Month: July 2020

President Donald Trump used a rare newspaper column on Wednesday to attack Democrats’ health care proposals, accusing them of pursuing Venezuela-style socialism and laying the groundwork for one of the major policy battles in next month’s midterm elections.

“The truth is that the centrist Democratic Party is dead,” he wrote. “The new Democrats are radical socialists who want to model America’s economy after Venezuela.”

The liberal wing of the Democratic Party has won a number of key primaries in the run-up to the November 6 elections, allowing Mr Trump to paint his opponents as extremists.

In the op-ed piece published in USA Today, he focused on proposals to expand Medicare – the national health insurance programme for Americans over the age of 65 – to the rest of the population.

“The Democrats’ plan means that after a life of hard work and sacrifice, seniors would no longer be able to depend on the benefits they were promised,” he claimed.

Administration officials said the attack would be followed-up by other party figures during the midterm campaign.

US mid term elections poll tracker

Their concerns focus on a proposal known as “Medicare for All”, promoted by Bernie Sanders, the Leftist who challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016, which would introduce a single-payer system to cover almost everyone in the country.

It was once backed only by fringe candidates but has in the past year become a rallying cry for the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

Such a proposal might be non-controversial in Europe, but raises worries about rationing and lack of choice among many Americans.

“By eliminating Medicare as a programme for seniors, and outlawing the ability of Americans to enroll in private and employer-based plans, the Democratic plan would inevitably lead to the massive rationing of health care,” writes Mr Trump. “Doctors and hospitals would be put out of business.”

However, Democrats and health policy analysts said the president had little evidence to support his claims.

Tricia Neuman, who studies Medicare at the Kaiser Family Foundation non-profit organisation, said: “President Trump and others have recently said Medicare For All will ‘hurt’ seniors and Medicare itself. If true, that would be a serious concern for seniors, but it’s not clear how that would happen.”

Mr Trump also linked the proposal with another hot button issue, accusing Democrats of planning to open American borders.

“That means millions more would cross our borders illegally and take advantage of health care paid for by American taxpayers,” he said, claiming the result would be rocketing taxes and the destruction of American prosperity.

Next month’s midterms are billed as a referendum on Mr Trump’s presidency.

Democrats appear on course to take control of the House of Representatives but the bitter battle over the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice has energised Mr Trump’s base, according to the latest polls.

Turkish intelligence reportedly have audio and video recordings from inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where Jamal Khashoggi’s Saudi captors can be heard interrogating, torturing, and ultimately murdering him. 

US officials have been told by their Turkish counterparts that the recordings prove beyond doubt that the Saudi journalist was killed and dismembered by a team of Saudi operatives, according to the Washington Post, for whom Mr Khashoggi wrote a column.

Turkey has not released the recordings nor officially confirmed that they exist, although pro-government Turkish media has alluded to them several times in recent days.

Saudi Arabia has vehemently denied that it was involved in Mr Khashoggi’s disappearance on October 2 and has insisted that he left the consulate safely after filing paperwork related to his upcoming marriage. 

However, as anger towards Riyadh mounted in Washington and Turkish officials claimed to have comprehensive evidence of Saudi guilt, there were some indications the Saudi position may be shifting. 

Turkey announced on Thursday that it had accepted a Saudi offer to form a joint investigation into the case, a sign of a possible thaw between the two sides after more than a week of standoff. 

The Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, also abruptly returned home for consultations. “We expect some information when he gets back,” said Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the US State Department. 

On the recordings, the Saudi men can reportedly be heard questioning Mr Khashoggi in Arabic.   “You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered,” one person told the Post. 

The recordings also reportedly show that members of the 15-man squad went from the Saudi consulate building to the nearby residence of the Saudi consul-general. 

Turkish investigators believe that Mr Khashoggi’s body may have been disposed of at the residence. 

Turkish media reported that police were also interested in a Saudi diplomatic van which went for a long drive on the eastern side of Istanbul, where there is less CCTV coverage, on the day of the disappearance.  

The fallout from the journalist’s disappearance continued to batter the reformist image of Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, who has presented himself as a modernising force in the conservative kingdom. 

