Netanyahu pushes back against new pressure over Gaza and hostages: ‘No one will preach to me’
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pushed back against a new wave of pressure to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike and U.S. President Joe Biden said he needed to do more after nearly 11 months of fighting.
In his first public address since Sunday’s mass protests showed many Israelis’ furious response to the discovery of six more dead hostages, Netanyahu said he will continue to insist on a demand that has emerged as a major sticking point in talks — continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow band along Gaza’s border with Egypt where Israel contends Hamas smuggles weapons into Gaza. Egypt and Hamas deny it.
Netanyahu called the corridor vital to ensuring Hamas cannot rearm via tunnels. “This is the oxygen of Hamas,” he said.
And he added: “No one is more committed to freeing the hostages than me. ... No one will preach to me on this issue.’
Israelis had poured into the streets late Sunday in grief and anger in what appeared to be the largest protest since the start of the war. The families and much of the public blamed Netanyahu, saying the hostages could have been returned alive in a deal with Hamas. A rare general strike was held across the country on Monday.
Late Monday, several thousand demonstrators gathered outside Netanyahu’s private home in central Jerusalem, chanting, “Deal. Now.” and carrying coffins draped in the Israeli flag. Scuffles broke out when police snatched away the coffins, and several protesters were arrested. Thousands more marched outside Netanyahu’s Likud party in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli media.
But others support Netanyahu’s drive to continue the campaign in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into Israel and has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in the territory. Netanyahu says the assault will force militants to give in to Israeli demands, potentially facilitate rescue operations and ultimately annihilate the group.
Key ally the United States is showing impatience. Biden spoke to reporters as he arrived at the White House for a Situation Room meeting with the U.S. mediation team in the negotiations. Asked if Netanyahu was doing enough, Biden responded, “No.”
He insisted that negotiators remain “very close” to a deal, adding, “Hope springs eternal.”
Hamas has accused Israel of dragging out months of negotiations by issuing new demands, including for lasting Israeli control over the Philadelphi corridor and a second corridor running across Gaza. Hamas has offered to release all hostages in return for an end to the war, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants — broadly the terms called for under an outline for a deal put forward by Biden in July.
Netanyahu has pledged “total victory” over Hamas and blames it for the failure of the negotiations. On Monday, he said he is ready to carry out the first phase of the cease-fire — a plan that would include the release of some hostages, a partial pullout of Israeli troops and the release of some prisoners held by Israel. But he rejected a full withdrawal from Gaza, saying he saw no other party that could control Gaza’s borders.
Israeli media have reported deep differences between Netanyahu and top security officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who say the time is ripe for a cease-fire.
An official confirmed a shouting match between Gallant and Netanyahu at a security cabinet meeting Thursday, where Netanyahu held a vote in favor of maintaining control over the Philadelphi corridor.
Gallant cast the lone vote against the proposal, saying Netanyahu was favoring border arrangements over the lives of hostages. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting. Gallant on Sunday called on the security cabinet to overturn the decision.
Khalil al-Hayya, the Hamas official leading the negotiations, told the Qatari network Al Jazeera late Sunday that Netanyahu had deemed keeping the Philadelphi corridor “more important” than winning the hostages’ release.
Al-Hayya also said Hamas had offered “great flexibility,” including reducing its demand for 500 Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for each captive Israeli soldier to 50, and from 250 Palestinian prisoners or each Israeli civilian hostage to 30. He accused Israel of introducing new conditions including increasing the number of prisoners who would be deported upon release and banning the release of elderly or ill prisoners serving life sentences.
Israel said the six hostages found dead in Gaza were killed by Hamas shortly before Israeli forces arrived in the tunnel where they were held.
Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, appeared to say in a statement Monday that it now had a policy of killing any hostages that Israel tries to rescue. It said that after Israeli troops rescued four hostages in a deadly raid in June, it issued new orders to its fighters guarding hostages on how to deal with them if Israeli troops approach. It said that Netanyahu’s insistence on using military pressure instead of reaching a deal “will mean they (hostages) will return to their families in coffins.”
Three of the slain hostages were reportedly among those who would have been released in the first phase of the cease-fire proposal outlined by Biden in July.
Thousands attended the funeral Monday for one of the six, Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin. He was one of the best-known hostages, with his parents leading a high-profile campaign for the captives’ release, meeting with Biden and Pope Francis and addressing the Democratic National Convention last month.
The general strike, called by Israel’s largest trade union, the Histadrut, ended early after a labor court accepted a petition from the government calling it politically motivated.
