European leaders will be out in force at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to defend multilateralism before US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his &quot;America First&quot; message.

Politicians, business chiefs, bankers and celebrities will meet in the Swiss Alps under the banner &quot;Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World&quot; for the four-day gathering against an unsettling global backdrop.

A decade after the bankruptcy of US investment bank Lehman Brothers helped trigger a global financial crisis, economic growth has returned and stock markets are hitting record highs.

Yet there is a nagging fear among many in Davos that the brighter economic outlook could turn out to be little more than a mirage if the daunting array of geopolitical threats - from protectionism and climate change to cyber attacks and outright war - gather pace in 2018.

&quot;Not all geopolitical threats are threats to financial markets,&quot; Axel Weber, the chairman of Swiss bank UBS and former president of the German Bundesbank told Reuters. &quot;But I agree that there may be a disconnect, which has been going on for some time already and may well continue for some time.&quot;

The Global Risks Report published by the WEF last week showed that many see a heightened risk of political and economic confrontations between major powers this year.

Trump, the first sitting US president to attend the forum since Bill Clinton in 2000, is a source of much of this anxiety after a volatile first year in office in which he has turned American foreign policy on its head.

The forum will open on Tuesday with a speech by India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and end on Friday, when Trump is due to address the massive auditorium where Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke last year, offering to fill the global leadership void created by an inward-looking Washington.

White House officials said over the weekend that a government shutdown in the United States was unlikely to prevent Trump from making the trip, although the budget director Mick Mulvaney said it was now &quot;in flux&quot;.

In the days between Modi and Trump, the leaders of Europe&#39;s biggest countries, absent from Davos last year and emboldened by their own economic recovery, will offer an alternative vision to Trump and Xi, who the Europeans say has failed to deliver on his promise of a year ago to open China up to foreign investment.

Europe&#39;s New Star

The charge will be led by French President Emmanuel Macron, the new star of European politics, who in an audacious move, has invited many of the business leaders who will be in Davos to the Palace of Versailles on Monday to press them to invest in France.

When he speaks in Davos on Wednesday, the former investment banker will offer his own &quot;diagnosis&quot; of globalisation and set out a vision for addressing widening inequalities, global warming and the rise of nationalism, his advisers say.

&quot;I don&#39;t think Macron will be able to resist being the counter-Trump,&quot; said Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank in London.

Macron will be joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, returning to the world stage after months of political limbo at home, and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, back in Davos after a 20-year absence, is also due to speak.

The WEF is a marathon of panel discussions, lunches and cocktail parties that delve into subjects as diverse as terrorism, artificial intelligence and wellness.

This year&#39;s conference will include several sessions on sexual harassment, a nod to the #MeToo movement that erupted after allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Criticised in past years for not representing women, the WEF appointed seven female co-chairs this year, including Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ginni Rometty, the CEO of IBM.

Among the other leaders attending are British Prime Minister Theresa May, Israel&#39;s Benjamin Netanyahu and several African leaders, including Zimbabwe&#39;s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Last year, the sole envoy from the Trump camp in the week leading up to his inauguration was Anthony Scaramucci, the New York financier who was sacked after just 10 days as White House communications director.

This year, Trump will be joined by a large US delegation including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

For the first time in years, Iran will not be represented. WEF officials could not say whether the late cancellation by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had anything to do with Trump&#39;s decision to speak.

European leaders will be out in force at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to defend multilateralism before US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his "America First" message.

European leaders will be out in force at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to defend multilateralism before US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his "America First" message. Politicians, business chiefs, bankers and celebrities will meet in the Swiss Alps under the banner "Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World" for the four-day gathering against an unsettling global backdrop. A decade after the bankruptcy of US investment bank Lehman Brothers helped trigger a global financial crisis, economic growth has returned and stock markets are hitting record highs. Yet there is a nagging fear among many in Davos that the brighter economic outlook could turn out to be little more than a mirage if the daunting array of geopolitical threats - from protectionism and climate change to cyber attacks and outright war - gather pace in 2018. "Not all geopolitical threats are threats to financial markets," Axel Weber, the chairman of Swiss bank UBS and former president of the German Bundesbank told Reuters. "But I agree that there may be a disconnect, which has been going on for some time already and may well continue for some time." The Global Risks Report published by the WEF last week showed that many see a heightened risk of political and economic confrontations between major powers this year. Trump, the first sitting US president to attend the forum since Bill Clinton in 2000, is a source of much of this anxiety after a volatile first year in office in which he has turned American foreign policy on its head. The forum will open on Tuesday with a speech by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and end on Friday, when Trump is due to address the massive auditorium where Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke last year, offering to fill the global leadership void created by an inward-looking Washington. White House officials said over the weekend that a government shutdown in the United States was unlikely to prevent Trump from making the trip, although the budget director Mick Mulvaney said it was now "in flux". In the days between Modi and Trump, the leaders of Europe's biggest countries, absent from Davos last year and emboldened by their own economic recovery, will offer an alternative vision to Trump and Xi, who the Europeans say has failed to deliver on his promise of a year ago to open China up to foreign investment. Europe's New Star The charge will be led by French President Emmanuel Macron, the new star of European politics, who in an audacious move, has invited many of the business leaders who will be in Davos to the Palace of Versailles on Monday to press them to invest in France. When he speaks in Davos on Wednesday, the former investment banker will offer his own "diagnosis" of globalisation and set out a vision for addressing widening inequalities, global warming and the rise of nationalism, his advisers say. "I don't think Macron will be able to resist being the counter-Trump," said Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank in London. Macron will be joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, returning to the world stage after months of political limbo at home, and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, back in Davos after a 20-year absence, is also due to speak. The WEF is a marathon of panel discussions, lunches and cocktail parties that delve into subjects as diverse as terrorism, artificial intelligence and wellness. This year's conference will include several sessions on sexual harassment, a nod to the #MeToo movement that erupted after allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Criticised in past years for not representing women, the WEF appointed seven female co-chairs this year, including Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ginni Rometty, the CEO of IBM. Among the other leaders attending are British Prime Minister Theresa May, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and several African leaders, including Zimbabwe's new president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Last year, the sole envoy from the Trump camp in the week leading up to his inauguration was Anthony Scaramucci, the New York financier who was sacked after just 10 days as White House communications director. This year, Trump will be joined by a large US delegation including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. For the first time in years, Iran will not be represented. WEF officials could not say whether the late cancellation by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had anything to do with Trump's decision to speak.

Europe readies riposte to Trump's 'America First' push in Davos

Ride-hailing giant Uber has won a case filed by a French driver claiming he should be considered an employee, a ruling that added to legal uncertainty in Europe about how to regulate the company.

Uber has long maintained it is simply a service provider, connecting people needing a ride with drivers -- either amateurs or professionals, depending on the country -- in about 630 cities worldwide.

The driver in the French case, who stopped working for Uber in 2016 after providing some 4,000 trips in under two years, sued to have his &quot;commercial accord&quot; reclassified as an employment contract.

He was seeking reimbursement for holidays and expenses as well as indemnities for &quot;undeclared work&quot; and contract termination.

But in its ruling dated January 29, seen by AFP on Thursday, the court said drivers were free to refuse a trip and not subject to any oversight by Uber in terms of time worked.

Uber offered &quot;intermediation and not transportation services&quot;, which meant it was linked to drivers only via &quot;commercial contracts&quot; that could not be considered terms of employment.

&#39;Freedom to choose&#39; 
In December, however, the European Court of Justice deemed the US group a transportation service, subject to the same regulations governing taxis and other ride providers.

That case had been brought by an association of taxi drivers in Barcelona, even though Spain had outlawed in 2014 the UberPOP service that uses amateur drivers, leaving only UberX and its licensed professionals.

The company&#39;s success has drawn the ire of taxi drivers who say Uber drivers undercut their business since they usually don&#39;t have to comply with costly regulations such as training and licensing.

In Britain, Uber is appealing against a labour court ruling that would give its drivers the right to paid holidays and the national minimum wage.

It is also contesting the withdrawal of its licence in London over the way in which the company reports serious criminal offences and obtains criminal record checks for its drivers -- though Uber is still operating during the appeal.

The lawyer for the French driver said he was likely to appeal, saying the judges had failed to appreciate &quot;the entire system&quot; that goes with being an Uber driver.

&quot;To generate sufficient revenues and meet their expenses, given the rates that are imposed, a driver effectively has to be connected to the service quite often,&quot; the lawyer, Aurelie Arnaud, said.

Uber welcomed the decision, saying it confirmed a driver&#39;s &quot;freedom to choose&quot;.

&quot;Tens of thousands of drivers in France use the Uber app because it lets them decide, in real time, if, when and where they want to drive,&quot; a spokesman told AFP.

The ruling has added to legal uncertainty in Europe about how to regulate the company

Ride-hailing giant Uber has won a case filed by a French driver claiming he should be considered an employee, a ruling that added to legal uncertainty in Europe about how to regulate the company. Uber has long maintained it is simply a service provider, connecting people needing a ride with drivers -- either amateurs or professionals, depending on the country -- in about 630 cities worldwide. The driver in the French case, who stopped working for Uber in 2016 after providing some 4,000 trips in under two years, sued to have his "commercial accord" reclassified as an employment contract. He was seeking reimbursement for holidays and expenses as well as indemnities for "undeclared work" and contract termination. But in its ruling dated January 29, seen by AFP on Thursday, the court said drivers were free to refuse a trip and not subject to any oversight by Uber in terms of time worked. Uber offered "intermediation and not transportation services", which meant it was linked to drivers only via "commercial contracts" that could not be considered terms of employment. 'Freedom to choose' In December, however, the European Court of Justice deemed the US group a transportation service, subject to the same regulations governing taxis and other ride providers. That case had been brought by an association of taxi drivers in Barcelona, even though Spain had outlawed in 2014 the UberPOP service that uses amateur drivers, leaving only UberX and its licensed professionals. The company's success has drawn the ire of taxi drivers who say Uber drivers undercut their business since they usually don't have to comply with costly regulations such as training and licensing. In Britain, Uber is appealing against a labour court ruling that would give its drivers the right to paid holidays and the national minimum wage. It is also contesting the withdrawal of its licence in London over the way in which the company reports serious criminal offences and obtains criminal record checks for its drivers -- though Uber is still operating during the appeal. The lawyer for the French driver said he was likely to appeal, saying the judges had failed to appreciate "the entire system" that goes with being an Uber driver. "To generate sufficient revenues and meet their expenses, given the rates that are imposed, a driver effectively has to be connected to the service quite often," the lawyer, Aurelie Arnaud, said. Uber welcomed the decision, saying it confirmed a driver's "freedom to choose". "Tens of thousands of drivers in France use the Uber app because it lets them decide, in real time, if, when and where they want to drive," a spokesman told AFP.

Uber drivers aren't employees, French court rules

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned Israel on Wednesday that it faced growing frustration in Europe amid concern for the future of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Gabriel adopted a markedly different tone to that of US&nbsp;Vice President Mike Pence, who on a visit to Israel last week embraced President Donald Trump&#39;s December 6 announcement that his administration recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that it will move the US&nbsp;Embassy to the city.

&quot;With regard to the Palestinians and the Iran question the Americans are taking your side more clearly than ever before. But is this really only a good thing?&quot; Gabriel said in Tel Aviv.

Citing past successes of US&nbsp;diplomacy in the region, he asked: &quot;Can the Americans still play such a role if they take sides so openly? Will others try to step into their shoes?&quot;

In a thinly veiled threat about cutting off aid, he said some members of Israel&#39;s cabinet were &quot;explicitly against the two-state solution&quot; but that such a solution &quot;has always been the foundation of our engagement for Israeli-Palestinian peace and for a large amount of funding&quot; from Germany and Europe.

&quot;These &ndash; at best mixed &ndash; signals do not go unnoticed in Europe, where there is clearly growing frustration with Israel&#39;s actions,&quot; he told an Israeli security conference.

Gabriel cited disagreements even within his own Social Democratic Party about what some see as &quot;unfair&quot; treatment of the Palestinians.

No shortcut

&quot;It is increasingly difficult for people like me to explain to them the reasons why our support for Israel must persist,&quot; he said. Gabriel pointed to concerns about violence, hatred, and Israeli settlement-building in occupied territory that Palestinians seek for a future independent state.

&quot;Germany is looking forward to the day when it will be able to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. But let me add: in two states with Jerusalem as their capital. There is no shortcut here.&quot;

Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israeli in a 1967 war, for their future capital. Israel regards Jerusalem as its eternal, indivisible capital. 
Gabriel spoke after meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Earlier in the day Netanyahu corrected the record during a joint news conference held with his German visitor after Gabriel said he was encouraged that Netanyahu&#39;s government supported a two-state solution &quot;with secure Israeli borders&quot;.

&quot;That we will control security west of the Jordan (river). That is the first condition,&quot; Netanyahu objected, cutting Gabriel off and adding, &quot;Whether it&rsquo;s defined as a state when we have the military control is another matter. I`d rather not discuss labels, but substance.&quot;

Gabriel suggested that the discussion might be revisited at another time, &quot;far away from now&quot;.

