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Ukraine in talks with allies about getting long-range missiles, Zelenskiy aide says

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Ukraine in talks with allies about getting long-range missiles, Zelenskiy aide says

Jan 28 (Reuters) – Expedited talks are beneath method amongst Kyiv and its allies about Ukraine’s requests for long-range missiles that it says are wanted to forestall Russia from destroying Ukrainian cities, a prime aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned on Saturday.

Ukraine has received guarantees of Western battle tanks and is looking for fighter jets to push again in opposition to Russian and pro-Moscow forces, that are slowly advancing alongside a part of the entrance line.

“To drastically scale back the Russian military’s key weapon – the artillery they use at this time on the entrance traces – we want missiles that may destroy their depots,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak advised Ukraine’s Freedom tv community. He mentioned on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula there have been greater than 100 artillery warehouses.

“Subsequently, firstly, negotiations are already beneath method. Secondly, negotiations are continuing at an accelerated tempo,” he mentioned with out giving particulars.

Zelenskiy, talking individually, mentioned Ukraine needed to preempt Russian assaults on Ukrainian city areas and civilians.

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“Ukraine wants long-range missiles … to deprive the occupier of the chance to put its missile launchers someplace removed from the entrance line and destroy Ukrainian cities,” he mentioned in a night video handle.

Zelenskiy mentioned Ukraine wanted the U.S.-made ATACMS missile, which has a spread of 185 miles (297km). Washington has up to now declined to offer the weapon.

Earlier within the day, the Ukrainian air power denied a newspaper report that it meant to get 24 fighter jets from allies, saying talks had been persevering with, Ukraine’s Babel on-line outlet mentioned.

Spain’s El Pais newspaper, citing Ukrainian air power spokesperson Yuri Ihnat, mentioned Ukraine initially needed two squadrons of 12 planes every, ideally Boeing F-16 jets.

However in an announcement to Babel, Ihnat mentioned his feedback to a media briefing on Friday had been misinterpreted.

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“Ukraine is simply on the stage of negotiations concerning plane. Plane fashions and their quantity are at the moment being decided,” he mentioned.

Ihnat advised the Friday briefing that F-16s may be the best choice for a multi-role fighter to exchange the nation’s present fleet of ageing Soviet-era warplanes.

He additionally advised Ukrainian nationwide tv that allied nations didn’t like public hypothesis about jets, Interfax Ukraine information company mentioned.

Deputy White Home nationwide safety adviser Jon Finer on Thursday mentioned United States can be discussing the thought of supplying jets “very rigorously” with Kyiv and its allies.

Germany’s defence minister this week dominated out the thought of sending jets to Ukraine.

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Reporting by David Ljunggren; Enhancing by Daniel Wallis and Cynthia Osterman

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Rules.

David Ljunggren

Thomson Reuters

Covers Canadian political, financial and common information in addition to breaking information throughout North America, beforehand based mostly in London and Moscow and a winner of Reuters’ Treasury scoop of the yr.

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Video: U.K. Plans to Lower Voting Age in Major Electoral Reform

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Video: U.K. Plans to Lower Voting Age in Major Electoral Reform

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U.K. Plans to Lower Voting Age in Major Electoral Reform

The British government said it wants to lower the voting age to 16 as part of a plan that has been described as the country’s largest expansion of voting rights in decades.

“I’m really happy about it because I’ve always been kind of frustrated just watching politics and not being able to do anything. And I know loads of other people who feel the same, who are really interested in politics and get frustrated at watching all the older people vote. And I just think it would be really amazing because so many of these policies affect younger people.” “I think it’s really important to give the younger generation an opinion and a vote on a lot of the issues that are facing the U.K. today. So yeah, if I was back in my day, if I was 16 or 17 and I got the opportunity to vote, I think that would be really, really good. It would have got me thinking about the political issues, the economical issues as well, at an early age.” “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to have more of a say in our future. And because at the end of the day, we decide who we vote in, and then this affects our decisions that affect us, whether it be health care, education and ultimately, jobs in the end.”

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Police search former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's home, political headquarters

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Police search former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's home, political headquarters

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Brazilian police have reportedly searched the home and political headquarters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. On Friday, police confirmed they carried out “two search and seizure warrants,” but did not specify whether Bolsonaro was the target, but local media outlets are reporting that he was.

Bolsonaro has been ordered to wear an ankle monitor, according to the Associated Press. Additionally, Bolsonaro has reportedly been banned from using social media or contacting others under investigation, the Associated Press reported, citing local media. This would include his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a Brazilian lawmaker residing in the U.S. who is known for having ties to President Donald Trump.

Criminal police agents stand in front State Secretariat of Penitentiary Administration headquarters as the former President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasilia, Brazil July 18, 2025.  (REUTERS/Adriano)

RUBIO BANS OUTPOSTS COMMENTING ON ELECTIONS UNLESS ‘CLEAR & COMPELLING’ US INTEREST

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Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro walking toward the Secretariat of Penitentiary Administration headquarters

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro arrives to the State Secretariat of Penitentiary Administration headquarters in Brasilia, Brazil July 18, 2025. (REUTERS/Adriano Machado)

Media outlets in Brazil are also reporting that the former president has been forbidden from leaving home between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Additionally, Bolsonaro is reportedly prohibited from contacting foreign ambassadors and diplomats.

Brazil police search Bolsonaro's home, political headquarters

Brazilian federal police searched former President Jair Bolsonaro’s home and political headquarters on July 18, 2025. (Reuters)

TRUMP CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE END TO ‘UNJUST’ TRIAL OF FORMER BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO

On Thursday, Trump called for an immediate end to the trial, saying that Bolsonaro is the victim of an “unjust system.”

