Tag: AUTO

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

As global tensions continue to rise and amid fears of a World War 3 outbreak, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is expanding the Russian Navy by 40 more warships this year. Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov revealed the expansion.

Speaking to the Defense Ministry’s newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda, Admiral Yevmenov said: “Overall, about 40 ships and vessels of classes will be accepted for service with the Russian Navy in 2020.”

He went on to explain the expansion suggested the efficient implementation of the military shipbuilding program in Russia.

He continued: “Their crews underwent training under new programs at the Navy’s integrated training centre, which were worked out taking into account the operation of new hardware and armament.”

Admiral Yevmenov cited the corvette Retivy and the frigate Admiral Golovko as examples of serial-produced ocean-going warships, Russian News Agency Tass reported.

Golovko is the third ship as part of the Project 22350 frigates which are expected to be Russia’s most advanced warships of their class.

All three of the frigates can display 4,500 tonnes as well as being able to reach speeds of up to 29 knots.

They are also armed with Oniks and Kalibr missiles as well as Poliment-Redut air defence missile systems.

Back in 2018, the lead frigate, Admiral Gorshkov, joined the Russian Navy with the first, Admiral Kasatonov joining the fleet back in 2014.

Kasatonov is expected to enter service with the Navy this month.

Golovkowas laid down back in 2012 and floated out in May this year and three more frigates from the same Project are at various stages of their construction.

The Retivy is the seventh-built corvette as part of Project 20380 and was laid out at the Severnaya Shipyard in St Petersburg in 2015.

In 2017, the ship’s hull finished construction and the engines and reduction gear were installed back in 2018.

DON’T MISS 
Brexit victory: UK delivers devastating blow to Russia  [REVEAL] 
World War 3 fears: Russia brags about S-500 missiles [INSIGHT] 
Russia ‘has something on Putin’s puppet’ Trump, claims expert [OPINION]

Ships in Project 20380 are designed to accomplish green-water escort and strike missions and patrol coastal waters.

They are all armed with universal artillery guns, surface-to-air missile/artillery systems, supersonic missiles and automatic artillery launchers.

Each corvette can carry a Ka-27 helicopter.

These new ships mark the second time this year Russia has unveiled new military weapons.

In May, Khabarovsk, also known as Project 09582, was the second submarine to serve as a carrier of Russia’s underwater nuclear drones after the first floated out back in April.

According to Russian news agency TASS, the first special-purpose nuclear submarine the Belgorod was expected to enter service with the Russian Navy this September.

Both the Belgorod and the Khabarovsk are capable of carrying six Poseidon drones each.

In 2018, Mr Putin addressed the country’s development of a nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle which has the capability to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.

The military weapons have the capability to destroy enemy infrastructure, aircraft carrier groups and other targets.

A source in the defence industry told state-run news agency TASS the Poseidon drone is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with up to 2 megatons of power.

New data reports the Poseidon will have an intercontinental range capability and can operate in depths of more than 1km.

Source: Read Full Article

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

North Korean vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui has warned the US Kim Jong-Un has no intention of changing policy and surrendering its nuclear weapons. Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump have met three times during the US President’s first term.

In their second meeting in 2019, talks broke down after chairman Kim failed to offer enough nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles in exchange for lifting international sanctions.

In a statement carried by the state-run KCNA news agency, Mr Hui questioned the motive of the US and accused Washington of using the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DRPK) for political reasons.

Mr Hui said: “We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the US as it does not consider the DPRK-US dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis.”

He added: “There will never be any adjustment and change in our policy, conditional on external parameters like internal political schedule of someone.”

The refusal to engage with Washington comes as US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, who led previous working-level negotiations with North Korea, is due to visit neighbouring South Korea to discuss relations.

The North Korean vice foreign minister also accused Washington of having a “hostile policy” towards Pyongyang and going back on previous agreements.

Mr Hui added any potential negotiations would be a waste of time and insisted the US is “mistaken” for thinking talks could achieve anything.

He said: “Is it possible to hold dialogue or have any dealings with the US which persists in the hostile policy toward the DPRK in disregard of the agreements already made at the past summit.

“It is clear to us, even without meeting, as to what shallow trick the US will approach us with, as it has neither intention nor will to go back to the drawing board.

“The US is mistaken if it thinks things like negotiations would still work on us.”

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met for the first time in 2018 in Singapore, they met again in Vietnam in 2019 before nuclear talks broke down.

A third surprise meeting took place on in June 2019 at the demilitarised zone separating the North and South Korea – Mr Trump made history by becoming the first US president to set foot in North Korea.