Gabriel has been an outspoken supporter of greater efforts to combat anti-Semitism in Germany, including the creation of a new government commissioner post to oversee such initiatives.

At the same time, he is under pressure at home to take a hard line on the continued building of Israeli settlements in violation of international law.

Gabriel adopted a markedly different tone to that of US Vice President Mike Pence

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned Israel on Wednesday that it faced growing frustration in Europe amid concern for the future of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Gabriel adopted a markedly different tone to that of US Vice President Mike Pence, who on a visit to Israel last week embraced President Donald Trump's December 6 announcement that his administration recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that it will move the US Embassy to the city. "With regard to the Palestinians and the Iran question the Americans are taking your side more clearly than ever before. But is this really only a good thing?" Gabriel said in Tel Aviv. Citing past successes of US diplomacy in the region, he asked: "Can the Americans still play such a role if they take sides so openly? Will others try to step into their shoes?" In a thinly veiled threat about cutting off aid, he said some members of Israel's cabinet were "explicitly against the two-state solution" but that such a solution "has always been the foundation of our engagement for Israeli-Palestinian peace and for a large amount of funding" from Germany and Europe. "These – at best mixed – signals do not go unnoticed in Europe, where there is clearly growing frustration with Israel's actions," he told an Israeli security conference. Gabriel cited disagreements even within his own Social Democratic Party about what some see as "unfair" treatment of the Palestinians. No shortcut "It is increasingly difficult for people like me to explain to them the reasons why our support for Israel must persist," he said. Gabriel pointed to concerns about violence, hatred, and Israeli settlement-building in occupied territory that Palestinians seek for a future independent state. "Germany is looking forward to the day when it will be able to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. But let me add: in two states with Jerusalem as their capital. There is no shortcut here." Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israeli in a 1967 war, for their future capital. Israel regards Jerusalem as its eternal, indivisible capital. Gabriel spoke after meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Earlier in the day Netanyahu corrected the record during a joint news conference held with his German visitor after Gabriel said he was encouraged that Netanyahu's government supported a two-state solution "with secure Israeli borders". "That we will control security west of the Jordan (river). That is the first condition," Netanyahu objected, cutting Gabriel off and adding, "Whether it’s defined as a state when we have the military control is another matter. I`d rather not discuss labels, but substance." Gabriel suggested that the discussion might be revisited at another time, "far away from now". Gabriel has been an outspoken supporter of greater efforts to combat anti-Semitism in Germany, including the creation of a new government commissioner post to oversee such initiatives. At the same time, he is under pressure at home to take a hard line on the continued building of Israeli settlements in violation of international law.

German minister warns Israel it faces growing frustration in Europe

Germany&#39;s veteran chancellor Angela Merkel, often called the world&#39;s most powerful woman, will embark on a fourth term with diminished influence and little vision for shaping Europe&#39;s future, analysts say.&nbsp;

After wrapping up more than 24 hours of talks Friday between her conservatives and the Social Democrats on forming a new &quot;grand coalition&quot; government, Merkel insisted the preliminary deal would break the deadlock in Germany and pave the way to a &quot;fresh start&quot; for Europe.

But before the ink was even dry on the roadmap for her new administration, observers branded Merkel and the team she&#39;s likely to lead a &quot;losers&#39;&quot; coalition with little ambition or power to tackle the major challenges facing the country and the continent.

&quot;In fact this &#39;grand coalition&#39; is only a mini-coalition with just 53 percent&quot; of seats in parliament following the September election that saw both parties cede millions of voters to the far-right, anti-immigration AfD party, political scientist Karl-Rudolf Korte of Duisburg-Essen University said.

This compares with the lavish, nearly 80-percent majority the parties enjoyed during Merkel&#39;s previous term, he told public broadcaster ZDF.

Merkel insisted the accord with the Social Democrats, which must still be approved by the party&#39;s rank and file, would ensure Germany&#39;s enduring stability and prosperity.

&quot;We will work earnestly, today and during the next term, to create the conditions so that we can also live well in Germany in the next 10 years and 15 years,&quot; she told reporters, flanked by SPD leader Martin Schulz and the head of Bavaria&#39;s Christian Social Union, Horst Seehofer. 
However influential news magazine Der Spiegel branded the alliance led by Merkel, who has been in power since 2005, a &quot;paleo-coalition&quot; of political dinosaurs bereft of fresh blood to propel renewal.

While France&#39;s young president Emmanuel Macron said he was &quot;happy&quot; about progress in ending Germany&#39;s four-month-long political limbo, critics at home savaged the tired-looking troupe.

&quot;The losers of the September election have come together again and you have to say that this programme blueprint doesn&#39;t even begin to address the problems in our society,&quot; charged Dietmar Bartsch, a leading figure with the far-left Linke opposition party. &nbsp;

Nicola Beer of the pro-business Free Democrats said the deal showed little imagination or &quot;future-oriented pragmatism&quot; and would thus feed disillusionment and support &quot;for the extreme right and left&quot; of the political spectrum.

The 28-page joint policy outlines included pledges to join France in a push to &quot;strengthen and reform&quot; the eurozone, to limit the influx of asylum seekers to Germany to around 200,000 a year, and to refrain from tax hikes given the healthy state coffers.

But the absence of grand new initiatives led political scientist Werner Patzelt of Dresden&#39;s Technical Institute to conclude that more-of-the-same from Berlin could boost the AfD in particular.

&quot;It will hand them success in upcoming state elections and they&#39;ll step up calls for Merkel to resign,&quot; he said, attributing her relative weakness to the record refugee influx in 2015 that undermined her standing with many voters.

Although Merkel stunned many observers abroad by winning re-election despite her controversial open-border stance, her struggle to form a viable coalition has revived speculation about the twilight of her reign. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;Angela Merkel is past her zenith,&quot; Oskar Niedermayer of Berlin&#39;s Free University told business daily Handelsblatt.

&quot;In the interest of her party&#39;s electoral strength, she should not stay in office for the entire legislative term&quot; running until 2021.

A majority of Germans now share this view according to a poll published this week, with 56 percent calling for her to leave the stage before the next scheduled elections.

Germany's veteran chancellor Angela Merkel, often called the world's most powerful woman, will embark on a fourth term with diminished influence and little vision for shaping Europe's future, analysts say

Germany's veteran chancellor Angela Merkel, often called the world's most powerful woman, will embark on a fourth term with diminished influence and little vision for shaping Europe's future, analysts say. After wrapping up more than 24 hours of talks Friday between her conservatives and the Social Democrats on forming a new "grand coalition" government, Merkel insisted the preliminary deal would break the deadlock in Germany and pave the way to a "fresh start" for Europe. But before the ink was even dry on the roadmap for her new administration, observers branded Merkel and the team she's likely to lead a "losers'" coalition with little ambition or power to tackle the major challenges facing the country and the continent. "In fact this 'grand coalition' is only a mini-coalition with just 53 percent" of seats in parliament following the September election that saw both parties cede millions of voters to the far-right, anti-immigration AfD party, political scientist Karl-Rudolf Korte of Duisburg-Essen University said. This compares with the lavish, nearly 80-percent majority the parties enjoyed during Merkel's previous term, he told public broadcaster ZDF. Merkel insisted the accord with the Social Democrats, which must still be approved by the party's rank and file, would ensure Germany's enduring stability and prosperity. "We will work earnestly, today and during the next term, to create the conditions so that we can also live well in Germany in the next 10 years and 15 years," she told reporters, flanked by SPD leader Martin Schulz and the head of Bavaria's Christian Social Union, Horst Seehofer. However influential news magazine Der Spiegel branded the alliance led by Merkel, who has been in power since 2005, a "paleo-coalition" of political dinosaurs bereft of fresh blood to propel renewal. While France's young president Emmanuel Macron said he was "happy" about progress in ending Germany's four-month-long political limbo, critics at home savaged the tired-looking troupe. "The losers of the September election have come together again and you have to say that this programme blueprint doesn't even begin to address the problems in our society," charged Dietmar Bartsch, a leading figure with the far-left Linke opposition party. Nicola Beer of the pro-business Free Democrats said the deal showed little imagination or "future-oriented pragmatism" and would thus feed disillusionment and support "for the extreme right and left" of the political spectrum. The 28-page joint policy outlines included pledges to join France in a push to "strengthen and reform" the eurozone, to limit the influx of asylum seekers to Germany to around 200,000 a year, and to refrain from tax hikes given the healthy state coffers. But the absence of grand new initiatives led political scientist Werner Patzelt of Dresden's Technical Institute to conclude that more-of-the-same from Berlin could boost the AfD in particular. "It will hand them success in upcoming state elections and they'll step up calls for Merkel to resign," he said, attributing her relative weakness to the record refugee influx in 2015 that undermined her standing with many voters. Although Merkel stunned many observers abroad by winning re-election despite her controversial open-border stance, her struggle to form a viable coalition has revived speculation about the twilight of her reign. "Angela Merkel is past her zenith," Oskar Niedermayer of Berlin's Free University told business daily Handelsblatt. "In the interest of her party's electoral strength, she should not stay in office for the entire legislative term" running until 2021. A majority of Germans now share this view according to a poll published this week, with 56 percent calling for her to leave the stage before the next scheduled elections.

Merkel risks leading weak 'losers' coalition for Germany

The European Union has called for leaders from the E3 countries to preserve a deal that aims to keep Iran&#39;s nuclear ambitions in check.

In 2015, Iran signed the nuclear accord with six world powers and agreed to curb its nuclear programme.

In exchange, the country was granted exemptions from international sanctions imposed on it.&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump didn&#39;t play the deal and threatened to pull out of it.

Monday, Iran warned the world to prepare for the US withdrawal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his French, British and German counterparts are now set to hold talks in Brussels this Thursday in the presence of EU&#39;s High Representative, Federica Mogherini.&nbsp;

&quot;The EU High Representative Federica Mogherini will convene a meeting with ministers of foreign affairs of E3 countries -- France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, and the UK Boris Johnson -- and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Thursday 11 January in Brussels,&quot; the 28-member bloc said in a statement.

&quot;The meeting will take place in the context of the ongoing work to ensure a full and continued implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,&quot; the statement added, using the official name for the deal.

The European Union has been trying to keep US from pulling out of the deal.

US President Donald Trump has been waiving-off nuclear-related sanctions on Iran as per the accord.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Monday, Iran warned the world to prepare for the withdrawal of the United States

The European Union has called for leaders from the E3 countries to preserve a deal that aims to keep Iran's nuclear ambitions in check. In 2015, Iran signed the nuclear accord with six world powers and agreed to curb its nuclear programme. In exchange, the country was granted exemptions from international sanctions imposed on it. US President Donald Trump didn't play the deal and threatened to pull out of it. Monday, Iran warned the world to prepare for the US withdrawal. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his French, British and German counterparts are now set to hold talks in Brussels this Thursday in the presence of EU's High Representative, Federica Mogherini. "The EU High Representative Federica Mogherini will convene a meeting with ministers of foreign affairs of E3 countries -- France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, and the UK Boris Johnson -- and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Thursday 11 January in Brussels," the 28-member bloc said in a statement. "The meeting will take place in the context of the ongoing work to ensure a full and continued implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the statement added, using the official name for the deal. The European Union has been trying to keep US from pulling out of the deal. US President Donald Trump has been waiving-off nuclear-related sanctions on Iran as per the accord. (With inputs from agencies)

Europe, Iran to discuss nuclear deal this Thursday

Winter storm Eleanor swept across Europe on Wednesday, bringing death, damage and disruption, snarling transport networks and cutting power to tens of thousands of people.

Two people died on Spain&#39;s northern Basque coast, the couple swept away by a huge wave, officials said, and another person had to be rescued after attempting to save them.

In France, a 21-year-old skier was killed by a falling tree at Morillon in the Alps where dangerous conditions forced the closure of several resorts.

More than a dozen others were injured by the storm across France, four seriously, civil defence spokesman Michael Bernier told AFP as the country was lashed by what meteorologists termed the strongest winds in eight years.

On the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, where gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour (85 miles per hour) were recorded, winds fanned the flames of forest and scrub fires started by downed power lines, leaving three people injured.

At Lenk in central Switzerland, eight people were hurt when a violent gust of wind overturned a railway carriage while one person was injured by a falling tree in the southern Dutch village of Heesch.

Heavy winds forced authorities to close the airports in Strasbourg and Basel-Mulhouse on France&#39;s border with Germany and Switzerland before they were reopened shortly after midday.

At Paris&#39;s Charles de Gaulle airport, most departures were delayed Wednesday morning and a handful of flights had to be rerouted before the winds eased.

The weather wreaked havoc with train services and motorway access in several French regions, the result of fallen trees, electrical lines and other debris.

About 225,000 homes across France were without electricity, while &quot;particularly intense&quot; flooding was expected on the Atlantic coasts.

The Eiffel Tower had to turn away tourists in the morning because of the gusts before reopening later.

- Hail, thunder and lightning -

Eleanor barrelled into continental Europe after whipping across England and Ireland, with the Thames Barrier, one of the largest movable flood barriers in the world, closed as a precautionary measure to protect London from swelling tides.

