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Boundary issues? Biden: 'I respect no borders'

Rachel Stoltzfoos
Daily Caller
Thu, 11 Jul 2019 05:15 UTC
Biden
© The Federalist/COA
2020 presidential candidate, former VP Joe Biden
Former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said he respects "no borders" in a foreign policy speech on Thursday, saying he would work as president to "extend our presence around the globe."

"I respect no borders, and cannot be contained by any walls," he said. "As president, I will do more than just restore the historic partnerships."

Biden worked to draw a sharp contrast with President Trump in the address, as he laid out his foreign policy plan. Working with other countries doesn't make us "suckers" he said, adding that he will "reimagine" the country's relationships with others.


Below is the full context of his remark on borders:

Comment: Doesn't respect boundaries? We already knew that!

See also:

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Dollars

'US dollar is the only real currency!' Trump seeks banking regulation of Bitcoin, Facebook's Libra


RT
Fri, 12 Jul 2019 02:11 UTC
BuckBit
© Reuters/Dado Ruvic
Battle for the Bucks and Bits
The American billionaire leader has slammed the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies, stressing that digital assets only facilitate illegal activity and are made out of 'thin air' - unlike, of course, the 'reliable' US dollar.

Turning to Twitter after hosting a social media summit at the White House, Donald Trump slammed the use of alternative payment systems, including the popular Bitcoin and Facebook's newly announced Libra, which the president believes has "little standing or dependability."



Comment: Many sides to this issue, see also:

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Laptop

In spite of US threats, France passes a tax on tech giants


BBC News
Thu, 11 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC
Bruno Le Maire/RObert Lighthizer
© Eric Piermont/AFP/Getty Images
French Economic Minister Bruno Le Maire • US Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer
France has approved a digital services tax despite threats of retaliation by the US, which argues that it unfairly targets American tech giants. The 3% tax will be levied on sales generated in France by multinational firms like Google and Facebook. The French government has argued that such firms headquartered outside the country pay little or no tax.

The US administration has ordered an inquiry into the move - which could result in retaliatory tariffs.

The new tax was approved by the French senate on Thursday, a week after it was passed by the lower house, the National Assembly. Any digital company with revenue of more than €750m ($850m; £670m) - of which at least €25m is generated in France - would be subject to the levy.

It will be retroactively applied from early 2019, and is expected to raise about €400m this year.

Why target tech giants?

At present, they are able to pay little or no corporate tax in countries where they do not have a large physical presence. They declare most of their profits where they are headquartered. The European Commission estimates that on average traditional businesses face a 23% tax rate on their profits within the EU, while internet companies typically pay 8% or 9%.

Comment: See also:

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Stop

China's turn to threaten sanctions as US companies opt to sell weapons to Taiwan valued at $2.2B


RT
Fri, 12 Jul 2019 11:07 UTC
DragonEagle
© IBD
Beijing will impose sanctions on US enterprises involved in arms sales to Taiwan, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. The decision follows Washington's announcement to sell $2.22 billion worth of arms to Taiwan.

"US arms sales to Taiwan constitute a serious violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations," said China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang. "To safeguard our national interests, China will impose sanctions on the US enterprises involved in the above-mentioned arms sales to Taiwan," the ministry added.

On Thursday the Chinese military expressed strong dissatisfaction with the US State Department's approval of a plan to sell weapons to Taiwan.

The spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense said: "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. China's firm opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan is clear and consistent. As an internal affair of China, the Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests and the national feeling of the Chinese people, and forbids external interference," he stressed.

Comment: More from RT: Beijing warns US: 'Don't play with fire!'
Foreign Minister Wang Yi blasted Washington for allowing arm sales to Taiwan during his trip to Hungary on Friday. "We urge the US to fully recognize the gravity of the Taiwan question... [and] not to play with fire on the question of Taiwan," he told reporters via an interpreter, cited by Reuters.

The US, which does not formally recognize Taiwan in accordance with the 'one-China principle', had made diplomatic overtures towards the island nation under President Donald Trump. In 2016, he became the first US leader in more than 30 years to speak over the phone with his Taiwanese counterpart, Tsai Ing-wen. The move prompted a protest by Beijing.


