British-US relations sour: Boris Johnson postpones White House visit after nasty phone spat with Trump over Huawei

Boris Johnson postponed a White House visit planned for next week after a furious phone call during which President Trump accused the British prime minister of betraying him over Huawei.

Read more at:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/boris-johnson-postpones-white-house-visit-after-nasty-phone-spat-with-trump-over-huawei/ar-BB100MAG?ocid=spartandhp

Turkey US conflict: Turkish court rejects Andrew Brunson's appeal to be released

Via euronews: Turkish court rejects US pastor Andrew Brunson’s appeal

For the complete report go to: 

http://www.euronews.com/2018/08/15/turkish-court-rejects-us-pastor-andrew-brunson-s-appeal

Turkey - Economic Meltdown ?: Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames lira crash on Donald Trump 'plot - by Chris Baynes

Turkey’s president has blamed the crash of the lira on the United States, claiming a “political, underhand plot” had sent the value of his country’s currency tumbling to record lows.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Donald Trump of waging “economic war against the entire world”, after the American leader escalated a diplomatic feud by doubling tariffs on steel and aluminium.

“The aim of the operation is to make Turkey surrender in all areas, from finance to politics,” the Turkish president told supporters in the Black Sea city of Trabzon.

The lira has lost more than 40 per cent of its value against dollar this year, amid worsening ties between Turkey and the US and concerns over Mr Erdogan’s influence over the economy.

The fall turned to meltdown on Friday, when the lira dropped 14 per cent, rattling global markets.

Speaking in Trabzon, Mr Erdogan dismissed suggestions that Turkey was facing a financial crisis like those seen in Asia two decades ago.

"What is the reason for all this storm in a tea cup? There is no economic reason,” he said. ”This is called carrying out an operation against Turkey.”

“We will give our answer, by shifting to new markets, new partnerships and new alliances, to the one who waged an economic war against the entire world and also included our country.

“Some close the doors and some others open new ones.”

Mr Trump announced additional sanctions on Turkish metals last week as relations between the two nations continued to sour over Ankara's detention of a US pastor.

"Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time," tweeted the US president, two days after talks between American and Turkish officials about pastor Andrew Brunson, 50, ended without any obvious progress.

Note EU-Digest: this whole confrontation between the US and Turkey has mainly to do with the mid-term US election and boosting the Evangelical support for the Republicans. Specially if Trump is able to bring Pastor Andrew Brunson back to the US, from Turkey, where he is under house arrest for supposedly collaborating with what the Erdogan government called "terrorists".

Read more: Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames lira crash on Donald Trump 'plot' | The Independent

USA: The Republican National Convention 2016: Donald Trump-Ted Cruz Feud Flares Anew - Ron Elving - :

For all those who view the nominating conventions of the major parties as overly scripted, predictable and boring, Wednesday night's session of the Republican National Convention came as a jolt.

The third night of this extravaganza had all the usual hoopla — plus a blackout on the jumbo screens, delegates screaming at each other and a major presidential candidate getting booed off the stage.

Not since the parties and their nominees began carefully scripting these quadrennial affairs a generation ago have we seen such an outburst of dueling egos and counterproductive emotion.

Did we say we wanted more sense of drama? Imagine two famous actors involved in a climactic scene, each fired with his own ambition and working furiously to upstage the other. Now envision such a clash playing out before thousands of delegates and onlookers and millions of TV viewers and voters.

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, the first- and second-place finishers in the GOP's primaries and caucuses, went at it once more with the whole world watching. The high-stakes of their brinkmanship brought to the flashpoint all the anger and tension pent up in this convention over three days — and in this party over several decades.

It also overshadowed a sturdy performance later in the evening by the party's now-official vice presidential candidate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who displayed the earnest brand of classic conservatism for which he is known.

But neither Pence's speech nor Trump's own controversial remarks about NATO, released by The New York Times after the convention ended, could displace the headlines about the Trump-Cruz feud.

Cruz stole the show by refusing to endorse the party's now-official champion, who had allowed him a prime-time speaking spot on the night of Pence's acceptance speech (and on the eve of Trump's own). That sent everyone scrambling to history books for a precedent.

"Ted Cruz wanted to leave Republican delegates with a case of buyer’s remorse"

Read more: Republican National Convention 2016: Donald Trump-Ted Cruz Feud Flares Anew : NPR