&quot;We have seen some heavy showers push through across the south of the UK along with hail, loud thunder and lightning,&quot; said meteorologist Becky Mitchell.

Gusts of 160 kph were recorded at Great Dun Fell in Westmorland, northwest England, while overturned vehicles and trees caused closures of major motorways.

In Ireland, power supply company ESB said electricity had been restored to 123,000 customers, while 27,000 remained without power.

Streets around the docks in Galway on the west coast were flooded after high tides breached the sea defences, prompting the deployment of about two dozen troops to support flood defence efforts.

Belgium and parts of Spain were also put on &quot;orange&quot; alert, the third of four warning levels, with officials urging people to exercise caution when venturing out.

In the Netherlands, more than 250 flights were cancelled at Amsterdam&#39;s Schiphol airport, a key European hub, as weather alerts were issued for several regions.

Dutch authorities for the first time closed all of the five storm surge barriers on the country&#39;s North Sea coast, the transport ministry said.

Flights were also disrupted at Frankfurt&#39;s airport in Germany, where the storm has been baptised Burglind, and at Zurich airport, as Swiss officials urged hikers to avoid forest walks.

RTS television reported that about 14,000 homes were without power in several Swiss cantons.

Most ski resorts in the Swiss and northern French Alps, where gusts reached 250 kph at Les Arcs resort.

&quot;You&#39;re better off staying in front of the fire today,&quot; said David Ponson, a ski official in Savoie.

Eleanor is the fourth major storm to hit Europe since December.

France was lashed by what meteorologists termed the strongest winds in eight years.

Winter storm Eleanor swept across Europe on Wednesday, bringing death, damage and disruption, snarling transport networks and cutting power to tens of thousands of people. Two people died on Spain's northern Basque coast, the couple swept away by a huge wave, officials said, and another person had to be rescued after attempting to save them. In France, a 21-year-old skier was killed by a falling tree at Morillon in the Alps where dangerous conditions forced the closure of several resorts. More than a dozen others were injured by the storm across France, four seriously, civil defence spokesman Michael Bernier told AFP as the country was lashed by what meteorologists termed the strongest winds in eight years. On the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, where gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour (85 miles per hour) were recorded, winds fanned the flames of forest and scrub fires started by downed power lines, leaving three people injured. At Lenk in central Switzerland, eight people were hurt when a violent gust of wind overturned a railway carriage while one person was injured by a falling tree in the southern Dutch village of Heesch. Heavy winds forced authorities to close the airports in Strasbourg and Basel-Mulhouse on France's border with Germany and Switzerland before they were reopened shortly after midday. At Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport, most departures were delayed Wednesday morning and a handful of flights had to be rerouted before the winds eased. The weather wreaked havoc with train services and motorway access in several French regions, the result of fallen trees, electrical lines and other debris. About 225,000 homes across France were without electricity, while "particularly intense" flooding was expected on the Atlantic coasts. The Eiffel Tower had to turn away tourists in the morning because of the gusts before reopening later. - Hail, thunder and lightning - Eleanor barrelled into continental Europe after whipping across England and Ireland, with the Thames Barrier, one of the largest movable flood barriers in the world, closed as a precautionary measure to protect London from swelling tides. "We have seen some heavy showers push through across the south of the UK along with hail, loud thunder and lightning," said meteorologist Becky Mitchell. Gusts of 160 kph were recorded at Great Dun Fell in Westmorland, northwest England, while overturned vehicles and trees caused closures of major motorways. In Ireland, power supply company ESB said electricity had been restored to 123,000 customers, while 27,000 remained without power. Streets around the docks in Galway on the west coast were flooded after high tides breached the sea defences, prompting the deployment of about two dozen troops to support flood defence efforts. Belgium and parts of Spain were also put on "orange" alert, the third of four warning levels, with officials urging people to exercise caution when venturing out. In the Netherlands, more than 250 flights were cancelled at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, a key European hub, as weather alerts were issued for several regions. Dutch authorities for the first time closed all of the five storm surge barriers on the country's North Sea coast, the transport ministry said. Flights were also disrupted at Frankfurt's airport in Germany, where the storm has been baptised Burglind, and at Zurich airport, as Swiss officials urged hikers to avoid forest walks. RTS television reported that about 14,000 homes were without power in several Swiss cantons. Most ski resorts in the Swiss and northern French Alps, where gusts reached 250 kph at Les Arcs resort. "You're better off staying in front of the fire today," said David Ponson, a ski official in Savoie. Eleanor is the fourth major storm to hit Europe since December.

Storm Eleanor brings chaos to Europe

German exports fell unexpectedly in October while vibrant domestic demand pushed up imports, narrowing its trade surplus and adding to evidence that Europe&#39;s biggest economy started the fourth quarter on a weak footing, data showed on Friday.

The German economy, which is expected to grow by more than 2 percent this year, is enjoying a consumer-led upswing, propelled by record-high employment, rising real wages, moderate inflation, and ultra-low borrowing costs.&nbsp;

Seasonally adjusted exports edged down by 0.4 per cent on the month while imports jumped by 1.8 per cent, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed. The exports figure confounded expectations for a 1.0 per cent rise while imports beat a forecast for a 1.1 per cent increase.

&quot;German industry has gone through a small roller coaster ride since the start of the summer&quot;, ING economist Carsten Brzeski said, adding that disappointing numbers had been followed by impressive rebounds.&nbsp;

&quot;Behind the vacation and weather-driven white noise of monthly data, however, there is a clear upward trend. The export sector has once more become an important growth driver in 2017&quot;, Brzeski&nbsp;continued.

A breakdown of unadjusted figures showed that German imports from other European Union countries surged by 10.1 per cent while those from countries outside the bloc rose by 4.8 per cent.&nbsp;The seasonally adjusted trade surplus narrowed to 19.9 billion euros from an upwardly revised 21.9 billion euros in September. The October reading was lower than the Reuters consensus forecast for 21.8 billion euros.

Germany&#39;s wider current account surplus, which measures the flow of goods, services, and investments, fell to 18.1 billion euros after an upwardly revised reading of 25.8 billion euros in September, unadjusted data showed.&nbsp;

The trade figures followed economic data released on Thursday that showed industrial output fell unexpectedly in October - a drop economists linked to public holidays that let workers take long weekends.

The weak figures came after data on Wednesday showed that industrial orders had risen unexpectedly in October, suggesting that output could bounce back in the coming months.&nbsp;Rising exports and business investment in equipment helped the German economy to shift into a higher gear in the third quarter - it expanded by 0.8 per cent on the quarter, up from 0.6 per cent in the previous three months.

&quot;This week&#39;s industrial data show that even the German economy can have weaker moments&quot;, Brzeski said, adding that the fourth quarter could bring a slowdown in overall growth.&nbsp;For 2017 as a whole, the Ifo Institute for Economic Research predicts economic growth of 2.3 per cent which would translate into a calendar-adjusted expansion rate of 2.6 per cent - the fastest pace in six years.

Europe's second-biggest economy - Germany - takes a hit as it sees an unexpected decline in exports sector

German exports fell unexpectedly in October while vibrant domestic demand pushed up imports, narrowing its trade surplus and adding to evidence that Europe's biggest economy started the fourth quarter on a weak footing, data showed on Friday. The German economy, which is expected to grow by more than 2 percent this year, is enjoying a consumer-led upswing, propelled by record-high employment, rising real wages, moderate inflation, and ultra-low borrowing costs. Seasonally adjusted exports edged down by 0.4 per cent on the month while imports jumped by 1.8 per cent, data from the Federal Statistics Office showed. The exports figure confounded expectations for a 1.0 per cent rise while imports beat a forecast for a 1.1 per cent increase. "German industry has gone through a small roller coaster ride since the start of the summer", ING economist Carsten Brzeski said, adding that disappointing numbers had been followed by impressive rebounds. "Behind the vacation and weather-driven white noise of monthly data, however, there is a clear upward trend. The export sector has once more become an important growth driver in 2017", Brzeski continued. A breakdown of unadjusted figures showed that German imports from other European Union countries surged by 10.1 per cent while those from countries outside the bloc rose by 4.8 per cent. The seasonally adjusted trade surplus narrowed to 19.9 billion euros from an upwardly revised 21.9 billion euros in September. The October reading was lower than the Reuters consensus forecast for 21.8 billion euros. Germany's wider current account surplus, which measures the flow of goods, services, and investments, fell to 18.1 billion euros after an upwardly revised reading of 25.8 billion euros in September, unadjusted data showed. The trade figures followed economic data released on Thursday that showed industrial output fell unexpectedly in October - a drop economists linked to public holidays that let workers take long weekends. The weak figures came after data on Wednesday showed that industrial orders had risen unexpectedly in October, suggesting that output could bounce back in the coming months. Rising exports and business investment in equipment helped the German economy to shift into a higher gear in the third quarter - it expanded by 0.8 per cent on the quarter, up from 0.6 per cent in the previous three months. "This week's industrial data show that even the German economy can have weaker moments", Brzeski said, adding that the fourth quarter could bring a slowdown in overall growth. For 2017 as a whole, the Ifo Institute for Economic Research predicts economic growth of 2.3 per cent which would translate into a calendar-adjusted expansion rate of 2.6 per cent - the fastest pace in six years.

Unexpected decline in German exports narrows trade surplus

Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the US&nbsp;recognition of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator.

The European Union and United Nations also voiced alarm at US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to move the US&nbsp;Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and its repercussions for any chances of reviving Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

Major US&nbsp;allies came out against Trump&#39;s reversal of decades of US&nbsp;and broad international policy on Jerusalem.

France rejected the &quot;unilateral&quot; decision while appealing for calm in the region. Britain said the move would not help peace efforts and Jerusalem should ultimately be shared by Israel and a future Palestinian state. Germany said Jerusalem&#39;s status could only be resolved on the basis of a two-state solution.

Israel, by contrast, applauded Trump&#39;s move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that it was &quot;an important step towards peace&quot; and it was &quot;our goal from Israel&#39;s first day&quot;.

He added that any peace accord with the Palestinians would have to include Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital and he urged other countries to follow Trump&#39;s example.

Trump upended decades of US&nbsp;policy in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risks aggravating conflict in the tinderbox Middle East.

The status of Jerusalem is home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. Its eastern sector was captured by Israel in a 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem for the capital of an independent state they seek.

Israel deems Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital dating to antiquity, and its status is one of the thorniest barriers to a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a pre-recorded speech, said Jerusalem was the &quot;eternal capital of the State of Palestine&quot; and that Trump&#39;s move was &quot;tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator.&quot;

The last round of US-brokered talks foundered in 2014 over issues including Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Israeli accusations of Palestinian incitement to violence and refusal to recognise it as a Jewish state.

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since soon after Israel ended a 38-year occupation in 2005, said Trump had committed a &quot;flagrant aggression against the Palestinian people&quot;. Hamas urged Arabs and Muslims to &quot;undermine US&nbsp;interests in the region&quot; and to &quot;shun Israel&quot;.

Protests broke out in parts of Jordan&#39;s capital Amman inhabited by Palestinian refugees, with youths chanting anti-American slogans. In the Baqaa refugee camp on Amman&#39;s outskirts, hundreds roamed the streets denouncing Trump and urging Jordan to scrap its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. &quot;Down with America...America is the mother of terror,&quot; they chanted.

Angry Palestinians switched off Christmas lights at Jesus&#39; traditional birthplace in the West Bank town of Bethlehem and in Ramallah. A tree adorned with lights outside Bethlehem&#39;s Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born, and another in Ramallah, next to the grave of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, were plunged into darkness.

All Palestinian factions called for a general strike and protest rallies at midday on Thursday.

&nbsp;

&quot;Legally Null&quot; Decision

The Saudi Royal Court issued a statement saying that the kingdom followed &quot;with deep sorrow&quot; Trump&#39;s decision and warned of &quot;dangerous consequences of moving the US&nbsp;Embassy to Jerusalem&quot;.

The statement described the move as &quot;a big step back in efforts to advance the peace process&quot;, and urged the US&nbsp;administration to reverse its decision and adhere to international will.

Egypt, which forged the first Arab peace deal with Israel in 1979, brushed off Trump&#39;s decision and said it did not change Jerusalem&#39;s disputed legal status.

Jordan said Trump&#39;s action was &quot;legally null&quot; because it consolidated Israel&#39;s occupation of East Jerusalem.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Trump&#39;s Jerusalem decision was dangerous and threatened the credibility of the United States as a broker of Middle East peace. He said the move would put back the peace process by decades and threatened regional stability and perhaps global stability.

Qatar&#39;s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said Trump&#39;s undertaking was a &quot;death sentence for all who seek peace&quot; and called it &quot;a dangerous escalation&quot;.

Turkey said Trump&#39;s move was &quot;irresponsible&quot;.

&quot;We call upon the US&nbsp;Administration to reconsider this faulty decision which may result in highly negative outcomes and to avoid uncalculated steps that will harm the multicultural identity and historical status of Jerusalem,&quot; the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

A few hundred protesters gathered outside the US&nbsp;consulate in Istanbul, a Reuters cameraman at the scene said. The protest was largely peaceful, though some of the demonstrators threw coins and other objects at the consulate.