Ahead of his visit to South Korea next week, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said there is time for both sides to re-engage and “make substantial progress”.

DON’T MISS

China FINALLY admits coronavirus failure as it announces crackdown [INSIGHT]
London panic as coronavirus R rate spikes in the capital – figure up [ANALYSIS]
Sadiq Khan squirms after his record as Mayor is savaged in on-air row [VIDEO]

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said Mr Trump and Kim Jong Un should meet again before the crucial US election in November.

President Moon Jae-in said: “I believe there’s a need for North Korea and the US to try dialogue one more time before the US presidential election.

“The issues of nuclear programs and sanctions will ultimately have to be resolved through North Korea-US talks.”

Source: Read Full Article

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The oath of allegiance would permeate through all structures of the health care profession. A health professional such as a doctor or nurse may find themselves having to treat a member of those opposed to Beijing’s oppression, such as a pro-democracy activist. That said health care professionals would then be obliged to inform the state authorities that they were treating a “terrorist” or “successionist” or else face disciplinary action enshrined in the new security law.

Speaking to Express.co.uk Doctor Darren Mann, a surgeon from Hong Kong said: “Requiring doctors to swear an oath of allegiance to the state runs counter to nearly 2,500 years of medical tradition which compels the physician to make the care of the patient their first concern.

“What comes next?

“Could this lead to a two-tier system with preferential treatments for political loyalists, and professional advancement for doctors according to points accumulated in a state-loyalty programme with bonuses for savings on the therapies allocated to dissidents?

“The medical associations of the world should be joined in a chorus of condemnation for this perfidious subversion of our medical value-system.”
The oath of allegiance is ultimately an oath of patriotic fidelity to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

It would even supersede the utmost professional and ethical standards that may contradict the new security law for Hong Kong.

The very principles of medical confidentiality and non-maleficence from the Hippocratic oath could be compromised.

Chairwoman of the Hong Kong Public Doctors’ Association Arisina Ma is worried that taking an oath of allegiance could mean that the interests of the government might come before the needs of patients.

The new security law for Hong Kong could see those involved in the pro-democracy movement extradited to mainland China and because of their “subversion of the central government” given a life sentence.

READ: Donald Trump tightens restrictions on exports in fresh blow to Hong Kong 

In order to clear any confusion as to how much the new security law will permeate every aspect of life in the city former Chief Executive of Hong Kong C Y Leung announced on his Facebook page: “The Hong Kong National Security law is Hong Kong law.

“Moreover, what are the difficulties with pledging to uphold the basic law?

“If you are naturalized in the United States, don’t you swear allegiance to the United States?”

He then gave a warning to those they may wish to still defy the orders from Beijing, whether they be residents of Hong Kong or even those living abroad.

DON’T MISS:
Britain ready to welcome Hong Kong refugees [REPORT] 
US businesses fear impact of controversial laws on Hong Kong [INSIGHT]
Boris Johnson orders Brussels to hurry up with Brexit deal decision [REPORT]

He said: “Permanent residents of Hong Kong and even those who do not have the permanent resident status in Hong Kong who breach the new security law, this law shall apply.

“This is the net, and they cannot escape the law.”

Because of the new security law, as part of their work contract health care professionals must swear an oath of allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party.

This is a device that will coerce them from doing anything that is “unpatriotic”.

An “unpatriotic act” could be treating “pawns or anti-China forces of the US”, in other words, pro-democracy protesters.

Beijing has signed off on the law and is determined to implement it, as Chinese state tabloid the Global News states, “this time, it is the National People’s Congress of China which enacted the legislation, and the whole country will play a role in Hong Kong. The strength and will of 1.4 billion Chinese people will not let it fail.”

Source: Read Full Article

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The US president was also accused of overly-friendly phone calls with Vladmir Putin, with one insider saying they had the tone of “two guys in a steam bath”. Sources told CNN’s Carl Bernstein, one-half of the journalism duo responsible for exposing Watergate, Mr Trump called German Chancellor Merkel “stupid” and then-UK PM May “weak”.

 

Sources within the Trump administration said the president was “inordinately solicitous of Putin’s admiration and seemingly seeking his approval.”

One insider said the Russian President “just outplays him”, Mr Bernstein reported.

Talks with leaders of Australia, Turkey, Canada and Australia during his presidency are also described by officials as “abominations”.

It was claimed Mr Trump would bully and disparage other leaders of the western alliance in the “same hostile and aggressive way he discussed the coronavirus with some of America’s governors”.

