France-US Relations: US friendship with France 'unbreakable', Trump says on Paris visit

French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump gave a joint press conference on Thursday as the US leader arrived to take part in Bastille Day celebrations.

"The friendship between our two nations and ourselves is unbreakable," Trump said after bilateral talks focused on joint US-French efforts to fight terrorism in the Middle East and Africa.

Macron said he and Trump were able to discuss how best to combat "a global threat with enemies who are trying to destabilise us".

The French president also acknowledged that sharp differences remain with Trump when it comes to the Paris climate agreement but noted that the US withdrawal from the Paris accord was one of Trump’s campaign promises.

"I respect the decision of President Trump," Macron told a joint news conference in Paris. "As a result he will lead the necessary thought and work that correspond to his campaign promises. For my part, I remain committed to the Paris accord."

Read more: US friendship with France 'unbreakable', Trump says on Paris visit - France 24

Hungary: EU launches legal probe into Hungary's NGO law - by Eszter Zalan

The European Commission launched a legal probe on Thursday (13 July) into Hungary’s NGO law, which targets, among others, civil society groups partly funded by Hungarian-US billionaire and philanthropist George Soros.

The EU executive said that the requirements in the legislation for NGOs, which receive funding from foreign organisations, infringed upon EU rules.

Hungary’s government has one month to answer with legal arguments.

Read more: EU launches legal probe into Hungary's NGO law

Catholic Church: The A - Z list of concerns with Pope Francis - by J.H.Westen

The confusion caused by Pope Francis in the Catholic Church is out of control. There have been so many incidents over the last four years that the specifics, despite their grave damage, are often forgotten. In an effort to encourage prayer for an end to the confusion and disorientation in the Church, LifeSite presents the following A-Z list of concerns with Pope Francis.

A few days into his pontificate, Pope Francis praised one of Cardinal Kasper’s books and then selected Kasper to deliver the controversial keynote address to launch the synods on the family. Kasper was selected as a personal appointee of the pope to the synods and regularly meets with Pope Francis. Kasper defended the vote of the Irish in favor of homosexual “marriages”, saying: “A democratic state has the duty to respect the will of the people; and it seems clear that, if the majority of the people wants such homosexual unions, the state has a duty to recognize such r

Read more: The A - Z list of concerns with Pope Francis | Blogs | LifeSite

Russian Air Force - What Krypton fighter jets can do to protect Russia’s Arctic

The Russian Armed Forces keep getting more advanced multi-role jet fighters Sukhoi-30SM. Last spring a squadron of eight such planes was formed at Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. A jet fighter regiment stationed in the Rostov Region received two such planes. Just recently a batch of Sukhoi-30SMs was delivered to an assault air regiment of the Russian Navy in the Arctic. Naval aviation units in the Baltic are to get them next year. It is expected that under the effective defense contract Russia’s Aerospace Force will get more than 30 planes of this type by 2018.

More:
http://tass.com/defense/918614

Sukhoi-30SM Krypton fighter

The Russian Armed Forces keep getting more advanced multi-role jet fighters Sukhoi-30SM. Last spring a squadron of eight such planes was formed at Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.

A jet fighter regiment stationed in the Rostov Region received two such planes. Just recently a batch of Sukhoi-30SMs was delivered to an assault air regiment of the Russian Navy in the Arctic. Naval aviation units in the Baltic are to get them next year.

It is expected that under the effective defense contract Russia’s Aerospace Force will get more than 30 planes of this type by 2018.

Read more: TASS: Military & Defense - What Krypton fighter jets can do to protect Russia’s Arctic

Denmark in the top ten of world’s best counties to be an immigrant Nordic neighbour Sweden in first place - by by Ray W

Denmark and its Nordic cousins are some of the best countries in the world to be an immigrant, according to a study complied by U.S. News and World Report.

The study looked at measures such as economic stability, income equality and job markets to create its list, using a survey of the opinions of more than 21,000 people from all walks of life.

Nordic Sweep: Sweden was number one, but Norway, Finland and Denmark also took places in the top 10, largely due to favourable perceptions about their economies and commitment to income equality.

Read more: Denmark in the top ten of world’s best counties to be an immigrant Nordic neighbour Sweden in first place

USA: The Democratic Party Meltdown—What Are We Going to Do? D. Hazen, K. Holloway, S. Rosenfeld

If you pay any attention to media and politics, you know that this is the season for hand wringing about the future Democratic Party.

Pundits and pollsters by the dozens have weighed in on the failures of the party, which resulted in devastating losses to Republicans, affirmed the successes of their rampant gerrymandering, and continued the legislative and executive dominance across the country by conservatives in many states, some formally blue ones.

Then there was the election. There are many theories about why Hillary Clinton suffered what for many was an incomprehensible loss. (We offered a list last year.) But the super shock of the Democratic debacle at virtually every level of government (not to mention the Supreme Court) has sent everyone desperately seeking answers and solutions to dig out of the immense hole.

This, of course, is a serious situation. But we need some perspective. The issues roiling the debate among Democrats aren’t exactly new—how progressive and populist versus how mainstream do nominees have to be to be elected president? How much should the party invest in the base of communities of color, single women, and millennials versus how, and how much, should it try to engage white working- and middle-class voters? These are questions and challenges that stretch back decades to the McGovern debacle in 1972, to Jimmy Carter vs. Ted Kennedy in 1980, to Jesse Jackson’s stirring 1980s campaigns for president, to the 1990s and Bill Clinton’s centrist politics and the famous Sister Souljah moment—a pre-Trump telegraphing of support to whites.

The 2016 election reminded us that racism, sexism and creeping authoritarianism are very much with us as a society. How do we grapple in opposition, with a most despised man sitting in the White House?

Interestingly, international politics provides an exciting context for what might happen next in the U.S. Right-wing populism was gaining ground and adherents across Europe, but was successfully beaten back in France, where Emmanuel Macron started a party from scratch and established a newly branded version of center-left French politics with a corporate tint. In contrast, Jeremy Corbyn ran as an unabashed progressive socialist in Britain and pushed back very successfully against the pro-Brexit, conservative Theresa May. Echoes of Bernie vs. Hillary? Not a perfect analogy, but some resonance.

Read more: OMG! The Democratic Party Is Such a Mess—What Are We Going to Do? | Alternet

The Trump White House: 6 signs that the Russia investigation could blow up the Trump White House - by J.Morley

The New York Times report that Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer last June in expectation of receiving damaging information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is a blow for a White House already saddled with sinking poll numbers and a stalled legislative agenda.

After a few weeks of political news dominated by the fate of the Senate health care bill and Trump’s trip to Europe, the Russia investigation has resurfaced with a vengeance.

Read more: 6 signs that the Russia investigation could blow up the Trump White House - Salon.com

Net Neutrality Rules: Tech firms protest proposed changes to U.S. net neutrality rules-by A. Moon and D. Shepardson

Facebook, Twitter, Alphabet Inc. and dozens of other major technology companies are participating in an online protest on Wednesday to oppose proposed changes to U.S. net neutrality rules that prohibit broadband providers from giving or selling access to certain internet services over others.

In support of the "Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality," more than 80,000 websites are displaying alerts, ads and short videos to urge the public to oppose the overturn of the landmark 2015 net neutrality rules.

Net neutrality is a broad principle that prohibits broadband providers from giving or selling access to speedy internet, essentially a "fast lane," to certain internet services over others. The rule was implemented by the Obama administration in 2015.

