The Netherlands : is this member of the EU still a tax haven ?

Over decades, the Netherlands developed a reputation for being a tax haven. It became infamous as a part of the ‘Double Irish Dutch Sandwich’, Google’s construct to shift profits via Ireland and the Netherlands to Bermuda. Effectively, the Netherlands is a conduit country that helps to funnel profits from high-tax countries to tax havens. Particularly the Dutch Special Purpose Entities attract income, often as interest and royalty payments, and pass it on, effectively untaxed, to tax havens.

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https://www.eur.nl/en/news/netherlands-still-tax-haven

EU: Commission considers a digital EU currency

With more and more people using digital tools for their daily transactions, the European Commission on Wednesday presented a proposal to initiate a digital euro.

Digital currencies have been surging in popularity over the last few years as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have entered the mainstream. But unlike Bitcoin, the digital euro would be a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), essentialy electronic cash.

The aim would be to give consumers an alternative European-wide payment solution, in addition to the options that exist today, the Commission says.

Read more at : https://www.euronews.com

Ukraine war: Putin's regime threatened

• Wagner boss Prigozhin says his forces are stopping their march on Moscow to avoid bloodshed
• Wagner paramilitary forces were earlier driving north on the main highway towards Moscow, where new security measures had been put in place, and local residents were told not to travel.
• The Kremlin accused the boss of private paramilitary company Wagner of attempting to stage a coup. 
• Yevgeny Prigozhin insisted his forces were "patriots" who had the support of the Russian people. 
• Prigozhin said his Wagner troops captured the Russian army HQ in Rostov-on-Don without firing a shot
• In a speech to the nation, Vladimir Putin described Wagner's actions as a "stab in the back." 
• Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says that in Russia there's "so much chaos, no lie can hide it".           Read more at: 
• https://www.euronews.com

Ukraine war: the Ukrainian offensive has begun

Ukraine has nevertheless claimed that it has recaptured eight villages so far in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia and the eastern region of Donetsk.  

To better grasp the evolving situation, FRANCE 24’s Gwendoline Debono and Amar Al Hameedawi travelled to the village of Blahodatne, which lies on the road to the port city of Mariupol. Recently recaptured from Russian forces by the Ukrainian military’s 68th brigade, Blahodatne has become one of the new fronts in the war. 

READ MORE AT: https://www. france24.com

Ukraine war: Ukrainian missile strike destroys major Crimean bridge

Ukrainian forces have carried out a missile attack on a bridge connecting Ukraine's Kherson region and Crimea, Russia-appointed officials in both regions said on Thursday.

The Chongar bridge, which connects Russian-held parts of the Kherson region with the Crimean peninsula, was struck, the officials said, adding that traffic was diverted to another route. 

Read more at: https://www.dw.com

China--Germany relations: Germany meeting wirh China on Ukraine, climate change, and trade.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said direct talks between world leaders was more important than ever after high-level talks with China's Premier Li Qiang in Berlin onTuesday.

Scholz said keeping the communication lines open was more vital that ever.

"Direct dialogue, face-to-face talks, a real exchange — all this is even more important than usual in these extraordinary times full of global challenges and crises," said Scholz.

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EU blocks Ukraine grain imports to 5 countries, including Poland

The European Union has again extended a ban on Ukrainian grain imports to five countries, including Poland.

The move follows anger and protests from Polish farmers who were left with unsold grain or forced to sell it cheaply when faced with lower Ukrainian prices.

Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Krzysztof Ciecióra explained: "We have fulfilled their main demand, i.e. stopping the pressure of grain imports from Ukraine. 

"Today there is no such permission. It is not legal until September 15 at least. These grains will not flow to Poland. Only transit is possible."

Although the decision of the EU, supported by the government, brings temporary relief, it was not met with much approval from Polish farmers, who fear that in a few months, they will face the same problems again.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

France Russian Relations: France discovers major Russian media disinformation plot

France said it has found a large-scale Russian disinformation campaign involving Russia's embassies and cultural institutes. Fake news hostile to Ukraine were made to look like they were published by French mass media.

Read more at: https://www.dw.com

EU-UK relations; UK plans to revoke EU laws could be extremely harmful to the UK

Plans by the British government to revoke or amend hundreds of European Union laws on its statute book could have a "negative impact on trade", Brussels has warned.

Speaking at the EU-UK Forum's annual conference on Monday, European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said Brussels is following the evolution of the Retained EU Law through the British parliamentary process "extremely, extremely closely."

"I understand that (a) big part of the audience who is following this conference would like to see more seamless trade, less friction, less complication but it's very difficult to achieve that if the decision is to just simply go for more divergence or if, let's say, the law which we've been building together for many, many decades and underpins some of the fundamentals of the Withdrawal Agreement and TCA [The EU-Uk Trade and Cooperation Agreement]  would be thrown into the shredders."

Read more at:https://www.euronews.com

EU immigration deal: EU reaches a breakthrough deal on immigration

The agreement paves the way for introducing new rules to collectively manage the reception and relocation of asylum seekers. Last year, the EU received more than 962,000 asylum applications, the highest figure since 2016.

The rules were put to a vote during a meeting of home affairs ministers in Luxembourg, which had been preceded by an atmosphere of optimism that appeared to increase the odds of a positive outcome.

But the talks prove hard and laborious: ministers and their deputies spent virtually the whole day haggling over nitty-gritty details and rewriting compromise texts.

Sweden, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, pushed its fellow member states to stay put and continue negotiations until a wide consensus was found.

Read more at https://www.euronews.com

Russia: will Putin's reign cause the disintegration of Russia ?

Vladimir Putin's continued rule will lead to the "disintegration" of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Khodorkovsky has warned.

The exiled Russian businessman, who was once considered the country's wealthiest person, was speaking on the sidelines of a two-day roundtable conference in Brussels centred on the future of Russia and the country's opposition.

The conference, called "The Day After," included EU and Russian opposition representatives and was organised by the major political groups of the European Parliament.

But Khodorkovsky said that active resistance to the war in Ukraine is not as prevalent as the opposition would like to think.

"Putin fails to completely fill people's brains with his propaganda. However, unfortunately, people's perceptions are changing under the pressure of propaganda," said Khodorkovsky, the former CEO of the oil company Yukos.

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

Russia - Ukraine war: "Blessed are the peacemqkers for they will be called sons of God"

Isn't it high time for BOTH Russia and Ukraine to  "swallow their pride" and stop having more and  more innocent people on both sides of this conflict getting killed every day, and start negotiating instead, under the auspices of the EU, which is not only bordering the warring parties, but also the best qualified to do so. 

This, instead of having war mongers, corrupt politicians, and the weapons industry "laugh all the way to the bank". 

Who knows, maybe these negotiations could eventually result in both Ukraine and Russia both becoming members of the EU, and another benefit, no more need for NATO or Russian Millitary Alliances.

 Sounds crazy ?  Not at all - it's called PEACE. And if you do  not believe that, check out Mathew 5, verse 9

https://www.eu-digest.blogspot.com

CIA: Chief Burns visited China last month to meet with Chinese counter parts

Last month, Director Burns traveled to Beijing where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels," the official said.

The official provided no further details on the meeting.

The US intelligence agency does not regularly announce the director's travels.

The Associated Press cited a second anonymous source as saying that Burns only met with intelligence officials and had no meetings with political leadership.

Read more at: https://www.dw.com