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• Iran crisis: British oil tanker seized in Strait of Hormuz as UK shipping warned to avoid area in Gulf
• US forming 'coalition' of navies to protect ships amid Iran tensions
• Iran Guards seize British-flagged tanker in Strait of Hormuz
• 'Horrific for all': Pentagon intelligence chief says Iran does not want war
• Officials: US putting troops back in Saudi Arabia
• Pompeo rejects North Korean charges on military drills
• 'Bigger problems' for Trump than plastic straws
• Women in Japan Fight for Their Identity — Starting With Their Name
• Mnuchin, Kudlow Invite U.S. Tech Giants to Discuss Huawei Ban
• Iran seizes 2 vessels as Strait of Hormuz conflict escalates
• Trump: Sen. Rand Paul to help with Iran negotiations
• UPDATE 1-Britain says seizure of two vessels by Iran is unacceptable
• Britain says seizure of two vessels by Iran is unacceptable
• Seized British-flagged tanker in Gulf had turned off its tracker, ignored warnings - IRNA
• Iran Seizes British Oil Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz
• Iran Seizes British Oil Tanker, Escalating Tensions With Western Powers
• Iran Guards say they confiscated British tanker in Strait of Hormuz
• Second tanker in Gulf turns sharply towards Iran, Refinitiv data shows
• Mueller probe witness now faces child sex trafficking charge
• Russia's Military Is Transforming (And Getting Stronger) Right Before Our Eyes
• Lebanon lawmakers ratify austerity budget to address a slump
• UPDATE 1-Trump tells France's Macron U.S. concerned with proposed digital services tax
• Trump tells France's Macron U.S. concerned with proposed digital services tax
• Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seizes British-flagged, Liberian-flagged tankers in Strait of Hormuz
• British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in escalation of Gulf tensions as second ship also veers off course
• EU plans to offer Boris Johnson a no-deal Brexit extension- The Guardian
• Drone targets base for Iran-backed militia in northern Iraq
• Trump Bemoans Request to ‘Get Involved’ in Seoul-Tokyo Dispute
• Kosovo’s Premier Unexpectedly Resigns to Appear at War Crimes Court
• U.S. Wants to Hear From Top Iran Leaders After Downing of Drone
• Ivanka Trump and senior Republicans distance themselves from rally chants of 'send her back'
• The Amazon Is Brazil’s, Not Yours, Bolsonaro Tells Europeans
• What One Famous Yale Professor Would Have Said About a War with Iran
• Kiev offers to swap jailed Russia journalist for filmmaker Sentsov
• Egypt: At least 20 killed in airstrikes in northern Sinai
• UPDATE 1-U.S. will shoot down any Iranian drones that fly 'too close' to its ships, official says
• US targets senior Hezbollah operative with sanctions
• Iran claims US shot down its own drone by mistake
• George Nader, Witness in Mueller Probe, Hit With New Charges of Sex Trafficking
• Sudanese opposition seeks postponement in deal with military
• Britain kicks off review of regulating finance after Brexit
• New EU chief must piece together diverse top team
• Tripoli parliament warns of airstrikes by Hifter's allies
• Ukraine's president says he backs prisoner swap with Russia
• Turkish jets strike Kurdish rebels after diplomat's death
• Here's Trump hating on America. Is it time for him to leave?
• German Reichstag to get new moat in security overhaul
• Merkel defends German climate moves as rally urges action
• In a War, Iran Could Go After a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier and Win
• Germany's Merkel fends off worries about her health

Iran crisis: British oil tanker seized in Strait of Hormuz as UK shipping warned to avoid area in Gulf Posted: 19 Jul 2019 05:36 PM PDT Stena Impero seized in Strait of Hormu​z on Friday night A second tanker, Mesdar, was stopped before being released Jeremy Hunt says seizures "unacceptable", holding a COBR meeting Government warns UK shipping to avoid area Iran says Stena Imperio stopped on suspicion it has "violated international maritime law" US developing 'coalition' of navies to protect ships amid Iran tensions Two British oil tankers were seized by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday night, in a major escalation of tensions in the Gulf. The British-flagged Stena Impero had been en route to Saudi Arabia, but abruptly changed course and began sailing towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, data relayed by maritime tracking services showed. The 30,000-tonne ship "went dark", meaning its transponder was turned off, at 4.29pm UK time and nothing has been heard from her or her 23 crew since. A second oil tanker, the British-operated, Liberian-flagged Mesdar, was intercepted by the Guards about 40 minutes after the course shift by Stena Impero, and was held for some time before being allowed to resume navigation.  HMS Montrose, the Type-23 frigate, was understood to have been dispatched to help the Stena, but was minutes too late.  Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, said he was "extremely concerned by the seizure of two vessels by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz".  British oil tanker seized in the Gulf Mr Hunt said he was attending a Cobra meeting to determine the UK's response and what could be done to secure their release, adding that the seizures were "unacceptable". He said it was understood there were no British citizens among the two crews. US President Donald Trump said Iran was showing its true colours and warned that it was in "big trouble".   Northern Marine, a Clyde-based subsidiary of the Stena Impero's Swedish owner Stena AB, said a "hostile action" had preceded the vessel's change of course on Friday afternoon. The company issued a statement saying it had been "approached by unidentified small craft and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters".  Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that they stopped the Stena Impero at the request of the maritime authority in the Iranian province of Hormozgan on suspicion that it had "violated international maritime law", but did not elaborate.  Iran tensions | Read more The head of Iran's port authority was quoted by Guards-affiliated Tasnim news agency as saying: "We received reports of the British oil tanker, Stena Impero, causing problems, and therefore asked the military to guide the tanker towards Bandar Abbas harbour." They said the Mesdar, whose transponder was also turned off, was briefly held and cautioned about "environmental regulations" before it was let go. Tracking data showed the Stena Impero was in the same area that a United Arab Emirates-based vessel was detained on Sunday and where a British vessel, the British Heritage, was blocked by Iranian forces earlier this month. A Whitehall source said: "It looks like it has been hijacked. Ships don't follow that pattern. It turned right and straight into Iranian waters. It is really concerning that this has happened. "It looks as though the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have boarded and taken a UK-flagged ship. It appears to be linked to events around the Grace 1 tanker." British authorities seized the Iranian Grace 1 supertanker off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4, on suspicion it was carrying crude to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. There will be "serious consequences" if Iran does not release a British-flagged tanker seized in the Gulf, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt sayshttps://t.co/a98zqC5QVupic.twitter.com/aJcYLzezzD— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 19, 2019 The fate of the tanker has been at the centre of escalating tensions between the UK and Iran and was seen as a pawn in the standoff between the Islamic Republic and the West. Mr Hunt had hinted that the UK would release the ship if Iran promised its cargo would not go to the Syrian regime. The Foreign Secretary said talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, had been productive.  However, a court in Gibraltar on Friday extended for 30 days the detention of the vessel, which was carrying two million barrels of oil. Tensions have been building for weeks in the Persian Gulf. On July 10, HMS Montrose intervened to drive three Iranian military vessels that were attempting to divert the British Heritage.  Iran seized a Panama-flagged ship on Sunday, it alleges, for "smuggling oil to foreign countries". Mystery surrounds the capture as no country has come forward to claim the ship or its cargo. The US claimed on Thursday to have downed an Iranian drone that had been flying too close to one of its navy ships. Iran denied the claims. Oil prices rose on Friday night after the tankers were seized.   The Trump administration is trying to block Iran's exports to put pressure on it to renegotiate the 2015 nuclear deal it abandoned last year. Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if it cannot export its oil.  1:28AM Government warns UK shipping to avoid Strait of Hormuz After a COBR meeting this evening, the government is urging UK shipping the avoid the Strait of Hormuz region. "We remain deeply concerned about Iran's unacceptable actions which represent a clear challenge to international freedom of navigation.  We have advised UK shipping to stay out of the area for an interim period.  "As the Foreign Secretary has said, our response will be considered and robust and there will be serious consequences if the situation is not resolved. "We remain in close contact with our international partners and there will be further meetings over the weekend." 12:57AM Oil tanker was 'in full compliance of regulations' The British operator of the Stena Impero was in full compliance with all navigation and international regulations, a spokesman has said. Iran's state news agency IRNA quoted a military source as saying the vessel had turned off its tracker, ignored warnings from the Revolutionary Guards and was sailing in the wrong direction in a shipping lane. "There are 23 seafarers onboard of Indian, Russian, Latvian and Filipino nationality," said Erik Hanell, President and Chief Executive of the operator, Stena Bulk. "There have been no reported injuries and the safety and welfare of our crew remains our primary focus." The ship "is no longer under the control of the crew and remains uncontactable", he added. British oil tanker seized in the Gulf   12:45AM Corbyn says Trump fuelled risk of conflict Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, responding to the seizure of two British tankers by Iranian forces, said: "The seizure of these vessels is unacceptable, and the tanker that remains under Iranian control must be released. Escalation risks a slide into an even deeper conflict. "President Trump's decision to tear up the Iran nuclear deal fuelled the risk of full-scale conflict. "A negotiated reinstatement of the nuclear deal through the UN is essential to wind down tensions and defuse the threat of war in the Gulf." 12:12AM US sought 'coalition' of navies to protect ships amid Iran tensions Hours before the hijacking of the British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, America's special representative for Iran was explaining its position to diplomats in Washington, Josie Ensor reports.  Some 100 envoys took part in the briefing by Brian Hook, who outlined the Trump administration's initiative for maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran released footage on Friday from what it said was the "downed drone" Credit: AFP Mr Hook said tensions had risen sharply and necessitated the need for a "coalition" of navies to protect their ships through the strait. Read the full story. 11:52PM US intensifying air patrols in region US Central Command says the US has intensified air patrols over the Strait of Hormuz in response to the Iranian seizure of a British tanker. A Central Command spokesman, Lt. Col. Earl Brown, says a small number of additional patrol aircraft are flying in international airspace to monitor the situation. He also says Central Command's naval arm has been in contact with U.S. ships operating in the area to ensure their safety. 11:22PM Stena Impero 'surrounded by four vessels and helicopter' Mr Hunt said the Stena Impero was surrounded by four vessels and a helicopter, and is heading into Iranian waters. The second ship - the Mesdar - was surrounded by 10 speedboats, Mr Hunt told Sky, though said it was "not clear yet" whether it had changed course. He said he had spoken to US secretary of state Mike Pompeo this evening about the situation and had tried to speak to Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif but he is on a plane. "I will speak to him as soon as I can", Mr Hunt said. 11:21PM Hunt warns of  'serious consequences' Mr Hunt warned there would be "serious consequences" if the situation is not resolved quickly. He told Sky News: "We will respond in a way that is considered but robust and we are absolutely clear that if this situation is not resolved quickly there will be serious consequences." Asked if he could rule out military intervention, Mr Hunt said: "We're not looking at military options - we're looking at a diplomatic way to resolve the situation - but we are very clear that it must be resolved. "Freedom of navigation in the Gulf is absolutely essential. If that freedom of navigation is restricted, Iran is the biggest loser and so it is in their interest to resolve this situation as quickly as possible and we will do everything we can to do that." 10:31PM Tanker released? Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said Iran's Revolutionary Guards had not captured the Mesdar. "Despite reports, the ship has not been seized...and was allowed to continue its course after being warned about safety issues by Iranian forces," the report said. A spokesman for Norbulk Shipping UK confirmed the crew of the Mesdar are "safe and well" and the vessel has been "allowed" to continue its voyage. 9:16PM Is it rash to sail through the Strait? Sir Richard Dalton, former British ambassador to Iran, suggested the owners of the Stena Impero had been "rash" in sailing the tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to Sky News, he said Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had promised retaliation following the detention of Iran's Grace 1 tanker in Gibraltar. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waving to the crowd during a ceremony attended by Iranian clerics in the Iranian capital Tehran, on July 16 Sir Richard said: "With hindsight, it's easy to say that this was a somewhat reckless act by the owners, given that there was no British naval vessel in the vicinity." He said the Iranians had "lost their cool" despite recent "constructive discussions" over the Grace 1. Sir Richard added: "I don't think the Iranians will continue to try to seize British vessels given they have got what they want, which is something to hold in a negotiation with Britain about their cargo held, they consider illegally, in Gibraltar." 9:07PM UK Chamber of Shipping calls for increased protection for vessels Bob Sanguinetti, the CEO of the UK Chamber of Shipping, says:  "We condemn unreservedly the capture of Stena Impero as she transited  the Strait of Hormuz earlier today.  The action by those involved is in violation of international regulations which protect ships and their crews as they go about their legitimate business in international waters. "Our priority is for the safety and welfare of the crew.  We call on the UK Government to do whatever is necessary to ensure their safe and swift return. An Iranian navy boat trying to control fire from the Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker, said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman in June "This incident represents an escalation.  Whilst we call for measured response, it is also clear that further protection for merchant vessels must be forthcoming to ensure enhanced security to guarantee free flow of trade in the region." 9:03PM Donald Trump being kept informed President Donald Trump said he would "talk to the UK" about the incident. "We heard about it," he said. "We don't have many tankers going in."  Donald Trump said he is being kept abreast of developments "This only goes to show what I'm saying about Iran: Trouble, nothing but trouble," he said. Trump said "Iran is showing their colors" and "in big trouble right now" because its economy has been crippled by U.S. economic sanctions. The U.S. has asked Mideast allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in past weeks to contribute financially and militarily to a Trump administration proposal called the Sentinel Program - a coalition of nations working with the U.S. to preserve maritime security in the Persian Gulf and keep eyes on Iran. 8:54PM Foreign Secretary responds Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said: "I'm extremely concerned by the seizure of two vessels by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz. "I will shortly attend a COBR meeting to review what we know and what we can do to swiftly secure the release of the two vessels - a British-flagged vessel and a Liberian-flagged vessel. "Their crews comprise a range of nationalities, but we understand there are no British citizens on board either ship. Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary "Our Ambassador in Tehran is in contact with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resolve the situation and we are working closely with international partners. "These seizures are unacceptable. It is essential that freedom of navigation is maintained and that all ships can move safely and freely in the region." 8:50PM Crew from multiple countries Our Political Editor, Gordon Rayner, writes: A Government source said the crews on board the two ships are "a range of nationalities" but no Britons are among the crews of either ship.  A Conta meeting due to start at 10.30 tonight will be chaired by either Jeremy Hunt or David Lidington.