The sources added of his calls at Angela Merkel: “Some of the things he said to Angela Merkel are just unbelievable: he called her ‘stupid’ and accused her of being in the pocket of the Russians.”

The US president also frequently went after the German Chancellor over plans for a Nord Stream which would pump gas from Russia to Germany.

Alongside this, he has frequently targeted Germany for failing to meet a two percent commitment agreed with NATO on it’s defence spending.

Another source told Mr Bernstein: “It’s just a small circle of people who are involved and the reason, the main reason, is that they are indeed problematic.”

READ MORE: Evidence emerges White House knew of Russia’s bounties on US soldiers

Mr Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly branded the controversial phone calls as “damaging to national security”.

Sources also claimed that the US President’s phone calls with former Mrs May were described as “humiliating and bullying.”

They added: “He’d get agitated about something with Theresa May, then he’d get nasty with her on the phone call.

“It’s the same interaction in every setting – coronavirus or Brexit – with just no filter applied.”

DON’T MISS:
Why Putin has been speaking to Donald Trump a lot over the phone [REVEAL] 
Trump embarrassment as Republican Party split on face masks [REVEAL]
Donald Trump on the brink after fresh ban in latest social media row [REVEAL]

But at the heart, it was his calls with Mr Putin which he thought to be the most controversial.

Sources told CNN Mr Trump just “sits there and thinks he can build himself up enough as a businessman and tough guy that Putin will respect him.”

Two US officials added Mr Trump had “naively elevated” Russia “to almost parity with the United States.”

In particular, the sources derided Mr Trump’s decision to withdraw most US troops from Syria that had been providing support to Kurdish militias fighting the Islamic State.

 

 

Sources also told CNN that, in the calls with the Russian president, Mr Trump “talked mostly about himself, frequently in over-the-top, self-aggrandizing terms”.

But White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews denied the claims saying in a statement: “President Trump is a world class negotiator who has consistently furthered America’s interests on the world stage.

“From negotiating the phase one China deal and the USMCA to NATO allies contributing more and defeating ISIS, President Trump has shown his ability to advance America’s strategic interests.”

Aussie PM Scott Morrison’s office denied the CNN’s journalist claims saying that we always polite with President Trump during phone calls.

Meanwhile, Downing Street has been approached for comment.

 

Source: Read Full Article

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The Greens trounced President Macron’s party and took control of major cities in the local elections. Polls show that the turnout was the lowest since March 2014 with 60 percent of voters choosing not to go to the polls for the second round of municipal elections on Sunday.

 

This was compared to the 44.66 percent abstention of the first round of March 15, and 36.4 percent at the 2014 election.

Gérard Larcher, president of the French Senate, said the low turnout was a disaster.

He said: “Again, it is the France of abstention that prevails. The health crisis alone cannot explain such low participation.

“The evil is deeper and older. Crisis after crisis, our country is breaking down, mistrust is building up. It is up to us to rebuild confidence.”

Following the humiliation, President Emmanuel Macron promised 15 billion euros of new funding on Monday to speed up the move to a greener economy.

Mr Macron said he would move faster on environment-friendly policymaking and that he was ready to call a referendum on revising the constitution to include climate aims if parliament allowed it.

Mr Macron told members of the Climate Council in a meeting at the Elysee Palace today: “The challenge to our climate demands we do more.”

He also backed a proposal for a moratorium on new commercial zones in city outskirts, and said he would consider bringing in a new law against “ecocide”.

READ MORE: EU divided: Merkel and Macron showdown in bid to secure EU funds plot

With a national death toll approaching 30,000, France has also been badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with some voters angry over the government’s failure to provide protective material like masks rapidly.

Frederic Dabi, director of pollster IFOP, said of the result: “Ecology is the area where Macron is perceived as having done nothing.

“The French will want results on green issues.”

French Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye spoke of “disappointment” over the poor showing of the centrist Republic on the Move (LREM) Party.

DON’T MISS:
Macron and Brussels warned they MUST back down in Brexit talks [REVEAL]
Emmanuel Macron hit with devastating blow in local elections [REVEAL]  
EU Treaty law that could ban von der Leyen’s COVID bailout exposed [REVEAL]

The party was created shortly before Macron began his bid for the 2017 presidential elections but this is the first time it has competed in nationwide local elections.

Ndiaye told French television: “There are places… where our own internal divisions brought us to results that were extremely disappointing.”

