NEW YORK -- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates by 50 basis points (bps) at its next meeting in September, adding the Fed should have reduced the rates in June.
Bessent also expressed the hope that White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) Chair Stephen Miran will be confirmed by the Senate to join the central bank's board of governors before the Fed meeting next month, multiple U.S. media outlets reported, citing Bessent's interview with Fox Business. (US-Fed-Rate Cut)
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ATHENS -- Greece is battling dozens of wildfires across the country, forcing mass evacuations and damaging homes, farmland, and industrial facilities as extreme winds and heat hamper firefighting efforts.
The Greek official news agency AMNA reported 82 wildfires in the past 24 hours, with 23 still active by nightfall Tuesday. Gale-force winds of up to nine on the Beaufort scale fanned the flames, prompting the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection to mobilize firefighters, forest rangers, aircraft, and volunteers nationwide. (Greece-Wildfire)
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UNITED NATIONS -- The health authorities in Gaza reported that five people died over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition and starvation, bringing the total number of malnutrition-related deaths to 227, a UN spokesperson said Tuesday.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, told a daily briefing that the malnutrition-related deaths include 103 children since October 2023, while the World Food Programme warned that starvation and malnutrition have reached the highest levels in Gaza since the conflict began that same month. (UN-Gaza-Malnutrition)
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MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday had a telephone conversation with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and updated him on the upcoming meeting between the Russian and U.S. leaders, according to the Kremlin.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the further development of bilateral relations, the Kremlin said in a statement. (Russia-DPRK-Diplomacy) ■