Sir Richard Branson said he was suspending business dealings with the Saudi government until Mr Khashoggi’s fate is known. 

“What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi Government,” he said in a statement. 

A number of high-profile media figures have pulled out of Crown Prince Mohammed’s annual conference, nicknamed “Davos in the Desert”, amid the allegations. 

A tech executive and a former US energy secretary both stepped back from an advisory board on a new high-tech city Crown Prince Mohammed is building. 

At least 18 people died and scores more were injured at a Crimea college on Wednesday after a student allegedly detonated an explosive before opening fire with a hunting rifle.

The attack took place at a polytechnic school in the Crimean town of Kerch, a strategic city from where a new bridge connects the contested peninsula with mainland Russia. 

The Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said the suspect was an 18-year-old student at the college.

He was later identified in the Russian press as Vladislav Roslyakov, a student who had reportedly obtained a hunting license – allowing him to purchase hunting rifles and shotguns – early last month.

A photo of Roslyakov weilding a rifle in a campus stairwell was widely circulated on social social media after the attack.

Reports suggest that, beside detonating an explosive, Roslyakov opened fire on fellow students and teachers. According to Mr Aksyonov, the shooter killed himself during the attack.

Videos from the scene circulated on Russian social media show terror and confusion on the campus. One video shared on a popular Telegram channel, Mash, featured a recording of a woman telling her friend about the explosion and possible shooters.

“The college was blown up,” the unidentified woman began in her video, “We ran and kids just laid there. My friend was killed right before my eyes. I saw her fall and she didn’t move any more. I saw how the boys just fell.” 

Other unconfirmed reports on Russian social networks and in the local media feature similar accounts of possible shooters on the campus of the polytechnic college – an institute that specialises in vocational training for teenagers.

School shootings are relatively rare in Russia, where access to firearms is tightly restricted. But attacks are not unheard of using other types of weapons.

In January, 15 students were injured when two teenagers attacked their peers at a school in Perm as part of a Columbine inspired attack.

Russia’s investigative committee reported that it had opened a criminal case under articles pertaining to terrorism. The incident was being treated as mass murder. Roslyakov’s age was initially reported as 22, but he is now reported to be an 18-year-old fourth year student at the school.

President Vladimir Putin held a brief press conference Wednesday afternoon to call for a moment of silence for the victims and said investigators are now working to understand Roslyakov’s motive.

An unidentified student told the RBC news agency that the shooter “very much hated the school because of its evil teachers”.

Roslyakov had hinted he planned to “take revenge on them,” the source, who claimed to be the shooter’s friend, was quoted as saying.

Crimea, formally recognised by the international community as part of Ukraine, has been under Russian control since 2014 following Moscow’s annexation of the Black Sea Peninsula. Kerch is located on the eastern tip of Crimea, where a bridge to the Russian mainland recently opened.

A video published by local news outlet Kerch.com.ru showed the head of the school describing the events to someone on the phone as another Beslan – referring to a horrific 2004 terrorist siege on a school in North Ossetia that resulted in the death of over 300 people, many of them children.

“They ran across the second floor with machine guns, well I don’t know what they had, opening rooms and killing everyone that they could find, everyone they came across,” the woman, identified as Olga Grebennikova, said in the video.

Donald Trump, the US president, threatened on Tuesday to cut off aid to Honduras unless the country took steps to halt a migrant caravan, which has doubled in size since it set off from a gang-plagued city on Saturday.

The group, now believed to be 3,000 people strong, was confronted by riot police on the Honduras-Guatemalan border, but by Monday evening had managed to cross. The organiser of the northern-bound group, Bartolo Fuentes, a Honduran former politician, was then detained by Guatemalan police.

Mr Trump tweeted that he was considering ending financial assistance to Honduras, worth nearly $66 million (£50m) in 2019.

"The United States has strongly informed the President of Honduras that if the large Caravan of people heading to the U.S. is not stopped and brought back to Honduras, no more money or aid will be given to Honduras, effective immediately!" he said.