Read more: Tech firms protest proposed changes to U.S. net neutrality rules

USA: End of the US empire - by Bill Press

It happened to the Greeks, Romans and Brits. We knew it would eventually happen to us. We just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. But we just witnessed the end of the American empire. It died last week at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

What a difference six months makes. Ever since its creation in 1999, the G-20 has brought together the leaders of the 20 most powerful economies on the planet, countries who together represent 85 percent of the gross world product, 80 percent of world trade and two-thirds of the world’s population.

Until this year, every meeting of the G-20, no matter where it was held, was dominated by the United States. We set the agenda; the president of the United States dominated the discussions; we determined the outcome. But no longer.

It’s now the chancellor of Germany, not the president of the United States, who leads the world’s biggest economies. Indeed, this year’s G-20 could be summed up as “the leader of the free world meets the president of the United States.”

In Hamburg, Germany, President Trump was the odd man out. Other world leaders treated him like your crazy uncle with Alzheimer’s who shows up for Thanksgiving dinner. They nervously smiled at and humored him, while keeping their fingers crossed that he wouldn’t break the family china or pee in his pants.

For his part, Trump failed on several fronts. First, by caving in to Vladimir Putin on Russia’s efforts to undermine the 2016 presidential election. Reportedly, their exchange on the issue was brief: “Did you do it, Vlad?” “No, I didn’t, Don.” “OK, let’s move on.” Trump, in other words, accepted the word of Putin over the conclusion of 17 U.S. intelligence agencies.

Trump followed up by suggesting the United States and Russia team up on cybersecurity, a stunningly naive proposal that shocked even fellow Republicans. “Partnering with Putin on a ‘Cyber Security Unit’ is akin to partnering with Assad on a ‘Chemical Weapons Unit,’ ” tweeted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

But it was on climate change that Trump suffered his greatest humiliation. On June 1, Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris climate change agreement. So what? In Hamburg, G-20 leaders declared the Paris accord “irreversible” and adopted a detailed blueprint on how nations would proceed to meet the agreement’s goals to reduce global warming. The vote was 19-1.

Sadly, it’s not just Trump’s reputation that took a hit at the G-20 summit. It’s the power, prestige and respect that the United States used to enjoy under both Democratic and Republican presidents, but does no longer.

On the world stage, nobody takes us seriously anymore. How could they, as long as Trump is the US  president?

Read more: Press: End of the US empire | TheHill

Clean Energy: Royal Dutch Shell Plans to Spend $1 Billion a Year on Clean Energy by 2020 - Rakteem Katakey

Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to spend as much as $1 billion a year on its New Energies division as the transition toward renewable power and electric cars accelerates.

“In some parts of the world we are beginning to see battery electric cars starting to gain consumer acceptance” while wind and solar costs are falling fast, Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden said in a speech in Istanbul on Monday. “All of this is good news for the world and must accelerate,” while still offering opportunities for producers of fossil fuels.

Shell sees opportunities in hydrogen fuel-cells, liquefied natural gas and next-generation biofuels for air travel, shipping and heavy freight -- areas of transport for which batteries aren’t adequate. The intermittent nature of wind and solar energy means power plants fired by natural gas will have a long-term role, Van Beurden said.

Van Beurden was addressing the World Petroleum Congress -- a gathering of ministers and CEOs from some of the largest oil producers -- at a time when the accelerating shift to clean energy is raising questions about their long-term business models. While Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Saudi Arabian Oil Co. boss Amin Nasser said oil and gas will be dominant for decades to come, Van Beurden highlighted the potential for some of the fastest-growing nations to leapfrog straight to a cleaner energy mix.

“When you consider the areas of the world where energy demand is still to expand, like Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, there is a huge opportunity,” Van Beurden said. “These are areas that are not, on the whole, locked in to a coal-driven system. There is the potential for them to shift more directly onto a less energy-intensive pathway to development.”

There is often too much focus on energy-transition policies in Europe and North America instead of the fast-growing developing world, Van Beurden said. “What happens in England is important, but what happens in Ethiopia is at least as important. From Denmark to the DRC, from the U.S. to Uganda, to India, to China, there is a lot of work to do.”

Read more: Shell Plans to Spend $1 Billion a Year on Clean Energy by 2020 - Bloomberg

USA Healthcare Program: Republican ‘kamikaze’ healthcare plan on life support - by Edward Luce

This is the week Republicans have craved for more than seven years — their chance to repeal Obamacare. Some time in the next few days the US Senate will either scrap most of Barack Obama’s signature achievement — the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Or they will abandon the effort for failure to find the votes.

Either way, America is at a fraught crossroads in its never-ending healthcare saga. If the Senate bill passes, up to 22m Americans could lose their insurance. Many more will experience a sharp reduction in healthcare support. If the vote fails, Obamacare will survive but very much as a zombie law — a stay of execution, rather than a pardon. The battle will continue. Neither outcome would be for keeps.

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“Whatever happens, we are entering a period of deep uncertainty that will cause entirely avoidable damage to the US healthcare system,” says Douglas Elmendorf, dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard — and former head of the Congressional Budget Office. “This is a textbook example of how not to make legislation.”

Read more: Republican ‘kamikaze’ healthcare plan on life support

EU Educational Sector: 80% of graduates in the field of education are women

Almost 5 million tertiary education students graduated in the European Union (EU) in 2015: 58% were women and 42% men.

Male dominated fields are 'Information and Communication Technologies' (where men account for 81% of the graduates) and 'Engineering, manufacturing and construction' (73%).

On the other hand, four out of five graduates in 'Education' are women (80%). Another field where women are largely over-represented is 'Health and welfare', with 74% female graduates.

One in four graduates studied 'Business, administration and law'

The largest share of graduates in the EU studied 'Business, administration and law' (24%). This was the most popular field in all Member States except for Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, where the largest share of graduates were in 'Health and welfare', and Portugal, where the most popular field was 'Engineering, manufacturing and construction'.

'Business, administration and law' was particularly popular in Luxembourg, with 39% of all graduates. It accounted for a large share also in Cyprus (35%), Bulgaria and France (both 34%).

One in five graduates in Germany (22%), Portugal (21%) and Austria (20%) received their diplomas in 'Engineering, manufacturing and construction'.

The share of graduates in 'Health and welfare' was the highest in Belgium (26%), where one in four graduated in this field. 22% of graduates in Sweden and Denmark studied this subject.

'Arts and humanities' were a popular field in the United Kingdom and Italy (both 16%).

16% of the graduates in Bulgaria followed the 'Social sciences, journalism and information' programme.

The largest share of 'Education' graduates was in Cyprus (18%).

With 13%, the United Kingdom had the highest share of 'Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics' graduates.

Read more: 80% of graduates in the field of education are women - Product - Eurostat

European Health: Majority of Europeans face risk of digestive cancers due to alcohol, report claims – by Sarantis Michalopoulos

A new report has linked alcohol consumption in the EU to an increase in cases of digestive cancer and warned policymakers to take immediate action.

According to the World Health Organisation, some 3.3 million deaths around the world – 5.9% of all premature deaths – result from the harmful use of alcohol each year. Europe has the highest consumption rate of alcohol worldwide.

United European Gastroenterology (UEG) published a report last week, warning that the alarming alcohol consumption in Europe is linked to a rise in digestive cancers.

The report gathered the opinions of leading European digestive cancer specialists and focused on the impact of alcohol on this type of cancer.

UEG President Michael Manns stressed that despite the EU’s efforts to tackle the impact of alcohol on health, consumption remains higher than in the rest of the world and simultaneously, the incidence of alcohol-related digestive cancers is on the rise.