US forming 'coalition' of navies to protect ships amid Iran tensions Posted: 19 Jul 2019 05:16 PM PDT Hours before the hijacking of the British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, America's special representative for Iran was explaining its position to diplomats in Washington. Some 100 envoys took part in the briefing by Brian Hook, who outlined the Trump administration's initiative for maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. Mr Hook said tensions had risen sharply and necessitated the need for a "coalition" of navies to protect their ships through the strait. His words were underlined by the seizure of the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Gulf.  Elaborating on the plans, US Central Command described it on Friday night as "a multinational maritime effort", called Operation Sentinel. "The goal of Operation Sentinel is to promote maritime stability, ensure safe passage, and de-escalate tensions in international waters throughout the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (BAM) and the Gulf of Oman.  "This maritime security framework will enable nations to provide escort to their flagged vessels while taking advantage of the cooperation of participating nations for coordination and enhanced maritime domain awareness and surveillance." British oil tanker seized in the Gulf The US had the day before been forced to down an Iranian drone that had flown too close to one of its navy ships. It could no longer sit idly by, he said. It was the first US military engagement with Iran after a series of increasingly serious incidents in the Gulf, and Donald Trump threatened more yesterday if Iranian planes flew too closely to its ships. Before the hijacking on Friday, a bizarre war of words broke out between the US and Iran after Tehran denied the president's claim that one of its drones had been destroyed. "We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS [Unmanned Aerial System] by mistake," Abbas Araqchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, responded in a tweet. Iran tensions | Read more Brig Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi added: "Despite Trump's baseless and delusional claims, all of [Iran's] drones ... have safely returned to their bases." The Revolutionary Guard released footage from what it said was the "downed drone". State TV claimed the timing notations showed it was still filming after Washington said it had been put out of action. The US said it had its own "clear evidence", but did not provide any. Mr Trump announced that the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, "took defensive action" against the Iranian drone. "The US reserves the right to defend our personnel, our facilities and interests and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran's attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce," he said. A journalist aboard USS Boxer suggested that Iran had been harassing the navy ship before the drone was shot down. Iran released footage from what it said was the "downed drone" Credit: AFP The reporter said an Iranian navy helicopter flew alongside them, yards from the deck, before it was chased away by a US helicopter. The convoy of six US warships passed several Iranian speedboats without incident, but was then tailed by a larger Iranian warship which came within 500 yards of Boxer. An Iranian Y-12 surveillance plane was then pursued by US helicopters before a surveillance drone came even closer and was then brought down by electronic warfare jamming. On Friday night, after reports that two British tankers had been intercepted, Bob Sanguinetti, chief executive of the UK's Chamber of Shipping, said the escalation in tensions in one of the world's most important chokepoints made it clear more protection for merchant vessels was urgently needed. He said the action was "in violation of international regulations which protect ships and their crews as they go about their legitimate business".

Iran Guards seize British-flagged tanker in Strait of Hormuz Posted: 19 Jul 2019 05:14 PM PDT Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Friday they had seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for breaking "international maritime rules" as tensions mount in the highly sensitive waterway. Britain however said Iran had seized two ships in the Gulf, with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warning of "serious consequences" if the issue was not resolved quickly. The latest incident came as President Donald Trump insisted Friday that the US military had downed an Iranian drone that was threatening an American naval vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, despite denials from Tehran.

'Horrific for all': Pentagon intelligence chief says Iran does not want war Posted: 19 Jul 2019 04:19 PM PDT A U.S. Marines helicopter takes off from the flight deck of the USS Boxer during its transit through Strait of Hormuz. ASPEN, Colo. — As tensions in the Persian Gulf continued to ramp up on Friday afternoon amid news that Iran had seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Army Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, concluded that Iran does not want to start a war with the U.S. or its allies. Answering a question posed by CNN national security correspondent Jim Sciutto in Aspen, Colo., about the latest incident, Ashley declined to give a specific response to the news, but later said that none of the United States' major adversaries or competitors, including Iran, China and Russia, wants to start a war.