Iran &quot;seriously condemns&quot; Trump&#39;s move as it violates UN&nbsp;resolutions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, state media reported. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier in the day that the United States was trying to destabilize the region and start a war to protect Israel&#39;s security.

In Southeast Asia, the leaders of Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia denounced Trump&#39;s action.

&quot;This can rock global security and stability,&quot; Indonesian President Joko Widodo, leader of the world&#39;s largest Muslim-majority nation, told a news conference in which he called for the United States to reconsider its decision.

British Prime Minister Theresa May disagreed with Trump&#39;s embrace of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital before a final-status agreement as this was unlikely to help nurture peace in the region, her spokesman said.

However, May&#39;s spokesman welcomed Trump&#39;s stated wish to end the conflict and his acknowledgement that the final status of Jerusalem, including boundaries within the city, must be subject to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not support Trump&#39;s &quot;unilateral&quot; move.

&quot;The status of Jerusalem is a question of international security that concerns the entire international community. The status of Jerusalem must be determined by Israelis and Palestinians in the framework of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations,&quot; Macron told reporters in Algiers.

&quot;France and Europe are attached to a two-state solution - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace and security within recognised international borders with Jerusalem the capital of both states,&quot; he said.

&quot;For now, I urge for calm and for everyone to be responsible. We must avoid at all costs avoid violence and foster dialogue,&quot; he said.

UN&nbsp;Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was no alternative to a two-state solution and Jerusalem was a final-status matter only to be settled through direct talks.

&quot;I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians,&quot; Guterres said. &quot;I will do everything in my power to support the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations.&quot;

Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the US?recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator

Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East on Wednesday condemned the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator. The European Union and United Nations also voiced alarm at US President Donald Trump's decision to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and its repercussions for any chances of reviving Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. Major US allies came out against Trump's reversal of decades of US and broad international policy on Jerusalem. France rejected the "unilateral" decision while appealing for calm in the region. Britain said the move would not help peace efforts and Jerusalem should ultimately be shared by Israel and a future Palestinian state. Germany said Jerusalem's status could only be resolved on the basis of a two-state solution. Israel, by contrast, applauded Trump's move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video message that it was "an important step towards peace" and it was "our goal from Israel's first day". He added that any peace accord with the Palestinians would have to include Jerusalem as Israel's capital and he urged other countries to follow Trump's example. Trump upended decades of US policy in defiance of warnings from around the world that the gesture risks aggravating conflict in the tinderbox Middle East. The status of Jerusalem is home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. Its eastern sector was captured by Israel in a 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem for the capital of an independent state they seek. Israel deems Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital dating to antiquity, and its status is one of the thorniest barriers to a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a pre-recorded speech, said Jerusalem was the "eternal capital of the State of Palestine" and that Trump's move was "tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator." The last round of US-brokered talks foundered in 2014 over issues including Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Israeli accusations of Palestinian incitement to violence and refusal to recognise it as a Jewish state. The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since soon after Israel ended a 38-year occupation in 2005, said Trump had committed a "flagrant aggression against the Palestinian people". Hamas urged Arabs and Muslims to "undermine US interests in the region" and to "shun Israel". Protests broke out in parts of Jordan's capital Amman inhabited by Palestinian refugees, with youths chanting anti-American slogans. In the Baqaa refugee camp on Amman's outskirts, hundreds roamed the streets denouncing Trump and urging Jordan to scrap its 1994 peace treaty with Israel. "Down with America...America is the mother of terror," they chanted. Angry Palestinians switched off Christmas lights at Jesus' traditional birthplace in the West Bank town of Bethlehem and in Ramallah. A tree adorned with lights outside Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born, and another in Ramallah, next to the grave of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, were plunged into darkness. All Palestinian factions called for a general strike and protest rallies at midday on Thursday. "Legally Null" Decision The Saudi Royal Court issued a statement saying that the kingdom followed "with deep sorrow" Trump's decision and warned of "dangerous consequences of moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem". The statement described the move as "a big step back in efforts to advance the peace process", and urged the US administration to reverse its decision and adhere to international will. Egypt, which forged the first Arab peace deal with Israel in 1979, brushed off Trump's decision and said it did not change Jerusalem's disputed legal status. Jordan said Trump's action was "legally null" because it consolidated Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem. Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Trump's Jerusalem decision was dangerous and threatened the credibility of the United States as a broker of Middle East peace. He said the move would put back the peace process by decades and threatened regional stability and perhaps global stability. Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said Trump's undertaking was a "death sentence for all who seek peace" and called it "a dangerous escalation". Turkey said Trump's move was "irresponsible". "We call upon the US Administration to reconsider this faulty decision which may result in highly negative outcomes and to avoid uncalculated steps that will harm the multicultural identity and historical status of Jerusalem," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. A few hundred protesters gathered outside the US consulate in Istanbul, a Reuters cameraman at the scene said. The protest was largely peaceful, though some of the demonstrators threw coins and other objects at the consulate. Iran "seriously condemns" Trump's move as it violates UN resolutions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, state media reported. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier in the day that the United States was trying to destabilize the region and start a war to protect Israel's security. In Southeast Asia, the leaders of Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia denounced Trump's action. "This can rock global security and stability," Indonesian President Joko Widodo, leader of the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, told a news conference in which he called for the United States to reconsider its decision. British Prime Minister Theresa May disagreed with Trump's embrace of Jerusalem as Israel's capital before a final-status agreement as this was unlikely to help nurture peace in the region, her spokesman said. However, May's spokesman welcomed Trump's stated wish to end the conflict and his acknowledgement that the final status of Jerusalem, including boundaries within the city, must be subject to negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. French President Emmanuel Macron said he did not support Trump's "unilateral" move. "The status of Jerusalem is a question of international security that concerns the entire international community. The status of Jerusalem must be determined by Israelis and Palestinians in the framework of negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations," Macron told reporters in Algiers. "France and Europe are attached to a two-state solution - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace and security within recognised international borders with Jerusalem the capital of both states," he said. "For now, I urge for calm and for everyone to be responsible. We must avoid at all costs avoid violence and foster dialogue," he said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was no alternative to a two-state solution and Jerusalem was a final-status matter only to be settled through direct talks. "I have consistently spoken out against any unilateral measures that would jeopardize the prospect of peace for Israelis and Palestinians," Guterres said. "I will do everything in my power to support the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations."

Arabs, Europe, UN reject Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital

The leader of Germany&#39;s Social Democrats (SPD) took aim at US&nbsp;technology firms Apple, Facebook and Google on Thursday, saying a strong Europe was needed to make sure they stick to the rules.

Martin Schulz, who hopes to persuade his party to approve talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel on forming a new coalition, told a congress of his SPD party that Ireland was complicit in allowing companies like Apple to avoid billions of euros in tax.

He also called for the creation of a European finance minister, who should fight tax evasion by reining in the race to the bottom in tax policy among member states.

&quot;Only a strong Europe can force platform giants like Facebook and Google to respect our rules and basic rights,&quot; he said.

The leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) took aim at US?technology firms Apple, Facebook and Google on Thursday, saying a strong Europe was needed to make sure they stick to the rules

The leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) took aim at US technology firms Apple, Facebook and Google on Thursday, saying a strong Europe was needed to make sure they stick to the rules. Martin Schulz, who hopes to persuade his party to approve talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel on forming a new coalition, told a congress of his SPD party that Ireland was complicit in allowing companies like Apple to avoid billions of euros in tax. He also called for the creation of a European finance minister, who should fight tax evasion by reining in the race to the bottom in tax policy among member states. "Only a strong Europe can force platform giants like Facebook and Google to respect our rules and basic rights," he said.

German SPD leader takes aim at US tech giants

Big companies are stepping up their plans in case Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal as Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to get talks back on track after a major setback.&nbsp;

Britain is aiming to agree with the EU on December 14 to move the Brexit talks on to the second phase. This would focus on trade and a two-year transition deal to smooth the departure after March 2019. But the timetable has been thrown into doubt after discussions broke down in Brussels on Monday.&nbsp;

Senior executives in the financial services sector, which accounts for about 12 percent of the economy, told Reuters May&#39;s efforts to secure a transition deal had come too late and they had no choice but to start restructuring.&nbsp;Big supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury&#39;s have been working with suppliers to identify potential delays, shortages or price rises. They have lined up alternative providers, according to suppliers and sources in the industry.

The uncertainty is particularly painful for the manufacturing sector as low margins make it risky for them to restructure unless it is essential. They have been holding off on investment but are preparing for new certification that would allow them to sell in Europe if there is no deal.&nbsp;&quot;The delay is so great and the uncertainty is so great that companies have no choice but to start triggering their plans,&quot; the head of one of Britain`s largest companies said.

Britain and the EU are working to get talks back on track this week but the chairman of one large international bank said its executives had decided to plan for the worst at a conference call on Tuesday.&nbsp;&quot;The question is no longer whether we are moving (operations to the EU), it is a question of how big those moves are going to be&quot; he said.&nbsp;Like other executives, he had been asked by his board and the government not to divulge their&nbsp;thinking.&nbsp;

The chairman said the bank has started discussions with customers about rerouting client activity to European hubs, including rewriting thousands of contracts.&nbsp;Senior employees were told last month if they had to relocate to Europe, he said.&nbsp;

Another senior executive at a large U.S. bank said that he was increasingly concerned that May&#39;s government could collapse after the Brussels talks broke down over a dispute over the Irish border, adding to the uncertainty. &quot;We are at the maximum point of danger,&quot; he said.

The financial sector needs extra time to make sure its clients are prepared. For instance, a British bank opening a subsidiary in Europe may need its clients to adopt a new sort code throughout their own supply chains.&nbsp;In other sectors, companies are making smaller changes that would enable them to operate in Europe after Brexit, from preparing compliance changes to drawing up shadow supply chains and looking for additional warehouse space.&nbsp;

Fruit and beef&nbsp;

Food retailers are lining up alternative suppliers in Britain or outside the EU in case of delays at borders or new tariffs disrupt deliveries. Around 30 percent of Britain`s food and drink comes from the EU.&nbsp;Some changes would need to be made early next year in time for the 2019 departure. Changing a fresh fruit supplier could require a lead time of a year, depending on the growing cycle.&nbsp;

Ali Capper, a partner in Stocks Farm in Worcestershire, central England, and a chair of the Horticulture and Potatoes Board at the National Farmers Union, said there were signs retail customers were requesting more British produce.&nbsp;Ireland provides almost 70 percent of UK beef imports, or 270,000 tonnes a year. Were tariffs or border delays to make Irish beef less competitive, supermarkets could look further afield, for instance to Argentina.&nbsp;

Manufacturing pressure

Many manufacturers are unwilling to sign off on new plans until they know how Britain will trade in the future.&nbsp;The drugs sector has been among the first to move so they can comply with EU regulations. GSK and AstraZeneca have already set up new facilities in mainland Europe to test batches of drugs made in Britain.&nbsp;Autos and aerospace firms are focusing on certification. According to the aerospace and defense trade body, ADS, some companies are considering applying to the European Aviation Safety Agency for a status that would enable them to sell in the EU if Britain was no longer a member state.&nbsp;

Japanese carmaker Honda, which builds around 8 percent of British cars at its plant in Swindon, is considering increasing its warehouse capacity in Britain and stock levels to counter any new border delays.&nbsp;Manufacturers reluctance to sign off on big plans has had a knock-on effect on companies in the supply chain.&nbsp;

&quot;The biggest impact we see is a general unwillingness to make investment and capacity decisions as result of the continued uncertainty,&quot; said Stephen Cheetham, owner of PK Engineering Ltd of Hereford, a supplier of components to the aerospace and scientific industries.&nbsp;&quot;We would expect continued paralysis and short-termism until a trade deal is finalized,&quot; he told Reuters.&nbsp;

Having a transition deal will allow businesses to survive the two years after Brexit by allowing them to defer any big decisions until the final parameters of Brexit are worked out, said Andrew Bonfield, finance director of National Grid and chairman of the 100 Group of finance chiefs.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s about the avoidance of a cliff edge,&quot; he said.

Banks, food retailers, drug manufacturers, and car makers are preparing for disorderly Brexit.