“We urgently require a focused multi-dimensional approach from policy and decision makers to dramatically increase public and healthcare professional awareness of the dangers of alcohol […] and strategies to reduce alcohol intake and the resulting incidence of digestive cancers,” Manns emphasised.

EU citizens consume an average of two alcoholic drinks per day. According to the report, drinkers face a 21% increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, in addition to other digestive cancers.

The survey found that all EU countries had a ‘moderate’ average daily intake of alcoholic drinks, meaning between one and four drinks per day. “This places these citizens at a heightened risk of both colorectal and oesophageal cancer,” the report stressed.

Regarding ‘heavy’ drinkers or those who consume four or more drinks per day, the report stressed they were found to be at an increased risk of pancreatic, liver and gastric cancer.
 
Read more: Majority of Europeans face risk of digestive cancers due to alcohol, report claims – EURACTIV.com

EU: Migration only factor bumping up EU population – by Sam Morgan

The European Union’s population increased last year, despite the same number of births and deaths being recorded. Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, said the bump was driven by migration.

On World Population Day (11 July), it can be revealed that the EU’s population increased from 510.3 million on 1 January 2016 to 511.8 million on 1 January 2017.

Eurostat said that in 2016 the same amount of births and deaths were recorded (5.1 million), meaning the 28-country bloc’s natural population change was in fact neutral.

That means the positive population change of 1.5 million was driven largely by an increase in net migration.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 362,376 people crossed the Mediterranean Sea between January and December last year. That was a 64% decrease compared with the previous year.

Read more: Migration only factor bumping up EU population – EURACTIV.com

Saudi Arabia: British High Court green lights arms sales to Saudi Arabia

"Putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank"

London's High Court ruled on Monday that the British government's arms sales to Saudi Arabia were lawful and could continue.

Human rights activists are outraged by the ruling and plan to appeal Britain's highest court. The judges ruled there was insufficient evidence of a "clear risk" of the weapons being used for "serious" rights breaches.

The case revolved around a part of the UK's Export Control Act, which states that the British government "will not grant a licence if there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law."

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) - a group of NGOs including Oxfam, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch - brought the case to the court, arguing that exports to Saudi Arabia currently breached this condition, given the likelihood of the weapons being used in the Saudi campaign in Yemen.

The plaintiffs slammed the court's ruling, saying they would appeal to the UK's Supreme Court. Oxfam said the decision "sets back arms control 25 years."

Note EU-Digest: Scandalous and inhumane  decision by the British High Court and a victory for the British weapons industry. Unfortunately this decision will eventually  come and haunt the British population as a whole in the form of terrorism sponsored by the same nation Britain sold their weapons to.
 
Read more: British High Court green lights arms sales to Saudi Arabia | News | DW | 10.07.2017

EU seeks to nudge Balkans into economic, transport cooperation – by Zoran Radosavljevic

The European Union will seek to give a new boost to the six EU hopefuls in the Western Balkans at a summit this week, by steering their talks on a common regional market and signing off on a number of transport and energy projects meant to attract investment to the region and boost its economy.

Leaders of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia will take part in the Western Balkans Summit in Trieste on Wednesday (12 July) together with their counterparts from Italy, Germany, France and the EU.

On top of transport, infrastructure and energy, a key objective of the talks is to flesh out a proposal for a common economic area.

However, it remains unclear how concrete the proposal will be, given the continuing political sensitivities in one of Europe’s poorest regions, where some critics and opinion makers have already balked at the idea of ‘recreating Yugoslavia’ – a country that disintegrated in blood in the 1990s.

Read more: EU seeks to nudge Balkans into economic, transport cooperation – EURACTIV.com

Car Industry: Dutch authority suspects emissions fraud in Suzuki car - by Peter Teffer

Dutch car type-approval authority RDW said in a report, out on Monday (10 July), that “it seems” a Suzuki diesel passenger car with a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) engine contained “an illegal defeat device”.

RDW said it is suspected that the Suzuki Vitara has an emissions control system and its effectiveness is dependant on the amount of time the engine is running – something the Dutch authority called “impermissible”.

 Read more: Dutch authority suspects emissions fraud in Suzuki car

US Democratic Values down the drain: Trump’s extraordinary surrender of power - by Robert J. Samuelson

President Trump’s foreign policy, such as it is, rests on a massive and apparently indestructible contradiction. Trump wants the United States to remain the “essential” nation, the best embodiment of Western ideals of freedom and democracy, while at the same time deliberately alienating many of our traditional allies, whose support the United States desperately needs. American leadership becomes difficult, if not impossible.

It is hard to straddle this contradiction, because it reflects a basic misunderstanding of the American “greatness” that Trump so avidly pursues. To Trump, this greatness is mainly measured in economic terms: the number of added jobs; the trajectory of wages; the rate of economic growth. It is a nostalgic and unrealistic yearning for the economic dominance the United States enjoyed in the 1950s and 1960s.

The truth is that American greatness then and later was never about dollars and cents alone. Prosperity was a means to an end, not an end in itself. The greater objective was to promote democracy and mixed economies, with power divided between the market and government. To advance this vision, the United States advocated open trade and provided a military umbrella. The latter created a geopolitical shield against instability. 

Read more: Trump’s extraordinary surrender of power - The Washington Post

Brexit: Europe to reject Brexit deal if UK fails to secure ‘favorable’ status for EU citizens

Cief negotiator Guy Verhofstadt and leaders of four of the parliament's main groups wrote in a joint letter to newspapers that Britain's plans for the three million EU citizens expecting to remain in the U.K. post-Brexit "fall short" of what they are entitled to and what U.K. nationals are being offered in the EU.

"The proposal falls short of its own ambitions to "put citizens first". If implemented, it would cast a dark cloud of vagueness and uncertainty over the lives of millions of Europeans," the representatives wrote.

In outlining plans for citizens' rights, the EU had proposed that Britons and Europeans would keep the same rights and protections they currently receive under European law. However, the British proposal, delivered three weeks later, suggests that Europeans' rights within the U.K. would be significantly reduced from the day after Brexit, including curtailing voting rights and income thresholds.

"The British proposal carries a real risk of creating a second class of citizenship," the group of eight signatories wrote, claiming that the plans backtrack on Brexiteers' pledge that EU citizens would be treated "no less favourably than at present."

The leaders of the four groups, who account for two-thirds of the votes in European Parliament, added that they would veto any deal which places existing EU citizens' rights in jeopardy.

"The European Union has a common mission to extend, enhance and expand rights, not to reduce them. We will never endorse the retroactive removal of acquired rights.

"The European Parliament will reserve its right to reject any agreement that treats EU citizens, regardless of their nationality, less favorably than they are at present. For us, this is a question of basic fundamental rights and values, which are at the heart of the European project."
In Europe's hands

Brexit negotiations kicked off last month shortly after British Prime Minister Theresa May failed to increase her parliamentary majority in a snap general election.

British and EU leaders now have just over a year and a half to negotiate and agree a deal, which will then go to a vote before European Parliaments.

Read more: Europe to reject Brexit deal if UK fails to secure ‘favorable’ status for EU citizens

The End Times: Canadian Inter-Religious Conference Examines “Visions Of The End Times”

Are all the signs pointing towards the end times ?

Majority of the religions of the world prescribe to ‘final days’, ‘last days’ ,’escalation’ and ‘end time’ and believe that world is destined to have an ultimate ending as we know it.