Officials: US putting troops back in Saudi Arabia Posted: 19 Jul 2019 03:39 PM PDT Officials say the U.S. is sending several hundred troops as well as aircraft and air defense missiles to Saudi Arabia to counter Iran. Some U.S. troops already have arrived at Prince Sultan Air Base, south of Riyadh. Officials say the forces are in a defensive role.

Pompeo rejects North Korean charges on military drills Posted: 19 Jul 2019 02:28 PM PDT U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has rejected charges from North Korea's Foreign Ministry that U.S. plans for military exercises with South Korea are in breach of agreements between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump. North Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday Trump had reaffirmed in a meeting with Kim last month that joint exercises would be halted and the U.S. decision to forge ahead with them was "clearly a breach" of the two leaders' agreements at a summit in Singapore last year.

'Bigger problems' for Trump than plastic straws Posted: 19 Jul 2019 02:18 PM PDT Swapping paper for plastic turned out to be the last straw for Donald Trump, who said Friday there are "bigger problems" than plastic drinking straws -- the day after his reelection campaign manager promoted branded ones on Twitter. The president made his position clear to reporters at the White House when, between questions about Iran and China, one asked him about growing efforts to ban plastic straws. "I do think we have bigger problems than plastic straws," Trump replied.

Women in Japan Fight for Their Identity — Starting With Their Name Posted: 19 Jul 2019 02:01 PM PDT (Bloomberg) -- Women in Japan are going through an identity crisis.They're fighting to overturn a law that bars married couples from having different last names, which creates complications for women who have established careers and reputations.About 600,000 Japanese couples wed every year. The law says that after marriage a couple must have the same surname. Technically, men may take their wives' family name. Yet in practice, only about 4% do. Some women say they feel like they're wiping away their identity after getting married."Being forced to change your name is nothing more than a violation of human rights," said Miki Haga, 29, who is planning to study in the U.K. this year. She legally became Miki Ishizawa two years ago when her husband didn't want to change his name.The issue roared into the public debate over the past few weeks during the campaign for the upper house, where opposition parties have made gender equality a key part of their platform against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Polling shows the LDP block on Sunday will grab the majority of open seats. If the opposition makes any major gains, it may try to use gender issues to weaken the LDP's grip on power.In a striking moment, Abe was the only person on a debate stage earlier this month who didn't raise his hand when asked about support for changing the law. His conservative party argues that the current law is equal to both men and women, and it's a matter of tradition."If you believe traditions are important, then there's no need to change the law," said Shigeharu Aoyama, an upper house LDP member. But others point out that it's not exactly an ancient tradition. Before the current law was passed in 1898, Japanese people didn't typically use surnames. In 1948, it became legal for couples to choose either spouse's surname, but they still had to stick with one.The surname issue is only one of a number of ways Japan lags behind on gender. Japan has the third-highest gender-pay gap among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Women are poorly represented in business and politics. They hold only 4% of managerial positions, 2% of seats on boards of directors and about 10% of the seats in the lower house. The MeToo movement has had difficulty gaining traction. Although Abe has ginned up support for "Womenomics" — the idea that more women working will help the overall economy — progress has been slow.A government survey released last year showed 42.5% of adults supported changing the law — about 7 percentage points higher than five years earlier — while 29.3% opposed the move.The United Nations has pressured Japan to lift the restriction on surnames. It's led to some unusual marital arrangements — even divorces on paper, while couples stay together.Others choose to live in the equivalent of a domestic partnership. Yuri Koizumi and Hiroshi Tanaka have been living together for 26 years, raising a son without getting married. Koizumi said she couldn't accept changing the name she was born with. "It's not who I am," she said. Meanwhile, Tanaka, a forest science researcher, worried about what would happen to his academic reputation if he no longer used the same name as the one on his published works.They can't take advantage of the same tax deductions as married couples. Legally, only one of them is allowed to have custody of their son. And they get tired of explaining to new friends and coworkers that they really are husband and wife, and their kids really are theirs, even though they have different last names. The situation is that uncommon in Japanese society.Courts in Japan recently have upheld the law several times. In 2015, Japan's Supreme Court said the law didn't violate the constitution. A Tokyo court earlier this year ruled against a similar challenge, and the plaintiffs plan on appealing.One of those plaintiffs is Yoshihisa Aono, the chief executive officer of software company Cybozu. He legally took his wife's last name when they married in 2001 but continued to use his birth name professionally. His shares are registered under his legal last name — Nishibata — leading to confusion among investors about why the CEO doesn't appear to own a stake in the company. And rules on which name should be on contracts vary by country.The law has prompted some people to go by their birth names in public, while using their spouse's last name on official documents. That can be tricky. Women worry about whether their academic degrees will be recognized abroad. Companies sometimes mistakenly book flights or hotel rooms for employees under the name they use in everyday life, rather than the legal name they need to use when checking in.The continued support for the law is based in part on an antiquated Japanese ideal that "individuals are second to the masses," said Toshihiko Noguchi, a lawyer for one of the plaintiffs.Abe's solution has been to encourage employers to allow workers to informally use the last names they were born with. This November, people will be allowed to list both last names on certain government ID cards, allowing them to open bank accounts or take out loans with their surname of choice.It's not seamless. Haga gets questioned at airports by border officials who don't understand why both names are listed on the passport. She tweeted her frustration, and a government official responded and pledged to publish an explanation online. She says every time she filled out another form to legally make the switch — on her bank accounts, passport, credit cards and more — a bit of herself faded. Her husband says he's sympathetic about all the paperwork she had to go through and believes the law should be changed, but he still says he wouldn't have reversed roles."My husband didn't have to do anything," Haga said. "It didn't feel fair." \--With assistance from Isabel Reynolds and Jon Herskovitz.To contact the author of this story: Marika Katanuma in Tokyo at mkatanuma@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Lisa Fleisher at lfleisher2@bloomberg.net, Jodi SchneiderFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Mnuchin, Kudlow Invite U.S. Tech Giants to Discuss Huawei Ban Posted: 19 Jul 2019 01:47 PM PDT (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's senior advisers have invited U.S. technology companies to the White House on Monday to discuss a resumption of sales to blacklisted Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co., according to people familiar with the matter.White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arranged the meeting with semiconductor and software companies because they wanted to talk about how to move forward. A person familiar with the meeting said the White House asked the companies "to discuss economic matters."Among those invited are Intel Corp. and Qualcomm Inc., according to the people. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a tentative pause in their trade war and to resume negotiations after meeting at the Group-of-20 leaders' summit in Japan on June 29. The U.S. president at the time said he would loosen restrictions on Huawei and that China had agreed to make agricultural purchases.The White House meeting is an effort to show China that Trump is serious about allowing U.S. companies to resume business with Huawei and encourage Beijing to move forward with buying more from U.S. farmers, one of the people said.Farm GoodsChina has told the Trump administration that it would only follow through on the farm purchases once the president issues export licenses for American companies to continue shipments to Huawei. The Commerce Department is leading the process, and has said it will only grant exceptions in cases where there's no threat to national security.U.S. companies had halted shipments after the U.S. added Huawei to a trade blacklist in May, though some have resumed certain sales after reviewing the terms of the ban.Some in the U.S. administration are arguing for America to cut off Huawei from American suppliers entirely for national security reasons, and their view is supported by China hawks on Capitol Hill.White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said earlier this month that Trump is allowing the sale to Huawei of "low grade" chips that aren't a security risk. The administration will ensure the Chinese telecom company won't end up dominating 5G infrastructure in the U.S., Navarro told CNN.Chipmaker FortunesHuawei is one of the world's biggest purchasers of semiconductors. Continuing access to Chinese customers is crucial to the fortunes of chipmakers such as Intel, Qualcomm and Broadcom Inc.Some U.S.-based makers of the vital electronic components have already reported earnings and given forecasts that show the negative effects of the trade dispute. They've argued that their financial health is crucial to U.S. leadership of a strategically important industry.Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer spoke by phone with their Chinese counterparts about trade on Thursday. Mnuchin has said if the talks progress over the phone, he and Lighthizer may travel to Beijing for in-person meetings.Trump said on Friday that the call with Chinese officials a day earlier was "very good" but that they'll "see what happens."The Washington Post reported earlier that U.S. technology companies planned to meet Kudlow at the White House on Monday.\--With assistance from Mark Bergen.To contact the reporters on this story: Jenny Leonard in Washington at jleonard67@bloomberg.net;Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net;Todd Shields in Washington at tshields3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Margaret Collins at mcollins45@bloomberg.net, Sarah McGregor, Andrew PollackFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Iran seizes 2 vessels as Strait of Hormuz conflict escalates Posted: 19 Jul 2019 01:45 PM PDT A U.K. oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was seized by Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Friday, the military branch said, claiming the vessel was operating against "international maritime laws and regulations."

Trump: Sen. Rand Paul to help with Iran negotiations Posted: 19 Jul 2019 01:36 PM PDT The Kentucky Republican has long been an opponent of U.S. intervention in Iran.

