Donald Trump's habit of making threats off the cuff, such as his "fire and fury" remarks about North Korea, may be unnerving. But let us be charitable, or optimistic, and concede that it is possible that his unconventional approach to international affairs may have an upside. Problems that have persisted for years or even decades, from the illegal occupation of Palestine to the growing nuclear capabilities of the Pyongyang regime, could – just could – maybe benefit from someone who comes anew to past attempts to solve them, none of which, after all, have succeeded.
The resolution, decisiveness and power that the US president wishes to project could have positive effects. It is too early to tell as yet. But what is clear is that Mr Trump must be more collegiate and clever if the American assertiveness he wants to exercise is to provide the “wins” he has long promised to notch up.
His comments on Venezuela are a case in point. The country's decline under Nicolas Maduro, its president, has been tragic – especially for those who saw the years under his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, as offering a model of a "socialism that works", albeit one underpinned by massive oil revenues during a period when the price per barrel was generally far higher than today.
Whatever one thought of Mr Chavez, he was fairly elected time and again, and it was not unreasonable to regard his victories – as well as those of other left-wingers in the region - as triumphs for the masses whose interests had not historically been best served by subsequent ruling elites.
_______________
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_______________
Mr Maduro, on the other hand, lacks not only the charisma of "El Comandante", but also his popularity, his luck and any semblance of knowing how to improve the country's dire finances. Venezuela is not only failing economically; its democracy is being dismantled so grievously that on August 4, Brazil's foreign minister, Aloysio Nunes, declared: "It is intolerable that we have a dictatorship in the South American continent."
The very next day Mercosur, the regional trading bloc, voted to suspend Venezuela for "rupture of the democratic order", saying the country would not be returned to normal membership until democracy was restored.
As Mr Maduro attempted to replace the democratically elected national assembly with his illegal constitutional convention packed with his placemen, even previous allies, such as Britain's Jeremy Corbyn, found themselves unable to find anything to say in his defence. The Venezuelan leader appeared increasingly isolated.
That is until Mr Trump surprised the world – and quite possibly the secretaries of state and defence, certainly Gen McMaster who ruled out such a scenario earlier this month – by saying, "We have many options for Venezuela, including a possible military option if necessary." That same evening Mr Trump refused to speak to Mr Maduro when he tried to phone. "President Trump will gladly speak with the leader of Venezuela as soon as democracy is restored in that country," said a rather tart White House statement.
Cue: general uproar.
For it was not just Venezuela's defence minister Vladimir Padrino who attacked Mr Trump's threat of armed intervention as "an act of madness".
The foreign minister of Peru, Ricardo Luna, quickly responded: "All foreign or domestic threats to resort to force undermine the goal of reinstating democratic governance in Venezuela, as well as the principles enshrined in the UN charter." That was not from a friend of the Maduro regime, but from a government that had just played tit-for-tat expulsion of ambassadors with Venezuela.
President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, again, no ally of the Chavistas, was equally firm during a visit by Vice President Pence on Sunday. "The possibility of military intervention shouldn't even be considered," he said. "The Latin American continent, every country in Latin America, would not favour any form of military intervention. A transition in the Venezuelan regime toward democracy must be a peaceful transition."
So Mr Trump’s likely casual mention of military force in fact succeeded in uniting all Mr Maduro’s enemies – what Mark Schneider of the Center for Strategic and International Studies has called “the strongest Latin American consensus in support of democracy that I have seen since the end of the Pinochet regime” – in his support instead.
_______________
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Why the North Korea crisis has serious implications for the Middle East
_______________
As David Smilde, senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America, put it to Reuters: “Maduro could not have asked for a greater gift from Trump. He provided substance for Maduro's heretofore implausible conspiracy theories."
This ought to have been obvious. America's history of interventions in the region is long, inglorious and mired in hypocrisy, from its condoning the coup against Chile's Salvador Allende in 1973, to its overthrowing of the former CIA asset General Noriega in Panama in 1989, to its coordination of a coup against Mr Chavez in 2002. The latter was reversed after 48 hours, and the Bush White House tried to distance itself from the plot, but it has not been forgotten – and not just by the Chavistas.
Mr Trump's wish to help Venezuela – where 120 people have died during protests over the last four months – is admirable, as is his desire to bring an end to North Korea's nuclear menace. But he remains dangerously uninformed about the context and the past of such countries.
We know he doesn’t like reading books, and prefers to get his news from the TV. Perhaps his new chief of staff Gen Kelly can ensure it is switched permanently to the History Channel. Otherwise Mr Trump’s words – let alone his deeds – risk bringing about precisely the opposite of what he aims for.
Sholto Byrnes is a senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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The%20specs
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What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
65
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EScott%20Beck%2C%20Bryan%20Woods%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdam%20Driver%2C%20Ariana%20Greenblatt%2C%20Chloe%20Coleman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
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THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
ENGLAND%20SQUAD
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
