Ukraine 'shouldn't target' Moscow: Trump
said Tuesday that Ukraine should not target
Moscow
, after a report that the US president had encouraged President Volodymyr
Zelensky
to hit the Russian capital.
The Financial Times reported that Trump had brought up a potential counteroffensive with Zelensky and even asked his Ukrainian counterpart whether he could hit Moscow, if Washington provided long-range weapons.
Asked by reporters at the White House if Zelensky should target Moscow, Trump replied that "he shouldn't."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
11 minutes ago
- First Post
Trump administration allows ICE to gain access to medicaid data to find illegal immigrants: Report
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be given access to the personal data of the nation's 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and ethnicities, to track down immigrants who may not be living legally in the United States read more US President Donald Trump's administration is empowering the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) even more after it was revealed that the body will be given access to the personal data of the nation's 79 million Medicaid enrollees. The data would include home addresses and ethnicities, and is intended to track down immigrants who may not be living in the United States legally, The Associated Press reported. The information will give ICE officials the ability to find 'the location of aliens' across the country, says the agreement obtained by The Associated Press on Monday. The agreement was signed between the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security and has not been publicly announced as of now. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The extraordinary disclosure of millions of such personal health data to deportation officials is the latest escalation in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, which has repeatedly tested legal boundaries in its effort to arrest 3,000 people daily. The backlash that followed Lamakers and some CMS officials are challenging the legality of the ICE officials getting access to some states' Medicaid enrollee data. 'ICE will use the CMS data to allow ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE,' the agreement says. The US Health and Human Services (HHS) came out in defence of the agreement. 'HHS and CMS take the integrity of the Medicaid program and the protection of American taxpayer dollars extremely seriously,' HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard told The Guardian. 'With respect to the recent data sharing between CMS and DHS, HHS acted entirely within its legal authority – and in full compliance with all applicable laws – to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them,' Hillard added. It is important to note that the agreement does not allow ICE officials to download the data. Instead, they will be allowed to access it for a limited period from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, until September 9. 'They are trying to turn us into immigration agents,' a CMS official who asked to remain anonymous told AP. The move came two months after the Trump administration defended the data-sharing agreement as part of an effort to ensure undocumented migrants who are not eligible for the program did not receive benefits. 'President Trump consistently promised to protect Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries,' said the DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin at that time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'To keep that promise after Joe Biden flooded our country with tens of millions of illegal aliens, CMS and DHS are exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving Medicaid benefits that are meant for law-abiding Americans," McLaughlin furthered. It is pertinent to note that undocumented migrants are generally not eligible for Medicaid, and only some lawfully present migrants may obtain coverage under the program. According to the healthcare research non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation, eligible noncitizen immigrants represent only about 6 per cent of people currently enrolled in Medicaid. 'This is a privacy violation of unprecedented proportions and betrayal of trust, as the government has explicitly said, for decades, that this information will never be used for immigration enforcement,' said Ben D'Avanzo, a healthcare strategist at the National Immigration Law Centre on X. With inputs from The Associated Press.
The Hindu
11 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Fencers urge federation to reinstate checks on ‘neutral' Russian, Belarusian athletes ahead of World Championships
More than 440 fencers from 40 countries signed an open letter urging the International Fencing Federation (FIE) to reinstate rigorous background checks on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under neutral status. The letter, released by the Global Athlete movement on Thursday, follows the FIE's decision to list Russian and Belarusian fencers as 'neutrals' for the July 22–26 World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. The move has sparked criticism, with Ukraine's Fencing Federation saying it is considering unspecified legal action over the inclusion of athletes with Russian military ranks. Russia's war in Ukraine is more than three years old, after it invaded its neighbour in 2022. Elite fencers expressed their 'deep concern and disagreement' with the FIE's move to replace broader checks with a declaration of peace and neutrality. 'By removing comprehensive background checks, the FIE risks allowing individuals whose affiliations or actions conflict with the values of neutrality and non-violence to compete under a neutral status,' the letter read. 'The FIE's decision contradicts the core principles of fencing—respect, integrity, and fair play—and deviates from the approach originally taken by the international sporting community.' The FIE did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Last week, the FIE defended its stance, stating that it 'underscores the Federation's commitment to peace, fairness, and the global unity of sport'. 'Our approach is guided by our duty to protect athletes and preserve the integrity of competition. It is firmly anchored in the Olympic Charter and in our mission to safeguard the values of fencing,' the statement released last Friday said. 'The FIE's decision responds to a shared belief that athletes must not bear the consequences of geopolitical events beyond their control.' The European Fencing Confederation also criticised 'the lack of independent verification in the eligibility process for so-called neutral athletes'. Ukrainian Olympic multi-medallist Olga Kharlan, disqualified at the 2023 World Championships for refusing to shake hands with a Russian opponent, warned that FIE's decisions could jeopardise the sport's place in the Olympic program. 'We are really close to that moment that we won't be an Olympic sport, because this is not good for the promotion of the Olympic movement,' Kharlan told DW. 'To see (Russians) in competitions, it's an injustice for us.' Related Topics International Fencing Federation
New Indian Express
11 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
North Korea bans foreign tourists to newly opened beach resort
SEOUL: North Korea is banning the entry of foreign tourists to a recently opened mega beach resort, a move that dims prospects for the complex that leader Kim Jong Un hailed it as 'one of the greatest successes this year.' DPR Korea Tour, a website run by North Korea's tourism authorities, said in a notice Friday that the eastern coastal Wonsan-Kalma tourist complex 'is temporarily not receiving foreign tourists.' It gave no further details including why a ban was established or how long it would last. North Korea says the complex can accommodate nearly 20,000 guests. The resort opened to domestic tourists July 1 before receiving a small group of Russian tourists last week. Observers expected North Korea to open the resort to Chinese tourists while largely blocking other international tourists. Ban comes after visit by Russia's top diplomat The announcement came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov flew to the complex to meet Kim and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui for talks last weekend. North Korea and Russia have sharply expanded military and other cooperation in recent years, with North Korea supplying weapons and troops to back Russia's war against Ukraine. During a meeting with Choe, Lavrov promised to take steps to support Russian travel to the zone. 'I am sure that Russian tourists will be increasingly eager to come here,' he said. But experts say North Korea likely decided to halt foreigner travels to the zone because of a newspaper article by a Russian reporter who travelled with Lavrov that implied North Koreans at the zone appeared to be mobilized by authorities and not real tourists. 'The North Korean government is believed to have determined that it would face some negative consequences when it opens the site to foreigners,' said Oh Gyeong-seob, an analyst at Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification. Oh said the ban would include Russians, but the North Korea-focused NK News website, citing tour groups specializing in North Korea trips, said Russians won't likely be targeted. Analyst Lee Sangkeun of Seoul's Institute for National Security Strategy said the ban could be associated with difficulties in recruiting Russian tourists because many would consider North Korea too far away and the trip too expensive.