UPDATE 1-Britain says seizure of two vessels by Iran is unacceptable Posted: 19 Jul 2019 01:15 PM PDT Britain said Iran's seizure of a British-flagged vessel and a Liberian-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was unacceptable and called for freedom of navigation in the Gulf. "I'm extremely concerned by the seizure of two vessels by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz," Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said. "I will shortly attend a COBR (national security) meeting to review what we know and what we can do to swiftly secure the release of the two vessels - a British-flagged vessel and a Liberian-flagged vessel," he said.

Britain says seizure of two vessels by Iran is unacceptable Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:52 PM PDT Britain said Iran's seizure of a British-flagged vessel and a Liberian-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was unacceptable and called for freedom of navigation in the Gulf. "I'm extremely concerned by the seizure of two naval vessels by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz," Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.

Seized British-flagged tanker in Gulf had turned off its tracker, ignored warnings - IRNA Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:32 PM PDT The British-flagged tanker seized by Iran's elite forces on Friday had turned off its tracker and ignored warnings from the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's state news agency IRNA quoted a military source as saying. "The tanker had turned off its tracker and ignored several warnings by the Guards before being captured," an unnamed military source told IRNA.

Iran Seizes British Oil Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:32 PM PDT The incident, involving two foreign ships, comes a day after Iran seized another tanker and the U.S. claimed to have downed an Iranian drone.

Iran Seizes British Oil Tanker, Escalating Tensions With Western Powers Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:23 PM PDT GIUSEPPE CACACEIran's military seized a British tanker in the Persian Gulf on Friday, further ratcheting up the tensions between Tehran and Western powers in the Persian Gulf. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced via state-run news outlets that it had seized the British tanker Stena Impero "for failing to respect international maritime rules."The seizure comes as an apparent response to Britain's detention of an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar in early July and comes on the heels of a series of alleged Iranian attacks on Japanese, European, and Middle Eastern tankers in the Gulf of Oman. British officials told reporters that they are "urgently seeking further information and assessing the situation." A British official told The Daily Beast that the incident is currently being discussed at the highest levels of the British government. Separately, Defense Department officials confirmed to CNN that Iran had captured a second tanker on Friday, the MV Mesdar, a Liberian-flagged vessel. As Iran-U.S. Tensions Rise, Hezbollah Readies for War With IsraelBefore Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the seizure on Friday, vessel tracking data showed the Stena Impero diverting off course and towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, home to a number of IRGC-N facilities. A statement posted to the website of Stena Bulk and Northern Marine Management, the ship's owner, said the Stena Impero "was approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters." The company said there are 23 crew members aboard the ship at present.Earlier this week, Iran announced that it had seized another tanker, the MT Riah, after it disappeared and was last seen heading towards Qeshm. The Riah had been owned by a United Arab Emirates company but Emirati officials denied that the Riah was owned or operated by Emirati entities. Iranian officials claimed to have seized the vessel after it allegedly engaged in oil smuggling. The British tanker incident follows a series of Iranian threats to retaliate against the U.K. for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar in early July. Royal Marines boarded the Grace 1 tanker on the grounds that it was allegedly delivering oil to the Assad regime in violation of European Union sanctions. Iran denied that the tanker was headed for Syria and demanded its release. A Gibraltar court ruled on Friday that the ship must stay detained for at least another month. In the wake of the seizure, senior Iranian military and political officials vowed retaliation against the U.K. for taking the Grace 1. Iran's top military officer, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said the British seizure "will not go unanswered" and that Iran would respond "at an appropriate time and place." President Hassan Rouhani also threatened that the U.K. "will realize the consequences later" for its actions. On Wednesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei renewed the threats and said Iran "will not leave such evil deeds unanswered."Iran appeared to try and make good on those threats in early July when IRGC Navy (IRGC-N) vessels harassed a BP tanker, British Heritage, as it sailed by the Iranian island of Abu Musa. IRGC-N boats tried to stop the tanker before a British Navy frigate, HMS Montrose, trained its guns on the boats and ordered them to move away. Before the incident, the British Heritage had anchored off the coast of Saudi Arabia, wary of sailing the Gulf in light of Iranian threats to British shipping. Those anxieties are shared among British shippers who have watched the escalating tensions between the U.K. and Iran with concern. Britain's department of transport raised its threat level for vessels in the Gulf to "critical" while maritime organizations have urged shippers not to escalate the threat by hiring armed private security contractors to guard their ships. The U.K. announced earlier this week that it would send an additional warship to the Gulf, the HMS Duncan, a guided missile destroyer, to provide security for its vessels.In May, following the announcement of an expedited deployment of U.S. warships and bombers to the Gulf, six tankers were attacked by apparent limpet mines in two separate incidents off the coast of the United Arab Emirates Fujairah port and in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. blamed Iran naval commandos for both attacks and released footage of Iranian troops removing a device from the hull of a ship that had recently been attacked. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Iran Guards say they confiscated British tanker in Strait of Hormuz Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:22 PM PDT Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced Friday they had confiscated a British tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz for breaking "international maritime rules". The Stena Impero tanker "was confiscated by the Revolutionary Guards at the request of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Organisation when passing through the strait of Hormuz, for failing to respect international maritime rules," the Guards' official website Sepahnews announced.

Second tanker in Gulf turns sharply towards Iran, Refinitiv data shows Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:06 PM PDT A second oil tanker, the British-operated, Liberian-flagged Mesdar, turned sharply north towards Iran's coast on Friday afternoon after passing westward through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf, according to Refinitiv tracking data. The turn took place at about 1600 GMT, the data showed, about 40 minutes after a similar course shift by the Stena Impero tanker that Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had captured. There was no immediate word from the Guards about the second tanker or from the operator of the second tanker on what had prompted the change in direction along the vital international oil shipping route.

Mueller probe witness now faces child sex trafficking charge Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:04 PM PDT A businessman who served as a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation now faces a charge of child sex trafficking in addition to transporting child pornography. An indictment made public Friday in federal court in Alexandria charges Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, 60, with transporting a 14-year-old boy from Europe to Washington, D.C., in February 2000 and engaging in sex acts with him. It details his efforts to serve as liaison between a Russian banker close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and members of President Donald Trump's transition team.

Russia's Military Is Transforming (And Getting Stronger) Right Before Our Eyes Posted: 19 Jul 2019 12:00 PM PDT At a meeting of the military-industrial commission in Moscow in September 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin had instructed the Ministry of Defense to organize work on the creation of the Military Innovative Technopolis ERA (MIT ERA).In an age of cyber security and artificial intelligence, it is only fair to assume that the technological sophistication of warfare has been upgraded as well. Russia has made headlines for orchestrating an international campaign of information warfare, courtesy of allegations of election interference in the 2016 U.S presidential elections.For the last few years, Russia has been focusing a great deal on developing its military technology. In an age of technological supremacy, the decisionmaking risk calculus has escalated, and Russia's maritime strategy is now focused on a new doctrine of sophisticated military capabilities.As Russia expands its geopolitical sphere of influence, there is no doubt that the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House are keeping a close eye on Russia's military innovations.So, what does Russia's military innovation policy look like?For one, some Russian analysts like it to a startup analogy, where Russia is a venture capitalist and is ready to pour in money into the newest technology on the block. The military infrastructure in Moscow is clearly championing breakthroughs in military technology through start-up style disruption.The Russian military with firm Russian characteristics, that is fear of Western domination, epitomizes institutional flexibility. Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of General Staff of the Russian armed forces has made military innovation his priority.

Lebanon lawmakers ratify austerity budget to address a slump Posted: 19 Jul 2019 11:55 AM PDT Lebanese lawmakers ratified Friday a controversial austerity budget that aims to save an indebted economy following a raucous voting day that saw protesters attempting to breach the parliament security zone. The austerity budget, which increased income and import taxes and suspended early retirement schemes for three years, fell short of expectations. Instead, protesters and opponents said it focused on cutting expenditures and raising taxes that transfers the cost to the average citizen.

UPDATE 1-Trump tells France's Macron U.S. concerned with proposed digital services tax Posted: 19 Jul 2019 11:45 AM PDT U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday and expressed concerns about the country's proposed digital services tax, the White House said. The two leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. Trump ordered an investigation on Wednesday into France's planned tax on technology companies, a move that could lead the United States to impose new tariffs or other trade restrictions.

Trump tells France's Macron U.S. concerned with proposed digital services tax Posted: 19 Jul 2019 11:42 AM PDT U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday and expressed concerns about the country's proposed digital services tax, the White House said. The two leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. Trump ordered an investigation on Wednesday into France's planned tax on technology companies, a move that could lead the United States to impose new tariffs or other trade restrictions.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seizes British-flagged, Liberian-flagged tankers in Strait of Hormuz Posted: 19 Jul 2019 11:36 AM PDT Iran's paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have seized a British-flagged and a Liberian-flagged oil tanker traveling through the Straight of Hormuz on Thursday, Britain's foreign secretary said, in what appeared to be a significant new escalation between Tehran and Western countries. Late Friday, a management company for the Liberian tanker, Mesdar announced in a statement that "the armed guards have left and the vessel is free to continue the voyage.