It was the first such strike since the start of the war, aiming to shut down or disrupt major sectors of the economy, including banking and health care. Some flights at Israel’s main international airport, Ben-Gurion, either departed early or were slightly delayed.
“There’s no need to punish the whole state of Israel because of what is happening, overall, it is a victory for Hamas,” said one passenger, Amrani Yigal.
But in Jerusalem, resident Avi Lavi said that “I think this is fair, the time has come to stand and to wake up, to do everything for the hostages to come back alive.”
Municipalities in Israel’s populated central area, including Tel Aviv, participated. Others, including Jerusalem, did not.
Some 250 hostages were taken on Oct. 7. More than 100 were freed during a cease-fire in November in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Eight have been rescued by Israeli forces. Israeli troops mistakenly killed three Israelis who escaped captivity in December.
Roughly 100 hostages remain in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, when they stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who do not say how many were militants.
The war has displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, often multiple times, and plunged the besieged territory into a humanitarian catastrophe, including new fears of a polio outbreak.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its six-day raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. AP reporters saw bulldozers tearing up roads. The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli forces were blocking their ambulances from reaching the wounded.
Palestinians in a town outside Jenin held a funeral for a 58-year-old man, Ayman Abed, who was arrested the day before and died in Israeli custody. The Israeli military said he died from a “cardiac event,” but did not provide details. Human rights groups have reported abuses of Palestinians detained by Israel, and the military has confirmed the deaths of at least 36 Palestinians in its detention centers since October.
Israel says it has killed 14 militants in Jenin and arrested 25 militants. Palestinian health officials say at least 29 people have been killed, including five children.
Mohannad Hajj Hussein, a Jenin resident, said electricity and water were cut off. “We are ready to live by candlelight and we will feed our children from our bodies and teach them resistance and steadfastness in this land,” he said. “We will rebuild what the occupation destroyed and we will not kneel.”
CrowdStrike cuts forecasts as Windows outage weighs on new deals
Aug 28 (Reuters) - Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike (CRWD.O), opens new tab cut its revenue and profit forecasts on Wednesday in the aftermath of a July global outage due to its faulty software update, and said the environment would remain challenging for about a year.
The outage disrupted internet services, affecting 8.5 million Microsoft Windows devices and causing mass flight cancellations.
CEO George Kurtz said the incident delayed some of the company's deals into subsequent quarters, but the majority remain "in the pipeline".
Analysts expected the reputational hit could hurt CrowdStrike's dominant position, but the cost of switching providers could stave off a larger effect. Its shares fell more than 3% in extended trading.
CFO Burt Podbere said the company's challenges would remain for about a year, with reacceleration in growth expected in the back half of next year.
He said annual revenue forecast would be impacted by the customer commitment package that will cost $60 million in the second half.
"The customer support package and Falcon Flex (has been around even before outage) are CrowdStrike's moves to solidify trust and ramp up platform adoption after the July 19 outage," said Shrenik Kothari, lead sector analyst at Baird.
Big businesses are spending heavily on cybersecurity products amid a surge in digital scams and high-profile hacks, which have hit companies such as UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N), opens new tab, Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab and U.S. oilfield services firm Halliburton (HAL.N), opens new tab.
CrowdStrike expects annual revenue to be between $3.89 billion and $3.90 billion, compared with its prior expectations of $3.98 billion to $4.01 billion. Analysts on average were expecting $3.95 billion.
Rivals SentinelOne (S.N), opens new tab and Palo Alto Networks (PANW.O), opens new tab raised their annual revenue forecasts this month, a sign that they were gaining market share.
CrowdStrike expects annual adjusted profit per share to be between $3.61 and $3.65, compared with prior estimates of $3.93 to $4.03.
"The overall view is skies are not falling in light of the 7/19 outage," said TD Cowen analyst Shaul Eyal, adding that the second-quarter results and guidance was "better than feared".
Its second-quarter revenue rose about 32% to $963.9 million, beating estimates of $958.6 million, and it reported adjusted profit per share of $1.04, above expectations of 97 cents.
Exclusive: Tesla asked Canada for lower tariff on China-made EVs, government source says
OTTAWA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Before Canada said this week it was imposing a 100% duty on Chinese-made electric vehicles, Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab approached Ottawa and asked for a lower tariff on its autos, a Canadian government source said on Wednesday.
Canada, following the lead of the United States, said on Monday it was setting the tariff for all Chinese-made vehicles sold in the country because of what it called China's intentional, state-directed policy of over-capacity.