The scriptural prophecies vary a lot and self declared Messiahs, have time over time, come with dates of ‘doomsday’ also.

Those who believe in the linear pattern of existence think that everything has a beginning, middle and end. Thus the end of universe is inevitable. Since the development of the concept of ‘deep time’ in the 18th century, and  with that also the calculation of the estimated age of Earth has been debated, even though most of these predictions can be described as wild guesses.

However, the scientific discourse about end times has centered on the ‘ultimate  fate of the universe’; and theories ‘ such as -Big Rip, Big Crunch, Big Bounce and Big Freeze, have been included.

Some of the spiritual leaders, however, also believe think that the end of the world is a material issue and that people should not waste their time and energy in discussions about it.

The Hindu views of "eschatology" are related with creation and dissolution. Creation begins, they say, when Brahaman (God) makes his energies active and ends when he withdraws the energy. Hindus also believe that the process of creation and dissolution  is cyclic.

Judaism qualifies‘end of days’ makes reference of the Messianic Age, coming of Messiah and the resurrection of the brighteous.

Buddha said  that after 5000 years his teachings will be forgotten and that then a Boddhisatva named Maitreya will come and discover the teaching of dharma.

In  Christianity the  ‘end time’ is  addressed as a period of tribulation, that precedes the Second Coming of Christ, while others think that it also signals the end of personal tribulation, before they become enlightened with a Godly enlightened world government .

Islam in reference with ‘end times’  calls it ‘The Day of Judgment’ that is first preceded by the appearance of Mahdi mounted on a white stallion.

Professor Laura Duhan Kaplan of the Vancouver School of Theology organized this three days conference in May.  The theme of the conference was ’VISIONS OF THE END TIMES’.

Several scholars, academics, graduate students, sociologists and psychologists  presented a total of  nineteen  research papers.

For additional insights also read Daniel 12 : "End Time Events"

Down Under Looks At Trump: Aussie journalist Chris Uhlmann's brutal take on Trump goes viral

Australian journalist Chris Uhlmann’s brutal dismissal of US President Donald Trump as having “pressed fast forward on the decline of the United States as a global leader” has attracted tens of thousands of hits worldwide.

In a scathing piece-to-camera, the ABC’s political editor said Mr Trump struck an “uneasy, lonely, awkward” figure at the G20 global summit, where he showed “no desire and no capacity” to lead the world.

The US President merely “craves power as it burnishes his celebrity”, Mr Uhlmann said.

In his observations from Germany, the Australian journalist said there was the “strong sense” that some world leaders were “trying to find the best way to work around” Mr Trump.

“He managed to isolate his nation, to confuse and alienate his allies and to diminish America – he will cede that power to China and Russia.

“Some will cheer the decline of America. But I think we’ll miss it when it’s gone.

“And that’s the biggest threat to the values of the West which he claims to hold so dear.”

Read more: Aussie journalist Chris Uhlmann's brutal take on Trump goes viral

Britain - Saudi Arabia Relations: Hypocrisies abound as report highlights Saudi links to UK extremism

While Saudi Arabia accuses Qatar of aiding extremism, a think tank report released Wednesday said Riyadh was funding hardline Islamism in the UK. But with the British government refusing to release its own report, immediate answers seem unlikely.

Read more:Hypocrisies abound as report highlights Saudi links to UK extremism - France 24

Paris Climate Accord: Turkey: Erdogan says U.S. stance stalls Turkish ratification of Paris climate deal

The U.S. decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement means Turkey is less inclined to ratify the deal because the U.S. move jeopardizes compensation promised to developing countries, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. 
Erdogan was speaking at the G20 summit in Germany where leaders from the world's leading economies broke with U.S. President Donald Trump over climate policy, following his announcement last month that he was withdrawing from the accord.

Erdogan said that when Turkey signed the accord France had promised that Turkey would be eligible for compensation for some of the financial costs of compliance.

"So we said if this would happen, the agreement would pass through parliament. But otherwise it won't pass," Erdogan told a news conference, adding that parliament had not yet approved it.

"Therefore, after this step taken by the United States, our position steers a course towards not passing this from the parliament," he said
 
Read more: Erdogan says U.S. stance stalls Turkish ratification of Paris climate deal | Reuters

Cyprus reunification talks collapse

Reunification talks between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders collapsed early Friday without a deal, said UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, who also took part.

The discussions had been described as the "best chance" for a deal since the island was divided in 1947.

Sources said Turkey insisted on maintaining their military presence on the island after reunification, whereas the Greek side wanted the withdrawal of all 35,000 Turkish troops.

Read more: Cyprus reunification talks collapse

EU-US Relations: Trade war with Europe would damage the US economy, policy analysts say

The contentious comments arose after Trump declared intentions to limit steel imports to protect domestic steel companies.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker responded by saying, "Our mood is increasingly combative" and says the EU will react with countermeasures by imposing limits on bourbon, a major export from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's state of Kentucky.

Although sanctions have yet to be officially implemented, analysts say a potential trade war with Europe would be detrimental to the economy.

"It's been a while since we've had a good multilateral trade agreement or even a major regional trade agreement," Carla Hills, a former trade representative under President George H.W. Bush, told CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Friday.

 "We have indicated that we're not interested in them, and that really hurts our nation's economy."

Hills specifically referenced the free-trade deal between Japan and Europe, which would hurt American industries.

Read more: Trade war with Europe would damage the US economy, policy analysts say

G20: US contributes nothing positive to G20: "communique exposes divide with U.S. on climate policy" - by P. Carrel and N. Barkin

The final statement from Group of 20 leaders on Saturday exposed a divide between the United States and other G20 members on the Paris accord aimed at combating climate change.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, hosting the two-day G20 summit, said she was pleased all club members besides the United States had agreed the Paris climate accord was irreversible.

"I think it's very clear that we could not reach consensus, but the differences were not papered over, they were clearly stated," Merkel told reporters at the end of the two-day meeting.

She said she did not share the view of British Prime Minister Theresa May who said on Friday she thought Washington could decide to return to the climate agreement.

In the final communique, the G20 leaders took note of the United States' decision to withdraw from the landmark accord.

"The leaders of the other G20 members state that the Paris Agreement is irreversible," the statement read.

On trade, another sticking point, the leaders agreed they would "fight protectionism including all unfair trade practices and recognize the role of legitimate trade defense instruments in this regard."

Trump, who on Friday found chemistry in his first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, congratulated Merkel on her stewardship of the summit.

"You have been amazing and you have done a fantastic job. Thank you very much chancellor," he said.

Read more: G20 communique exposes divide with U.S. on climate policy | Reuters

Turkish Minister denied access to Netherlands for attempted coup commemoration - by Janene Pieters

The Dutch government decided that Turkish deputy prime minister Tugrul Türkes is not welcome in the Netherlands next week. He was planning to speak in the Orpheus congress center in Apeldoorn on Tuesday during a commemoration of the failed coup in Turkey last year, NOS reports.

"Given the current circumstances in the bilateral relationship between our countries", it is not desirable for Türkes or another member of the Turkish government to come to the Netherlands, the Dutch government decided.

This decision stems from a diplomatic fallout between the Netherlands and Turkey in March. Tensions ran high when the Dutch government denied Turkish officials access to the country to speak for a Turkish referendum.

The situation resulted in riots in Rotterdam and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing the Netherlands of Nazism, fascism and mass murder at Srebrenica in 1995.

According to the government, the decision not to allow Türkes into the country is "a logical consequence of the events in March".

