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US military criticized Venezuela aircraft for ‘unsafe approach’

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The military of United States has denounces a Venezuelan fighter aircraft, claiming that the aircraft has made an ‘unsafe approach’ to US aircraft. US said that the Venezuelan aircraft has endangered the crew of US navy plane in international airspace.

The US Southern Command said that the Venezuelan plane made an “unsafe approach” and “aggressively shadowed” the US reconnaissance aircraft over the Caribbean Sea.

The US Southern Command said that, on Friday, a “Russian-made” SU-30 Flanker Venezuelan fighter aircraft and a US Navy EP-3 Aries II aircraft has been conducting a “detection and monitoring” mission. In his twitter, he said that the incident happened in international airspace over the Caribbean Sea.

Venezuela said that the US aircraft had entered the Venezuelan airspace without their permission. The relations between these two countries have been worse for years.

The reports of US military said that Venezuelan strategic high command “proceeded to intercept the aircraft through two airplanes of the Bolivarian Air Force with the intention of applying the international protocols established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). As the US aircraft did not comply with such protocols, it was forced to vacate (the Venezuelan airspace)”.

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Global Climate News

US and Canada under dangerous heatwave

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Most parts in the US has been hit by extremely hot weather, with temperatures set to peak over the weekend, as per the opinion of meteorologists.

About about 200 million people, who lives in the major cities like New York, Washington and Boston in the East Coast, and the Midwest region would be affected by the heatwave.

Some places are reportedly being closer to very high temperature of 100F (38C). The temperature is expected to be exceeding this soon. Parts of Canada are also affected by this temperature waves.

According to the new data by experts, the world experienced its hottest June on record this year, with an average temperature worldwide of 61.6F (16.4C).

In the starting of July, the US state of Alaska, part of which lies inside the Arctic Circle, registered record high temperatures.

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News

US nuclear weapon locations in Europe accidentally revealed

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A document which was accidentally published by a NATO-affiliated body have exposed the the secret locations of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe. The document was quickly deleted.

The document by a Canadian senator for the Defense and Security Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly detailed the future of the organization’s nuclear deterrence policy but accidentally exposed the open secret, reports The Washington Post.

The published document said, “A new era for nuclear deterrence? Modernization, arms control and allied”.

The document was published by Canadian Sen. Joseph Day on behalf of the defense and security committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

The secret information regarding the location of approximately 150 U.S. nuclear weapons scattered across Europe has been mistakenly published.

According to the document, the U.S. nuclear weapons are being stored in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

The report noted, “These bombs are stored at six U.S. and European bases – Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Buchel in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi-Torre in Italy, Volkel in The Netherlands, and Incirlik in Turkey”.

The director for disarmament and threat-reduction policy at the Arms Control Association, Kingston Reif told that it was no surprise to potentially discover the location of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe.

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News Politics

French plan to tax tech giants: US issues inquiry

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Donald Tump has raised an order for investigation on the planned taxation of tech giants, which would seriously affect the American tech companies. This could be a move that results in retaliatory tariffs.

Robert Lighthizer, the US representative said, “The United States is very concerned that the digital services tax… unfairly targets American companies”.

The unfair trade practices could pave the way for Washington to impose punitive tariffs. Trump had repeatedly done this since taking office.

The parliament of France would be approving the tax implementations on Thursday.

Reports said that the tech giants like Google and Facebook will be charged with a 3% levy on revenue made inside France.

An estimated amount of around half-a-billion euro a year would be brought in with the new tax rule.

The new tax rule insists that any digital company with a revenue of more than €750m – of which at least €25m is generated in France – would be subject to the tax.

Republican Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Ron Wyden, the senior Democrat on the panel have welcomed the latest inquiry.

In a joined statement, they said, “The digital services tax that France and other European countries are pursuing is clearly protectionist and unfairly targets American companies in a way that will cost US jobs and harm American workers”.

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europe times european daily trending world news Trump bonds with Brazil's Bolsonaro during White House visit
International Relations News

Trump bonds with Brazil’s Bolsonaro during White House visit

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The US President Donald Trump hosted Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian president, at the White House on Tuesday. Trump had pledged to give more U.S. support to Brazil’s global ambitions.

Trump said in a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden that he told Bolsonaro he would designate Brazil a major non-NATO ally and possibly go further by supporting a campaign to make Brazil “maybe a NATO ally”.

Bolsonaro said, “Brazil and the United States are tied by the guarantee of liberty, respect for the traditional family, the fear of God our creator, against gender identity, political correctness and fake news”.

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UN chief Antonio Guterres launches global push against hate speech

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Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General launched a new global strategy to combat whatever the global body considers hate speech, a growing scourge he said “poisoned” debate on crucial issues. In a speech at the opening of the council’s 40th session, he said ““Hate is moving into the mainstream — in liberal democracies and authoritarian systems alike” .

Governments across the world have watched with concern as racist and other hate speech have coarsened the political climate. France and Germany have raised particular alarm in recent weeks over resurgent anti-Semitism.