Big companies are stepping up their plans in case Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal as Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to get talks back on track after a major setback. Britain is aiming to agree with the EU on December 14 to move the Brexit talks on to the second phase. This would focus on trade and a two-year transition deal to smooth the departure after March 2019. But the timetable has been thrown into doubt after discussions broke down in Brussels on Monday. Senior executives in the financial services sector, which accounts for about 12 percent of the economy, told Reuters May's efforts to secure a transition deal had come too late and they had no choice but to start restructuring. Big supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have been working with suppliers to identify potential delays, shortages or price rises. They have lined up alternative providers, according to suppliers and sources in the industry. The uncertainty is particularly painful for the manufacturing sector as low margins make it risky for them to restructure unless it is essential. They have been holding off on investment but are preparing for new certification that would allow them to sell in Europe if there is no deal. "The delay is so great and the uncertainty is so great that companies have no choice but to start triggering their plans," the head of one of Britain`s largest companies said. Britain and the EU are working to get talks back on track this week but the chairman of one large international bank said its executives had decided to plan for the worst at a conference call on Tuesday. "The question is no longer whether we are moving (operations to the EU), it is a question of how big those moves are going to be" he said. Like other executives, he had been asked by his board and the government not to divulge their thinking. The chairman said the bank has started discussions with customers about rerouting client activity to European hubs, including rewriting thousands of contracts. Senior employees were told last month if they had to relocate to Europe, he said. Another senior executive at a large U.S. bank said that he was increasingly concerned that May's government could collapse after the Brussels talks broke down over a dispute over the Irish border, adding to the uncertainty. "We are at the maximum point of danger," he said. The financial sector needs extra time to make sure its clients are prepared. For instance, a British bank opening a subsidiary in Europe may need its clients to adopt a new sort code throughout their own supply chains. In other sectors, companies are making smaller changes that would enable them to operate in Europe after Brexit, from preparing compliance changes to drawing up shadow supply chains and looking for additional warehouse space. Fruit and beef Food retailers are lining up alternative suppliers in Britain or outside the EU in case of delays at borders or new tariffs disrupt deliveries. Around 30 percent of Britain`s food and drink comes from the EU. Some changes would need to be made early next year in time for the 2019 departure. Changing a fresh fruit supplier could require a lead time of a year, depending on the growing cycle. Ali Capper, a partner in Stocks Farm in Worcestershire, central England, and a chair of the Horticulture and Potatoes Board at the National Farmers Union, said there were signs retail customers were requesting more British produce. Ireland provides almost 70 percent of UK beef imports, or 270,000 tonnes a year. Were tariffs or border delays to make Irish beef less competitive, supermarkets could look further afield, for instance to Argentina. Manufacturing pressure Many manufacturers are unwilling to sign off on new plans until they know how Britain will trade in the future. The drugs sector has been among the first to move so they can comply with EU regulations. GSK and AstraZeneca have already set up new facilities in mainland Europe to test batches of drugs made in Britain. Autos and aerospace firms are focusing on certification. According to the aerospace and defense trade body, ADS, some companies are considering applying to the European Aviation Safety Agency for a status that would enable them to sell in the EU if Britain was no longer a member state. Japanese carmaker Honda, which builds around 8 percent of British cars at its plant in Swindon, is considering increasing its warehouse capacity in Britain and stock levels to counter any new border delays. Manufacturers reluctance to sign off on big plans has had a knock-on effect on companies in the supply chain. "The biggest impact we see is a general unwillingness to make investment and capacity decisions as result of the continued uncertainty," said Stephen Cheetham, owner of PK Engineering Ltd of Hereford, a supplier of components to the aerospace and scientific industries. "We would expect continued paralysis and short-termism until a trade deal is finalized," he told Reuters. Having a transition deal will allow businesses to survive the two years after Brexit by allowing them to defer any big decisions until the final parameters of Brexit are worked out, said Andrew Bonfield, finance director of National Grid and chairman of the 100 Group of finance chiefs. "It's about the avoidance of a cliff edge," he said.

Companies prepare for disorderly Brexit as talks stall

Lamborghini, the fabled Italian sports car manufacturer,&nbsp;on Monday, unveiled its new Sports Utility Vehicle, accelerating into a fast-growing market already crowded with upmarket rivals.

The Urus, as the four-wheel drive &quot;super SUV&quot; will be known, was revealed at the Volkswagen group-owned company&rsquo;s historic home near Bologna.

It will reach a top speed of 305 kph (190 mph), can go from zero to 100 kph in 3.6 seconds and brake from 100 kph to zero in 33.7 metres, company officials said.

Building the Urus, which will be sold in Europe for 171,500 euros ($203,000) excluding taxes, was &quot;challenging at every level,&quot; said Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali.

With its 650-horsepower, twin-turbo V8 engine, the Urus is something that has never been seen before on a road, according to the firm`s design director, Mitja Borkert.

He said the SUV was inspired by two emblematic models from the past -- the LM002 that was the company`s first foray into SUVs (it was dubbed the Lamborghini Truck), and the distinctively wedge-shaped Countach sportscar of the 1970s and 1980s.

The SUV &quot;allows you to travel on any terrain: on road, off road, on ice but also on sand dunes,&quot; said Lamborghini research and development director Maurizio Reggiani, suggesting it will be the fastest SUV on the market.

In the battle to capture the attention of wealthy drivers, the new entrant will be up against the likes of Bentley`s Bentayga, the Mercedes G-Class and footballers` favourite, the Porsche Cayenne.

Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and Ferrari are all either in the process of or considering joining the high-rev party, despite the reservations of purist fans of those famous brands.

Sales of SUVs and CUVs (crossover utility vehicles) have increased by 233 percent in the last 10 years, creating a market of 26,47 million units in 2016.

Analysts expect the broader market to expand a further 30 percent by 2020, although the ultra-expensive super SUV sector will represent only a tiny niche part of the increase.

The Lamborghini plant has been redesigned and its capacity doubled with the addition of 500 new staff to meet anticipated demand from one of the auto industry`s most dynamic sectors.

In 2016, nearly 21,000 super SUVs were sold, up 346 percent&nbsp;in five years, according to IHS Markit.

Lamborghini made 3,457 sports cards last year and is expecting to sell a similar number of the Urus by 2019. The first models will be registered next year.

Building the Urus, which will be sold in Europe for 171,500 euros ($203,000) excluding taxes, was 'challenging at every level,' said Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali

Lamborghini, the fabled Italian sports car manufacturer, on Monday, unveiled its new Sports Utility Vehicle, accelerating into a fast-growing market already crowded with upmarket rivals. The Urus, as the four-wheel drive "super SUV" will be known, was revealed at the Volkswagen group-owned company’s historic home near Bologna. It will reach a top speed of 305 kph (190 mph), can go from zero to 100 kph in 3.6 seconds and brake from 100 kph to zero in 33.7 metres, company officials said. Building the Urus, which will be sold in Europe for 171,500 euros ($203,000) excluding taxes, was "challenging at every level," said Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali. With its 650-horsepower, twin-turbo V8 engine, the Urus is something that has never been seen before on a road, according to the firm`s design director, Mitja Borkert. He said the SUV was inspired by two emblematic models from the past -- the LM002 that was the company`s first foray into SUVs (it was dubbed the Lamborghini Truck), and the distinctively wedge-shaped Countach sportscar of the 1970s and 1980s. The SUV "allows you to travel on any terrain: on road, off road, on ice but also on sand dunes," said Lamborghini research and development director Maurizio Reggiani, suggesting it will be the fastest SUV on the market. In the battle to capture the attention of wealthy drivers, the new entrant will be up against the likes of Bentley`s Bentayga, the Mercedes G-Class and footballers` favourite, the Porsche Cayenne. Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and Ferrari are all either in the process of or considering joining the high-rev party, despite the reservations of purist fans of those famous brands. Sales of SUVs and CUVs (crossover utility vehicles) have increased by 233 percent in the last 10 years, creating a market of 26,47 million units in 2016. Analysts expect the broader market to expand a further 30 percent by 2020, although the ultra-expensive super SUV sector will represent only a tiny niche part of the increase. The Lamborghini plant has been redesigned and its capacity doubled with the addition of 500 new staff to meet anticipated demand from one of the auto industry`s most dynamic sectors. In 2016, nearly 21,000 super SUVs were sold, up 346 percent in five years, according to IHS Markit. Lamborghini made 3,457 sports cards last year and is expecting to sell a similar number of the Urus by 2019. The first models will be registered next year.

Lamborghini launches SUV Urus which can hit 100kmph in 3.6 seconds

At least 25 migrants died after their boat sank off Libya&#39;s western coast on Saturday and survivors were being brought back to port in Tripoli, Libyan coastguard officials said.

Libya is the main departure point for mostly African migrants trying to cross to Europe. Smugglers usually pack them into flimsy inflatable boats that often break down or sink.

Most migrants are picked up by international vessels and taken to Italy, where more than 115,000 have landed so far this year, although an increasing number are intercepted by Libya&#39;s European-backed coastguard and returned to the North African country.

Since July, there has been a sharp drop in crossings, though this week has seen a renewed surge in departures.

Nearly 3,000 migrants are known to have died or been missing after trying to cross to Europe by sea this year, the majority of them between Libya and Italy. The International Organization for Migration said on Friday that since 2000 the Mediterranean had been &quot;by far the world&#39;s deadliest border&quot;.

Libya is the main departure point for mostly African migrants trying to cross to Europe and the smugglers usually pack them into flimsy inflatable boats that often break down or sink

At least 25 migrants died after their boat sank off Libya's western coast on Saturday and survivors were being brought back to port in Tripoli, Libyan coastguard officials said. Libya is the main departure point for mostly African migrants trying to cross to Europe. Smugglers usually pack them into flimsy inflatable boats that often break down or sink. Most migrants are picked up by international vessels and taken to Italy, where more than 115,000 have landed so far this year, although an increasing number are intercepted by Libya's European-backed coastguard and returned to the North African country. Since July, there has been a sharp drop in crossings, though this week has seen a renewed surge in departures. Nearly 3,000 migrants are known to have died or been missing after trying to cross to Europe by sea this year, the majority of them between Libya and Italy. The International Organization for Migration said on Friday that since 2000 the Mediterranean had been "by far the world's deadliest border".

At least 25 dead after migrant boat sinks off Libya

Over 250 migrants making the dangerous crossing to Europe were rescued Friday off Spain, with several other vessels still in need of rescue, authorities said. &nbsp;

Spain is the third busiest gateway for migrants arriving in Europe, but far behind Italy and Greece. However, the number of people arriving by sea in Spain has nearly tripled over last year to 17,687.

Many Africans undertaking the long route to Europe are choosing to avoid crossing danger-ridden Libya to get to Italy along the so-called central Mediterranean route and choosing instead to get there via Morocco and Spain.

The number rescued off Friday off Spain stood at 266, who had been aboard 24 makeshift vessels, said a spokeswoman for the rescuers. Some 15 other boats in need of help were still being sought.

Authorities took the migrants to ports at Cartagena, Malaga and Torrevieja, which are all along Spain&#39;s Mediterranean coast.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 158,935 people have made the dangerous crossing to Europe this year and another 2,982 died or went missing while trying.

Spain is the third busiest gateway for migrants arriving in Europe, but far behind Italy and Greece. However, the number of people arriving by sea in Spain has nearly tripled over last year to 17,687.

Over 250 migrants making the dangerous crossing to Europe were rescued Friday off Spain, with several other vessels still in need of rescue, authorities said. Spain is the third busiest gateway for migrants arriving in Europe, but far behind Italy and Greece. However, the number of people arriving by sea in Spain has nearly tripled over last year to 17,687. Many Africans undertaking the long route to Europe are choosing to avoid crossing danger-ridden Libya to get to Italy along the so-called central Mediterranean route and choosing instead to get there via Morocco and Spain. The number rescued off Friday off Spain stood at 266, who had been aboard 24 makeshift vessels, said a spokeswoman for the rescuers. Some 15 other boats in need of help were still being sought. Authorities took the migrants to ports at Cartagena, Malaga and Torrevieja, which are all along Spain's Mediterranean coast. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 158,935 people have made the dangerous crossing to Europe this year and another 2,982 died or went missing while trying.

Over 250 migrants rescued off Spain

Catalonia&#39;s sacked separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his former ministers were released with conditions in Belgium on Sunday after turning themselves in to face a Spanish warrant for their arrest.

A judge ordered the five, who fled Spain earlier this week after being accused of rebellion and sedition, not to leave Belgium until their extradition case is heard.

It is the latest twist in the crisis unleashed by the Catalan separatists&#39; push to break away from Spain, sending shock waves across Europe.

&#39;Fair and impartial&#39; process&nbsp;

Puigdemont and his allies escaped to Belgium last Monday after Spain dismissed the Catalan executive and imposed direct rule on the semi-autonomous region following the declaration of independence by the parliament there last month.

&quot;They were taken into custody at 9:17 am (0817 GMT),&quot; said Gilles Dejemeppe, a spokesman for Belgian prosecutors.

A white van believed to be carrying Puigdemont raced out of the Belgian prosecutor&#39;s office around 15 hours later,&nbsp;reporters witnessed.

&quot;The request made this afternoon by the Brussels&rsquo; Prosecutor&rsquo;s Office for the provisional release of all persons sought has been granted by the investigative judge,&quot; said the statement by the prosecutor&#39;s office shortly afterward.

The next court hearing will be in the following 15 days. Belgium has up to 60 days to decide whether to send the Catalans back to Spain.

Puigdemont&#39;s PDeCAT party said Sunday that he had turned himself in to show his &quot;willingness not to flee from the judicial process but to defend himself in a fair and impartial process, which is possible in Belgium, and highly doubtful in Spain&quot;.

Puigdemont wrote on Twitter on Saturday that he and his colleagues -- Meritxell Serret, Antoni Comin, Lluis Puig and Clara Ponsati -- would cooperate with the Belgian authorities.

Spain issued European arrest warrants on Friday after Puigdemont and his allies ignored a summons to appear before a judge on allegations linked to the move to declare Catalonia an independent republic.