Read more: Turkish Minister denied access to Netherlands for attempted coup commemoration | NL Times

China-Russia Relations: Why China and Russia will be best frenemies forever - Sijbren de Jong

On 3 and 4 July, Chinese president Xi Jinping visited Russia for a two-day state visit that included his third meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the space of a year.

Despite what these visits and the pledge to forge closer strategic and economic ties between the two nations suggest – and much to the chagrin of Vladimir Putin – Russia features awkwardly little in China’s major strategic plans for Eurasia.

At any rate, few things appear to unite Russia and China more these days than their mutual disdain for what they see as Western interference in their respective "spheres of influence".

Read more: EUobserver

Violence erupts in Hamburg: Reporter caught in violence - G20: Street Level - by Lianne Elliott,

Peaceful protest marches can quickly turn violent, without warning.

CBC reporter Jasmin Seputis witnessed this first-hand while covering the large protest march that wove through downtown Toronto on Friday, in advance of today's G20 summit. Without a moment's notice, Seputis, who was doing radio reports for Here and Now, found herself caught between a violent skirmish involving protesters and police. She was pushed and shoved, and punched in the arm.

"One officer was pushing me one way, one was pushing me the other way. It was an out-of-control situation," she recalled. "They didn't know where to put me and the protesters were coming at me."

The protest had started as a festive one, with marchers singing, dancing and waving banners as they made their way along Carlton Street, heading west to Yonge.

But then police on bicycles, lined up along Yonge, moved in to arrest one of the protesters - a deaf man named Emomotimi Azorbo. At that point, the crowd became angry.

"They started to surge and push and say, 'Let him go, let him go,'" Seputis said.

Seputis, caught in the middle, said she doesn't know who punched her.

"It happened so quickly," she said, explaining that she wasn't badly hurt. "I guess my adrenaline was so high, I can hardly remember how it all happened. I was pushed this way and that way and thought, 'I have to get out.'"

Read more: Reporter caught in violence - G20: Street Level

USA: Trump has made US politics ridiculous - E.J. Dionne Jr

The most corrosive aspect of Donald Trump’s presidency is its rousing success in making our politics ridiculous.

The political class (yes, including columnists) is obsessed with his most unnerving statements, especially on Twitter. These are analyzed as if they were tablets from heaven or the learned pronouncements of a wise elder.

Various kinds of strategic genius are ascribed to Trump. He’s getting us to focus on this because he doesn’t want us to focus on that . He’s shifting attention away from a Republican health-care bill that breaks a litany of his campaign vows. Maybe he posted that video of his imagined wrestling match with the CNN logo because he realized that in attacking MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, he strayed from his central, anti-CNN message.

Read more: Trump has made our politics ridiculous - The Washington Post

Airlines In Turkey And Dubai Cleared From Laptop Ban - by Chris Benderev

Two airlines in the Middle East say they have been exempted from a 2-month-old ban on carrying large electronic devices aboard direct flights to the United States.

Emirates, the Middle East's largest long-haul airline, said in a statement Wednesday that the ban was lifted, "effective immediately," on Emirates' flights from Dubai International Airport to the U.S. Also on Wednesday, Turkish Airlines announced the ban was no longer in place for its travelers departing the Istanbul Ataturk Airport for American destinations.

U.S.-bound flights out of Etihad Airlines of Abu Dhabi International Airport were cleared Sunday. (Etihad is the only airline with direct flights to the U.S. out of Abu Dhabi International.)

The news suggests all three airports have met newly heightened standards by American security officials, according to the Associated Press.
Turkish airlines CEO Bilal Eksi tweeted Tuesday that he also believed a similar ban on large electronics on U.K.-bound flights would be lifted soon.

Read more: Airlines In Turkey And Dubai Cleared From Laptop Ban | Maine Public

German Elections: Germany expects Russian leaking to start in 'weeks' - by Andrew Rettman

Germany expects Russia to start publishing compromising material on German MPs in the summer in order to destabilise elections in September.

Its interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, and spy chief, Hans-Georg Maassen, issued the warning in Berlin on Tuesday (4 July) after unveiling a yearly intelligence report.

De Maiziere said the material “could be published in the coming weeks,” the Reuters news agency reported.

Maassen said Russia’s intention was “to damage trust in and the functioning of our democracy so our government should have domestic political difficulties and not be as free to act in its foreign policy as it is today.

A hacker group, called APT28, said by US intelligence to be a front for Russian spies, stole 16 gigabytes of data from over 5,600 computers in the German parliament in 2015.

It broke into the accounts of 16 MPs and some in chancellor Angela Merkel’s office.

Recalling Russia’s actions in the US and French elections, De Maiziere said he expected "a classic disinformation campaign with lies and half truths intended to shape opinions" that would be spread online by "bots”.

Mainstream parties are polling miles ahead of pro-Kremlin competitors, the Die Linke (The Left) party and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The German voting system is also hard to hack. People vote on paper ballots and data is counted on an encrypted, offline network by the Federal Statistics Office.

But Germany hosts three pro-Kremlin media - RT Deutsch, Sputnik Deutsch, and NewsFront Deutsch.

The 2.5 million Russian people living in Germany also follow Russian state media, which has been broadcasting anti-Merkel propaganda for years.

Maassen, the intelligence chief, said on Tuesday: “It [Russia’s campaign] may not be aimed at strengthening one party or another, or ensuring that one or another person is elected to run the government, but that the trust in the functioning of our democracy is damaged.”

The yearly intelligence assessment by Germany’s domestic agency, the BfV, which handles counter-espionage, said Russia, Turkey, and China were its main adversaries. 

It said Turkey was spying on Turkish expats in Germany and China was trying to recruit agents on Facebook for economic espionage.    

Read more: Germany expects Russian leaking to start in 'weeks'

Turkey Election Fraud: Turkey’s opposition to challenge the referendum’s result at the ECHR

425 KM Protest March from Ankara to Istanbul

Turkey’s leading opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is challenging the April 16^th constitutional referendum result at the European Court of Human Rights.

The referendum grants the President of Turkey, Recep Tayip Erdogan unprecedented power. The “Yes” campaign secured a 51,4% share of the vote, leaving Turkey politically polarized.

The leading opposition Republican Party (CHP) protests that the Turkish Supreme Election Board (YSK) decided to accept unstamped voting papers on the night of the vote, “unless it can be proved that they were brought from outside the voting room.”

CHP’s leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu signed a legal petition on Tuesday, on the occasion of the 20th day of his justice march in the northwestern province of Kocaeli. The 68-year-old Kılıçdaroğlu has organized a 425km march, which started on June 15 in Ankara and is heading to Istanbul.

The march protests the imprisonment of CHP lawmaker Enis Berberoğlu, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for revealing the supply of Turkish arms to Syrian militant Islamists.

The spokesperson of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Mahir Ünal, accused CHP of trying to create a “legitimacy crisis.” Ünal said he was confident that the ECHR would rule in line with Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Board (YSK).

Read more: Turkey’s opposition to challenge the referendum’s result at the ECHR

Genetic Engineering: How Scientists Are Altering DNA to Genetically Engineer New Forms of Life - by Bryan Walsh

Before human beings wrote books or did math or composed music, we made leather. There is evidence hunter-gatherers were wearing clothes crafted from animal skins hundreds of thousands of years ago, while in 2010 archaeologists digging in Armenia found what they believed to be the world’s oldest leather shoe, dating back to 3,500 B.C. (It was about a women’s size 7.) For a species sadly bereft of protective fur, being able to turn the skin of cows or sheep or pigs into clothing with the help of curing and tanning would have been a lifesaving advance, just like other vital discoveries Homo sapiens made over the course of history: the development of grain crops like wheat, the domestication of food animals like chickens, even the all-important art of fermentation. In each case, human beings took something raw from the natural world—a plant, an animal, a microbe—and with the ingenuity that has enabled us to dominate this planet, turned it into a product.

