Tag: Aid

Meanwhile, Vice President Pence traveled to Colombia to meet with opposition leader Juan Guaido, promising that the U.S. would increase sanctions on Venezuela in an attempt to oust President Maduro, and calling for other countries to do the same. Special correspondent Nadja Drost reports. Nadja Drost: The town of Urena on the border with Colombia was the front line on Saturday in the battle between the two leaders for control of Venezuela. Nadja Drost: They're following a plan devised by the man they now consider their president, Juan Guaido, who is trying to peel away support of President Nicolas Maduro from the military to allow aid into the country. Protesters want to make their way onto the bridge that crosses the river into Colombia, but the national guard has been blockading all groups from access. No matter what happens, protesters here today say they will find a way to break the blockade of the national guard in order to allow humanitarian aid from Colombia to pass the border into Venezuela. Nadja Drost: As the national guard took to the streets and started firing at protesters with rubber bullets, many of them were rescued by mobile units of volunteer nurses and brought to the nearest safe house, before being transferred to this private health clinic opening its doors to anyone injured. While the opposition blames Maduro for not allowing shipments of food and health supplies donated by the U.S., seen by the Maduro's government as their number one enemy, the government says the effort to force in aid is a form of foreign intervention and threat to sovereignty. While the Venezuelan Red Cross has offered to administer whatever aid is in the country, it has refused to participate in an operation where alleged political motivations eclipse humanitarian ones. Patients either don't come because they know the hospital can't to treat them, or they cross into Colombia.

For Anahis Alvarado, whose battle with kidney failure has become more desperate as Venezuela sinks deeper into crisis, the prospect of bringing in emergency medical and food supplies can't come soon enough. Only a quarter of the dialysis machines where she receives treatment at a government-run clinic in Caracas still work. And last week she had to spend almost a third of her family's monthly income buying basic supplies like surgical gloves and syringes that President Nicolas Maduro's bankrupt government is no longer able to provide. "We're losing time," the 32-year-old Alvorado said. Some 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) away, in the Colombian border city of Cucuta, opponents of Maduro are hastily putting together plans with U.S. officials to open a "humanitarian corridor" to deliver badly needed food and medicine. The standoff has troubled international relief organizations, many who say the issue of humanitarian aid is being used as a political weapon by both sides. "But for the person who really needs the assistance, they don't care where it comes from." The Trump administration has pledged $20 million in humanitarian assistance to Guaido's government in addition to the more than $140 million it has already made available to South American countries absorbing the exodus of Venezuelan migrants. "All of us are victims and all of us need to work hard so Venezuela can resurge." "If the transition doesn't take place soon, we're not going to receive the real humanitarian aid we need."

Britain could triple state aid spending to industry without breaching EU rules, according to a study that compares government subsidies to promote economic growth across Europe. EU state aid rules “do not prevent an active industrial policy”, the report found, giving the green light to the UK government for an increase in its £7bn of state aid to nearer £21bn. The report by the left-leaning IPPR thinktank found that the EU’s state aid rules would apply to the UK once it had left the union because officials in Brussels would enforce the measures through a trade deal. That would give it huge scope to support key areas of the economy, whether we remain in the EU or leave it.” The IPPR has not taken a view on Brexit, but its intervention in the debate over state aid will be keenly examined by Labour party supporters who voted to leave the EU. It is normally prohibited to prevent trade and competition between firms from being distorted, discouraging investment and increasing costs to consumers. However, the EU has allowed hundreds of public investment programmes to go ahead that support businesses under a regime that the IPPR said was more flexible than it might appear. The report said: “It restricts state aid where it wastes public money and exacerbates pan-European inequalities. Britain only invests £825m a year in its rail system, according to EU, compared with Germany’s £10.3bn and France’s £10.7bn. Marley Morris, an IPPR senior research fellow and lead author of the report, said: “Successive UK governments have said their hands are tied in developing more proactive industrial policy by European Union rules. But it appears that this is not, in fact, true.”