The duties - effective Oct. 1 - apply to all EVs shipped from China, including those made by Tesla. In June, Ottawa had flagged its intention to impose duties.
The source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said Tesla approached Canada before the official announcement. The automaker asked for a rate similar to what it received in the European Union, the source said.
Tesla does not disclose its Chinese exports to Canada. However, vehicle-identification codes showed that the Model 3 compact sedan and Model Y crossover models were being exported from Shanghai to Canada.
The EU softened its stance on Tesla this month when it imposed a 9% tariff on cars the company made in China, compared to a 36.3% rate it slapped on other Chinese EV imports.
While the EU only considered direct subsidy costs when calculating its tariff for Tesla, the United States and Canada looked at subsidies, industrial over-capacity, non-market policies as well as environmental and labor standards, the source said.
Tesla has not contacted Ottawa since Monday, the source said.
Tesla was not immediately available for comment.
The office of Canada's Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, who has overall responsibility for tariffs, declined to address talks with Tesla.
Canadian imports of automobiles from China to its largest port, Vancouver, jumped 460% year over year to 44,356 in 2023, when Tesla started shipping Shanghai-made EVs to Canada.
U.S. President Joe Biden in May announced a quadrupling of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to 100%, a doubling of duties on semiconductors and solar cells to 50%, as well as new 25% tariffs on lithium-ion batteries and other strategic goods. Tesla has never shipped China-made models to the U.S. market, according to a company letter in July 2023 to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Implementation of the U.S. tariffs has been delayed until September and there is a possibility planned duties might be softened this week.
Volvo Cars (VOLCARb.ST), opens new tab said it was looking into the effects that the increased tariffs in Canada would have. The Swedish carmaker said it imported EX30, XC60 and a limited number of S90s models from China to Canada, but did not disclose specific numbers.
Swedish EV maker Polestar (A4N1y.F), opens new tab, partly owned by Volvo Cars and China's Geely (GEELY.UL), ships the Polestar 2 from China to Canada. The company said it was reviewing the Canadian tariff's impact.
French authorities issue preliminary charges against Telegram messaging app CEO
PARIS (AP) — French authorities handed preliminary charges to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on Wednesday for allowing alleged criminal activity on his messaging app, and barred him from leaving France pending further investigation.
Both free-speech advocates and authoritarian governments have spoken out in Durov’s defense since his weekend arrest. The case has also called attention to the challenges of policing illegal activity online, and to the Russia-born Durov’s own unusual biography and multiple passports.
Durov was detained on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a sweeping investigation opened earlier this year, and released earlier Wednesday after four days of questioning. Investigative judges filed preliminary charges Wednesday night and ordered him to pay 5 million euros bail and to report to a police station twice a week, according to a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Allegations against Durov, who is also a French citizen, include that his platform is being used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
The first preliminary charge against him was for ‘’complicity in managing an online platform to allow illicit transactions by an organized group,’' a crime that can lead to sentences of up to 10 years in prison and 500,000 euro fine, the prosecutor’s office said.
Preliminary charges under French law mean magistrates have strong reason to believe a crime was committed but allow more time for further investigation.
David-Olivier Kaminski, a lawyer for Durov, was quoted by French media as saying “it’s totally absurd to think that the person in charge of a social network could be implicated in criminal acts that don’t concern him, directly or indirectly.”
Prosecutors said that Durov is, “at this stage, the only person implicated in this case.” They did not exclude the possibility that other people are being investigated, but declined to comment on other possible arrest warrants. Any other arrest warrant would be revealed only if the target of such a warrant is detained and informed of their rights, prosecutors said in a statement to the AP.
French authorities opened a preliminary investigation in February in response to ’’the near total absence of a response by Telegram to judicial requests″ for data for pursuing suspects, notably those accused of crimes against children, the prosecutor’s office said.
Durov’s arrest in France has caused outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically motivated and proof of the West’s double standard on freedom of speech. The outcry has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics because in 2018, Russian authorities themselves tried to block the Telegram app but failed, withdrawing the ban in 2020.
In Iran, where Telegram is widely used despite being officially banned after years of protests challenging the country’s Shiite theocracy, Durov’s arrest in France prompted comments from the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei weighed in with veiled praise for France for being “strict” against those who “violate your governance” of the internet.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that Durov’s arrest wasn’t a political move but part of an independent investigation. Macron posted on X that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression but “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
In a statement posted on its platform after Durov’s arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, and its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving.”
“Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation,’' it said.