British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in escalation of Gulf tensions as second ship also veers off course Posted: 19 Jul 2019 11:07 AM PDT A British-flagged oil tanker was seized by Iran on Friday night, in a major escalation of tensions along one of the world's most vital oil shipping routes. The Stena Impero had been en route to Saudi Arabia but made an abrupt change of course and began moving towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, according to data relayed by maritime tracking services. The ship "went dark", meaning its identification system was turned off, at 16:29 UK time and nothing has been heard from her or her 23 crew since. Northern Marine, a Clyde-based subsidiary of the ship's Swedish owner Stena AB, confirmed that a "hostile action" had preceded the vessel's change of course on Friday afternoon. They issued a statement saying it had been "approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters." The ship turned suddenly into Iranian waters Credit: marinetraffic.com/PA Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement that they stopped the tanker at the request of the maritime authority in the Iranian province of Hormozgan on suspicion it has "violated international maritime law", but did not elaborate.  There were also concerns about a second oil tanker, the British-operated, Liberian-flagged Mesdar, which turned sharply north towards Iran's coast, about 40 minutes after the Stena Impero's course shift. There was no immediate word from the Guards about the second tanker or from the operator of the second tanker on what had prompted the change in direction along the vital international oil shipping route. Tracking data showed the Stena Impero was in the same area where a United Arab Emirates-based vessel was detained on Sunday and where a British vessel, the British Heritage, was blocked by Iranian forces earlier this month. A Cobra meeting was held between officials from the Foreign Office, Ministry of Defence and other Government departments on Friday night to determine the UK's response. A Whitehall source told the Telegraph of the Stena Impero: "It does look like it has been hijacked. Ships don't follow that pattern. It turned right and straight into Iranian waters. It is really concerning that this has happened. "It looks on the face of it as though the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have boarded and taken a UK-flagged ship. It appears to be linked to events around the Grace 1 tanker." British authorities seized the Iranian Grace 1 supertanker off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4, on suspicion it was carrying crude to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. The fate of the tanker has been at the centre of escalating tensions between the UK and Iran and seen as a pawn in the standoff between the Islamic Republic and the West. Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, had hinted last Saturday that the UK would release the ship if Iran promised its cargo would not go to the Syrian regime. He said talks between him and counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif had been productive. However, a court in Gibraltar on Friday extended for 30 days the detention of the vessel, which was carrying two million barrels of oil. Revolutionary Guards have been threatening retaliation for its impounding and the move would likely have aggravated an already-tense situation. Tensions have been building for weeks in the Persian Gulf.  On 10 July, a British warship, the HMS Montrose, intervened to drive three Iranian military vessels that were attempting to divert the British Heritage.  Iran seized a Panama-flagged ship on Sunday, it alleges, for "smuggling oil to foreign countries". However, mystery has surrounded the capture as no country has come forward to claim the ship or its cargo. The vessel, however, was only carrying a very small amount and it had been thought Iran had seized it as merely a show of strength. The US then on Thursday claimed to have downed an Iranian drone that had been flying too close to one of its navy ships.  The USS Boxer, an amphibious assault craft, destroyed the drone after it came within 1,000 yards in the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance to the Gulf However, Iran denied the claims and released footage on state TV to proof it was still in possession of the drone. The latest incidents will only increase fears for security along the Strait of Hormuz, through which almost one-fifth of the world's oil passes. Oil prices rose on Friday night in reaction to the news. After one of the worst performing weeks since May, oil started the day firmer but slipped as the US and Iran continued to trade brickbats. The later rise initially still left it well down on the previous week. Oil was down more than 8pc this week overall when markets in London closed.   Iran has threatened to close the Strait if it cannot export its oil. The Trump administration is trying to block Iran's exports as a way to pressure it to renegotiate the landmark 2015 nuclear deal it abandoned last year. The UK, which is understood to have seized the Grace 1 after a request from the US, is trying - alongside the EU - to keep the accord alive, believing it is the best chance to stop Tehran acquiring a nuclear weapon.

EU plans to offer Boris Johnson a no-deal Brexit extension- The Guardian Posted: 19 Jul 2019 10:42 AM PDT The European Union is preparing to offer Boris Johnson, the favourite to be Britain's next prime minister, a no-deal Brexit extension beyond October 31, the Guardian newspaper reported on Friday. "It will be described as a technical delay to save Boris from political embarrassment but then we will have time to find an agreement," a senior EU diplomat told the newspaper http://bit.ly/2xWScq9. Johnson could maintain the stance of being on course to leave EU without an agreement while keeping open the option of coming to a deal with the bloc, according to the proposal cited by the Guardian.

Drone targets base for Iran-backed militia in northern Iraq Posted: 19 Jul 2019 10:31 AM PDT An unmanned drone dropped explosives on a base belonging to Iran-backed paramilitary forces in northern Iraq early Friday, wounding two people, Iraqi security officials and a military statement said, amid regional tensions between the United States and Iran. The statement said the drone dropped two grenades half an hour apart on the base in Amirli, in Iraq's northern Salaheddin province. A senior official with the militias known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces told The Associated Press that the attack resulted in the wounding of two Iranians and that the base hit housed advisers from Iran and Lebanon.

Trump Bemoans Request to ‘Get Involved’ in Seoul-Tokyo Dispute Posted: 19 Jul 2019 10:26 AM PDT (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump said South Korean President Moon Jae-in had asked for his help mediating a dispute with Japan's government, and bemoaned the fresh demand on his time."I said, 'How many things do I have to get involved in?"' Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. "I'm involved with North Korea, I'm involved with so many different things. We just did a trade deal, a great trade deal with South Korea, but he tells me that they have a lot of friction going on now with respect to trade."Tensions are rising between Seoul and Tokyo over recent South Korean court rulings holding Japanese companies liable for compensation for forced labor at colonial-era mines and factories. The two countries have a long history of bitterness over Japan's treatment of South Koreans during its occupation of the country leading up to World War Two."It's like a full-time job, getting involved between Japan and South Korea," Trump said. "But I like both leaders, I like President Moon, and you know how I feel about Prime Minister Abe, a very special guy also."Japan's foreign minister, Taro Kono, threatened "necessary measures" against South Korea earlier on Friday if the dispute isn't resolved, without elaborating. The remarks came the day after a deadline set by Tokyo for Seoul to name an arbitrator. Japan earlier this month placed export restrictions on specialized materials vital for South Korea's tech industry."If they need me, I'm there," Trump said. "Hopefully, they can work it out, but they do have tension, there's no question about it, trade tension."To contact the reporters on this story: Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.net;Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at ireynolds1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin BlumFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Kosovo’s Premier Unexpectedly Resigns to Appear at War Crimes Court Posted: 19 Jul 2019 09:54 AM PDT (Bloomberg) -- Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said he was stepping down from his post after he was summoned again as a suspect to the international war-crimes tribunal in The Hague.His unexpected resignation Friday will trigger early elections in Kosovo, which is still struggling to win worldwide international recognition that's needed to unlock its future."Governments and powers are interchangeable -- we live in a democracy," Haradinaj said on Facebook, adding he was stepping down because "I have been called on to appear for questioning as a suspect" by the court next week. He said it was now up to President Hashim Thaci and political parties to set the date for a snap ballot.This is the second time he's resigned from the position of premier. He did so first in 2005, when the tribunal indicted him of war crimes. He was acquitted twice on lack of evidence. Thaci, who like Haradinaj was once leader in the Kosovo Liberation Army that fought for independence against Serbia, said on Facebook that his advisor Bismil Zyrapi and "several other former KLA officers" were also called to The Hague.Prime minister since 2017, Haradinaj has been one of Kosovo's most popular politicians. His support has soared since last year after he imposed 100% import tariffs on all Serb goods in response to its neighbors success in blocking it from joining Interpol.Despite pressure from international leaders who say the levies are hurting chances to mend ties, Haradinaj has vowed to keep them in place until Serbia recognized Kosovo's independence. His resignation may unblock the stalled talks between Kosovo and Serbia, as other leaders, including Thaci, appear more favorable toward dropping them.KLA OfficersSerbia, backed by Russia and China, refuses to recognize Kosovo and has blocked its efforts to join the United Nations and other international institutions. The two sides must improve relations to progress toward membership in the European Union.Serb President Aleksandar Vucic, who served as Information Minister to the late strongman Slobodan Milosevic, and Thaci have floated the idea of redrawing the borders between the two countries. That plan has run into fierce opposition from politicians in the EU for its potentially explosive impact in a region still recovering from Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II.Tension with Serbia and Kosovo's majority Albanians has simmered for all of the 20th century, culminating in a 1998-99 war. Fighting was halted by a NATO bombing campaign that drove Serb forces out of Kosovo at the end of June 1999. About 3,600 international soldiers have remained to keep the peace. Both Serbs and Kosovars have been accused of war crimes.More than a half of Kosovo's citizens, frustrated with slow progress toward EU entry and years of delays of visa liberalization, unemployment and corruption, believe their country is on the wrong track, according to a survey conducted by the National Democratic Institute in March. A majority of Kosovo's youth would leave the country if they had the chance, the survey showed, a trend also seen in other Balkan countries, including Serbia.(Updates with Thaci's comment from fourth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Gordana Filipovic in Belgrade at gfilipovic@bloomberg.net;Jasmina Kuzmanovic in Zagreb at jkuzmanovic@bloomberg.net;Misha Savic in Belgrade at msavic2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Michael WinfreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

