International
Donald Trump pulls on economics and geopolitics to reverse his negative trend in the polls
Former American President Donald Trump (2017-2021) bet this Thursday for a speech with a slow tone, a “amiable” mood in geopolitical terms and a content deeply focused on the economy at a crucial moment for the future of the November elections.
“Harris is a communist, he destroys everything he touches. If he takes office, his finances will suffer. Inflation will be our priority from day one,” Trump said in the first minute of a press conference from his private golf club in Bedminster (New Jersey).
The latest polls show that, since the Democratic Party named Vice President Kamala Harris as its candidate for the presidential elections, support for the former president has fallen and the notable advantage that distanced him from Joe Biden has almost vanished.
The latest update of the FiveThirtyEight poll average, carried out today, gives Harris approximately 46.4% of the national vote, compared to Trump’s 43.4%.
From the same golf club in which he took refuge after his assassination attempt last month, Trump appeared flanked by four shelves with basic food products and several dozen followers who enthusiastically applauded his proclamations.
“We had mortgages at 2% and now they are at 10%. Every month, inflation costs Americans thousands of dollars. Only in food they are paying 148 dollars each month,” said the Republican candidate between cans of Campbell’s tomatoes, Cheerios cereals and packaged meat.
Trump described as “Kamala’s crash” the black day for the international stock exchanges on August 5 but, once the market was stabilized, he could not recycle the argument and limited himself to qualifying his hypothetical financial management as “a disaster for the United States.”
In addition, immigration was once again the origin of the main evils of the United States in a shrewed argument already for Trump, who said that “while this happens, millions of people cross the border and we don’t even know who they are.”
“Criminals, rapists and people with mental problems,” repeated the former president, claiming that many of them come from Latin America.
Trump referred to this region, and more specifically Venezuela, when he said that if Kamala Harris arrives at the White House he will apply what he called the “Maduro Plan” to impose economic policies “of Venezuela or the Soviet Union” in the United States “with disastrous consequences.”
It was not the only foreign nation to which the tycoon alluded: he said that he will be “amiable” with Iran if he returns to the Oval Office and reiterated that during his mandate there was no open conflict in the Gaza Strip or a war in Ukraine because the international community “respected” it.
“I don’t want to misbehave with Iran. We are going to be friendly (…) I hope we are friendly, but they can’t have a nuclear weapon because once they have it, it’s a totally different world,” he said.
Shortly after, he explained that in his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July he urged him to end the war in Gaza, also corroborating that he has not had any recent conversation with him.
“I encounted him to end this. It has to end quickly. Get your victory and finish it. The massacre has to stop,” he said, about the meeting they held on July 26 in their mansion in Mar-a-Lago (Florida).
Trump tried to convey tranquility and confidence in defeating Harris, something that he said will be “easier than defeating Biden” but that does not agree with the nervousness and the way of proceeding of his campaign in recent days.
The ambiguous label of “weird” about his running mate JD Vance has been one of the slabs that has fallen with the most weight, to which Trump responded today that the Democratic bench is “radical” and is “sick.”
“He is a great Yale student, a self-made man. I don’t know what it’s like to be weird for them,” he said.
Trump lavished himself for an hour and a half and then admitted several questions from the press, on the same day that Harris made his first joint public appearance with Joe Biden since he gave him the witness, celebrating a price control measure for patients in the Medicare health system.
International
German Authorities Investigate More Than 100 New Cases Against Convicted Nurse
German authorities announced Monday that they are investigating more than 100 additional cases involving a nurse who was sentenced to life in prison in November for the murder of 10 patients.
The man, who was 44 at the time of his conviction, worked in palliative care at a hospital in Würselen, near Aachen. He was also found guilty of 27 attempted murders.
Aachen prosecutors are now examining 121 new cases, a spokesperson for the office said.
Prosecutors leading the investigation are preparing a new indictment that could be filed next year. Nearly 40 bodies have so far been exhumed as part of the investigation, which covers alleged incidents dating back to September 2022.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in the city of Cologne are investigating 18 additional cases. According to a spokesperson, the oldest case dates back to 2010.