In addition to Russia and France, Durov is also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it was “closely following the case” and had asked France to provide Durov “with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped that Durov “has all the necessary opportunities for his legal defense” and added that Moscow stands “ready to provide all necessary assistance and support” to the Telegram CEO as a Russian citizen.
“But the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a citizen of France,” Peskov said.
Telegram was founded by Durov and his brother after he himself faced pressure from Russian authorities.
In 2013, he sold his stake in VKontakte, a popular Russian social networking site which he launched in 2006.
The company came under pressure during the Russian government’s crackdown following mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow at the end of 2011 and 2012.
Durov had said authorities demanded that the site take down online communities of Russian opposition activists, and later that it hand over personal data of users who took part in the 2013-2014 popular uprising in Ukraine, which eventually ousted a pro-Kremlin president.
Durov said in a recent interview that he had turned down these demands and left the country.
The demonstrations prompted Russian authorities to clamp down on the digital space, and Telegram and its pro-privacy stance offered a convenient way for Russians to communicate and share news.
Telegram also continues to be a popular source of news in Ukraine, where both media outlets and officials use it to share information on the war, and deliver missile and air raid alerts.
Western governments have often criticized Telegram for a lack of content moderation.
Nigel Clarke to be appointed IMF deputy managing director, ministerial successor to be identified
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke is set to be appointed deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund effective October 31, 2024.
The revelation was made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who announced on Monday that IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva proposed Clarke’s appointment to the position.
Holness congratulated Dr Clarke on the pending appointment and noted that he has already identified successors to Dr Clarke in both his ministerial and parliamentary responsibilities should he be appointed come October.
“The Government has identified successors to Nigel Clarke in both his ministerial and parliamentary responsibilities and there will be a smooth transition in both capacities. We will provide updates in due course and the public can expect policy continuity and a continuation of the economic achievements that this government has worked so hard to secure,” Holness said in a release.
“However, I wholeheartedly congratulate Dr Nigel Clarke on today’s announcement of his pending appointment as deputy managing director of the IMF,” he continued.
Noting that the IMF plays an indispensable role in the world economy, promoting global financial stability and monetary cooperation, in service of its 190 member countries, Holness highlighted and praised the achievement.
“The position of deputy managing director is global in scope. No citizen of Jamaica, the Caribbean or Central America has ever before served at this level in the IMF in its 80-year history. It is to the benefit of Jamaica and the Caribbean region for one of our nationals to serve in such a consequential global position. This development is, therefore, a tremendous net gain for Jamaica and the Caribbean. Furthermore, this elevation of Minister Clarke is demonstrative of the depth, strength and capacity of my administration,” the prime minister said.
Over the course of his public sector career, Dr Clarke has made outstanding contributions to Jamaica as chairman of the National Housing Trust, HEART Trust and the Port Authority and also as senator, ambassador of Economic Affairs, and minister of finance and the public service.
As ambassador of economic affairs, he maintained the government’s relationship with the IMF and other multilaterals at a critical time and negotiated key agreements in 2016 including the early termination of the Extended Fund Facility and entry into the Precautionary Standby Agreement.
During his tenure as finance minister, he has driven the substantial improvement in Jamaica’s macro-economic fundamentals, the abolition and reduction of distortionary taxes, central bank independence, the fiscal commission, multi-layered disaster risk financing, public body governance and public body rationalisation, the prime minister stated.
Mariah Carey’s mother and sister died on the same day. The singer says her ‘heart is broken’
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mariah Carey’s mother Patricia and sister Alison both died on the same day, the singer said Monday.
“My heart is broken that I’ve lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day,” the Grammy-winning singer said in a statement.
“I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed,” the statement continued. “I appreciate everyone’s love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time.”
The Times Union reported Monday that Alison, who was largely estranged from Carey, died at 63 from complications with her organ function and that she had been in hospice care.
People Magazine first reported the news of their deaths and Carey’s statement.
Patricia was a Juilliard-trained opera singer who Carey credits as an inspiration to her from a young age.
“I would sing little tunes around the house, to my mother’s delight. And she always encouraged me,” she wrote in her 2020 memoir, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey.”
Patricia was previously married to Alfred Roy Carey, the singer’s father. The parents divorced when the “Vision of Love” singer was 3. Carey grew up in Suffolk County on Long Island and lived primarily with her mother after her parents’ divorce. Her father died of cancer in 2002 at age 72.
Carey detailed her complicated relationship with her mother and her sister in her memoir, in which she wrote that she and her mother often clashed, causing her to feel “so much pain and confusion,” and accused her sister of putting her in unsafe situations as a child.
“Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities. It’s never been only black-and-white — it’s been a whole rainbow of emotions,” Carey wrote in the book. “Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment. A complicated love tethers my heart to my mother’s.”
Carey maintained contact with her mother and even recorded a duet of “O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus” for the singer’s second Christmas album in 2010.
Edgar Bronfman Jr. withdraws offer for Paramount, allowing Skydance merger to go ahead
NEW YORK (AP) — The merger between entertainment giant Paramount and media company Skydance is set to go ahead after Edgar Bronfman Jr. withdrew a competing offer.
Bronfman, executive chairman of streaming service Fubo, told Paramount’s special committee of directors Monday night that he would not proceed with his bid.
“While there may have been differences, we believe that everyone involved in the sale process is united in the belief that Paramount’s best days are ahead,” he said.
Bronfman, the former chairman and CEO of Warner Music, had intitially offered $4.3 billion for Shari Redstone’s National Amusements, the controlling shareholder of Paramount, according to multiple media reports. He then upped that bid to $6 billion.
Paramount agreed last month to a merger deal with Skydance that will inject desperately needed cash into a legacy studio that has struggled to adapt to a shifting entertainment landscape.
Since then, during what’s known as a “go shop” period, a special committee of Paramount’s board had reached out to more than 50 third parties to determine whether they were interested in making offers. The go shop period was extended for Bronfman, but has now closed.
Shari Redstone’s National Amusements has owned more than three-quarters of Paramount’s Class A voting shares through the estate of her late father, Sumner Redstone. She had battled to maintain control of the company that owns CBS, which is behind blockbuster films such as “Top Gun” and “The Godfather.”
The deal signals the rise of a new power player, Skydance founder David Ellison, the son of billionaire Larry Ellison, who founded the software company Oracle.
Skydance, based in Santa Monica, California, has helped produce some major Paramount hits in recent years, including Tom Cruise films like “Top Gun: Maverick” and installments of the “Mission Impossible” series.
The proposed combined company of Paramount and Skydance is valued at around $28 billion. The deal is expected to close in September 2025, pending regulatory approval.
Paramount, founded in 1914 as a distributor, is one of Hollywood’s oldest studios and has had a hand in releasing numerous films — from “Sunset Boulevard” and “The Godfather,” to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Titanic.”
Trump threatens to pull out of Harris debate, hot mics an issue
WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The campaigns of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris clashed on Monday over next month's U.S. presidential debate, with the vice president's team seeking a return to open microphones while her Republican rival threatened to pull out entirely, suggesting the previously agreed-upon ABC network was biased.
"Why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?" Trump, who is making his third bid for the White House, wrote in a social media post late Sunday night that also accused the network of bias. "Stay tuned!!!"
Harris spokesperson Brian Fallon said on Monday the vice president's campaign wanted the broadcaster to keep the candidates' microphones on throughout the event, not muted when their opponent was speaking as in the last presidential debate. So-called "hot mics" can help or hurt political candidates, catching off-hand comments that sometimes were not meant for the public.
"The Vice President is ready to deal with Trump’s constant lies and interruptions in real time. Trump should stop hiding behind the mute button," Fallon said in a statement.
Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said in a statement they had already agreed to the same terms as CNN's June debate, which had muted microphones, adding: "We said no changes to the agreed-upon rules."
But Trump later told reporters that he preferred to have his microphone kept on, adding that he did not like it muted last time and that he was not preparing much for the face-off against his new rival.
"Doesn't matter to me. I'd rather have it, probably, on. But the agreement was that it would be the same as it was last time," Trump said.
"I'm not spending a lot of time on it. I think my whole life I've been preparing for a debate," Trump added. "You can't cram knowledge into your head, for you know, 30 years of knowledge in one week. So, you know, there's a little debate prep, but I've always done it more or less the same way."
Representatives for ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harris secured the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden stepped aside last month, and had said they would do the Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News previously agreed to by Biden and Trump.
Biden had pushed for earlier debates, hoping to boost his campaign and cast a brighter light on Trump. But his own halting performance at the June 27 face-off triggered alarm within his party, with him ending his reelection bid weeks later.
Trump had floated another debate hosted by Fox News on Sept. 4, which he later said would be a televised town hall with just himself and host Sean Hannity. The Harris campaign said no.
The vice presidential candidates, Republican U.S. Senator JD Vance and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are scheduled to debate Oct. 1 on CBS News.