U.S. Wants to Hear From Top Iran Leaders After Downing of Drone Posted: 19 Jul 2019 09:48 AM PDT (Bloomberg) -- The Trump administration wants to hear directly from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani or Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, about whether the Islamic Republic is interested in negotiations, a U.S. official said.The official spoke to reporters in Washington Friday amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. President Donald Trump said Thursday the U.S. "immediately destroyed" an Iranian drone that approached the USS Boxer near the Strait of Hormuz, but officials in Tehran denied losing one.Iran and the U.S. have been at loggerheads since last year, when Trump withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear agreement he called the "worst deal ever." In May, the administration refused to extend waivers to eight governments for Iranian oil purchases, ratcheting up the pressure on the country's already battered economy.Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Thursday told reporters at the Iranian mission to the United Nations that he's willing to meet with U.S. senators to discuss possible ways out of the nuclear dispute with the Trump administration, according to the New York Times. But he also said Iran's escalation of its nuclear enrichment program could be reversed if the U.S. drops sanctions that Trump imposed after withdrawing from the nuclear agreement.'Tremendous Problems'The Trump administration doesn't believe Zarif has significant decision-making authority, the official said. That's why the administration wants to hear from Rouhani or the supreme leader."We are starting to see the Iranians signal that they are willing to come to the negotiating table," Sigal Mandelker, the Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Friday at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. "Whether those are the right signals is an open question."Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that he's in no hurry for a deal, as Iran is having "tremendous problems" because of U.S. sanctions. "We can do something quickly or we can take our time," he said. "I'm in no rush."While U.S. officials say they're open to talks without preconditions, Iran's government wants some easing of the sanctions that have crippled oil sales and undermined its economy. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has laid out a list of 12 conditions he says Iran will have to meet before sanctions are lifted.Iran's economy has been crippled by the ratcheting up of U.S. sanctions that have restricted the OPEC member's oil sales, fueled inflation and undermined domestic support for Rouhani's government.Sanctions against Iran are working "without a doubt," as the country doesn't have revenue to develop its ballistic missile program or to support Syria, Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Mandelker said.War ConcernsFears of a new Middle East war climbed after a recent spate of attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, the downing of an American drone and the British seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian oil."We hope for their sake they don't do anything foolish," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.The U.S. announcement on the Iranian drone was the latest sign of tension.Countering Tehran's denial that an Iranian drone was downed, the U.S. official said the Trump administration has clear evidence for its assessment and added that it may release video of the incident later."There's no question that this was an Iranian drone," U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters at the White House on Friday.‪Iran's state-run Press TV aired what it said was aerial video captured by the Iranian drone. The video shows close-ups and birds-eye view images of the USS Boxer, according to Press TV.The time code on the video shows that drone was still operating and surveilling the vessel after the time Trump claimed it was shot down and destroyed, Press TV said, citing the IRGC.The drone was a threat to the U.S. amphibious assault ship and its crew, Trump said at the White House on Thursday. The president said he was calling "on other nations to protect their ships as they go through the Strait."Also Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department said it's imposing sanctions on Salman Raouf Salman, a senior member of Hezbollah, which the U.S. says is backed by Iran.The U.S. said Salman coordinated an attack in Buenos Aires 25 years ago against the largest Jewish center in South American, killing 85 people and wounding hundreds more. The U.S. also offered a $7 million reward for providing his whereabouts.(Updates with Trump, Bolton comments starting in 12th paragraph.)\--With assistance from Golnar Motevalli and Josh Wingrove.To contact the reporters on this story: Margaret Talev in Washington at mtalev@bloomberg.net;Alyza Sebenius in Aspen, Colorado at asebenius@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum, Bill FariesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Ivanka Trump and senior Republicans distance themselves from rally chants of 'send her back' Posted: 19 Jul 2019 09:38 AM PDT Ivanka Trump and senior Republicans on Friday appeared to be trying to distance themselves from the chants of "send her back" at Donald Trump's North Carolina rally, as the Republican party struggled to draw a line under a controversial week. Mr Trump on Friday afternoon defended the crowd in North Carolina, who launched into the chants. "Those are incredible people, incredible patriots," he said. Asked whether he was unhappy with the tweets and the row, he replied: "You know what I'm unhappy with? I'm unhappy that a Congresswoman can say anti-Semitic things. I'm unhappy that another Congresswoman can hate our country." The chants against Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar, which sprung up at the Wednesday night event, sparked outrage around the world. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, joined Theresa May and Justin Trudeau, Canada's leader, in condemning the rhetoric. "Without question, I reject [Trump's comments] and stand in solidarity with the congresswomen he targeted," said Mrs Merkel. Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, also made a thinly veiled reference to the chant while giving a speech on extremism. "I know what it's like to be told to go back to where I came from, and I don't think they mean Rochdale," he said. Ilhan Omar and her colleagues in "The Squad" Mr Trump noted on Twitter on Friday that the US media was "crazed" with the issue, and yet, he claimed, was "totally calm & accepting of the most vile and disgusting statements made by the three Radical Left Congresswomen". After a week of silence from Ms Trump, The New York Times reported on Friday that she had been uncomfortable with the chants, and that she had urged her father on Thursday morning to reject them. Senior Republicans were also reported to have told Mike Pence, the vice president, that they wanted the US president to publicly condemn the 13 seconds of yelling. On Thursday afternoon he did eventually say he did not approve of the chanting. Republicans have been notably quiet about the row, which was sparked when Mr Trump tweeted a week ago that Ms Omar and three progressive Democratic colleagues, known as The Squad, should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came". Several, including Kevin McCarthy, leader of the Republicans in the House, have condemned the chants. But few have actually spoken out against the tweets that caused the week of controversy. Kellyanne Conway, senior advisor to the president, raised eyebrows when, asked about the tweets and chants, she retorted to the reporter: "What's your ethnicity?" And America has spent the past week debating whether Mr Trump's comments were racist. In Virginia, a sign appeared outside the Friendship Baptist Church in Appomattox on Friday, saying: "America: love it or leave it." Pastor E. W. Lucas, in charge of the church, said he put the sign up "to make some remarks regarding the situation in Washington." He continued: "Preachers, by and large, today, are afraid they're gonna hurt somebody's feelings. When I get in the pulpit, I'm afraid I won't hurt somebody's feelings."

The Amazon Is Brazil’s, Not Yours, Bolsonaro Tells Europeans Posted: 19 Jul 2019 09:04 AM PDT (Bloomberg) -- Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attacked the "environmental psychosis" of European leaders concerned over his administration's plans to develop the Amazon rainforest, and insisted that the numbers showing sharply increased rates of deforestation were "lies.""The Amazon is Brazil's -- not yours," he said Friday at a meeting with foreign journalists at the presidential palace in Brasilia. Questioned over numbers from Brazil's National Institute of Space Research, INPE, showing an 88% rise in deforestation between June 2018 and June 2019, he said the data was false and that he would summon the head of the institute for an explanation.Bolsonaro defended his government's plans to develop the region and invited other countries to work with Brazil to exploit its biodiversity. He reiterated his invitation to France's President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to fly over the Amazon in order to show them how much remained untouched. European leaders have repeatedly expressed concern over Bolsonaro's environmental policies. Irish and French lawmakers have threatened to scuttle the European Union's recent trade deal with Mercosur unless there are significant changes to Brazil's current practices.Also on Friday, local news magazine Veja published an interview with a member of a self-described eco-extremism group that announced plans to kill the president over his environmental policies. Bolsonaro played down its significance. "There's always going to be the risk of an attack on me or any other global leader," he said.Stimulus MeasuresWith the Brazilian economy teetering on the brink of another recession and unemployment still in double-digits, Bolsonaro said that pension reform was just a first step toward improving its prospects, but that the government does not have the power to create jobs. He also spoke in favor of plans to simplify the tax system to make Brazil an easier place to do business.On the question of inequality, Bolsonaro criticized the "populist claim" that some Brazilians are going hungry. "It's a great lie," he said. "You don't see skeletal people in the street like you do in other countries. Brazil has become the country of benefits," he said, in reference to social assistance programs like Bolsa Familia.To contact the reporter on this story: Simone Iglesias in Brasília at spiglesias@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, ;Walter Brandimarte at wbrandimarte@bloomberg.net, Bruce DouglasFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

What One Famous Yale Professor Would Have Said About a War with Iran Posted: 19 Jul 2019 08:18 AM PDT Yet Iran falls woefully short of hegemonic status. Iranians certainly long for the glory days when the Persian Empire bestrode the Middle East and South Asia and, for a time, even threatened to bring Europe under the Great Kings' suzerainty. Contemporary Iran is no Persia. When pondering some strategic quandary you can get oriented by postulating what the greats in the field would say about it. What they said or wrote about roughly similar circumstances furnishes clues to what they might say about today's strategic conundrums. This is the beginning of wisdom. The classics seldom furnish ready-made solutions. They almost always furnish a platform for launching into original thought.Yes, you have to be humble when extrapolating from someone else's words. Time, technology, and human society march on, and it's hard to say for sure what some figure from the past would make of material and social trends since then. And yes, avoid treating their writings as gospel. To be great is not to be infallible. Sometimes sages get things wrong—even in their own time.Still, situations rhyme between ages while principles endure. Ideas from the strategic canon retain their power to help posterity make sense of today's controversies. Case in point: Iran is much in the headlines of late. What would the legendary geopolitics scholar, Yale professor Nicholas Spykman, say about the sputtering confrontation between the United States and Iran?(This first appeared in June 2019.)