Before working at the Würselen hospital, the nurse is believed to have worked at a clinic in eastern Cologne, according to local media reports.
At the time of his November conviction, the court ruled that the severity of his crimes was particularly serious, a finding that would make it difficult for him to obtain early release after 15 years in prison.
Between December 2023 and May 2024, the nurse administered overdoses of sedatives or painkillers to terminally ill patients, most of them elderly, according to the indictment in the original case.
His alleged motive was to sedate patients who required care so that he could minimize his workload during night shifts, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, the nurse worked «without enthusiasm» and «without motivation». When faced with patients requiring extensive care, he allegedly became «irritated» and showed a lack of empathy.
The case has revived painful memories in Germany of Niels Högel, a former nurse and serial killer who was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2019 for the murders of at least 85 patients.
International
Venezuela Raises Earthquake Death Toll to 6,301
The death toll from the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 6,301, while relatives continue searching for missing people among the rubble of collapsed buildings, parliamentary leader Jorge Rodríguez said Monday.
So far, the Venezuelan government has not released an official figure for the number of people missing after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, which caused around 190 buildings to collapse, most of them in the coastal state of La Guaira, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Caracas.
The latest figure represents an increase from the 6,125 deaths reported by Venezuelan authorities on August 3.
According to statements made to local media by La Guaira Governor José Alejandro Terán, around 1,400 people were still missing just over a week ago.
Thousands of homes remain at risk
In addition to buildings that completely collapsed, authorities have classified another 9,567 structures as being at «high risk». Meanwhile, 12,411 homes remain under a «restricted» classification.
As a result, many families who lived in these properties have been relocated to temporary shelters or have sought accommodation with relatives and friends.
Nearly 24,000 people left homeless by the disaster are currently living in camps in Caracas and La Guaira, a popular tourist destination whose economy has been severely affected by the earthquakes.
The situation sparked renewed concern among Venezuelans on Monday after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, with its epicenter in Colombia, was felt across several regions of Venezuela.
The earthquake in Colombia left at least 111 people dead and dozens injured, according to preliminary figures released by authorities in that country.
International
CEAPI Backs Colombia’s New Government and Calls for Greater Public-Private Cooperation
The Ibero-American Business Alliance Council (CEAPI), led by its president, Núria Vilanova, participated in the inauguration ceremony of Abelardo de la Espriella as Colombia’s new president. The events were held on August 7 in Cali and brought together heads of state and institutional representatives from numerous countries.
CEAPI maintains a strong relationship with Colombia as part of its mission to serve as a meeting point between Ibero-American business leaders and the region’s main institutions and governments. The organization has more than 25 members in Colombia, including Jaime Gilinski, Luis Carlos Sarmiento, Omar González and Diego Urrea. In addition, Colombia hosted the seventh CEAPI Ibero-American Congress, held in Cartagena de Indias in 2024.
During his inauguration speech, President De la Espriella identified confidence and economic stability as key pillars of his administration and emphasized the role of private enterprise in Colombia’s future.
He also reaffirmed his intention to govern for all Colombians and strengthen institutional dialogue, while referring to Spain’s democratic transition and the leadership of former Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez.
Vilanova said she has seen this commitment firsthand during meetings with members of the new government, who have expressed their willingness to work closely with business leaders and the private sector to promote economic growth.
According to CEAPI, the government is considering measures aimed at strengthening legal certainty and business confidence, encouraging investment and promoting formal employment.
For Vilanova, Colombia’s new political and economic stage represents an opportunity to demonstrate that «when the public and private sectors are aligned, they can achieve more».
«Colombia has everything it needs to make it happen. And Ibero-American business leaders are ready to support it», she said, adding that CEAPI is already working with the government to organize a future investment delegation to the country.
The organization said the planned visit would seek to strengthen business ties and identify new investment opportunities in Colombia, reinforcing the role of the private sector in the country’s economic development.
German Authorities Investigate More Than 100 New Cases Against Convicted Nurse
Venezuela Raises Earthquake Death Toll to 6,301
CEAPI Backs Colombia’s New Government and Calls for Greater Public-Private Cooperation
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