US President Donald Trump threatened Turkey with economic obliteration if Ankara does anything “off limits” in a potential incursion into Syria.
US Democrats and Republicans Unify Against Trump
“As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!).” Trump tweeted.
His threats that led to a sell-off in Turkish assets followed a barrage of stern criticism and condemnation from both Chambers of the Congress and from both his rival Democrats and ally Republicans who portrayed his decision as a betrayal to Syrian Kurds allied with Washington in the fight against ISIS.
Cold War Treaty in Danger
US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel on Monday voiced out alarm over plans by Trump administration’s potential to withdraw Washington out of the Open Skies Treaty. The treaty allows participant nations, including US, Russia, other NATO allies and European countries to operate reconnaissance flights over each others’ skies as a measure of war prevention since the Cold War ended.
Washington Slaps Chinese Firms
The US Commerce Department added on Monday 28 Chinese government and commercial organizations to a blacklist over their role in human rights violations against the Muslim Uighurs. The move, coming days before the Sino-US trade talks, bars those entities, among them the world’s top video surveillance producers Hikvision and Dahua, from buying US products.
Germany’s Unexpected Industrial Upbeat
Data by Germany’s Economy Ministry showed on Tuesday that industrial production unexpectedly rose 0.3% versus the forecasts at 0.1% on the month in August. The figure gave a slight hope again an anticipated recession in Eurozone’s largest economy.
Trump Signs Japan Deal
Trump signed a final limited trade deal with Japan on Monday. The deal reopens some Japanese markets US farmers had lost access to after President pulled out the US after from the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in 2017. “I think we’re at a stage with Japan where our relationship has never been better than it is right now,” Trump said after the signing.
Boris Prepares for Collapse in Brexit Talks
The UK government is preparing for Brexit negotiations to collapse this week, the Spectator magazine reported late Monday, citing a source from within Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office. Irish PM Leo Varadkar, the magazine said, did not want to further talk to Johnson and other EU leaders were supporting him.
