NEWSLETTER
Thursday / September 29Sep 29
Wednesday / August 24
Ukraine situation
The UN continued to sound the alarm over the situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, demanding a demilitarization of the area and warning that the world is facing a moment of “maximum danger.” A worker at the plant died of his injuries due to Russian shelling near the facility, Ukraine’s state energy company said.
The US State Department issued a warning over the threat of increased Russian strikes on Ukraine during the week of its independence day on August 24, urging remaining Americans in Ukraine to leave the country. Kyiv is bracing for fresh Russian attacks.
Ukraine reported damage to a laboratory and chemical facilities at the nuclear facility from Russian shelling, International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement. Grossi said that there were Ukrainian reports that some of the transformers were also damaged.
IAEA will visit the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power within days if talks to gain access succeed, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Biden pouring more weapons
US plans to announce an additional roughly $3 billion in aid to train and equip Ukrainian forces, U.S. officials said.
Officials told The Associated Press that the package is expected to be announced Wednesday, the day the war hits the six-month mark and Ukraine celebrates its independence day. The money will fund contracts for drones, weapons and other equipment.
The new funding is largely aimed at helping Ukraine secure its medium- to long-term defense posture.
Nuclear talks
The Biden administration is expected to weigh in this week on Iran’s latest offer to resume its compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
US officials say they expect to respond to Iran’s comments on a European draft proposal by Wednesday, WaPo reports. There is expected to be another exchange of technical details followed by a meeting of the joint commission that oversees the deal.
Despite the forward movement, numerous hurdles remain. A senior administration official said a “deal is closer than it was two weeks ago,” but cautioned that the outcome remains uncertain “as some gaps remain.”
In Washington, the Biden administration faces considerable political opposition to returning to the 2015 deal from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress who remain unconvinced that it is in US national security interests.
“I intend to systematically fight the implementation of this catastrophic deal, and will work with my colleagues to ensure that it is blocked,” said Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.
Wall Street
Stocks fell Tuesday following its worst day since June as investors braced for a hawkish message from the Federal Reserve.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 154.02 points, or 0.47%, to 32,909.59. The S&P 500 fell 0.22% to 4,128.73, and the Nasdaq Composite dipped slightly 0.002% to 12,381.30. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 declined for a third straight session.
Real estate, health care and communication services were the worst performers in the S&P 500.
The UN continued to sound the alarm over the situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, demanding a demilitarization of the area and warning that the world is facing a moment of “maximum danger.” A worker at the plant died of his injuries due to Russian shelling near the facility, Ukraine’s state energy company said.
The US State Department issued a warning over the threat of increased Russian strikes on Ukraine during the week of its independence day on August 24, urging remaining Americans in Ukraine to leave the country. Kyiv is bracing for fresh Russian attacks.
Ukraine reported damage to a laboratory and chemical facilities at the nuclear facility from Russian shelling, International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement. Grossi said that there were Ukrainian reports that some of the transformers were also damaged.
IAEA will visit the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power within days if talks to gain access succeed, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Biden pouring more weapons
US plans to announce an additional roughly $3 billion in aid to train and equip Ukrainian forces, U.S. officials said.
Officials told The Associated Press that the package is expected to be announced Wednesday, the day the war hits the six-month mark and Ukraine celebrates its independence day. The money will fund contracts for drones, weapons and other equipment.
The new funding is largely aimed at helping Ukraine secure its medium- to long-term defense posture.
Nuclear talks
The Biden administration is expected to weigh in this week on Iran’s latest offer to resume its compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
US officials say they expect to respond to Iran’s comments on a European draft proposal by Wednesday, WaPo reports. There is expected to be another exchange of technical details followed by a meeting of the joint commission that oversees the deal.
Despite the forward movement, numerous hurdles remain. A senior administration official said a “deal is closer than it was two weeks ago,” but cautioned that the outcome remains uncertain “as some gaps remain.”
In Washington, the Biden administration faces considerable political opposition to returning to the 2015 deal from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress who remain unconvinced that it is in US national security interests.
“I intend to systematically fight the implementation of this catastrophic deal, and will work with my colleagues to ensure that it is blocked,” said Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.
Wall Street
Stocks fell Tuesday following its worst day since June as investors braced for a hawkish message from the Federal Reserve.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 154.02 points, or 0.47%, to 32,909.59. The S&P 500 fell 0.22% to 4,128.73, and the Nasdaq Composite dipped slightly 0.002% to 12,381.30. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 declined for a third straight session.
Real estate, health care and communication services were the worst performers in the S&P 500.
