Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. Reuters
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. Reuters
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. Reuters
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. Reuters

Few Fed officials support rate cut this month, meeting minutes show


Kyle Fitzgerald
  • English
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Only a small contingent of officials at the Federal Reserve support a US interest rate cut this month, minutes released from the central bank's June meeting showed on Wednesday.

Fed officials are debating the effects that President Donald Trump's tariffs will have on inflation. Most policymakers noted during the June 17-18 meeting that tariffs "could have more persistent effects on inflation", while a few thought it would lead to a one-time increase.

"A couple of participants noted that … they would be open to considering a reduction in the target range for the policy rate as soon as at the next meeting," June's meeting minutes read. At the same time, some officials said they would be open to holding rates steady for the whole year.

Fed officials last month agreed to hold the central bank's interest rate target range at between 4.25 and 4.50 per cent, extending their pause for a fourth straight meeting. The Fed holds its next two-day meeting on July 29-30.

Two top Fed officials – governor Christopher Waller and vice chair for supervision Michelle Bowman – indicated their support for a rate cut this month shortly after the June meeting, with the Mr Waller pointing to his belief that tariffs will have a one-time inflationary effect.

Federal Reserve vice chair for supervision Michelle Bowman and chairman Jerome Powell at a board open meeting in Washington. Bloomberg
Federal Reserve vice chair for supervision Michelle Bowman and chairman Jerome Powell at a board open meeting in Washington. Bloomberg

Mr Waller and Ms Bowman are both permanent voting members on the rotating 12-person Federal Open Market Committee.

However, those views are at odds with the broader rate-setting FOMC, including Fed chairman Jerome Powell, who has gone for a more cautious approach towards cutting rates.

The June minutes reflected Mr Powell's more cautious posture.

"Participants agreed that although uncertainty about inflation and the economic outlook had decreased, it remained appropriate to take a careful approach in adjusting monetary policy," they read.

Employment data released last week further evaporated the chances of a rate cut this month. Data released by the Labour Department showed the economy topped expectations by adding 147,000 jobs in June while the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell from 4.2 per cent to 4.1 per cent.

Traders have now priced in the odds of a July rate cut at just 6.7 per cent while also reducing expectations of a cut in September, data from the CME Group showed.

Still, minutes from the June meeting showed "most participants" expect to cut rates at some point this year. Projections released alongside their rates decision showed most Fed officials anticipate two rate cuts in 2025, in line with market expectations.

The Fed's cautious stance has drawn the ire of Mr Trump, who in recent weeks has increased tension with the central bank and Mr Powell.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt displays a message US President Donald Trump sent to Fed chairman Jerome Powell showing a list of countries' interest rates. EPA
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt displays a message US President Donald Trump sent to Fed chairman Jerome Powell showing a list of countries' interest rates. EPA

Mr Trump earlier on Wednesday said the current Fed rate should be "at least" three points lower, to reduce the cost of servicing the country's debt.

Other members of the Trump administration have also begun criticising Mr Powell as speculation increases over who might be his successor. Among his critics is Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has lashed out at the Fed chair, a step that his predecessors have typically avoided.

Mr Trump had previously toyed with the idea of firing Mr Powell, although a recent ruling from the Supreme Court granted Federal Reserve officials protection from the President.

On Tuesday, he repeated his call for Mr Powell's resignation and gave Congress his approval to investigate him over accusations among Republicans that he had misled politicians about renovations at the Fed's headquarters in Washington.

Mr Powell has maintained that he will serve out his term as Fed chairman, which expires in May 2026. He has not said if he will remain on the board for his duration as Fed governor, which expires in 2028.

Jawan
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Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

The biog

Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:

  • Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
  • He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
  • There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
  • After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
  • In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994 
The%20Sandman
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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

RESULTS

6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Superior, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Roy Orbison, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.15pm

Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm

Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
Winner: Welford, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Sandeep Jadhav

THE%20SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Year Earth Changed

Directed by:Tom Beard

Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough

Stars: 4

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm) 
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm) 
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm) 
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn  (4.30pm) 
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm) 
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)

Sunday, May 17

Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)

Monday, May 18

Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

Feeding the thousands for iftar

Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth 

Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people

The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box

350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley

Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck

Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

The%20Woman%20King%20
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Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

Sinopharm vaccine explained

The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades. 

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.

"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."

The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.

Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

SPEC%20SHEET
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Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

LIVING IN...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Gremio 1 Pachuca 0

Gremio Everton 95’

Updated: July 09, 2025, 7:29 PM