The natural world has its limits, though. Tanned animal skin may make for stylish boots, motorcycle jackets and handbags—supporting an industry worth about $200 billion a year—but it’s still animal skin. That would seem to be an insurmountable problem if you’re one of the hundreds of millions of vegetarians around the world, or even just someone who worries about the environmental impact of raising tens of billions of animals for clothing and food. But it’s not the animal skin that makes leather leather—it’s collagen, a tough, fibrous protein that is a major biological component of animal connective tissue, including skin. If there was a way to manufacture collagen alone, it might be possible to produce leather that even the most dedicated animal-rights activist could love.

That is the promise of synthetic biology, a technology that is poised to change how we feed ourselves, clothe ourselves, fuel ourselves—and possibly even change our very selves. While scientists have for decades been able to practice basic genetic engineering—knocking out a gene or moving one between species—and more recently have learned to rapidly read and sequence genes, now researchers can edit genomes and even write entirely original DNA. That gives scientists incredible control over the fundamental code that drives all life on Earth, from the most basic bacterium to, well, us. “Genetic engineering was like replacing a red light bulb with a green light bulb,” says James Collins, a biological engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of synthetic biology’s early pioneers. “Synthetic biology is introducing novel circuitry that can control how the bulbs turn off and on.”

Read more: New Natural Selection: How Scientists Are Altering DNA to Genetically Engineer New Forms of Life

The Have and have not: America and the Common Man: RIP? - by Michael J. Brenner

 America’s Common Man exists no more – gone and forgotten. Once he was lauded as the salt of the earth.

He was the U.S.’s embodiment of what made us Americans special, attested to what made the great democratic experiment successful and the most potent symbol of what made of the United States the magnetic pole for the world’s masses.

While politicians paid their rhetorical respects, Aaron Copeland composed a “Fanfare to the Common Man” suite. It was an honorable term, an affective shorthand for the Working Man, the Artisan and the Shopkeeper, the clerk.

To add insult to the injury, they are politically marginalized by a party system that serves up a restricted menu of options which effectively disenfranchises 25% or so of voters.

The Common Man has lost the attention of the country’s elites. Today, to call a person common is an insult, just as we have degraded the term working class.

he connotations are heavily pejorative – they are deemed failures and losers. They may have had the American Dream within reach, but lacked the will and the spirit to grab it. It’s their own fault, following a process of natural selection.

This Victorian ethic grounded in Social Darwinism has now been restored as part of the national creed. Fitted out in the post-modern fancy dress of market fundamentalist economics, this beggar-thy-neighbor ideology dominates our public discourse.

All this is no accident. Powerful interests have orchestrated a relentless campaign for more than forty years to reconfigure American life in accord with their reactionary aims and principles.

The distressing truth of our times is that the Common Man has been abandoned by those elites – in politics, in government, in journalism, in professional associations, in academia.

Those elites care little, are preoccupied with their own careers and pastimes, possess only a feeble sense of social obligation, and are smugly complacent. Money is the common denominator in all of this.

But why? Simple, avarice and moral courage are not compatible human traits. The plutocratic structures that control our public affairs offer no relief to the vanishing common man.

Read more: America and the Common Man: RIP? - The Globalist

EU and Japan closing in on trade deal - by Eszter Zalan

An EU-Japan summit will be held on Thursday (6 July) to announce a political agreement underpinning the free trade deal, the bloc announced in the early hours of Tuesday (4 July).

"Ambitious free and fair trade deal in the making," European Council chief Donald Tusk tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Read more: EU and Japan closing in on trade dea

The Netherlands - Migration: Family is the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands

People joining their families was the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands in 2015, the Dutch statistics service announced on Monday. The CBS says that a third of the 159,000 people who migrated to the country in 2015 came to join family members already here. In 2003, half came for this reason, although since the number of migrants has increased, this figure was 36,655 compared with 51,920 in 2015. There was a dramatic rise in asylum-related migration in 2015, to almost 27,000, but more people actually moved to the Netherlands for work that year, and almost 20,000 came to study. Most of those joining their families came from Poland, Syria, Germany, India and the UK in 2015. The figures exclude people of Dutch nationality moving to the country.

Read more at DutchNews.nl: Family is the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/07/family-is-the-biggest-reason-for-migration-to-the-netherlands/

People joining their families was the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands in 2015, the Dutch statistics service announced on Monday. The CBS says that a third of the 159,000 people who migrated to the country in 2015 came to join family members already here.

In 2003, half came for this reason, although since the number of migrants has increased, this figure was 36,655 compared with 51,920 in 2015.

There was a dramatic rise in asylum-related migration in 2015, to almost 27,000, but more people actually moved to the Netherlands for work that year, and almost 20,000 came to study.

Most of those joining their families came from Poland, Syria, Germany, India and the UK in 2015. The figures exclude people of Dutch nationality moving to the country. 

 Read more: Family is the biggest reason for migration to the Netherlands - DutchNews.nl

G20 summit: When is it, what will happen, and what will Trump do this time? - by Tom Peck

An annual meeting of the leaders of the world’s largest economies - just about. Spain is a ‘permanent invitee’ without being an actual member. There are only, in fact, nineteen members.

The twentieth is the European Union, which partially explains the absence of other major economies, like the Netherlands.

Alongside the likes of Britain, France, Germany, China and the US, are Turkey, Argentina, South Africa, Indonesia Saudi Arabia and others.

It is a larger and more significant meeting than the G8, which occurred earlier this year, not least as Russia is currently suspended from the G8 over its intervention in Crimea.

Ms Merkel has said she will make climate change, free trade and the management of mass migration the major themes of the summit, setting her, and potentially the whole of the EU up for a major clash with President Trump. On climate change the two are poles apart. On free trade Trump’s economic nationalism is distinctly distant from the European position. On mass migration, Merkel has welcomed more than a million migrants to Germany, primarily from Isis warzones, while in the US, Trump has sought to impose a ban on all Muslim immigration.

Between them, the membership accounts for 85 per cent of the world’s GDP and two thirds of its population.

Read more: G20 summit: When is it, what will happen, and what will Trump do this time? | The Independent

US Automobile Industry: Ford cutting 1,400 jobs - by Chris Isidore

The company said Wednesday that it expects to use early retirement and other buyout packages to cover most of the cuts. Most of the workers will depart by the end of September.

The reductions will mostly be in North America and the Asia Pacific region. The automaker's product development unit and Ford Credit will be spared, as will operations in Europe and South America, which have already cut staff, and Africa and the Middle East, where Ford is trying to grow.

The company said Wednesday that it expects to use early retirement and other buyout packages to cover most of the cuts. Most of the workers will depart by the end of September.

The reductions will mostly be in North America and the Asia Pacific region. The automaker's product development unit and Ford Credit will be spared, as will operations in Europe and South America, which have already cut staff, and Africa and the Middle East, where Ford is trying to grow.

The cuts do not include the hourly workers on the assembly lines at American factories, who have union protection. About 57,000 members of the United Auto Workers union work at the company.