The judge in Madrid had on Thursday put Puigdemont&#39;s deputy and seven other deposed regional ministers behind bars because of a risk they would flee.

&#39;Political influence&#39;&nbsp;

Puigdemont, 54, insists that Catalonia earned the right to declare independence following a banned referendum last month and has described his detained colleagues as &quot;political prisoners&quot;.

On Sunday, protesters in Catalan cities took to the streets to demand their release.

In Barcelona, city police said about 350 people gathered on the central University Square, shouting &quot;Freedom&quot; and carrying posters that read &quot;Freedom for political prisoners&quot;.

Others stuck posters demanding their release on walls throughout the city.

Puigdemont said he was not convinced by guarantees of a fair trial back home, denouncing the &quot;enormous pressure and political influence on judicial power in Spain.&quot;

The judge could &quot;refuse to hand over Puigdemont if there is a proven serious risk to his fundamental rights,&quot; said Anne Weyembergh, president of the Institute of European Studies at the Free University of Brussels.

She said the court would need to see evidence of criminal offences before executing the warrant.

But cases of refusal are rare, according to several lawyers interviewed by AFP.

&nbsp;Election candidate&nbsp;

Puigdemont, who still describes himself as Catalonia&#39;s &quot;president,&quot; has also said he is willing to run as a candidate in the December 21 regional election called by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to &quot;restore normality&quot; to Catalonia.

&quot;We want president Puigdemont to be the person who leads the big offensive we will carry out on the 21st at the polls,&quot; said Marta Pascal, a PDeCAT spokeswoman.

She said the conservative, pro-independence party was looking to put together a &quot;big united list&quot;, a day after Puigdemont himself called for separatists to unite in the election.

During the last regional election in September 2015, Puigdemont&#39;s PDeCAT and the leftwing ERC party joined for a &quot;Together for Yes&quot; coalition in Catalonia, a region of 7.5 million people.

With the help of the separatist far-left CUP party, they held an absolute majority in the 135-seat Catalan parliament, which was swiftly dissolved by Madrid under a never-used constitutional move after the October 27 independence proclamation.

But there have been growing tensions between the two allies over strategy and it is not clear if they will stand together again.

ERC leader Oriol Junqueras has been in custody since Thursday along with other members of Puigdemont&#39;s dismissed government who did not flee to Belgium.

Opinion polls published in several newspapers Sunday indicated that the ERC would come first in the December election, but that the independence coalition as a whole could lose its absolute majority.

But Puigdemont&#39;s party, which has been in power in the wealthy northeastern region for much of Spain&#39;s modern democratic era, would come fourth, the surveys&nbsp;

Carles Puigdemont and four of his former ministers were released with conditions in Belgium on Sunday

Catalonia's sacked separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his former ministers were released with conditions in Belgium on Sunday after turning themselves in to face a Spanish warrant for their arrest. A judge ordered the five, who fled Spain earlier this week after being accused of rebellion and sedition, not to leave Belgium until their extradition case is heard. It is the latest twist in the crisis unleashed by the Catalan separatists' push to break away from Spain, sending shock waves across Europe. 'Fair and impartial' process Puigdemont and his allies escaped to Belgium last Monday after Spain dismissed the Catalan executive and imposed direct rule on the semi-autonomous region following the declaration of independence by the parliament there last month. "They were taken into custody at 9:17 am (0817 GMT)," said Gilles Dejemeppe, a spokesman for Belgian prosecutors. A white van believed to be carrying Puigdemont raced out of the Belgian prosecutor's office around 15 hours later, reporters witnessed. "The request made this afternoon by the Brussels’ Prosecutor’s Office for the provisional release of all persons sought has been granted by the investigative judge," said the statement by the prosecutor's office shortly afterward. The next court hearing will be in the following 15 days. Belgium has up to 60 days to decide whether to send the Catalans back to Spain. Puigdemont's PDeCAT party said Sunday that he had turned himself in to show his "willingness not to flee from the judicial process but to defend himself in a fair and impartial process, which is possible in Belgium, and highly doubtful in Spain". Puigdemont wrote on Twitter on Saturday that he and his colleagues -- Meritxell Serret, Antoni Comin, Lluis Puig and Clara Ponsati -- would cooperate with the Belgian authorities. Spain issued European arrest warrants on Friday after Puigdemont and his allies ignored a summons to appear before a judge on allegations linked to the move to declare Catalonia an independent republic. The judge in Madrid had on Thursday put Puigdemont's deputy and seven other deposed regional ministers behind bars because of a risk they would flee. 'Political influence' Puigdemont, 54, insists that Catalonia earned the right to declare independence following a banned referendum last month and has described his detained colleagues as "political prisoners". On Sunday, protesters in Catalan cities took to the streets to demand their release. In Barcelona, city police said about 350 people gathered on the central University Square, shouting "Freedom" and carrying posters that read "Freedom for political prisoners". Others stuck posters demanding their release on walls throughout the city. Puigdemont said he was not convinced by guarantees of a fair trial back home, denouncing the "enormous pressure and political influence on judicial power in Spain." The judge could "refuse to hand over Puigdemont if there is a proven serious risk to his fundamental rights," said Anne Weyembergh, president of the Institute of European Studies at the Free University of Brussels. She said the court would need to see evidence of criminal offences before executing the warrant. But cases of refusal are rare, according to several lawyers interviewed by AFP. Election candidate Puigdemont, who still describes himself as Catalonia's "president," has also said he is willing to run as a candidate in the December 21 regional election called by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to "restore normality" to Catalonia. "We want president Puigdemont to be the person who leads the big offensive we will carry out on the 21st at the polls," said Marta Pascal, a PDeCAT spokeswoman. She said the conservative, pro-independence party was looking to put together a "big united list", a day after Puigdemont himself called for separatists to unite in the election. During the last regional election in September 2015, Puigdemont's PDeCAT and the leftwing ERC party joined for a "Together for Yes" coalition in Catalonia, a region of 7.5 million people. With the help of the separatist far-left CUP party, they held an absolute majority in the 135-seat Catalan parliament, which was swiftly dissolved by Madrid under a never-used constitutional move after the October 27 independence proclamation. But there have been growing tensions between the two allies over strategy and it is not clear if they will stand together again. ERC leader Oriol Junqueras has been in custody since Thursday along with other members of Puigdemont's dismissed government who did not flee to Belgium. Opinion polls published in several newspapers Sunday indicated that the ERC would come first in the December election, but that the independence coalition as a whole could lose its absolute majority. But Puigdemont's party, which has been in power in the wealthy northeastern region for much of Spain's modern democratic era, would come fourth, the surveys

Sacked Catalan leader Puigdemont freed on bail in Belgium

In October 1918, a year after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, a sailors&rsquo; mutiny in Germany triggered a revolutionary upsurge. Polish-born German philosopher Rosa Luxemburg and her comrade Karl Liebknecht emerged as key leaders in the unfolding revolution.

On 15 January 1919, at around nine in the evening, Luxemburg and Liebknecht were arrested by the army in Berlin. They were taken to the Eden Hotel where they were interrogated and tortured.

<figure class="align-right ">
<figcaption>
Luxemburg was then taken outside the hotel where she was beaten to death with a rifle butt. Her body was thrown into the Landwehr Canal. Liebknecht was shot dead. In death, Luxemburg and Liebknecht became martyrs to the communist cause. Even the Soviet Union&rsquo;s first head, Vladimir Lenin, with whom Luxemburg had a conflicted relationship, wrote&nbsp;that
</figcaption>
</figure>

<blockquote>
she was &mdash; and remains for us &mdash; an eagle. And not only will communists all over the world cherish her memory, but her biography and her complete work&hellip; will serve as useful manuals for training many generations of communists all over the world.
</blockquote>

Lenin&rsquo;s comments were prescient.

Here in 2017, Luxemburg is still widely regarded as a major theorist of imperialism, capitalism, democracy and political action.

Electrifying intelligence

Luxemburg was born in Zamosc, Poland, on 5 March 1871 to a lower-middle-class Jewish family. At the age of five, she became very ill and suffered damage to her hip that left her with a permanent limp and lifelong pain. But even as a child she had what&rsquo;s been described by the memoirist, Vivian Gornick, as an &ldquo;electrifying intelligence&rdquo;.

At the age of 15 she joined the Polish Proletariat Party, in which she developed a lifelong political connection to radical unions and workers. It was during this period that she began engaging in a range of political activities, including organising a general strike. These actions brought Luxemburg to the attention of the authorities. In 1887, when she had completed her secondary education, she fled to Switzerland to escape arrest.

She enrolled at the University of Zurich. She wanted, as one writer put it, everything &ndash; &ldquo;books and music, sex and art, evening walks and the revolution&rdquo;. Ten years later she graduated with a doctorate in law, making her one of the very few women with a PhD at the time.

Luxemburg then returned to serious political work. Her anti-capitalist and internationalist stance immediately put her at odds with the Polish Socialist Party. For Luxemburg, true independence did not just mean the independence of Poland, but a truly internationalist, anti-capitalist revolution. She would hold to radical internationalism until the end of her life.

In 1898 Luxemburg moved to Berlin to be, she believed, at the heart of the communist struggle. Unsurprisingly Germany didn&rsquo;t allow the young revolutionary into the country. She remedied this via a unconsummated marriage of convenience.

She immediately positioned herself on the radical left of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. She came to loathe the reformist parliamentary route taken by German socialists, leading her, years later, to describe the party as &ldquo;nothing but a stinking corpse&rdquo;.

During this period of her life, Luxemburg worked at a frantic pace, writing, teaching and speaking to build the international movement of the workers across Europe. From the outset, she was radically anti-imperialist. In 1899 she wrote with foresight that,

<blockquote>
the dismemberment of Asia and Africa is the final limit beyond which European politics no longer has room to unfold.
</blockquote>

Intellect and passion

Luxemburg first met Lenin in 1901 and was immediately drawn to his intellect and passion. They got to know each other well during the proletarian upsurges across Russian and Eastern Europe in 1905 and 1906. But Luxemburg and Lenin were often critical of each other.

She argued for a form of revolutionary democracy rooted in struggle, and theory as something constantly open to debate and change. In &ldquo;The Mass Strike, the Political Party and the Trade Unions&rdquo; (1906) she argued that spontaneity and organisation are both vital to any struggle.

In 1907, while teaching at a political school in Berlin, she began to undertake serious theoretical work on imperialism. This included a study of southern Africa. Luxemburg argued that the development of capitalism depended on the destruction of non-capitalist societies, beginning with the appropriation of land.

Her first major theoretical intervention, &ldquo;The Accumulation of Capital&rdquo; (1913) argued that capitalism could not function within a single society and that imperialism, &ldquo;a system of exploitation practised by European capital in the African colonies and in America&rdquo;, was inherent to capitalism. Capital, she wrote

<blockquote>
ransacks the whole world.
</blockquote>

Bourgeois interests

As the First World War ravaged Europe, Luxemburg, like her Russian comrades, was firm that the working classes were being used to fight the war but that it would be resolved in the interest of the bourgeois and the elite. Luxemburg together with Liebknecht and others started the Spartacus League to oppose the war and advocate for a more radical agenda in Germany.

In 1915, she was arrested but continued to agitate, write and communicate with the world outside. In a letter from prison, she wrote that

<blockquote>
To be a human being is the main thing above all else &hellip; To be a human being means to joyfully toss your entire life in the giant scales of fate if it must be so, and at the same time to rejoice in the brightness of every day and the beauty of every cloud.
</blockquote>

&ldquo;The Russian Revolution&rdquo;, an essay written in prison contains what is perhaps her most widely repeated remark:

<blockquote>
Freedom only for the supporters of the government, only for the members of one party &ndash; however numerous they may be &ndash; is no freedom at all. Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently.
</blockquote>

When released from prison in 1918, she and Liebkneckt, immediately began the Die Rote Fahne (the Red Flag) newspaper. Luxemburg also worked tirelessly to foster the revolutionary spirit that led to the second revolutionary wave that hit Germany in January 1919. If she and her comrades had been successful with their revolution, history would most probably have taken a very different course, avoiding the rise of fascism in Europe.

But alas, it was not to be. As German poet Bertolt Brecht wrote in Epitaph (1909):

<blockquote>
Red Rosa now has vanished too. (&hellip;)

She told the poor what life is about,

And so the rich have rubbed her out.