Australia to limit foreign student enrolments in migration crackdown
SYDNEY, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Australia said on Tuesday it would limit the enrolment number of international students at 270,000 for 2025, as the government looks to rein in record migration that has contributed to a spike in home rental prices.
The decision follows a raft of actions since last year to end COVID-era concessions for foreign students and workers in Australia that helped businesses recruit staff locally while strict border controls kept overseas workers out.
"There's about 10% more international students in our universities today than before the pandemic and about 50% more in our private vocational and training providers," Education Minister Jason Clare told a press conference.
The reforms are designed to make the international student sector better and fairer, and this will set it up on a more sustainable footing going forward, Clare said.
International education is one of Australia's largest export industries and was worth A$36.4 billion ($24.7 billion) to the economy in the 2022-2023 financial year.
But polls have showed voters are concerns about large influxes of foreign students and workers putting excess pressure on the housing market, making immigration one of the potential major battlegrounds in an election less than an year away.
Net immigration hit a record high in the year to Sept. 30, 2023, surging 60% to a record 548,800, higher than the 518,000 people in the year ending June 2023.
Australia boosted its annual migration numbers in 2022 to help businesses recruit staff to fill shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic brought strict border controls, and kept foreign students and workers out for nearly two years.
The record migration - driven by students from India, China and Philippines - has expanded labour supply and restrained wage pressures, but it exacerbated an already tight housing market.
In a bid to contain the surge in migration, the government last month more than doubled the visa fee for foreign students and pledged to close loopholes in rules that allowed them to continuously extend their stay.
($1 = 1.4769 Australian dollars)
Hurricane Ernesto moves through Bermuda as a category one storm
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Ernesto made landfall on the tiny British Atlantic territory of Bermuda early Saturday as residents continued to hunker down.
The hurricane is now exhibiting a large rain-free centre region that is just about to move past Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The eye has expanded and Ernesto has slowed down, though the second half of the storm is set to move over Bermuda Saturday afternoon.
The wide category one storm has maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph). The US National Hurricane Center warned of strong winds, a dangerous storm surge and significant coastal flooding.
It said some 6 to 9 inches (150-225 millimetres) of rain was expected to fall on Bermuda. "This rainfall will likely result in considerable life-threatening flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas on the island," the center said.
Due to the large size of the storm and its slow movement, hurricane-strength winds are expected to continue until Saturday afternoon, with tropical storm-strength winds continuing well into Sunday, the Bermuda government said. Ernesto is moving toward the north-northeast at around 9 mph (15 kph).
A Saturday morning update from the Bermuda Weather Service said a Hurricane warning remains in effect.
"We want to reiterate the storm is not over," said National Security Minister Michael Weeks.
The Minister said that currently the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) is receiving damage assessments as reports from overnight come into the Operations Group. They have not received any reports of any major damage yet.
The NHC reported life-threatening surf and rip currents on the east coast of the United States and said they would reach Canada during the day. The centre of Ernesto will slowly move away from Bermuda Saturday and pass near southeastern Newfoundland late Monday and Monday night, said the center.
Bermuda power utility BELCO said that as of Saturday afternoon, more than 26,000 customers were out of power.
Lana Morris, manager of Edgehill Manor Guest House in Bermuda said that conditions are calm, though the wind has started to pick up again.
"I spoke to my guests, they told me they still have electricity, they have running water, and are comfortable."
Morris said she has been communicating with her guests via phone.
"They do not have Internet — but if the network is down, it's down. They are safe and I'm happy with that."
Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 tiny islands whose total land mass is roughly the size of Manhattan.
According to AccuWeather, it's uncommon for the eye of a hurricane to make landfall in Bermuda. It noted that, before today, since 1850 only 11 of 130 tropical storms that came within 100 miles (160 kilometres) of Bermuda had landfall.
The island is a renowned offshore financial centre with sturdy construction, and given its elevation, storm surge is not as problematic as it is with low-lying islands.
Ernesto previously battered the northeast Caribbean, where it left tens of thousands of people without water in Puerto Rico as the National Weather Service issued yet another severe heat advisory, warning of "dangerously hot and humid conditions."
More than 115,000 out of nearly 1.5 million clients were still without power more than two days after the storm. Another 170,000 were without water as the National Weather Service issued yet another severe heat advisory, warning of "dangerously hot and humid conditions."
Ernesto is the fifth named storm and the third hurricane of this year's Atlantic hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record warm ocean temperatures. It forecast 17 to 25 named storms, with four to seven major hurricanes.