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Attention

US Treasury Dept announces sanctions on DGCIM, a Venezuelan military counter-intelligence organization


RT
Thu, 11 Jul 2019 16:42 UTC
Image of Acosta
© AFP/Yuri Cortez
A man holds up an image of Venezuelan naval officer Rafael Acosta Arevalo, who died in government custody, July 5, 2019.
The US Treasury Department said a new round of sanctions will be imposed on a Venezuelan military counter-intelligence organization, following the death of a Venezuelan military officer in government custody.

The sanctions will target the country's Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), an agency tasked with combating espionage, the Treasury Department announced on Thursday, and will freeze all assets owned directly or indirectly by the agency.

The penalties come on the heels of the mysterious death of Venezuelan Navy Captain Rafael Ramon Acosta Arevalo, who was arrested on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government and died in custody in late June under suspicious circumstances. The sailor's wife claims he was tortured.

"The politically motivated arrest and tragic death of Captain Rafael Acosta was unwarranted and unacceptable," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement, adding that Washington was "committed" to ending President Nicolas Maduro's "inhumane treatment" of political opponents.

Caracas has yet to respond to the new penalties.

The Venezuelan government has launched a probe into what happened to the officer, according to a statement from the Defense Ministry, which noted the captain "fainted before standing trial" and was taken to a military hospital in Caracas, where he later died. Two DGCIM officers have also been charged with homicide in connection with the incident, Chief Prosecutor Tarek Saab said earlier this month.

Comment: See also:

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Telephone

First direct phone call: Zelensky and Putin discuss Ukrainian conflict and prisoner exchange


RT
Thu, 11 Jul 2019 18:28 UTC
ZelenskyPutin
© Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolsky
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky • Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken to the new Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since his election victory. The two discussed the situation in eastern Ukraine and potential further contact.

The call was initiated by Kiev, a statement issued by the Kremlin says. The two presidents talked about ways to resolve the ongoing conflict that has been gripping the eastern regions of Ukraine for some five years as well as about potential cooperation in facilitating prisoner exchange between the parties to the conflict. Moscow and Kiev agreed that such consultations would continue at expert level, the statement said.

The two presidents also touched upon the idea of continuing the talks in the 'Normandy format', which includes French and German leaders alongside those of Russia and Ukraine. Earlier, Zelensky urged Putin to talk in person in a video address he released on Monday. Yet, he also said that he expects the leaders of the US, the UK, Germany and France to chaperone him during such a meeting.

Comment: See also:

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Black Magic

US court puts a stake through the Russiagate conspiracy theory, but will US-Russia relations ever recover?

Robert Bridge
RT
Fri, 12 Jul 2019 17:49 UTC
russia america flag
With the final leg of the Russian collusion story removed, many Americans will still find it hard to accept Russia's innocence. Although the media is largely to blame, anti-Russia prejudices play a large role in this perception.

The shot that should have been heard around the world on July 1 was quickly silenced lest the 'awful truth' about Russia ever see the light of day. Indeed, the fact that the US media failed to report on what should have been the Russian story of the month tells us everything we need to know about their intentions.

The muffled shot not heard around the world was nothing less than a US court ruling that laid to rest the story of a "Kremlin-connected troll farm" that was allegedly engaged in conducting information warfare against US voters ahead of the 2016 presidential election. As many people have been guessing for a long time, the entire story turned out to be a complete fabrication, a wild conspiracy theory. There was never a shred of evidence - despite countless stories in the liberal media proclaiming otherwise - that the Russian government sought to disrupt the US political system.

Comment: Never underestimate the power of a bogeyman to control your own populace. We can only hope as Mr. Bridges does, that the elite have finally overplayed their hand.

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Boat

Syria-bound oil tanker detained in Gibraltar - UPDATE


BBC News
Thu, 04 Jul 2019 00:00 UTC
oil tanker
© Reuters
Oil tanker suspected of carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria
Royal Marines have boarded an oil tanker on its way to Syria thought to be breaching EU sanctions, the government of Gibraltar has said.

Authorities said there was reason to believe the ship - Grace 1 - was carrying Iranian crude oil to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria. The refinery is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria. Britain's ambassador in Tehran, Robert Macaire, has been summoned over the incident.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was quoted on Iranian state TV as saying the ambassador had been summoned over the "illegal seizure" of the Iranian tanker.