Early in his presidency, Macron’s left-wing opponents derided him as a “president of the rich” as he eased taxes on companies and relaxed worker protections as he enacted reforms to liberalise France’s regulation-choked economy.

The reforms were bearing fruit: growth was robust among euro zone peers and stubbornly high unemployment was falling but the past three years have been mired in social unrest and the pandemic’s impact is reversing some of Macron’s hard-fought gains, as disillusion amongst the leftist faction of his party grows.

Additional reporting by Maria Ortega

Source: Read Full Article

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Donald Trump and his competitor Democrat Joe Biden each need 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Most states are leaning or solidly in favour of one candidate, but in some states, the race is too close to call. According to the latest odds, Mr Trump’s odds have slipped, but what does this mean for the US election presidential race?

The US presidential election has now begun in earnest and Mr Trump should ordinarily have a huge advantage of his competitor Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

Social distancing rules have meant his rival is confined to doing events around his home in Delaware.

Despite this, Mr Trump has begun a series of rallies designed to demonstrate the support of his base and boost spirits.

But so far, his rallies have shown a clear sign of rising unpopularity according to experts.

READ MORE

• US Election polls latest: Biden holds lead as Trump rating falls

Over the past two months, Mr Trump’s approval ratings have drastically dropped.

The US President has faced heavy criticism for his response to the coronavirus pandemic and in recent weeks, his reaction to the antiracism protests across the US following the death of George Floyd.

The US has the highest number of cases in the world, more than a million cases ahead of Brazil, which has the second-highest number of cases.

Most developed countries have started to bring the number of cases under control, but the US is still reporting around 40,000 new cases each day.

Mr Trump has additionally faced backlash for making racist comments.

He was called out for sending the military to face down protesters.

Several former presidents including George W Bush and Jimmy Carter have rebuked his actions as well as former members of his staff including his former defence secretary Jim Mattis and former national security adviser John Bolton who said he is unfit to be commander-in-chief.

Earlier in 2020, Mr Trump was acquitted in the Senate impeachment trial, after which the economy boomed.

But now Mr Biden appears to be leading in the polls as Mr Trump is shown to be struggling to gain the support he needs to save his presidency.

DON’T MISS
Trump blasts Democrats as ‘more unreasonable’ than North Korea [INSIGHT]
Donald Trump in ‘terrible trouble’ as US faces end of COVID support [EXPLAINER]
US election 2020: Trump embarrassment Biden sees largest poll lead [PICTURES]

READ MORE

• Barack Obama savages Trump at Biden fundraiser

According to the FT’s polling data, as of June 26, Joe Biden is forecast to win 307 electoral college votes: 198 of which are solidly in his favour and 109 are leaning in his favour.

The FT data shows President Trump has 104 electoral college votes solidly in his favour.

There are 38 more electoral colleges which are in favour.

Overall, the polling data reveals there are 89 electoral colleges which are undecided and could land on either side.

Mr Trump’s odds of winning the 2020 election have slipped to 13/8 according to Oddschecker, which is the lowest they have been since March 25, 2019.

The US President’s odds have been steadily falling since the middle of April, while Mr Biden’s have been going in the opposite direction.

On June 2, Mr Biden overtook Mr Trump to become the outright favourite to be the President of the United States (POTUS).

Since that time, the gap between Mr Trump and Mr Biden has continued to grow.

The shocking graphic above depicts Mr Trump’s unlikely odds of becoming the next POTUS, which could make him the 11th US president in history to fail to win a second term.

As of Monday, June 29, Mr Trump’s odds are at 13/8 which is indicative of a 38.1 percent chance of winning.

Mr Biden’s odds are at 4/6 odds demonstrating a 59.99 percent likelihood of success.

Oddschecker spokesperson Callum Wilson: “It’s been catastrophe-after-catastrophe for Donald Trump in recent months, and though it’s taken a while, the sentiment is finally turning against him.

“There are still question marks over Joe Biden, but Trump’s shambolic handling of the coronavirus pandemic has lost him many of his previous supporters – some of whom lifelong Republicans.”

Source: Read Full Article

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Rupert Lowe has accused China of reporting the “biggest lie” throughout the COVID-19 pandemic over its recording of coronavirus figures. The former Brexit Party MEP for the East Midlands also described the way the Chinese Government has behaved throughout the health crisis as “despicable”.

Mr Lowe made his point on Twitter by sharing a video by Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera titled “How the world reached 10 million cases”.

The graphic showed the rising number of coronavirus cases in the top ten countries most affected.