It was not clear how Honduras would be able to exercise control over people who had already left the country.

The United States has strongly informed the President of Honduras that if the large Caravan of people heading to the U.S. is not stopped and brought back to Honduras, no more money or aid will be given to Honduras, effective immediately!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018

Mike Pence, the vice president, tweeted that had spoken to Juan Orlando Hernandez, president of Honduras.

"Delivered strong message from @POTUS: no more aid if caravan is not stopped,” said Mr Pence. “Told him U.S. will not tolerate this blatant disregard for our border & sovereignty.”

The current group making their way north plan to seek refugee status in Mexico or pass through to the United States, saying they are fleeing poverty and violence.

Mr Hernandez who has warned that cutting off aid will only worsen conditions in Central America, and drive more migrants towards the USA.

Human rights organisations called on the Guatemalan government to guarantee the migrants safe passage.

"The government of Guatemala is responsible for the security and integrity of the people who are on its territory and their human rights should not be violated for any reason," a statement by 18 migrant support groups said.

"We demand the cessation of all police and administrative action that restricts their fundamental rights."

Mexico, under strong US pressure, has now said it will block members of the caravan from entering its territory if they did not have permits.

In April another migrant caravan set off from Guatemala, with 1,200 people in an annual symbolic march. They were assisted by the Mexican government granting them transit and humanitarian visas – a move which infuriated Mr Trump.

When the group reached the border, around 150 attempted to seek asylum, but were turned back by authorities saying they could not process their claims.

Lost ancient treasures of gold, oil, wine and metalwork may be hidden in the world’s oldest complete shipwreck which was discovered in the Black Sea by marine archaeologists.

An international team of researchers including experts from the University of Southampton found the intact skeleton of the Greek trading vessel which was carbon dated to 400BC and which still has an upright mast and rowing benches.

Although earlier wrecks have been found the ship has remained completely intact after being buried in the silty oxygen-free sediment of of the seabed for more than 2,400 years.

Usually with shipwrecks the cargo is lost when the ship breaks up, floating away on currents or ending up scattered around the stricken vessel.  

But archaeologists believe the the goods may still be trapped in the hold and are hoping to raise funding to return to site to hunt for sunken treasure. The ship was a trading vessel so could contain grain, gold, wine, oil or priceless metalwork.

"Normally we find amphorae (wine vases) and can guess where it’s come from, but with this it’s still in the hold," said Dr Helen Farr, a marine archaeologist from the University of Southampton.

“It’s absolutely incredible. It’s to do with the preservation, we have bits of shipwreck that are earlier but this is intact, it’s lying on its side it’s got its mast, its rudders, it’s just not something you see everyday.

“The black sea is anoxic, it doesn’t have oxygen in the water beyond 150 metres down, you don’t have anything living so you don’t have bacteria which doesn’t degrade the wood so you get these very early shipwrecks preserved.

“As archaeologists we’re interested in what it can tell us about technology, trade and movements in the area.”

Shipwreck discovery in Black Sea

The vessel was one of many trading ships which made regular trips to supply Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast. It was discovered more than 50 miles off the Bulgarian city of Burgas.

It is one of more than 60 discovered by researchers during an exhaustive survey of 772 square miles (2,000 sq km) of seabed using remote-controlled deep water camera systems.

Others found include Roman trading ships and a 17th century Cossack raiding fleet.

But in late 2017, the most recent phase of the work, the cameras settled upon the remains of the Ancient Greek ship jutting from the sand.

Its original shape had not been compromised despite millennia at the bottom of the sea, with a mast and rudder still clearly visible.

Researchers said such a design has only previously been seen on Greek pottery from the time, such as the Siren Vase in the British Museum.

The artefact shows Odysseus, hero of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, bound to the mast of a vessel as Sirens circle overhead, trying to lure sailors on to the rocks with their enchanting songs.

The impeccable preservation is down to the anaerobic environment which allows organic material to be sustained for thousands of years, the group said.

Professor John Adams and the University of Southampton helped led the expedition, which also had GCSE students from disadvantaged schools on board.