General Motors and Fiat Chrysler have cut hourly jobs since the end of last year, as the first decline in U.S. auto sales since 2009 has resulted in excess inventories of new cars on dealer lots. 

Read more: Ford cutting 1,400 jobs - May. 17, 2017

France: Emmanuel Macron: Man charged with plotting to kill French president

A suspected far-right extremist has been charged with plotting to kill French President Emmanuel Macron at the Bastille Day parade later this month.

The 23-year-old was arrested in a Paris suburb last Wednesday after police were alerted by users of a videogame chat room where he allegedly said he wanted to buy a gun.

He also said he wanted to attack minorities, a judicial source told AFP.

Mr Macron has been giving a state-of-the-nation-style address in Versailles.

Read more: Emmanuel Macron: Man charged with plotting to kill French president - BBC News

EU Migrant crises: France, Germany, Italy agree to work together on migrant crisis

Interior ministers from France, Germany and Italy met in Paris over the weekend to talk about Italy’s migrant crisis. Further discussions are expected to take place later this week during EU talks in Tallinn this week.

Italy had threatened to block NGO ships that have been transporting what is says is the “unsustainable” flow of people to its shores.

Some 1.7 refugees and migrants have reached EU shores since 2014, reported Reuters. Italy has admitted 500,000 during that period. The numbers are growing.

The EU want other member states to allow the boats transporting the migrants across the Med to dock in their ports to alleviate growing pressure on Rome.

Read More: France, Germany, Italy agree to work together on migrant crisis | Euronews

China-US Relations: China accuses U.S. of ‘serious provocation’ as warship sails near disputed island - by T.G.Neff and S.Denyer

China has accused the United States of staging a “serious political and military provocation” after an American warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea.

The USS Stethem, an American guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, a small landmass in the Paracel Islands chain, on Sunday, a U.S. defense official said, marking the second such operation since President Trump took office
.
But China, which has enjoyed de facto control of the Paracels since expelling Vietnam in a military engagement in 1974, said the islands, which it calls the Xisha, are an “inherent part of Chinese territory.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Stethem had “trespassed” there, entering the waters “without China’s approval.”

“Its behavior has violated the Chinese law and relevant international law, infringed upon China's sovereignty, disrupted peace, security and order of the relevant waters and put in jeopardy the facilities and personnel on the Chinese islands, and thus constitutes a serious political and military provocation,” spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement.

Read  more: China accuses U.S. of ‘serious provocation’ as warship sails near disputed island  - The Washington Post

Brexit: Prolonging Brexit talks ‘should not be excluded’, says key EU power broker - by Sarantis Michalopoulos

The complexity of the Brexit negotiations means extending the talks by one year should not be excluded, according to the spokesperson of the European People’s Party (EPP), the leading power broker in the EU institutions.

The declaration by Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureșan, spokesperson of the European People’s Party (EPP), is the first time the EU’s leading centre-right political family publicly admits that Brexit talks may have to be prolonged.

If that extension eventually materialises, it would be a major concession to the government of UK Prime Minister Theresa May which only managed to kick off negotiations on 19 June, one year after the historic referendum on EU membership.

Read more: Prolonging Brexit talks ‘should not be excluded’, says key EU power broker – EURACTIV.com

Britain: Downing Street braces for ‘sneak’ Trump visit – by Christian Krug

U.S. President Donald Trump may be planning to visit U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May on short notice, the Guardian reported Monday.

Trump could use his next European trip to stop by his Scottish golf resort in Turnberry and would be expected to meet May for informal talks in London if so. Downing Street is preparing for a potential visit from the president between the G20 in Hamburg this weekend and his appearance at the Bastille Day parade in Paris on July 14 alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.

No. 10 would likely be informed only 24 hours ahead of time in order to minimize the risk of disruption, according to the Guardian.

The formal state visit — announced during May’s trip to Washington in January — was expected to take place this summer but postponed over concerns of mass protests.

Read more: Downing Street braces for ‘sneak’ Trump visit – POLITICO

WTO upholds ruling against Washington’s tax reduction for Boeing - by Dominic Gates

The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Friday ruled that the U.S. has suitably addressed all but one piece of the European Union’s case alleging that Boeing receives illegal subsidies.

As the years-long legal process enters its final chapters, the lingering trouble lies in the biggest slice of Washington state’s aerospace tax incentives.

A WTO panel adjudicating U.S. compliance with previous rulings found that, while all other Boeing subsidies have been remedied, the state’s aerospace business tax rate reduction — worth about $800 million to Boeing since 2004 through last year — remains illegal and must still be fixed.

The ruling by the compliance panel is another legal step in an international trade dispute that has played out slowly over more than a decade: The U.S. sued the European Union in 2004 over Airbus
.
The U.S. will appeal Friday’s ruling and the appeal won’t be decided for about another year. Only then might Boeing have to consider what it can do to bring the Washington state tax subsidies into WTO compliance.

U.S. government and Boeing officials spun the outcome as a victory because the other 28 state and federal funding programs challenged as subsidies in the dispute, amounting to an alleged $10.4 billion in subsidies to Boeing, have been addressed and are now resolved.

Read more: WTO upholds ruling against Washington’s tax reduction for Boeing | The Seattle Times

Estonia: A sustainable Europe through business unusual – by Lauri Tammiste

As Estonia begins its EU presidency on 1 July, business as usual won’t cut it. We need business unusual and Estonia’s successful track record in the last 25 years gives us hope that it will be able to make its mark, writes Lauri Tammiste.

Estonian society has gone through radical changes over the past 25 years, and its bold decisions on economic policies, the IT sector and politics have paid off. Now it’s time to apply the same radical thinking to environmental policy and business. As Estonia begins its EU presidency, business as usual won’t cut it. We need business unusual.

Saturday marks the start of Estonia’s first EU presidency, a tenure that brings the opportunity to find “unity through balance” – as the presidency motto goes – when tackling Europe’s most pressing challenges and motivating other member states to come along. One of the challenges is how to transition to a climate-resilient, smart economy.

Though many have focused on Estonia’s goals for the digital internal market, security and migration policies, the country has also made environment and sustainability a top priority. We applaud this foresight. EU environmental regulations are often perceived as burdensome and causing headaches, but they also positively impact society in ways we often take for granted.

Wastewater treatment systems are now more efficient, for example, and the quality of tap water has increased. EU directives on renewable energy have also helped to shape a framework for our country to invest into better alternatives than oil shale.

Now Estonia – together with our fellow EU members – is set to address another looming issue: How can we transition to an economy that is low-carbon and climate resilient?

Read more: A sustainable Europe through business unusual – EURACTIV.com

European Insurance Industry: Merger creates European digital insurance group - by Terry Gangcuangco

Two insurtech pioneers have completed a merger to form The Digital Insurance Group.

Digital insurance broker Knip and comparison-software provider Komparu will complement each other in hopes of further innovation in the industry. The combination consists of 70 insurance, technology, and business development experts.

“This merger is an exciting step that will bring together two transformative insurtech brands to create a major force in Europe’s insurance sector. It represents a significant milestone for this rapidly growing sector, which is using disruptive technologies to deliver innovation to a multi-trillion dollar insurance industry,” said Ingo Weber, Group CEO of The Digital Insurance Group.

Knip launched in 2014 as Europe’s first truly-digital insurance broker, while Komparu became known for its proprietary comparison platform after launching in 2013. A large share of the mobile-first insurance brokerage market in both Germany and Switzerland has been captured by Knip.

