington predicted a political backlash across America, the response was somewhat muted Thursday at a Democratic event in Iowa, barely 10 miles from the State Fairgrounds where Trump later drew thousands for an evening rally. An audience of roughly 100 people listened as local Democratic officials railed against the legislation and called on voters to oust Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, the local congressman, for supporting it. Audience member Michael Rieck, 69, said Iowa Democrats left him a message about the rally, but when he went online to learn more, "there was nothing." "I texted back to them that I didn't see any advertisement," he said. "They slowly corrected that. I'm still not impressed with what they did to advertise this event." Rieck said he wants to see different factions of the party better coordinate their message. Progressive activists were moving through Minnesota in a big green bus as part of Fair Share America's 29-stop "stop the billionaire giveaway" tour. The group is focused on Republican-led congressional districts where elected officials have largely stopped having in-person town halls with constituents. "We know we're fighting upstream," said Fair Share's executive director, Kristen Crowell. "But when people hear exactly what's in this bill, they're adamantly opposed." The bill is generally unpopular, according to polling conducted throughout the month of June, although some individual provisions are popular. For example, a Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that majorities of US adults support increasing the annual child tax credit and eliminating taxes on earnings from tips, and about half support work requirements for some adults who receive Medicaid. On the other hand, the poll found that majorities oppose reducing federal funding for food assistance to low-income families and spending about $45 billion to build and maintain migrant detention centers.
Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Sheikh Khaled leads UAE at BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro
On behalf of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, is leading the UAE delegation at the 17th BRICS Summit, taking place in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, from 6-7 July 2025. The UAE joined BRICS during the 15th BRICS Summit, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August 2023. The UAE's membership reflects its commitment to multilateral cooperation and constructive dialogue through platforms that represent developing and emerging economies on the global stage, while leveraging cultural diversity to promote peace, security and development both regionally and internationally. The BRICS nations will convene for a summit in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday and Monday, with members hoping to weigh in on global crises while tiptoeing around US President Donald Trump's policies. The city, with beefed-up security, will play host to leaders and diplomats from 11 emerging economies including China, India, Russia, South Africa and host Brazil, which represent nearly half of the world's population and 40 per cent of its GDP. Brazil's left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will have to navigate the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will miss the summit for the first time. Beijing will instead be represented by Premier Li Qiang. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is facing a pending International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, will not travel to Brazil, but is set to participate via video link, according to the Kremlin. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, fresh from a 12-day conflict with Israel and a skirmish with the United States, will also be absent, as will his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, a Brazilian government source told reporters. Tensions in the Middle East, including Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, will weigh on the summit, as well as the grim anticipation of tariffs threatened by Trump and due next week. Trump said that starting Friday, his administration would send countries letters stating their tariff levels, as negotiations to avoid higher US levies enter the final stretch. 'We're anticipating a summit with a cautious tone: it will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,' Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio's Pontifical Catholic University, told AFP. China, for example, 'is trying to adopt a restrained position on the Middle East,' Fernandez said, pointing out that Beijing was also in tricky tariff negotiations with Washington. WAM/ Agencies