Kiev offers to swap jailed Russia journalist for filmmaker Sentsov Posted: 19 Jul 2019 08:01 AM PDT Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday offered to hand Moscow a detained Russian state media journalist in exchange for Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov who is behind bars in a Russian Arctic penal colony. Russia and Ukraine are in the midst of sensitive talks on a prisoner exchange following the first-ever phone call between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. Filmmaker Sentsov, Ukraine's most famous political prisoner, is serving a 20-year sentence in a Russian penal colony for planning "terrorist attacks" in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Egypt: At least 20 killed in airstrikes in northern Sinai Posted: 19 Jul 2019 07:45 AM PDT EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Egyptian security officials say airstrikes targeting Islamic militants are underway in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 20 insurgents. Officials said that Egypt's air force on Friday hit more than 100 mountainous hideouts of militant groups in the city of El-Arish and the small town of Bir al-Abd. The airstrikes come on the heels of a suicide bombing attack that left two killed, including a soldier and a civilian Thursday in the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid.

UPDATE 1-U.S. will shoot down any Iranian drones that fly 'too close' to its ships, official says Posted: 19 Jul 2019 07:44 AM PDT The United States will destroy any Iranian drones that fly "too close" to its ships in the Strait of Hormuz and has evidence that it shot down a drone on Thursday, a senior Trump administration official said on Friday. Iran dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump's assertion that the U.S. Navy destroyed one of its drones. Iran said all of its unmanned planes were accounted for, amid growing international concern that both sides could blunder into a war in the Gulf.

US targets senior Hezbollah operative with sanctions Posted: 19 Jul 2019 07:44 AM PDT The United States is targeting a senior operative of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group with sanctions as part of its pressure campaign against Tehran. The government is also issuing a $7 million reward for information leading to the capture of the operative, Salman Rauf Salman. The action by the Treasury Department falls on the 25th anniversary of an attack Salman is said to have coordinated on a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Iran claims US shot down its own drone by mistake Posted: 19 Jul 2019 07:43 AM PDT Iran and the US were locked in a bizarre war of words on Friday, after Tehran denied President Donald Trump's claim that a US Navy ship had "destroyed" an Iranian drone. Mr Trump said on Thursday that the drone had flown to within 1,000 yards of the USS Boxer and had ignored "multiple calls to stand down" in the latest episode to stir tensions in the Gulf. It was the first US military engagement with Iran following a series of increasingly serious incidents and the Trump administrator threatened more yesterday if Iranian planes flew too closely to its ships. Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, responded in a tweet this morning: We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS by mistake!— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 19, 2019 Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, an Iranian armed forces spokesman, added: "Despite Trump's baseless and delusional claims, all of (Iran's) drones... have safely returned to their bases." Revolutionary Guards released footage from what it said was the downed drone. State TV, which broadcast it, claimed the timing notations showed it was still filming after Washington said it had been put out of action. The US said it had its own "clear evidence", but it was not forthcoming. Mr Trump announced that the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, "took defensive action" against the Iranian drone as it was "threatening the safety of the ship and the ship's crew." "The United States reserves the right to defend our personnel, our facilities and interests and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran's attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce," he said. A first-hand account from a journalist aboard the Boxer suggested that Iran had been harassing the navy ship before the drone was shot down. US President Donald Trump meets with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Washington on July 18 Credit: REX A Wall Street Journal reporter said that an unarmed Iranian navy Bell 212 helicopter flew alongside them, yards away from the deck, before it was chased away by a US helicopter. The convoy of six US warships passed numerous Iranian speedboats without incident, but was then tailed by a larger Iranian warship which closed to within 500 yards of the Boxer. An Iranian Y-12 surveillance plane was then pursued by US helicopters before a surveillance drone came even closer and was then brought down by electronic warfare jamming. A series of attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf has ratcheted up tensions between the US and Iran Credit: AP It came as a court in Gibraltar extended for 30 days the detention of an Iranian supertanker suspected of breaching European Union sanctions.  The fate of the Grace 1 has been at the centre of escalating tensions between the UK and Iran and seen as a pawn in the standoff between the Islamic Republic and the West. Gibraltar denies that it was ordered to detain the vessel, which was carrying up to 2.1 million barrels of oil, but several diplomatic sources said the US asked the UK to seize it. Tehran has threatened retaliation if its vessel was not released.  The decision suggested talks between Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, his Iranian counterpart, were not progressing. Iran could decide to further disturb western shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world's crude is shipped through, if it feels Britain has not played "fair". Meanwhile, the Iraqi army said an unmanned aircraft dropped explosives on a base belonging to Iran-linked Shia paramilitary groups in northern Iraq on Friday morning, killing at least one person. It was reported that ballistic missiles were being stored at the base, located in Salahuddin province. No one claimed the hit, but the target suggested either Islamic State or Israel could be responsible. While Israel has carried out such strikes against Iranian arms depots in Syria, it would be the first time in Iraq.

George Nader, Witness in Mueller Probe, Hit With New Charges of Sex Trafficking Posted: 19 Jul 2019 07:40 AM PDT Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photo GettyGeorge Nader, who was a key witness in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, was hit with new federal charges of sex trafficking for allegedly "engaging in sexual acts" with a 14-year-old boy he transported from Europe. An indictment unsealed Friday morning in Eastern District of Virginia also charges Nader with counts of child pornography and obscenity. The charges come on top of separate child-porn charges leveled by the same prosecutors last month. Nader pleaded not guilty to all charges during a court appearance Friday. Nader, a 60-year-old Lebanese-American businessman with deep political and financial ties to the United Arab Emirates, was a key cooperator in Mueller's probe of foreign influence in the 2016 election. Nader met several times with individuals associated with the Trump campaign throughout the election and into the early days of the administration. He spoke with officials and advisers on matters ranging from a pitch by a foreign firm for the campaign to use social-media manipulation to regime-change in Iran. (He met with Donald Trump Jr. and other campaign advisors about the plan, which included a proposal to use fake avatars to garner support for Trump, but Trump officials deny they ever considered it.)Revealed: What Erik Prince and Moscow's Money Man Discussed in That Infamous Seychelles MeetingHe also helped broker a key meeting between Erik Prince, the former Blackwater CEO, and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of one of Russia's sovereign wealth funds, in the Seychelles in January 2017. That meeting came under intense scrutiny by Mueller's team and was described in its report as one of the ways the Russians tried to influence the incoming Trump administration.Federal prosecutors in Virginia argued last month in court that Nader should be held in jail before trial, based in part on his prior criminal history. That history includes a 2003 conviction in the Czech Republic on charges of abusing minors, including a charge of transporting of a minor boy to the U.S. for sexual purposes. Federal prosecutors said Nader has had "hands-on contact with more than a dozen minor boys." Nader's lawyers called the U.S. government's argument weak because he was later acquitted of the Czech sex-trafficking charge. George Nader's Phones Had Child Porn—and Communications With a Crown Prince, Feds SayNader is also charged with transporting child pornography—a charge he's faced in the past. In 1984, Nader was indicted for possessing child pornography in D.C. The charge was later dismissed after his attorneys argued that the material was found through an illegal search conducted on Nader's possessions at Dulles. In 1990, again at Dulles, law enforcement caught Nader with films featuring minor boys. Nader pleaded guilty the following year.Nader most recently faced allegations of possessing and transporting child pornography in 2018. Authorities stopped him at Dulles in January of that year and questioned him about his time working with the Trump team. Soon after, Nader began cooperating with Mueller, and in the spring of 2018 he departed for Dubai, where he lived until he attempted to re-enter the U.S. last month. When stopped at Dulles, the FBI executed a search warrant on Nader's electronic devices, including three iPhones. After analyzing the phones, the FBI found 12 videos that appeared "to be visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct," according to a criminal complaint filed in 2018 that remained under seal until last month.Nader is also charged with violating federal obscenity law.On June 3, he was arrested at JFK International Airport in New York and transferred to a Virginia jail, where he remains locked up.Last month, prosecutors told a court that FBI agents found dozens of child-porn videos on one of Nader's phones, with some depicting children as young as 3 years old. The FBI witness for the government said several of those videos were transmitted from Nader's phone to other individuals. Prosecutors said authorities also found communications between Nader and UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, also known as MBZ.  Nader's attorneys said he returned to the U.S. for an urgent doctor's appointment after undergoing major heart surgery in the UAE weeks earlier.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

Sudanese opposition seeks postponement in deal with military Posted: 19 Jul 2019 07:21 AM PDT Sudan's pro-democracy movement is seeking to postpone the signing of the second and possibly more contentious part of a power-sharing agreement with the country's military, saying Friday that it needs more time to resolve differences among its members over the deal. The first part of the deal was signed earlier this week, marking a significant step forward amid simmering tensions between the protest movement and the country's military, which in April ousted longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir. The two sides were expected to meet Friday, negotiate and subsequently sign the so-called constitutional declaration that defines how much power each would have in the transitional period until elections are held in Sudan.

