WASHINGTON: Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign says it has now raised $540 million for its election battle against Republican nominee former President Donald Trump.
The campaign has had no problems getting supporters to open their wallets since President Joe Biden announced on July 21 he was ending his campaign and quickly endorsed Harris. The campaign said it saw a surge of donations during last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago where Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, accepted their nominations.
“Just before Vice President Harris’ acceptance speech Thursday night, we officially crossed the $500 million mark,” campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote in a memo released by the campaign on Sunday. “Immediately after her speech, we saw our best fundraising hour since launch day.”
Trump has also proven to be a formidable fundraiser, but appears to be outpaced in her month-old campaign. Trump’s campaign and its related affiliates announced earlier this month that they had raised $138.7 million in July — less than what Harris took in during her White House bid’s opening week. Trump’s campaign reported $327 million in cash on hand at the start of August.
The Harris fundraising totals were raised by Harris for President, the Democratic National Committee, and joint fundraising committees.
O’Malley Dillon said that nearly a third of contributions during convention week came from first-time contributors. About one-fifth of those first-time contributors were young voters and two-thirds were women, groups that the campaign sees as critical constituencies that Harris needs to turn out to win in November.
The Harris campaign says it has also seen a surge in volunteer support for the vice president. During convention week, supporters signed up for nearly 200,000 volunteer shifts to help the campaign.
Harris campaign says it’s raised $540 million and saw surge of donations during convention
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Harris campaign says it’s raised $540 million and saw surge of donations during convention
- Trump has also proven to be a formidable fundraiser, but appears to be outpaced in her month-old campaign
Trump and Putin to discuss power plants, land in talks to end Ukraine war
- Trump said: “We’ll be talking about land. We’ll be talking about power plants ... We’re already talking about that, dividing up certain assets”
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he would speak to Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about ending the Ukraine war, with territorial concessions by Kyiv and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant likely to feature prominently in the talks.
“We want to see if we can bring that war to an end,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One during a flight to the Washington area from Florida. “Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance.
“I’ll be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday. A lot of work’s been done over the weekend.”
Trump is trying to win Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine accepted last week, as both sides continued trading heavy aerial strikes early on Monday and Russia moved closer to ejecting Ukrainian forces from their months-old foothold in the western Russian region of Kursk.
Asked what concessions were being considered in ceasefire negotiations, Trump said: “We’ll be talking about land. We’ll be talking about power plants ... We’re already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.”
Trump gave no details but he appeared to be referring to the Russian-occupied facility in Ukraine, Europe’s largest nuclear plant. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of risking an accident at the plant with their actions.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a regular briefing on Monday that “there’s a power plant that is on the border of Russia and Ukraine that was up for discussion with the Ukrainians, and he (Trump) will address it in his call with Putin tomorrow.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Monday that Putin would speak with Trump by phone but declined to comment on Trump’s remarks about land and power plants.
The Kremlin said on Friday that Putin had sent Trump a message about his ceasefire plan via US envoy Steve Witkoff, who held talks in Moscow, expressing “cautious optimism” that a deal could be reached to end the three-year conflict.
In separate appearances on Sunday TV shows in the United States, Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump’s National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, emphasized there were still challenges to be worked out before Russia agrees to a ceasefire, much less a final peaceful resolution to the war.
Asked on ABC whether the US would accept a peace deal in which Russia was allowed to keep Ukrainian territory that it has seized, Waltz replied: “We have to ask ourselves, is it in our national interest? Is it realistic? ... Are we going to drive every Russian off of every inch of Ukrainian soil?“
“We can talk about what is right or wrong but also have to talk about the reality of the situation on the ground,” he said, adding that the alternative to finding compromises on land and other issues was “endless warfare” and even World War Three.
“Ironclad guarantees”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he sees a good chance to end the war after Kyiv accepted the US proposal for a 30-day interim ceasefire.
However, Zelensky has consistently said the sovereignty of his country is not negotiable and that Russia must surrender the territory it has seized. Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and now controls most of four eastern Ukrainian regions since it invaded the country in 2022.
Zelensky has not responded publicly to Waltz’s remarks.
Russia will seek “ironclad” guarantees in any peace deal that NATO nations exclude Kyiv from membership and that Ukraine will remain neutral, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Russian media outlet Izvestia in remarks published on Monday that made no reference to the ceasefire proposal.
“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Izvestia cited Grushko as saying.
Putin says his actions in Ukraine are aimed at protecting Russia’s national security against what he casts as an aggressive and hostile West, in particular NATO’s eastward expansion. Ukraine and its Western partners say Russia is waging an unprovoked war of aggression and an imperial-style land grab.
Moscow has demanded that Ukraine drop its NATO ambitions, that Russia keep control of all Ukrainian territory seized, and that the size of the Ukrainian army be limited. It also wants Western sanctions eased and a presidential election in Ukraine, which Kyiv says is premature while martial law is in force.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said on Monday that the conditions demanded by Russia to agree to a ceasefire showed that Moscow does not really want peace.
Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said the onus should be on Russia as the invading country, not Ukraine, to make concessions “because otherwise you would be compromising international law.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that “a significant number” of nations — including Britain and France — were willing to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia. Defense chiefs will meet this week to firm up plans.
Russia has ruled out peacekeepers until the war has ended.
“If they appear there, it means that they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict,” Russia’s Grushko said.
“We can talk about unarmed observers, a civilian mission that would monitor the implementation of individual aspects of this agreement, or guarantee mechanisms. In the meantime, it’s just hot air.”
Major search underway off Cyprus after migrant boat capsizes
- Cypriot media reported that the authorities had recovered seven bodies and two survivors from among the estimated 20 Syrians who were on board
NICOSIA: A major search involving naval helicopters and police boats was underway on Monday for the passengers of a migrant boat that capsized off the coast of Cyprus, officials said.
Cypriot media reported that the authorities had recovered seven bodies and two survivors from among the estimated 20 Syrians who were on board.
A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched in open waters by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Larnaca.
In an official statement, it said a search and rescue operation was “ongoing to locate missing persons after a migrant boat capsized 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) southeast of Cape Greco,” referring to the southeasternmost point of the Mediterranean island.
It said the incident occurred within the country’s area of search and rescue responsibility but outside its territorial waters.
The authorities had yet to confirm the recovery of any bodies and when contacted by AFP, the JRCC only referred to the statement, saying the operation was ongoing.
Police also referred inquiries to the JRCC who are coordinating the rescue.
Several naval helicopters and police patrol boats were involved in the search for survivors, the center said.
According to the Cyprus News Agency, one survivor told authorities that the roughly 20 passengers on board were Syrians who had departed from the port of Tartus in Syria.
The Philenews website reported that seven bodies were recovered and two survivors rescued.
In the past, Cyprus had seen a four-fold spike in irregular arrivals by boat, almost all of them Syrians.
The eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus is less than 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the Syrian and Lebanese coasts and has long been a route for refugees seeking a better life in Europe.
Nicosia has said it has the highest number of new asylum seeker applicants in the European Union per capita but has managed to significantly reduce the figure.
Last month, the interior ministry said asylum applications dropped 69 percent between 2022 and 2024, while irregular maritime arrivals had stopped since May 2024 due to tougher government policies.
The overthrow of President Bashar Assad in December has prompted some Syrians to return home, with the government reporting that an average of 40 Syrians per day have requested to return home since then.
The government also said that more assylum seekers were leaving Cyprus than arriving for the first time in its independent history.
UN chief to meet rival Cyprus leaders
- Cyprus has been divided between the Greek-speaking south and the Turkish Cypriot north since 1974
- Decades of UN-backed talks have failed to reunify the island
GENEVA: UN chief Antonio Guterres was to meet the rival Cypriot leaders for dinner on Monday ahead of informal talks aimed at finding a “way forward” on the divided island’s future.
Guterres was to dine with President Nikos Christodoulides of the Greek-speaking, internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in Geneva.
On Tuesday the three will meet for talks at the United Nations, alongside Britain, Greece and Turkiye — the three guarantors of the Mediterranean island’s security since 1960.
“This meeting is being held in the context of the secretary-general’s good offices’ efforts on the Cyprus issue,” a UN spokeswoman told AFP.
“The informal meeting will provide an opportunity for a meaningful discussion on the way forward.”
Since a 1974 invasion by Turkiye triggered by an Athens-backed coup, the island has been divided between the Greek-speaking south and the Turkish Cypriot north, which unilaterally declared independence in 1983 but is recognized only by Ankara.
The Republic of Cyprus is an EU member state. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus covers about a third of island, including parts of the capital Nicosia.
Decades of UN-backed talks have failed to reunify the island.
Greek Cypriots in 2004 overwhelmingly rejected a UN-backed reunification plan in a referendum.
The last round of full-on peace talks, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, collapsed in 2017.
Cyprus issue
In a televised address on Saturday, Christodoulides said he was heading to Geneva “with absolute seriousness and with the aim of conducting a substantive discussion that will pave the way for the resumption of negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus issue.”
“We are ready and well prepared to be constructive... to engage in meaningful discussions, and to achieve an outcome that will keep the process active,” he said.
Christodoulides held a national council meeting of Greek Cypriot political party leaders in Geneva on Monday.
“There is consensus, a constructive spirit of unity, and a shared goal: to ensure that this multilateral conference serves as a springboard toward breaking the deadlock and restarting negotiations,” Cyprus government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis told reporters afterwards.
“We are preparing for multiple scenarios, ensuring that in every case, the president has concrete initiatives and proposals.”
Meeting in buffer zone
Following the dinner, the talks proper are set to begin on Tuesday at the UN Palais des Nations.
Nameplates had been set out, with Guterres on one side of the central table, opposite the two Cypriot leaders, who will sit next to each other.
Flanking Guterres, nameplates were set out for Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and for Britain’s Europe minister Stephen Doughty.
In October last year, Guterres hosted an informal dinner with Christodoulides and Tatar in New York.