"A ship, surviving intact, from the Classical world, lying in over 2km of water, is something I would never have believed possible,” he said.

"This will change our understanding of shipbuilding and seafaring in the ancient world."

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India’s nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi unveiled the world’s largest statue on Wednesday in a bid to showcase his position as leader of a new, world-beating India.

The statue of Vallabhbhai ‘Sardar’ Patel, one of the heroes of India’s independence movement, stands 188m (597ft) tall in Mr Modi’s home state of Gujarat and has been dubbed the “Statue of Unity”. 

Mr Modi, a hardline member of the Hindu-nationalist BJP party, who is seen by critics as a deeply divisive figure, watched as Indian Air Force planes and helicopters showered the statue with flowers in a political show of force. 

"This memorial to Sardar [Patel] is going to become a worldwide tourist attraction," Mr Modi said in…

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A rescue operation is now underway to save a British yachtswoman who has become stranded thousands of miles from land during a round-the-world race.

Susie Goodall was taking part in the arduous Golden Globe Race – a single-handed non-stop race around the world – when her yacht capsized and dismasted in a storm in the south Pacific.

Disaster struck when her yacht was wrecked 2,000 miles west of the southern tip of South America after it was pitch-poled – turned end-over-end – by a huge wave.

Coastguards in Ms Goodall’s home town of Falmouth, Cornwall, say they have now received news of the activation of her emergency beacon and a rescue operation, coordinated by the authorities in Chile, is now under way.

Ms Goodall, 29, has also tweeted that she had banged her head but was otherwise uninjured.

However her yacht DHL Starlight has been smashed up and she reported she was "clinging to her bunk" awaiting for rescue.

Her position is so remote that the nearest vessel, a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship, is not expected to arrive at her location until 5am (UK time) on Friday.

Speaking to race HQ she said: "I have been dismasted. Thought I had holed the hull because the boat filled with water, but the hull is NOT holed. The hull is ok. The boat is destroyed. I can’t make up a jury rig.

"The only thing left is the hull and deck which remain intact. We were pitchpoled and I was thrown across the cabin and knocked out for a while."

In a statement Susie Goodall Sailing said: "We are extremely saddened by the incident which took place on December 5 on board Susie Goodall’s boat DHL Starlight.

"The safety of Susie is of utmost importance. From the information we have available at this time we know that Susie was sailing in the Pacific Ocean, 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn in 60 knot winds when her wind vane broke.

"The exact height of the waves is unknown, but massive seas reported. She deployed her drogue [sea anchor] to steady the boat, but that failed.

"She was in the cabin when the boat pitchpoled, sending her and the boat’s contents flying forward and knocking her unconscious for a period of time.

"She sustained a minor head injury and spent the following hours removing the rigging debris to prevent further boat damage. The hull of the boat is unbreached, and Susie is safe.

"The Chilean authorities are coordinating a rescue effort, and have requested assistance from a ship 480 miles South West of Susie’s position. Her captain expects to take 2 days to reach the area.

"Up until today, Susie was attempting to sail around the world solo as part of the Golden Globe Race.

"Susie Goodall Racing would like to thank the race support team for their help during this time.

"The family are in regular contact with the Golden Globe Race team and have spoken to Susie since the incident."

Ms Goodall is an experienced sailing instructor who was originally from the West Midlands but now lives in Falmouth.

Speaking of her love of sailing, she wrote: "The first time I was in a boat I was three years old.

"My family have always sailed and I grew up sailing with them, spending all our family holidays on boats then at weekends I would race at my local sailing club, Himley Hall.

"I got my first boat when I was 11 – a Laser 1. And I loved it! I raced it in a fleet against other clubs in the area until at 17 I moved to the Isle of Wight to work as a sailing instructor.

"Reality struck me when I had to sell my beloved Laser in order to pay for some additional courses. So much love and care had gone into that boat to keep her afloat so I was so sad to have to let her go.

"I then went on to teach watersports for a few years both in the UK and Australia before moving onto yacht training at about 20.

"My first job on a yacht was when I was 21 in Australia and from there I hopped about on a few different boats, both sail and motor, before joining Rubicon 3 as Mate.