With the merger, Knip’s platform will be serving a third of the nearly €1.1trn European insurance market. Meanwhile, Komparu – which provides SaaS technology services for insurance companies, brokers, and publishers – will be able to deliver an end-to-end solution for partners while broadening the group’s reach.

Komparu chief executive Ruben Troostwijk said Knip and Komparu will be able to share expertise and geographic footprints to create bigger and better innovations. On the other hand, Knip CEO Dennis Just is stepping down as Weber heads the new parent company.

Roeland Werring, who becomes Group CTO of The Digital Insurance Group, commented: “The consumer-facing apps and CRM of Knip on the one side, and Komparu’s transactional frameworks and B2B white-labelling tools on the other, complement one another perfectly.” He said the partnership not only promises immense possibilities for innovation but supports industry transformation as well.
 
Read more: Merger creates European digital insurance group | Insurance Business

Brexit Britain: falling pound, border fears and a frightened workforce

 A year after Britain voted to leave the EU the pound is at least ten percent weaker, the economy is shaky and may be headed for a downturn and Theresa May’s minority government is weak after losing its majority in parliament after June’s general election.

There’s also the worrying possibility that a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland could unravel the Good Friday Peace Agreement.

The uncertainty is infectious.

In her first policy position after the two year long Brexit negotiations started earlier this month, May set out her plan for the rights of the three million or so EU citizens living in the UK. They will only qualify for “settled” status after five consecutive years living in Britain.

But this has not gone far enough to reassure many EU officials including Guy Verhofstadt, the Brexit co-ordinator for the European Parliament.

A report by the consultancy firm Deloitte released on June 27th suggests that 47 percent of highly skilled EU workers are now considering leaving Britain.

One of them is Joana Ferreira, a dentist who works in a private practice on the outskirts of London, and who arrived from Portugal four and a half years ago.

“I’m just worried about the living conditions, really,” said Ferreira. “Am I going to be able to work? Am I going to get a normal salary, like everyone? Am I going to be kicked out of the country? I don’t know, nobody knows!”

Joana and her husband have a three year old daughter who was born in Britain and they had planned for her to grow up in the country.

“I just feel very insecure of what’s going to happen in the future. I really want to know more so I can plan. Because at the moment, I cannot plan anything in my life,” she said.

Joana’s employer Smita Mehra, the managing director of The Neem Tree practice, is also worried as 60 percent of the staff at the four practices she manages are non-British EU nationals.

Read more: Brexit Britain: falling pound, border fears and a frightened workforce | Euronews

USA: Lawmakers blast Trump’s ‘crude, false, and unpresidential’ CNN tweet - by Amy B Wang

President Trump on Sunday morning posted to Twitter a doctored video clip that showed him slamming a man — with “CNN” superimposed on his head — to the ground. In the video, Trump then throws punches at the man’s head, before walking away.

The video, which reportedly originated on Reddit last week, was quickly blasted on social media as not befitting of the office of the president and appearing to promote violence against CNN’s journalists. Trump has long had an antagonistic relationship with the cable news network, often accusing it of being “Fake News.”

On ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, homeland security adviser Tom Bossert pursed his lips when shown the tweet on air, then defended Trump, saying he was communicating directly in a “genuine” way to Americans.

“I think that no one would perceive that as a threat,” Bossert told “This Week” host Martha Raddatz. “I hope they don’t.”

Lawmakers felt otherwise, taking to Twitter to blast Trump for, again, tweeting “crude, false, and unpresidential content.” Many defended the free press as critical to the nation’s democracy, especially with Independence Day on the horizon.

Read more: Lawmakers blast Trump’s ‘crude, false, and unpresidential’ CNN tweet - The Washington Post

G20: Trump activates divide and conquer policies against EU as Polish leader says other EU nations envy Trump Warsaw visit

Trump's EU Divide and Conquer policies 

Poland's leading politician said Saturday that other European nations are envious that U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to visit Warsaw before a summit in Germany with other world leaders.

The ruling Law and Justice party leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, singled out Britain as being resentful over Trump's brief trip to Poland next week before the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

"We have new success, Trump's visit," said Kaczynski, a conservative who sets the direction for Poland's home and foreign policy. "(Others) envy it, the British are attacking us because of it."

Kaczynski didn't elaborate on what he could be referring to and government spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.

British Prime Minister Theresa May invited Trump for an official state visit right after his inauguration in January, but a date for the trip has not been scheduled.

Kaczynski's remarks at a ruling party congress seemed to recall past divisions between ex-communist members of the European Union and western EU nations, when Poland was a staunch U.S. ally in military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Under Kaczynski's party, Poland has criticized EU key members, mainly Germany, and has insisted on having more decision-making powers. At the same time Warsaw says Britain is among its main partners in the EU.

In a speech in the central town of Przysucha, Kaczynski also reiterated that Poland is refusing to go along with an EU plan to relocate Muslim migrants from Italy and Greece. Italy has demanded more help from other EU nations as it copes with tens of thousands of arrivals of desperate migrants on its shores.

Kaczynski argued the anti-migrant policy was saving Poland from a "social catastrophe" and a decline in living standards.

Poland is a predominantly Roman Catholic nation. The conservative government's stance against Muslim asylum-seekers is increasingly being criticized by Poland's church leaders.

Note EU-Digest: Trump once again is trying to play "divide and conquer" games with the unity of the EU, which certainly will backfire and isolate the US even more from the EU.

Read more: Polish leader says other nations envy Trump visit to Warsaw - ABC News

The Netherlands: Quarter of IT firms in the Netherlands have staff shortages

One in four information technology firms in the Netherlands say their production has been down since April because they are short of staff, the national statistics office CBS said on Tuesday. The IT sector has been most affected by the tight jobs market since the first quarter of 2015 when one out of every nine IT companies had staffing problems. Until then the mining sector (gas, oil) had the biggest need for employees. There were 12,300 job vacancies in the IT sector in the first quarter of 2017, equating to 6.3% of the national total, the CBS said. The catering sector (hotels, restaurants, cafés) report an 11.3% shortage, industry 9.9% and construction 7.6%.

Read more at DutchNews.nl: Quarter of IT firms in the Netherlands have staff shortages http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/06/quarter-of-it-firms-in-the-netherlands-have-staff-shortages/

One in four information technology firms in the Netherlands say their production has been down since April because they are short of staff, the national statistics office CBS said on Tuesday.

The IT sector has been most affected by the tight jobs market since the first quarter of 2015 when one out of every nine IT companies had staffing problems. Until then the mining sector (gas, oil) had the biggest need for employees.

There were 12,300 job vacancies in the IT sector in the first quarter of 2017, equating to 6.3% of the national total, the CBS saiThe catering sector (hotels, restaurants, cafés) report an 11.3% shortage, industry 9.9% and construction 7.6%.

Read more: Quarter of IT firms in the Netherlands have staff shortages - DutchNews.nl

Germany passes controversial law to fine Facebook over hate speech

German lawmakers have passed a controversial law under which Facebook, Twitter, and other social media companies could face fines of up to €50 million ($57 million) for failing to remove hate speech. The Network Enforcement Act, commonly referred to as the “Facebook law,” was passed by the Bundestag, Germany’s parliamentary body, on Friday. It will go into effect in October.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas and other supporters of the bill have argued that it is necessary to curb the spread of hate speech, which is strictly regulated under German law. But digital rights activists have broadly criticized the law, saying it would infringe on free speech, and that it gives tech companies disproportionate responsibility in determining the legality of online content.

Read more: Germany passes controversial law to fine Facebook over hate speech - The Verge