The rival Cypriot leaders also met in January to discuss opening more crossing points across the divided island as part of trust-building efforts.
They met in the buffer zone that has split the island for decades.
WHO says 80 percent of Afghanistan operations risk shutdown by June
- The UN health agency has been sounding the alarm since US President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the agency
- This pullout and the end of Washington’s contributions put at risk the global measles surveillance network, which until now has been entirely funded by US
KABUL: The World Health Organization said Monday 80 percent of services that it supports in Afghanistan could shut down by June due to a funding shortage.
The UN health agency said the cash shortfall, which comes amid massive US aid cuts, is tied to a shift in “development aid priorities.”
“Without urgent intervention, over 220 more facilities could close by June 2025, leaving an additional 1.8 million Afghans without access to primary health care,” WHO said in a statement.
The agency said that 167 such operations have already closed due to a lack of financial support.
“The consequences will be measured in lives lost,” said WHO’s Afghanistan chief Edwin Ceniza Salvador.
“This is not just about funding. It is a humanitarian emergency that threatens to undo years of progress in strengthening Afghanistan’s health system,” Salvador added.
WHO has been sounding the alarm since US President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from the agency.
This pullout and the end of Washington’s contributions put at risk the global measles surveillance network, which until now has been entirely funded by Washington.
Afghanistan saw more than 16,000 suspected measles cases and 111 deaths in January and February, according to WHO.
The figures are disputed by the Taliban authorities, who returned to power in 2021 with the ousting of the US-backed government.
The Taliban government is not recognized internationally and relies largely on NGOs, UN agencies and aid donors to keep the health system afloat.
WHO said Afghanistan is also facing “multiple health emergencies,” including outbreaks of malaria and dengue.
There are ongoing efforts to vaccinate enough children to eradicate polio, which remains endemic in only two countries: Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
The lack of funds has also hit Save the Children, which said last week 18 health facilities supported by the charity and its partners have closed.
“Only 14 Save the Children clinics have enough funding to remain open for one more month, and without new financial support, they will be forced to close. These 32 clinics supported over 134,000 children in January alone,” the charity said.
In addition, Afghanistan suffers one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios of 638 per 100,000 live births.
This is likely to worsen due to the US funding cuts, with the UN forecasting an additional 1,200 maternal deaths between now and 2028.
Malnutrition is also widespread in the country, which is facing economic, humanitarian and climate crises after being battered by four decades of war.
Ten percent of children under five are malnourished and 45 percent are stunted, the UN says.
India, New Zealand agree to deepen ties, restart free trade talks
- New Zealand PM is on 5-day visit to India with biggest-ever Kiwi delegation
- Trade deal talks with New Zealand comes after Trump’s reciprocal tariff decision
NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart agreed on Monday to deepen their security and economic ties, as the two countries announced the revival of talks for a free trade agreement.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is on a five-day visit to India with the biggest-ever delegation to accompany a Kiwi premier on a foreign trip, comprising officials, and community and business leaders.
Modi and Luxon met in New Delhi where they signed agreements on enhancing cooperation in defense, education and sports.
“We had detailed discussions on various aspects of our bilateral relations. We have decided to strengthen and institutionalize our defense and security partnership,” Modi said during a joint press briefing.
Their defense ties will include joint exercises and training, with plans for mutual cooperation in the sector’s industry, he added.
On Sunday, the two countries agreed to revive free trade negotiations that have been stalled for over a decade, following talks between New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay and his Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal.
“It has been decided to start negotiations on a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement between the two countries,” Modi said.
“Mutual cooperation and investment will be encouraged in areas like dairy, food processing, and pharma. We have given priority to mutual cooperation in the areas of renewable energy and critical minerals.”
Bilateral trade between India and New Zealand stood at about $1.7 billion in the 2023-24 financial year.
“It is through trade that we can boost the economies of both our countries, providing more jobs and higher incomes for Kiwis and Indians,” Luxon said in a statement.
Indians are the biggest source of skilled migrants, the third-largest ethnic group and the second-largest source of international students in New Zealand.
“I think you’re seeing an Indian government that’s been incredibly generous and very, very welcoming to New Zealand, and it speaks to the way that they also want to deepen this relationship,” Luxon said.
“We have brought the biggest delegation that’s ever accompanied a Prime Minister … because we actually want to make this as big as it possibly can be, because the size of the prize is immense.
“And actually, what’s this all about? It’s about actually cashback into Kiwis’ pockets and we do that by growing our economy and expanding our trade opportunities.”
New Zealand is an “important component” of India’s Indo-Pacific policy, said Dr. Udai Bhanu Singh, former senior researcher at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses.
But strengthening ties with the Pacific country is likely part of Delhi’s ongoing efforts to broker trade deals with other nations after US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on imported goods from countries, including India.
“India is facing tremendous pressure from Trumpian policy of reciprocal tariffs and it would like to keep its options open as far as possible,” Singh told Arab News.
“Even though this coming together may have been precipitated by Trump’s tariff assertion, the fact is that New Zealand and India are finding common grounds to work on.”