Image WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would provide up to $12 billion in emergency relief for farmers hurt by the president’s trade war, moving to blunt the financial damage to American agriculture and the political fallout for Republicans as the consequences of President Trump’s protectionist policies roll through the economy. But the relief money, announced by the Department of Agriculture, was also an indication that Mr. Trump — ignoring the concerns of farmers, their representatives in Congress and even some of his own aides — plans to extend his tit-for-tat tariff wars. “It’s hard to believe there isn’t an outright revolt right now in Congress.” Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, asked how the president could single out farmers for help when the manufacturing and energy industries also stand to lose in the trade war. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying to put a band-aid on a self-inflicted wound,” Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, wrote on Twitter. “This bailout compounds bad policy with more bad policy.” Farmers have borne the brunt of Mr. Trump’s decision to impose tariffs, which is already costing American producers billions of dollars and threatens to inflict political pain on Republicans in farm states in the midterm elections in November. July 11, 2018 But lawmakers in both parties and many agricultural trade groups criticized the assistance program as a taxpayer-funded bailout for farmers imperiled by the president’s own policies, and even Mr. Trump’s Republican allies made clear that they did not regard it as a genuine solution to the problems his tariffs had created. It will also include government purchases of surplus products — including fruit, nuts, rice, legumes, beef, pork and dairy — that would be sent to food banks or other nutrition programs. Some of the funding would go to a program in which the Agriculture Department works with private companies to develop new export markets for American farm products. “The best relief for the president’s trade war would be ending the trade war,” said Brian Kuehl, the executive director of the trade group Farmers for Free Trade, adding, “This proposed action would only be a short-term attempt at masking the long-term damage caused by tariffs.” Administration officials argued on Tuesday that the assistance for farmers would help them absorb the pain while persuading other countries that they must offer concessions to forge trade agreements with the United States. “Tariffs are taxes that punish American consumers and producers,” Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, said on Twitter.

Samia Hassan used to have enough money to feed her two dozen children and grandchildren. The closure was imposed after Hamas, branded a terrorist group by Israel and the West, seized Gaza in 2007, driving out forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel and Egypt say they need the blockade to contain Hamas, but have not offered a viable plan for Gaza. "Death is better than this life," she said to her sons' astonishment as the family gathered for the meal breaking the dawn-to-dusk fast of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "It's because of them," she said of her family's hard times. The Hassans used to get $500 every three months from Abbas' Palestinian Authority, but haven't been paid since the beginning of the year, along with tens of thousands of Gaza welfare recipients, said Social Affairs Ministry official Khaled Barghouti. Need has grown exponentially, with some 1 million people in Gaza now receiving U.N. food aid, compared to 80,000 two decades ago, said agency spokesman Chris Gunness. With the exception of the funds already spent this year, all U.S. assistance to the Palestinians is under review. This year, the charity should have received about $10 million, but hasn't gotten any money so far, said DuBose. Qatar is distributing 1 million meals for the month and Iran 11,000 per day.

Jacob Rees-Mogg today called for the British government to make significant cutbacks on the amount of foreign aid it sends to Wakanda. The Conservative politician insists that the money could be put to better use in helping British people rather than those of the proud nation of Wakanda. ‘I’ve seen the “Black Panther” documentary. I realise the country has been through turbulent times, but they seem to be doing rather well for themselves in general. ‘The money we spend on foreign aid to Wakanda could be used to help British people. We have a lot of politicians and CEOs in this country that can barely afford a fifth or sixth house,’ said Jacob Rees-Mogg. Mogg’s plan has the backing of Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, as well as a number of paid Conservative shills on social media. ‘Seeing how much money we send to places like Wakanda makes me glad I avoid paying taxes at all,’ said @ConBoyTwitty Wakanda has yet to comment on Mogg’s statement due to its fictional nature.

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CNN's Chris Cuomo discusses the disconnect between the Trump administration and the people of Puerto Rico.

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NBC’s Mariana Atencio reports for Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About: MSNBC is the premier destination for in-depth analysis of daily headlines, insightful political commentary and informed perspectives. Reaching more than 95 million households worldwide, MSNBC…