Britain kicks off review of regulating finance after Brexit Posted: 19 Jul 2019 06:56 AM PDT Britain has kicked off a review of how regulation of finance could be improved after Brexit, saying it would not tweak the existing set-up of watchdogs introduced in the aftermath of the financial crisis a decade ago. The European Union has been the source of financial rules in Britain for decades but that is due to end on Oct. 31. "It is now right that we step back to look at how the system is working more widely, and what changes may be needed in the future to adapt to the UK's new position outside of the EU," John Glen, Britain's financial services minister, said in a statement on Friday.

New EU chief must piece together diverse top team Posted: 19 Jul 2019 06:50 AM PDT After negotiating her own confirmation as president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen must now put together a 27-nation team to help her run the bloc. The former German defence minister will need all her political and diplomatic skill to knit together a commission from different countries and parties. The United Kingdom will leave the European Union on October 31, one day before von der Leyen takes office, so Brexit shouldn't be an issue, right?

Tripoli parliament warns of airstrikes by Hifter's allies Posted: 19 Jul 2019 06:47 AM PDT Libya's parliament based in the west says it has gathered intelligence warning of the use of possible airstrikes on Tripoli by allies of commander Khalifa Hifter, who launched a military offensive in April to capture the capital from the U.N.-backed government. The Tripoli-based High Council of State issued a statement Thursday warning that France, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates were planning to "get more involved" in backing Hifter's self-style Libyan National Army, which has "failed to achieve any progress." The statement also warned that they would use "specific weapons" without identifying their types. The parliament did not reveal details of the purported intelligence and there was no immediate response from the three nations.

Ukraine's president says he backs prisoner swap with Russia Posted: 19 Jul 2019 06:29 AM PDT Ukraine's president on Friday outlined the details of an impending prisoner swap with Russia, saying that Kiev is willing to release a jailed Russian journalist in exchange for a Ukrainian film director. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's statement comes at the end of the week of shuttle diplomacy, with the Russian and Ukrainian human rights ombudswomen holding talks both in Moscow and in Kiev. The flurry of activity around imprisoned Russians and Ukrainians follows last week's first telephone call between Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Turkish jets strike Kurdish rebels after diplomat's death Posted: 19 Jul 2019 06:29 AM PDT Turkey launched airstrikes against Kurdish rebel targets in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, after the killing of a Turkish diplomat there, state-run media quoted Turkey's defense minister as saying on Friday. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkish jets on Thursday hit the Qandil mountains region in northern Iraq, where the leadership of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, is reported to be based.

Here's Trump hating on America. Is it time for him to leave? Posted: 19 Jul 2019 05:28 AM PDT The president says if Democratic congresswomen criticize the US, they should go elsewhere. But mocking America is one of his own favorite pastimesAt a campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, the president's attacks against four progressive congresswomen of color culminated in his most overt attack yet. Referring to Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib as "hate-filled extremists", he continued his tirade to the delight of his supporters."They're always telling us how to run it, how to do this, how to do that. You know what? If they don't love it, tell 'em to leave it," Trump said to the crowd, who soon erupted into a chant of "send her back".Yet Trump himself has repeatedly denigrated and criticized America, perhaps more so than any other presidential candidate in recent memory. If he holds himself to his own standards, perhaps it's time for him to leave and "go back home"?Here are some examples of Trump's attacks on the US. Make America great againA longtime critic of Obama, Trump has said he came upon his famed slogan the day his predecessor was elected to his second term. The Maga slogan implied that America was no longer great, something he also repeatedly and explicitly stated in much starker terms in the years before and during his run. Speaking to the Washington Post in 2017, he said:> I looked at the many types of illness our country had, and whether it's at the border, whether it's security, whether it's law and order or lack of law and order. Crippled AmericaTrump's 2015 book, Crippled America, was rife with critical quotes, referring to the country as "this mess" and "Uncle Sucker", among other things, and took great pains to point out just how weak we had become.> The idea of American Greatness, of our country as the leader of the free and unfree world, has vanished … I couldn't stand to see what was happening to our great country. This mess calls for leadership in the worst way. American carnageOn the day he took office in 2017, Trump painted a picture of America as a dystopian nightmare.> Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system flush with cash but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.> > This American carnage stops right here and stops right now. Laughing stockThe idea that criticizing the country is grounds for being dismissed from it would be news to the Donald Trump of the Obama years, when he described our collective humiliation many dozens of times.Stretching back to 2011, he regularly tweeted about which countries and other political bodies were laughing at us and Obama, from Opec to "the mullahs", Sudan, and, most frequently, China and Vladimir Putin.> US Gov't is on the hook for more than a third of the world's entire debt & we wonder why China & OPEC are laughing all the way to the bank!> > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2012> Thanks to @BarackObama rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, China has become Canada's biggest oil consumer. China is laughing at us!> > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2012> Lets fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice! The world is laughing at us.> > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012 Lots of killersWhen asked during an interview with Bill O'Reilly in 2017 about his praise for Putin, Trump said America wasn't much better. But was Putin was "a killer", O'Reilly said. Trump replied:> There are a lot of killers. You think our country's so innocent? InfrastructureTrump has not only often referred to the symbolic collapse of America, he's also pointed out its literal state of disrepair. His speech to the 2016 Republican national convention was a laundry list of things that he found shameful about the country, including our infrastructure. He told the crowd:> Our roads and bridges are falling apart, our airports are in third-world condition.

German Reichstag to get new moat in security overhaul Posted: 19 Jul 2019 05:14 AM PDT The German parliament is to be given  a major new security overhaul — in the form of a dry moat. Under plans being considered by Angela Merkel's government, the Reichstag building in central Berlin will be surrounded by an eighteenth-century style ha-ha. Government security experts say the moat is necessary to prevent terror threats to MPs. As with London's Palace of Westminister, there have been concerns that the Reichstag's exposed location puts it at risk. In 2010 it was briefly closed to the public amid reports of a bomb plot. The plans under consideration also include a security fence to shield the building's main entrance and a new visitor centre for tourists. "Of course, we have to consider whether such security measures are suitable from an urban planning perspective," Katrin Lompscher, a spokesman for the Berlin regional government said. Visitors currently face lengthy queues for security checks at an ugly prefabricated centre that was hurriedly put up following 2010's terror alert and resembles a glorifed portakabin. The planned 71,000 square foot new building to replace it would be set much further back from the Reichstag and connected to it via an underground tunnel. Visitors flock to the Reichstag to see the modern glass dome designed by Sir Norman Foster Credit:  John Lawrence/Getty Images The Reichstag was heavily damaged in the Second World War and rebuilt after German reunification with a modern glass dome designed by the British architect Sir Norman Foster. The most striking feature of the new plans is the ha-ha that would surround the historic building. A favourite feature of English deer parks and country estates, a ha-ha is a dry moat hidden behind a gentle slope so that it is invisible from a distance. The name "ha-ha" is said to be derived from the sound of people crying out in surprise when they stumble upon it. The feature may seem something of an anachronism for Germany's parliament, but it is fitting for a building which lies on the edge of the Tiergarten, a former royal hunting ground that was turned into a public park in the 1740s by Frederick the Great. The Reichstag was built in 1894 to house the imperial diet, the parliament of the German Empire. Though it retains its historic name, today it houses the Bundestag, the federal parliament of modern Germany.

Merkel defends German climate moves as rally urges action Posted: 19 Jul 2019 05:12 AM PDT

In a War, Iran Could Go After a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier and Win Posted: 19 Jul 2019 05:12 AM PDT Iran would likely want to pull an American carrier battle group as close to the Iran coastline as possible. This would allow the country to disperse its fleet of ballistic missiles across a wider area and farther inland, giving them a better chance of escaping detection before launch. Recent events, particularly the downing of a U.S. Navy MQ-4 Triton by Iranian military forces, again raise the possibility of war between the United States and Iran. The on again, off again standoff between Washington and Tehran, now in its fourth decade is periodically instigated by both sides, and each time Iran grows stronger. If Iran decides to stage an attack against a larger target, such as an American destroyer or even aircraft carrier, how might it use its missile force to do so? Iran has invested considerable resources in its ballistic missile forces over the past forty years, for the same reason China and North Korea did: military aviation is an expensive proposition, and developing and maintaining an air force to rival the United States is very expensive indeed. Ballistic missiles offer a relatively inexpensive way to launch conventional, chemical, biological, and even nuclear payloads long distances. As an added bonus intercepting such missiles is complex and itself an expensive undertaking. All three countries developed large ballistic missile arsenals of varying sophistication, occasionally trading in illicit information among themselves and others. (This first appeared in June 2019.)

Germany's Merkel fends off worries about her health Posted: 19 Jul 2019 05:09 AM PDT German Chancellor Angela Merkel fended off worries about her health on Friday, saying that she has a personal interest in staying healthy and having a life after politics. Merkel said that she understands questions about her health after three recent incidents in which her body shook as she stood at public events. "I have said that 2021 will be the end of my political work and I hope that there is a life after that — and I would like to lead it in good health," she said.

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