"I was on there for three years with my final two as skipper which was brilliant as I prefer the sailing training and expedition work and this took me to amazing places such as Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and the Baltic.

"When I was little I heard about these people who sailed around the world on their own, for fun, and I knew I wanted to do that one day too.

"So when I first heard there was going to be a re-run of the Golden Globe Race, my mind was made up and I was going to be on that start line."

Ms Goodall won sponsorship from worldwide courier DHL and bought her boat, a Rustler 36 Ariadne, in which she completed a double Atlantic solo crossing in 2017.

She returned the boat to Rustler Yachts in Falmouth where it was refitted, and then renamed DHL Starlight, in preparation for the 2018 Golden Globe Race.

Thiago is ‘very sure’ that he is wanted by Liverpool this summer, but persuading the Reds to pay £36m for his services might be a problem, claims Bild’s head of football Christian Falk.

He appeared on a Bleacher Report podcast to discuss various transfers and claimed that Bayern Munich are very keen to sell but Liverpool might not be keen to pay the asking price; it has been rumoured that Liverpool only want to pay £18.1m for a player who is out of contract next year.

It has also been rumoured that he will join Manchester United instead, but that might be designed purely to force Liverpool’s hand.

Falk said: “He didn’t extend his contract and the way he did it was not very gentlemanly.

“I think he will leave but he has to bring a club. He is very sure that he has a club and we know the club.

“But the big question is is the club paying the fee that Bayern Munich is expecting.

“‘We are talking about Liverpool. They don’t want to spend so much money this year and we know why they missed [Timo] Werner.

“If a player like Thiago is on the market, and they need a player in this position, then it is a question of money.

“Liverpool is now the Bayern Munich and Bayern Munich is now City. Some are trying to get the price lower, others are trying to get it higher.

“There have been no negotiations yet. Liverpool will have to pay the price for him and Bayern Munich is doing everything to sell him.

“They don’t want to let him go for free next summer.”

Kevin Campbell claims Arsenal will cut ties with Matteo Guendouzi in the summer, as he’s “not the type of player who is going to knuckle down”.

Guendouzi has been ousted from the Arsenal squad by Mikel Arteta ever since his clash with Neal Paupay following the 2-1 loss to Brighton on June 20.

Arteta has since alluded to “internal issues” when explaining the midfielder’s absence.

 

 

Guendouzi had been tipped for a bright future at Emirates Stadium after an impressive first season in the Premier League, but it is now being suggested that the Gunners will put him up for sale when the transfer window reopens.

And Campbell believes Guendouzi will struggle to change Arteta’s mind.

The former Gunners striker told Genting Bet: “I think that Guendouzi will leave the club this summer. Arteta has come in and he’s set a lot of disciplinary rules down.

“Guendouzi has fallen foul of those rules. I don’t think he’s the type of player who is going to knuckle down and that’s why he’s training alone. The writing is on the wall on this one, and I can’t see him coming back into the fold unless he changes his attitude.”

 

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Harry Kane has backed Jose Mourinho to deliver trophies at Tottenham next season, hailing him as one of the “best managers in the world”.

Kane is yet to win a trophy with Spurs, but believes the arrival of Mourinho – who replaced Mauricio Pochettino on November – has improved their chances.

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“They’re definitely two different styles of manager, but it’s been great,” the striker told BT Sport. “Obviously we’ve had a long period where I was out injured doing rehab, having to watch the team from the sidelines and we’ve had a long time to get to know each other with Covid-19.

“We’ve built up a good relationship and we talk very often.

“He wants to win, he’s here to win. Obviously there are no trophies to play for this season but next season that’s his aim. Everything is about winning and he’s made that clear.

 

 

“There have been times where we haven’t played well but we’ve won the game and at the end of the day three points is the most important thing.

“I think he’s looking forward, going into next season, having a bit more time to work with the boys in pre-season and getting to know them more. He’s great to work under and it’s another opportunity for me to learn off one of the best managers in the world, so I’m taking it all in and learning as fast as I can.”

 

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