Former US president Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in 2018. AP
Former US president Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in 2018. AP
Former US president Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in 2018. AP
Former US president Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in 2018. AP

Trump claims to have averted 'nuclear holocaust' by talking to North Korea


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Former US president Donald Trump said he avoided entering a nuclear war as he defended his business dealings during a seven-hour deposition with the New York attorney general's office.

During the April interview, New York Attorney General Letitia James's office accused Mr Trump of inflating his net worth by billions of dollars from 2011 to 2021.

Prosecutors said Mr Trump and a number of his associates overvalued numbers “to secure and maintain loans and insurance on more favourable terms”, which resulted in “hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten savings and profits”, the documents state.

Mr Trump was dismissive of the allegations because he was too busy serving as president, which he said was “the most important job in the world, saving millions of lives”.

He then went on to claim that he prevented a nuclear war.

“I think you would have [had a] nuclear holocaust, if I didn't deal with North Korea,” he said in the unsealed transcript.

“I think you would have a nuclear war, if I weren't elected. And I think you might have a nuclear war now, if you want to know the truth.”

The deposition was part of a lawsuit that accuses Mr Trump of lying about his property values and his net worth to obtain favourable terms on loans and insurance. Ms James's office is seeking at least $250 million from Mr Trump, his sons Eric and Donald Jr and the Trump Organisation.

The former president also said his son Eric “is much more involved” in ultimate decision-making for the Trump Organisation.

Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing and attacked the case.

“The banks are shocked by this case. That's my opinion, because they've never had anything like this,” he said in the deposition.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Reuters
New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Reuters

“Do you know the banks were fully paid? Do you know the banks made a lot of money? Do you know I don’t believe I ever got even a default notice, and even during Covid, the banks were all paid? And yet you’re suing on behalf of banks, I guess.

“It’s crazy. The whole case is crazy.”

Mr Trump has also routinely attacked Ms James on social media.

In a court filing, she said evidence showed “repeated and persistent fraudulent use” by Mr Trump and his business of false financial statements from 2011 to 2021. She also asked a judge to declare that Mr Trump committed fraud before the October 2 trial date.

Lawyers for Mr Trump called to dismiss the case, which they said is a “crusade against president Trump”.

Ms James's civil case against Mr Trump is separate from the four criminal cases he faces in New York, Miami, Washington and Georgia.

Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

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Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

Match info

Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')

Southampton 0

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMaly%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mo%20Ibrahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%20International%20Financial%20Centre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.6%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2015%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%2C%20planning%20first%20seed%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GCC-based%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

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The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

The biog

Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician

Hometown: Ghazala, Syria

Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978

Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter

Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi

Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.

Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo

Favourite food: fresh fish

Updated: August 31, 2023, 1:25 PM