Gibraltar's chief minister, Fabian Picardo, praised the marines who detained the ship. "Be assured that Gibraltar remains safe, secure and committed to the international, rules-based, legal order," he said, thanking the police, customs and port authorities for their involvement in detaining the ship. Gibraltar port and law enforcement agencies detained the super tanker and its cargo on Thursday morning with the help of the marines.

Comment:

UPDATE 11/07/19: The captain and the chief officer of the supertanker Grace 1 has been arrested by Gibraltan authorities:
Both men were arrested on Thursday afternoon and questioned. Yet, neither of them have been charged so far, the Gibraltar Chronicle reported, citing a police spokesman. The officers also seized documents and electronic devices from the ship.

The men, both Indian nationals, are suspected of breaching EU sanctions against Syria, the paper said.
suptertanker oil Grace 1
© Reuters/Stringer
The supertanker Grace 1 is being held by British authorities in the port of Gilbratar.
Meanwhile, the UK has raised the ship security codes for British-flagged vessels passing through Iranian waters to the highest - "critical" - level, several media outlets reported, citing sources.

The US said that the captured ship was transporting Iranian oil. Tehran confirmed it had links to the vessel but denied it was heading to Syria. Iran also branded the actions of the UK marines and the Gibraltar police as "piracy" and demanded the ship's immediate release.

While the Gibraltar authorities have never officially linked the seizure and the arrests with the actions of Iran, pointing instead at the sanctions the EU imposed against Syria, these developments still conspicuously come amid the ongoing row between the UK's allies in Washington and Tehran.

In mid-June, the US announced its plans to build a "global consensus" against Iran and later said it also wants to create a "coalition" to "ensure freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb."

The fact that the UK - a major US ally - also tightened security of its own ships sailing near the Iranian territory while its forces in Gibraltar helped seize the vessel carrying Iranian oil might indicate that this move could potentially be linked to some other motives, going beyond the implementation of the EU sanctions against Damascus.


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Chess

New 'tanker war' skirmish: UK govt claims Iran attempted to 'impede passage' of British tanker 'British Heritage' -Tehran rejects accusations


Source
Thu, 11 Jul 2019 16:41 UTC
HMS montrose britain destroyer
© Reuters / Royal Navy / Ministry of Defence / Joel Rouse
HMS Montrose
The UK has confirmed reports that its warship stopped Iranian patrol boats from blocking a British tanker that was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says these claims are absolutely "worthless."

"Three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz," the UK government said on Thursday.

According to officials, a Royal Navy frigate, HMS Montrose, was "forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and 'British Heritage' and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away."

Comment: Tehran has issued a denial of the incident:
There were "no encounters" between the Iranian warships and foreign vessels at the time when the incident is alleged to have taken place, the IRGC's naval unit said in a statement on Thursday, cited by Fars News.

London said three Iranian patrol boats attempted to stop its oil tanker, British Heritage, as it was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz to the Persian Gulf. According to the British government statement, the Iranian vessels were forced to back away after receiving a warning from the Royal Navy frigate, HMS Montrose, which was escorting another tanker in the area.

Major General Mohsen Rezaee of the IRGC, who leads the influential Expediency Discernment Council, had suggested that Tehran should seize a British oil tanker if London refuses to return the ship captured off Gibraltar.

On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned London that its actions against the tanker would have "consequences in the future."


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Arrow Up

Russia starts delivery of S-400 to Turkey, US continues with thinly veiled threats


RT
Fri, 12 Jul 2019 08:04 UTC
s-400
© AFP / Alexander NEMENOV
Turkey has received the first shipment of S-400 air defense missile system equipment from Moscow, defying pressure from Washington to scrap the arms deal with Russia.

The components arrived at the Murted military airfield outside Ankara on Friday, the nation's Ministry of National Defense said in a short statement. Russia's Defense Ministry has also confirmed that the shipment has started and will continue as scheduled.

Both countries signed a contract for the delivery of four S-400 batteries in 2017. The contract earned Ankara the ongoing row with Washington, which strongly opposes the deal, claiming the purchase of advanced Russian-made weapons undermines the security of NATO and goes against American interests.

Comment: See also:


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