“I have seen the terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you. This should end immediately!” Trump wrote in a letter he sent to Bolsonaro, which the president posted on his Truth Social account Thursday evening. 

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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Can Donald Trump fire Jerome Powell, US Federal Reserve chair?

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Can Donald Trump fire Jerome Powell, US Federal Reserve chair?

President Donald Trump is sending mixed messages about whether he will fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Trump said on July 16 he is “not planning on doing anything” when asked if he would fire Powell. However, he also said he doesn’t “rule out anything” and mentioned a renovation project with ballooning costs.

“I think it’s highly unlikely unless he has to leave for fraud,” Trump said. “And it’s possible there’s fraud involved with the $2.5, $2.7 billion renovation. This is a renovation, how do you spend $2.7 billion? And he didn’t have proper clearance.”

The Federal Reserve has been undergoing building renovations since 2021 on a project that the board that controls the Fed first approved in 2017. The project’s cost of $2.5bn is about $600m above the original budget, according to The Associated Press.

The cost has increased because of design changes, increasing labour and material costs and “unforeseen conditions”, such as “more asbestos than anticipated”, the Fed said in an FAQ.

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But Trump’s administration seems to be using the renovation as a possible reason to oust Powell. Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent Powell a July 10 letter saying the project is “out of compliance with the approved plan” and “in violation of” the National Capital Planning Act, which outlines how agencies can make changes to federal buildings.

Trump’s feud with Powell isn’t new. For months, the president has criticised Powell, whom he appointed to the role in 2017, for refusing to drop interest rates. The Fed raised interest rates in 2022 and 2023 during former President Joe Biden’s administration as a response to inflation.

Since Trump entered the White House in January, he has told Powell to resign and threatened to fire him.

“If I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me,” Trump said in April. “I’m not happy with him.”

In November, after the 2024 election, reporters asked Powell if he would step down or whether he thought Trump had the authority to fire him.

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“Not permitted under the law,” Powell said.

Trump spoke to a group of Republican lawmakers on July 15 about firing the chair, several news organisations reported. Trump showed lawmakers a draft letter firing Powell, The New York Times reported.

Trump denied having written a letter.

“No, I talked about the concept of firing him. I said, ‘What do you think?’ Almost every one of them said I should,” Trump said. “But I’m more conservative than they are.”

While Trump attributed his reticence to fire Powell to his “conservatism”, the bigger impediment is a question of legality. Here’s why.

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The sculpture of an eagle looks out from behind protective construction wrapping on the facade as the Federal Reserve Board building undergoes both interior and exterior renovations, in Washington, on October 23, 2023 [J Scott Applewhite/AP]

What is the role of the Federal Reserve; who appoints its chair?

The Federal Reserve is the country’s central bank. Its responsibilities include setting interest rates and supervising and regulating banks. It was created in 1913 as part of the Federal Reserve Act and is run by an independent board of governors. The seven governors that make up the board are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The president selects the chair and two vice chairs from among the seven, according to the Congressional Research Service.

While talking to reporters, Trump appeared to overlook that he was the person who nominated Powell to be the chair in 2017: “I’m surprised he was appointed,” Trump said. “I was surprised, frankly, that Biden put him in and extended him.”

In 2021, Biden nominated him for a second four-year term, which is set to end in May 2026. After that, Powell can remain on the board of governors until January 2028.

Can the president fire the Federal Reserve chair?

Unlike other government agencies, the Fed has a lot of independence from Congress and the White House, the Congressional Research Service said in a January report.

According to the report, economists have justified the independence, saying that decisions about monetary policy shouldn’t be influenced by political pressures. To ensure Fed accountability, the chair testifies before Congress, much like other government agencies.

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The Fed chair can be removed “for cause by the President”, according to the law. This refers to “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office”, according to a Supreme Court decision about the Federal Trade Commission.

In May, the Supreme Court ruled on Trump’s authority to fire members of two different independent agencies. In its 6-3 ruling, the Court granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to fire the heads of the agencies while the case over the legality of firing them played out in the courts.

In its opinion, the Supreme Court addressed the Fed, saying its ruling didn’t affect the agency.

“The Federal Reserve is a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity that follows in the distinct historical tradition of the First and Second Banks of the United States,” the Supreme Court said.

Some legal experts question the legality of Trump firing Powell. Any move to oust him would likely end up in the courts.

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Peter Conti-Brown, a professor of financial regulation at the University of Pennsylvania, said the Fed’s building renovation costs aren’t “cause” for Powell’s dismissal.

“There is no factual basis to support any conclusion that the cost overruns on the renovation project constitute anything like fraud or gross negligence,” Conti-Brown said. “Had Powell committed fraud, in this context or any other, there could well be a case for his removal.”

Conti-Brown said that Trump has long talked about wanting Powell’s removal. A court may consider Trump citing the renovation’s budget as “pretext” for his firing – a legal term used to describe a false reason an employer gives for firing an employee in order to cover the real reason, Conti-Brown said.

“Courts evaluating any attempted removal after the fact will assess both the animus and pretext very heavily against President Trump,” Conti-Brown said.

However, it is unclear how courts would react because “this is uncharted legal territory”, Jeremy Kress, a former Fed banking regulator who is a faculty director of the University of Michigan’s Center on Finance, Law and Policy, told The New York Times.

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Lev Menand, a legal scholar at Columbia University, agreed with Kress.

“In normal times, I would say Powell wins 10 times out of 10,” Menand told The New York Times. “But these aren’t normal times, because this court has shown that it is willing to look the other way when the president engages in illegal conduct and it is willing to construe the president’s power under the Constitution as so broad as to allow the president to flout laws.”

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