The footage illustrated how the number of coronavirus infections in other nations rapidly over took China as the pandemic spread across the world.

Mr Lowe wrote on Twitter: “Watch this video. The biggest lie through this whole thing has been the Chinese numbers.

“The behaviour of the communists has been despicable.”

The 30 second video showed the rising number of positive COVID-19 tests from January 22 until June 27.

The figures produced by Al Jazeera showed China with the most COVID-19 cases from January 22 until March 27 when it was then overtaken by Italy.

Just 10 days later it showed China had fallen to fifth position and was overtaken by the US, Spain, Italy, and Germany.  

By May 4, China would suddenly drop out of the top 10 as the pandemic continued to spread around the world.

At that stage the order of the highest number of cases by country looked like US, Spain, Italy, UK, France, Germany, Turkey, Russia, Iran and then Brazil in 10th position.

May 3 turned out to be the last time China would appear on the graphic in the top ten.

Coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan and was reported to the World Health Organisation in December 2019.

Beijing has come under mounting criticism and has been accused of misleading health authorities over the pandemic – something China denies.

To date China has reported 83,500 cases of coronavirus with just over 4,500 fatalities.

In March, China was the first nation to introduce draconian lockdown measures and travel restrictions.

Over the weekend Chinese officials boasted about its vigorous testing regime by insisting a third of all citizens in the capital Beijing had now been tested.

DON’T MISS

Coronavirus: Alarm bells ring in medical community – death toll [ANALYSIS]
Why EU is set to ‘lose more than UK’ if there’s no Brexit deal [INSIGHT]
Met Office long-range forecast: Hot weather to return in July forecast [FORECAST]

Zhang Qiang, an official from Beijing’s municipal committee, told a press briefing that as of noon on Sunday Beijing had collected 8.29 million patient samples for testing and completed 7.69 million tests.

Zhang Qiang said: “This means we have already tested all the people that need to be tested. We are also rolling out large scale screening to key regions and key populations and improve our capability of testing.”

Zhang added that Beijing’s daily testing capacity has increased to 458,000 per day.

An outbreak of the virus was reported at Xinfadi market in Beijing on June 11 with 311 people testing positive.

On Sunday Chinese health officials reported just 17 new cases of coronavirus – with 14 people testing positive in Beijing.

Source: Read Full Article

We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

On Monday 15, 20 Indian troops were killed during clashes with Chinese troops along the border in the Himalayas. The deaths in the Galwan Valley in the disputed Ladakh region were the first military casualties in 40 years. Following the serious incident between the two countries, Beijing has begun to deploy large troops and weapons in the region which is in the far north of India, according to India’s foreign ministry. 

With that in mind, Express.co.uk asked, “Should the West take action to stop Chinese incursions in India?”

In response, 3,285 people out of 5,400 agreed that the West should stop China’s apparent aggression on the border. 

A further 1,945 said ‘no’ while just 170 were not sure. 

One person said: “The Western nations need to form a concerted financial response to China, perhaps tacitly to start with, by building our own manufacturing and other facilities to replace those in China. 

“Without the West’s money, China will be hampered in its expansion plans.”

A second said: “Sanctions from all countries are now required.”

A third said: “Nobody wants to see World War 3 happen, but China has become very quickly grown bossy and bolshie?

“China needs to be pulled up a bit, they have to learn that regardless of might and strength everybody suffers if they start a war.

JUST IN: WW3: China and India tensions ‘volatile’ – Fears grow over nuclear 

“Stop trading with them, hit them where it will hurt, they might soon learn the benefit of trade when the coffers dry up.

“World domination will NOT be that simple Xi.”

Despite the majority of readers believing the West should step in, some issued concern over a potential conflict. 

One person said: “India started with an incursion into Chinese territory, the West would be very stupid to get involved.

DON’T MISS
China punished by India in major new row over trade over border clash [Latest]
China blames India for clashes and accuses New Delhi of ‘fake news’ [Update]
India border MAPPED: The real reason China and India are at WAR [Update]

“Keep well out of it.”

Satellite imagery has shown larger numbers of troops massing on the border according to India’s Foreign Ministry. 

Following the build-up of troops, the Indian government has made counter deployments in the region. 

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Anurag Srivastava, has, however, blamed China for the escalation of tensions. 

He said: “At the heart of the matter is that since early May, the Chinese side had been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the LAC.

“Peace and tranquillity in the border areas is the basis of our bilateral relationship.

“A continuation of the current situation would only escalate the atmosphere.”

Source: Read Full Article