News Headlines - 13 August 2020
▽Turkey′s Erdogan threatens Greece over energy dispute in Mediterranean | DW
Turkey's president on Thursday threatened Greece against rising tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, after Turkish gas exploration vessel Oruc Reis resumed operations there earlier this week... Turkey on Monday sent the vessel to explore off the coast of the Greek island of Kastellorizo, accompanied by several Navy ships. Greece responded by sending its own military vessels to monitor the situation.
Erdogan's remarks come after unconfirmed reports in Greek media that a vessel from Greece hit a Turkish ship escorting the Oruc Reis. The Greek Defense Ministry denied attacking the Turkis ship, with a ministry spokesperson telling AFP: "No incident happened."
Americans' confidence in police has hit a new low -- aided in large part by a growing gap between Black and White people about how much they trust officers.
Around 48% of Americans said they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in police, down from 53% the previous year, according to a new Gallup poll... Gallup has polled Americans on their confidence in police for nearly 30 years. This is the lowest it's dropped since the first policing poll in 1994 (the previous high was 64% in 2004), Gallup said.
▽Trump Wants to Block Post Office Funding to Stop Mail Voting | Time
President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on mail voting on Thursday, when he seemed to say clearly what he has insinuated for months: that his opposition to funding the U.S. Postal Service, and additional election resources, is part of a deliberate effort to make it more difficult for Americans to vote by mail in November.
▽Protests Take On Thailand's Monarchy, Despite Laws Banning Such Criticism - The New York Times
While the country’s absolute monarchy was toppled by a bloodless revolution in 1932, Thailand remains bound by royal traditions. The father of King Maha Vajiralongkorn reigned for 70 years and was the world’s longest-serving monarch at the time of his death in 2016.
Thailand’s student-led anti-government protests, which have gained momentum this summer, have addressed everything from the disappearance of activists critical of the military and monarchy, to the enduring power of a 2014 coup leader who now serves as prime minister.
Over the last few days, however, they have added a new element to the mix: direct criticism of a royal institution that, through decades of street and student protest, tried to position itself as floating above politics.
▽Shinzo Abe under fire for coronavirus response, survey shows - UPI.com
According to U.S.-German communications consultancy Kekst CNC, Abe's ratings are lower than that of U.S. President Donald Trump or British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Tokyo Shimbun reported Thursday. Both the United States and Britain have confirmed higher numbers of COVID-19 cases than Japan.
The survey, which polled 1,000 respondents from the United States, Britain, Germany, Sweden, France and Japan, shows Abe scoring minus 34 points. Trump scored minus 21 points and Johnson received minus 12 points, according to Kekst.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the highest score, or 42 points, for her response to the virus, the poll shows.