May she rest in peace.
</blockquote>

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/rosa-luxemburg-freedom-only-for-the-members-of-one-party-isnt-freedom-at-all-85865" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

If Rosa Luxemburg had been successful with her German revolution then the rise of fascism in Europe would have avoided

In October 1918, a year after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, a sailors’ mutiny in Germany triggered a revolutionary upsurge. Polish-born German philosopher Rosa Luxemburg and her comrade Karl Liebknecht emerged as key leaders in the unfolding revolution. On 15 January 1919, at around nine in the evening, Luxemburg and Liebknecht were arrested by the army in Berlin. They were taken to the Eden Hotel where they were interrogated and tortured. Luxemburg was then taken outside the hotel where she was beaten to death with a rifle butt. Her body was thrown into the Landwehr Canal. Liebknecht was shot dead. In death, Luxemburg and Liebknecht became martyrs to the communist cause. Even the Soviet Union’s first head, Vladimir Lenin, with whom Luxemburg had a conflicted relationship, wrote that she was — and remains for us — an eagle. And not only will communists all over the world cherish her memory, but her biography and her complete work… will serve as useful manuals for training many generations of communists all over the world. Lenin’s comments were prescient. Here in 2017, Luxemburg is still widely regarded as a major theorist of imperialism, capitalism, democracy and political action. Electrifying intelligence Luxemburg was born in Zamosc, Poland, on 5 March 1871 to a lower-middle-class Jewish family. At the age of five, she became very ill and suffered damage to her hip that left her with a permanent limp and lifelong pain. But even as a child she had what’s been described by the memoirist, Vivian Gornick, as an “electrifying intelligence”. At the age of 15 she joined the Polish Proletariat Party, in which she developed a lifelong political connection to radical unions and workers. It was during this period that she began engaging in a range of political activities, including organising a general strike. These actions brought Luxemburg to the attention of the authorities. In 1887, when she had completed her secondary education, she fled to Switzerland to escape arrest. She enrolled at the University of Zurich. She wanted, as one writer put it, everything – “books and music, sex and art, evening walks and the revolution”. Ten years later she graduated with a doctorate in law, making her one of the very few women with a PhD at the time. Luxemburg then returned to serious political work. Her anti-capitalist and internationalist stance immediately put her at odds with the Polish Socialist Party. For Luxemburg, true independence did not just mean the independence of Poland, but a truly internationalist, anti-capitalist revolution. She would hold to radical internationalism until the end of her life. In 1898 Luxemburg moved to Berlin to be, she believed, at the heart of the communist struggle. Unsurprisingly Germany didn’t allow the young revolutionary into the country. She remedied this via a unconsummated marriage of convenience. She immediately positioned herself on the radical left of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. She came to loathe the reformist parliamentary route taken by German socialists, leading her, years later, to describe the party as “nothing but a stinking corpse”. During this period of her life, Luxemburg worked at a frantic pace, writing, teaching and speaking to build the international movement of the workers across Europe. From the outset, she was radically anti-imperialist. In 1899 she wrote with foresight that, the dismemberment of Asia and Africa is the final limit beyond which European politics no longer has room to unfold. Intellect and passion Luxemburg first met Lenin in 1901 and was immediately drawn to his intellect and passion. They got to know each other well during the proletarian upsurges across Russian and Eastern Europe in 1905 and 1906. But Luxemburg and Lenin were often critical of each other. She argued for a form of revolutionary democracy rooted in struggle, and theory as something constantly open to debate and change. In “The Mass Strike, the Political Party and the Trade Unions” (1906) she argued that spontaneity and organisation are both vital to any struggle. In 1907, while teaching at a political school in Berlin, she began to undertake serious theoretical work on imperialism. This included a study of southern Africa. Luxemburg argued that the development of capitalism depended on the destruction of non-capitalist societies, beginning with the appropriation of land. Her first major theoretical intervention, “The Accumulation of Capital” (1913) argued that capitalism could not function within a single society and that imperialism, “a system of exploitation practised by European capital in the African colonies and in America”, was inherent to capitalism. Capital, she wrote ransacks the whole world. Bourgeois interests As the First World War ravaged Europe, Luxemburg, like her Russian comrades, was firm that the working classes were being used to fight the war but that it would be resolved in the interest of the bourgeois and the elite. Luxemburg together with Liebknecht and others started the Spartacus League to oppose the war and advocate for a more radical agenda in Germany. In 1915, she was arrested but continued to agitate, write and communicate with the world outside. In a letter from prison, she wrote that To be a human being is the main thing above all else … To be a human being means to joyfully toss your entire life in the giant scales of fate if it must be so, and at the same time to rejoice in the brightness of every day and the beauty of every cloud. “The Russian Revolution”, an essay written in prison contains what is perhaps her most widely repeated remark: Freedom only for the supporters of the government, only for the members of one party – however numerous they may be – is no freedom at all. Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the one who thinks differently. When released from prison in 1918, she and Liebkneckt, immediately began the Die Rote Fahne (the Red Flag) newspaper. Luxemburg also worked tirelessly to foster the revolutionary spirit that led to the second revolutionary wave that hit Germany in January 1919. If she and her comrades had been successful with their revolution, history would most probably have taken a very different course, avoiding the rise of fascism in Europe. But alas, it was not to be. As German poet Bertolt Brecht wrote in Epitaph (1909): Red Rosa now has vanished too. (…) She told the poor what life is about, And so the rich have rubbed her out. May she rest in peace. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Rosa Luxemburg: Freedom for members of one party is no freedom

The end of the Cold War saw an era of systemic redefinition, undermining the friend-enemy dichotomy that shaped the international system for half a century. The path of the American century has since been put in jeopardy by an initial &mdash; and troubled &mdash; period of US-led unipolarity and then by the growth of new powers in the East. Yet the expected emergence of an &ldquo;Asian century&rdquo; is more present than ever. As Michael Beckley, a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School notes, &ldquo;The &lsquo;rise of China&rsquo; has been the most read-about story&rdquo; of the 21st century. This shows the magnitude of a debate that has rapidly become mainstream among academics and the general public. Are we facing a progressive West-to-East power shift within the international community?

The decline of the west

The assumption behind the emergence of an Asian century is the ongoing decline of the West. Unsurprisingly, research about the decay of the Western system is remarkably rich. The essay that is often dubbed the modern progenitor of this scholarship is British historian Paul Kennedy&rsquo;s The Rise and Fall of Great Power. Kennedy&rsquo;s work is a complex historical analysis that finds the balance between economic wealth and military power the equilibrium that ensures the resilience of great powers. As Professor Patrick Porter of the University of Exeter notes, Kennedy&rsquo;s book became popular because of one short section in which he was directly engaged with the American decline, simultaneously stating the rise of Japan as next leading world power.

Many scholars have stressed the economic dimension of the decline. In 2011, Professor Danny Quah of the National University of Singapore proposed a quantitative model showing the shift of the global economic center of gravity toward the East. The Asian economic momentum has been highlighted by many researchers, while the French economist Guy Sorman notes that &ldquo;China has replaced Germany as the world&rsquo;s leading exporter.&rdquo; Furthermore, declinists produced their own vocabulary, introducing concepts such as the &ldquo;post-American world&rdquo; and &ldquo;Easternisation.&rdquo;

Despite its momentum of popularity, research on the decline of the West faces a constant and articulated critique. James Luko and Professor Michael Cox of the London School of Economics are among the many voices who argue for a nuanced interpretation of the Eastern ascent. Even the concept of the West-to-East power shift seems problematic. Asian countries, in fact, are not following a common path of economic development, nor do they constitute a cohesive political body. China is the rising power in the international community, albeit stretching and consolidating its regional leadership is still a crucial step for Beijing.

The constructed resilience of the western system

Most theories and critiques focus on the relative distribution of power and economic wealth as the essential indicators of a power shift. Although significant, these arguments fail to consider the relationship between the system and its components. This relationship is neither static nor purely geographic.

The international system is shaped by the dialogue and interaction of supra-national, national and sub-national subjects, and the values and norms they represent. This dialogue takes place in an environment in which a structure is already established: the West. In international relations, constructivist theories make a qualitative leap in considering material power and structural advantages as meaningful only through &ldquo;the structure of shared knowledge in which they are embedded,&rdquo; as per Professor Alexander Wendt of The Ohio State University. Consequently, the essence of this system is socially constructed, which is understood as mutual construction and interaction.

The West is more than a geographical or economic sum of state and material forces. It is a structure of shared norms and practices. The West is a socially constructed system that embraces every subject that accepts its structure. Here is the reason of its resilience: systemic subjects interact among themselves and with the framework in which they are embedded, and in this way, they constantly produce reinterpretations of what constitutes as &ldquo;Western.&rdquo;

As American historian Thomas Kuhn brilliantly states in his work, systems are organised in the form of paradigms. Once a paradigm is no longer efficient, a revolution occurs. A revolution completely redefines the existing language and premises and, in this way, it generates a new paradigm. At the present time, the West resembles a paradigm that is still developing.

The western paradigm still matters

The 2008 financial crisis, which was generated by the high default rate of the US mortgage sector and then resulted in the Great Recession, seemed to be a potential game changer. As the traumatic pivot from a long-lasting system of speculation and financial deregulation, the Great Recession showed a huge vacuum in the structure of Western political and economic governance. The financial crisis amounted to a domino effect that questioned the efficiency of democracy and capitalism. Nevertheless, the structure of the West could respond to the post-crisis recession by simply operating minimum changes within its paradigm. In a nutshell, even after the most tragic non-military crisis of its history, the West remains a valuable framework for Western actors.

A paradigm shift of the West did not occur and is unlikely to occur in the short or medium term. Non-Western actors are still attracted by the Western system. Unsurprisingly, figures show that US universities consistently see an increase in the number of Chinese students enrolled in their courses, which suggests the appreciation of the Western educational model among Chinese elites.

Moreover, Beijing is occupying the geopolitical space left free by the Trump administration. In his address to the 2017 Davos World Economic Forum, President Xi Jinping pictured China as &ldquo;the linchpin of global economic stability.&rdquo; While he was not promoting an alternative Chinese language, his speech was deeply embedded into the discursive framework established in the West. At Davos, Xi appeared more Western than any other leader.

Another indicator of resilience in the structure of the West can be seen in a speech delivered by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia in May. &ldquo;Mr Trump visited the region at the time millions of our people went to the polls,&rdquo; Rouhani said. &ldquo;He went to a country whose people haven&rsquo;t even seen ballot boxes and elections don&rsquo;t have any meaning for them. I hope one day Saudi Arabia also drives its national strength through elections. Power should not pass on through inheritance but through elections.&rdquo;

Since 1979, Iranian confrontation with the US has always been reciprocally fierce and harsh, with both actors keeping their distance and underlying the idea of their belonging to two different and competitive systems. In his speech, Rouhani directly accused the United States, which is still the major promoter of liberal democracy and holds its importance in Western identity, of being a strong ally of a non-democratic regime, Saudi Arabia. Rouhani implicitly pitched Iran as the new standard bearer of democracy in the Middle East. Again, however, the Iranian president&rsquo;s speech did not set an alternative paradigm, yet it re-elaborated the Iranian space of agency within the already established Western structure.

Eastern actors seek more agency to maneuverer

On the one hand, the West as a system of norms and discursive practices is still attractive and resilient, and it shows a general tendency to re-evaluate meaning and actions within that paradigm, rather than promoting an alternative one. However, it can be argued that China and other emerging Asian powers are efficient and capable of eventually filling the political spaces left by Western actors.

On the other hand, the relative power of China is undoubtedly growing, suggesting a partial erosion of US primacy. Nevertheless, the US and Europe still have some crucial structural advantages, as the Western system is based on norms and languages that are eminently American and European. If the power shift continues to happen within this environment, what can be expected in the short/medium term is an increase in the agency of Asian and Eastern countries, not a hegemonic substitution. This power shift is accelerated by the disengagement of the US from its global leadership role.

The construction of an alternative and attractive model is costly. Thus, rather than expecting the Easternisation of the Western system, the increased Westernisation of Eastern subjects is far more likely to happen.

This&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/asia_pacific/western-world-news-china-america-latest-news-today-43045/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">article</a>&nbsp;has been originally published in Fair Observer.

Eastern actors are likely to become more Western rather than building an alternative system.