Guterres targeted his rebuke at widespread criticism of the UN’s Global Compact on Migration, a non-binding text that is said to set out best practices for managing refugee and migrant flows. The UN chief marked the campaign “failed”.

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Global Climate News

Big crude oil conglomerates hesitate to reduce their production capacity

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The prime crude oil conglomerates show no interest to reduce their production capacity, despite repeated calls that demand the reduction of their production capacity to bring the pollution rate, especially the carbon emission rate, under the safe limit prescribed by scientists.

ExonMobil

An oil production conglomerate based in the United States, ExonMobil, is set to increase its oil production by at least 25 per cent in the year 2025. Other major oil producers, such as Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Total, are also on the similar path. It is the growing demand for oil that prompts the conglomerates to consider that path. Each year, the demand for oil increases by one to two per cent in the global market.

The aforesaid figures indicate that only the conglomerates are not to be blamed for the raise of carbon in the atmosphere. The world’s reluctance to reduce the usage of oil is also needed to be criticised.

Some of these oil production conglomerates have assured that they would invest in the renewable energy sector.

The past experiences have already taught that the assurances made by conglomerates should not be believed until those enter the phase of implementation.

The world must reduce its oil production by at least 20 per cent by 2030 if it wants to bring the global temperature under the safe limit prescribed by scientists.

The US decision to step out from the Paris climate accord is the biggest mistake that country has ever committed.

A framework like the one formed in Paris several years ago to address the issue of climate change is not to be discarded by any of its founding members until and unless it comes up with another equally applicable framework.

Vignesh. S. G
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International Trade News

EU, US to intervene in Venezuela-Turkey-Iran gold trade

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Venezuela’s oil economy has almost died due to the US sanction. Now, it relies almost solely on its gold trade for its sustenance. The United Arab Empire, Russia and Turkey are the biggest importers of the Venezuelan gold. Of these three, Turkey’s trade with the socialist Latin American is the one which worries the European Union and the United States the most. It is alleged that the gold reaches Turkey from Venezuela ostensibly for the purpose of refinement is shipped to Iran. The US is of the belief that the network of the Venezuela-Turkey-Iran gold trade is what enables the embattled Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, who is on an ultimatum, to keep the loyalty of his country’s soldiers intact. The west now knows that the best way to topple the aggressive Venezuelan socialist is to cut off his revenue channels. The EU and US’ latest combined attempt to force Turkey to stop its engagements with Venezuela, particularly its gold trade, is regarded as the part of that strategy. The US has reportedly served an ultimatum to Turkey to cease its gold trade with Venezuela.

If Russia and the others does not increase their gold and oil import with Venezuela, Mr Maduro will be toppled as soon as the EU and the US find success in forcing Turkey to withdraw its backup –by all possibility that would not take more than few weeks.

It is not clear from where Iran has come to the picture. There is evidence that Turkey has brought in several tonnes of gold from Venezuela in the name of refinement and none of the imported has been returned. But, there is nothing to assume that what has been imported by Turkey has been exported to Iran. The possibility that Iran has been purposefully brought into the narrative to increase the strength of those against the Venezuelan trade cannot be ruled out blindly.

Vignesh. S. G
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International Trade News

West invents a way to evade the US’ sanction on Iran

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The three major western powers, such as Germany, the UK and France, have established a new payment channel to evade the United States’ economic sanction on the Middle Eastern country of Iran.

The new payment channel, the Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), shares no links with the US-linked payment channels the west presently uses widely.

It is this detachment from the popular payment channels that helps the new channel evade the sanction imposed by the US on Iran.

Iran is one of the most important trading partners of the three major European powers. The countries see the Shia-dominated nation not only as a source of cheap oil but also as a potential market for their goods and services.

It was the US’ belief that Iran involved in the destabilisation of some of its prime allies in the region such as Israel and Saudi Arabia that promoted the world’s most powerful country to impose an economic sanction against the Arab country.

The three important western countries were not in the favour of the sanction. It even urged the US to withdraw the sanction.

The latest move is capable to provoke the US. The US’ present regime is already unhappy with the European powers’ attitude against its long standing demand that the European countries should step up their defence spending to pay justice to their financial obligation to the NATO force.

Vignesh. S. G
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News Politics

The US Shutdown ends

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The longest shutdown in the US history comes to an end. U.S. President Donald Trump announces a deal with congressional leaders to temporarily reopen the government for three weeks, ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown over the president’s demand for the the border wall finding is now into its 35th day. Trump spoke regarding the deal from White house.

“We have reached a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government” – Donald Trump

Trump warns of emergency if no border deal with democrats. Donald Trump on Friday signed bill to reopen the government. The government is opened by Trump for 3 weeks. An estimate of 800,000 federal employees will return to work now. Trump had demanded congress to give him money for building border wall. Trump says that he will resume discussion after February 15th.

Sunaya Paison
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