The end of the Cold War saw an era of systemic redefinition, undermining the friend-enemy dichotomy that shaped the international system for half a century. The path of the American century has since been put in jeopardy by an initial — and troubled — period of US-led unipolarity and then by the growth of new powers in the East. Yet the expected emergence of an “Asian century” is more present than ever. As Michael Beckley, a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School notes, “The ‘rise of China’ has been the most read-about story” of the 21st century. This shows the magnitude of a debate that has rapidly become mainstream among academics and the general public. Are we facing a progressive West-to-East power shift within the international community? The decline of the west The assumption behind the emergence of an Asian century is the ongoing decline of the West. Unsurprisingly, research about the decay of the Western system is remarkably rich. The essay that is often dubbed the modern progenitor of this scholarship is British historian Paul Kennedy’s The Rise and Fall of Great Power. Kennedy’s work is a complex historical analysis that finds the balance between economic wealth and military power the equilibrium that ensures the resilience of great powers. As Professor Patrick Porter of the University of Exeter notes, Kennedy’s book became popular because of one short section in which he was directly engaged with the American decline, simultaneously stating the rise of Japan as next leading world power. Many scholars have stressed the economic dimension of the decline. In 2011, Professor Danny Quah of the National University of Singapore proposed a quantitative model showing the shift of the global economic center of gravity toward the East. The Asian economic momentum has been highlighted by many researchers, while the French economist Guy Sorman notes that “China has replaced Germany as the world’s leading exporter.” Furthermore, declinists produced their own vocabulary, introducing concepts such as the “post-American world” and “Easternisation.” Despite its momentum of popularity, research on the decline of the West faces a constant and articulated critique. James Luko and Professor Michael Cox of the London School of Economics are among the many voices who argue for a nuanced interpretation of the Eastern ascent. Even the concept of the West-to-East power shift seems problematic. Asian countries, in fact, are not following a common path of economic development, nor do they constitute a cohesive political body. China is the rising power in the international community, albeit stretching and consolidating its regional leadership is still a crucial step for Beijing. The constructed resilience of the western system Most theories and critiques focus on the relative distribution of power and economic wealth as the essential indicators of a power shift. Although significant, these arguments fail to consider the relationship between the system and its components. This relationship is neither static nor purely geographic. The international system is shaped by the dialogue and interaction of supra-national, national and sub-national subjects, and the values and norms they represent. This dialogue takes place in an environment in which a structure is already established: the West. In international relations, constructivist theories make a qualitative leap in considering material power and structural advantages as meaningful only through “the structure of shared knowledge in which they are embedded,” as per Professor Alexander Wendt of The Ohio State University. Consequently, the essence of this system is socially constructed, which is understood as mutual construction and interaction. The West is more than a geographical or economic sum of state and material forces. It is a structure of shared norms and practices. The West is a socially constructed system that embraces every subject that accepts its structure. Here is the reason of its resilience: systemic subjects interact among themselves and with the framework in which they are embedded, and in this way, they constantly produce reinterpretations of what constitutes as “Western.” As American historian Thomas Kuhn brilliantly states in his work, systems are organised in the form of paradigms. Once a paradigm is no longer efficient, a revolution occurs. A revolution completely redefines the existing language and premises and, in this way, it generates a new paradigm. At the present time, the West resembles a paradigm that is still developing. The western paradigm still matters The 2008 financial crisis, which was generated by the high default rate of the US mortgage sector and then resulted in the Great Recession, seemed to be a potential game changer. As the traumatic pivot from a long-lasting system of speculation and financial deregulation, the Great Recession showed a huge vacuum in the structure of Western political and economic governance. The financial crisis amounted to a domino effect that questioned the efficiency of democracy and capitalism. Nevertheless, the structure of the West could respond to the post-crisis recession by simply operating minimum changes within its paradigm. In a nutshell, even after the most tragic non-military crisis of its history, the West remains a valuable framework for Western actors. A paradigm shift of the West did not occur and is unlikely to occur in the short or medium term. Non-Western actors are still attracted by the Western system. Unsurprisingly, figures show that US universities consistently see an increase in the number of Chinese students enrolled in their courses, which suggests the appreciation of the Western educational model among Chinese elites. Moreover, Beijing is occupying the geopolitical space left free by the Trump administration. In his address to the 2017 Davos World Economic Forum, President Xi Jinping pictured China as “the linchpin of global economic stability.” While he was not promoting an alternative Chinese language, his speech was deeply embedded into the discursive framework established in the West. At Davos, Xi appeared more Western than any other leader. Another indicator of resilience in the structure of the West can be seen in a speech delivered by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia in May. “Mr Trump visited the region at the time millions of our people went to the polls,” Rouhani said. “He went to a country whose people haven’t even seen ballot boxes and elections don’t have any meaning for them. I hope one day Saudi Arabia also drives its national strength through elections. Power should not pass on through inheritance but through elections.” Since 1979, Iranian confrontation with the US has always been reciprocally fierce and harsh, with both actors keeping their distance and underlying the idea of their belonging to two different and competitive systems. In his speech, Rouhani directly accused the United States, which is still the major promoter of liberal democracy and holds its importance in Western identity, of being a strong ally of a non-democratic regime, Saudi Arabia. Rouhani implicitly pitched Iran as the new standard bearer of democracy in the Middle East. Again, however, the Iranian president’s speech did not set an alternative paradigm, yet it re-elaborated the Iranian space of agency within the already established Western structure. Eastern actors seek more agency to maneuverer On the one hand, the West as a system of norms and discursive practices is still attractive and resilient, and it shows a general tendency to re-evaluate meaning and actions within that paradigm, rather than promoting an alternative one. However, it can be argued that China and other emerging Asian powers are efficient and capable of eventually filling the political spaces left by Western actors. On the other hand, the relative power of China is undoubtedly growing, suggesting a partial erosion of US primacy. Nevertheless, the US and Europe still have some crucial structural advantages, as the Western system is based on norms and languages that are eminently American and European. If the power shift continues to happen within this environment, what can be expected in the short/medium term is an increase in the agency of Asian and Eastern countries, not a hegemonic substitution. This power shift is accelerated by the disengagement of the US from its global leadership role. The construction of an alternative and attractive model is costly. Thus, rather than expecting the Easternisation of the Western system, the increased Westernisation of Eastern subjects is far more likely to happen. This article has been originally published in Fair Observer.

The West still matters

Unless the Catalan and Spanish governments immediately open a dialogue about the constitutional future of Catalonia, the violent scenes in the region may only be a precursor of things to come. But for this dialogue to take place, the EU must be involved.

With the instant, worldwide circulation of images of brutal police repression of defenceless, peaceful voters, the Catalan government won the battle for public sympathy. However, it is in fact isolated in its struggle.

Madrid has maintained its hard line, refusing to recognise the vote or its result. This strategy has been bolstered by King Felipe&rsquo;s intervention. Rather than appealing for national unity, he offered a one-sided condemnation of the conflict. The government is also supported by most other Spanish parties, as well as the editorial line of the main Spanish dailies such as El Pais and El Mundo. Catalonia&rsquo;s potential allies in other historic regions such as the Basque country have remained remarkably silent.

Beyond Spain, European leaders have either taken a neutral stance, relegating the conflict to an internal matter for Spain to resolve or have offered support to the Spanish government&rsquo;s defence of the rule of law.

Risky strategies

The Catalan government&rsquo;s current trajectory is fraught with risk. It hasn&rsquo;t, for one thing, acknowledged the real divisions that exist within Catalonia about the desirability of independence.

And its extreme position is only being met by more immovability from Madrid. The courts have already promised to suspend the parliamentary session in which the Catalan government could declare independence. The central government could go further. It could use its constitutional powers to impose direct rule. If police intervention were met with protest, it could lead to further clashes, replete with truncheons, rubber bullets, and bloodshed.

But this strategy is equally risky. It does nothing to address the growing sources of grievances in Catalonia. It only adds to the cycle of conflict. Nor is it clear that it could actually work. The 10,000 members of the Guardia Civil deployed across Catalonia could not prevent over 2m voters from casting their ballots. It is doubtful that the Spanish central government could credibly prevent Catalonia from declaring independence without taking brutally repressive measures. But this would have serious economic and political ramifications for the EU.

Already, two large Spanish banks &ndash; Sabadell and CaixaBank &ndash; are switching their main offices so as not to be based in Catalonia. With capital flying out of its largest economic region, the Spanish stock exchange took a tumble. This has the potential to seriously affect the value of the euro. The messy economics of a divorce could trigger a return to the volatility that the eurozone experienced in 2011-12.

The EU has remained shamefully powerless in the face of the illiberal measures deployed by right-wing governments in Poland and Hungary, towards their media and judiciary. Its reputation would be further tarnished if one of its more established members could curtail the rights of its national minorities.

For these reasons, the EU has the duty to facilitate a dialogue between the Catalan and Spanish governments and to bring them back from the brink.

The EU&rsquo;s reluctance to engage stems from the fact that these are uncharted waters. The violent territorial conflicts that have beset other countries such as Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina were mediated, to varying degrees of success, by national governments, the United Nations and third parties like the United States. The EU has few procedures for bringing parties in a territorial conflict to the negotiation table. Creativity will be needed.

What the EU could do

The first action is for the European Parliament to pass a resolution, endorsed by the Council of Ministers, condemning the situation. This should assign responsibility to both parties and recall the cardinal values of the rule of law, democracy and minority rights in the European constitutional order. This resolution should receive a full endorsement from Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, as well as the heads of governments, such as Germany&rsquo;s Angela Merkel and France&rsquo;s Emmanuel Macron.

Then the EU must offer to act as an impartial mediator in the dialogue. Given the heightened tensions and mutual recriminations, this dialogue cannot be left unmediated. The Catalan government will not accept that the Spanish government takes on the role of both an interlocutor and an arbiter.

The EU needs to offer a way out of the conflict. The basic condition for dialogue is a formal renunciation of the unilateral declaration of independence by the Catalan government, in exchange for the right to hold a new legally-sanctioned referendum on independence. In case of a NO vote, the Catalan government should then open negotiation for a revision of the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, that offers symbolic recognition of Catalonia&rsquo;s nationhood and a better fiscal pact.

This deal needs to be accompanied by the promise that the EU will not recognise Catalan independence if is illegal and that the Spanish government will be suspended from the Council of Ministers if it violates civil rights in Catalonia.

Europe is not short of diplomatic talent that could be called upon to help foster dialogue: Ireland&rsquo;s former president Mary Robinson, Carld Bildt, who negotiated Sweden&rsquo;s EU accession, and Paddy Ashdown, who served as the high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, are well-seasoned politicians who could play a constructive role in diffusing the crisis.

Failing to act

Inaction would have devastating repercussions for Catalonia, Spain and the EU.

To force a reluctant central government to the negotiation table, Catalan people could deploy their most successful strategy so far: mass protests, general strikes, and widespread civil disobedience that would bring the regional and national economy to a standstill and generate further political turmoil.

Or, realising that negotiation is not a forthcoming strategy, it could choose to declare independence unilaterally, with all the consequences that this could reap.

Both scenarios would result from the failure to act.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/crisis-in-catalonia-what-the-eu-must-do-now-85377" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

The European Union should intervene to resolve standoff on Catalonia issue

Unless the Catalan and Spanish governments immediately open a dialogue about the constitutional future of Catalonia, the violent scenes in the region may only be a precursor of things to come. But for this dialogue to take place, the EU must be involved. With the instant, worldwide circulation of images of brutal police repression of defenceless, peaceful voters, the Catalan government won the battle for public sympathy. However, it is in fact isolated in its struggle. Madrid has maintained its hard line, refusing to recognise the vote or its result. This strategy has been bolstered by King Felipe’s intervention. Rather than appealing for national unity, he offered a one-sided condemnation of the conflict. The government is also supported by most other Spanish parties, as well as the editorial line of the main Spanish dailies such as El Pais and El Mundo. Catalonia’s potential allies in other historic regions such as the Basque country have remained remarkably silent. Beyond Spain, European leaders have either taken a neutral stance, relegating the conflict to an internal matter for Spain to resolve or have offered support to the Spanish government’s defence of the rule of law. Risky strategies The Catalan government’s current trajectory is fraught with risk. It hasn’t, for one thing, acknowledged the real divisions that exist within Catalonia about the desirability of independence. And its extreme position is only being met by more immovability from Madrid. The courts have already promised to suspend the parliamentary session in which the Catalan government could declare independence. The central government could go further. It could use its constitutional powers to impose direct rule. If police intervention were met with protest, it could lead to further clashes, replete with truncheons, rubber bullets, and bloodshed. But this strategy is equally risky. It does nothing to address the growing sources of grievances in Catalonia. It only adds to the cycle of conflict. Nor is it clear that it could actually work. The 10,000 members of the Guardia Civil deployed across Catalonia could not prevent over 2m voters from casting their ballots. It is doubtful that the Spanish central government could credibly prevent Catalonia from declaring independence without taking brutally repressive measures. But this would have serious economic and political ramifications for the EU. Already, two large Spanish banks – Sabadell and CaixaBank – are switching their main offices so as not to be based in Catalonia. With capital flying out of its largest economic region, the Spanish stock exchange took a tumble. This has the potential to seriously affect the value of the euro. The messy economics of a divorce could trigger a return to the volatility that the eurozone experienced in 2011-12. The EU has remained shamefully powerless in the face of the illiberal measures deployed by right-wing governments in Poland and Hungary, towards their media and judiciary. Its reputation would be further tarnished if one of its more established members could curtail the rights of its national minorities. For these reasons, the EU has the duty to facilitate a dialogue between the Catalan and Spanish governments and to bring them back from the brink. The EU’s reluctance to engage stems from the fact that these are uncharted waters. The violent territorial conflicts that have beset other countries such as Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina were mediated, to varying degrees of success, by national governments, the United Nations and third parties like the United States. The EU has few procedures for bringing parties in a territorial conflict to the negotiation table. Creativity will be needed. What the EU could do The first action is for the European Parliament to pass a resolution, endorsed by the Council of Ministers, condemning the situation. This should assign responsibility to both parties and recall the cardinal values of the rule of law, democracy and minority rights in the European constitutional order. This resolution should receive a full endorsement from Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, as well as the heads of governments, such as Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron. Then the EU must offer to act as an impartial mediator in the dialogue. Given the heightened tensions and mutual recriminations, this dialogue cannot be left unmediated. The Catalan government will not accept that the Spanish government takes on the role of both an interlocutor and an arbiter. The EU needs to offer a way out of the conflict. The basic condition for dialogue is a formal renunciation of the unilateral declaration of independence by the Catalan government, in exchange for the right to hold a new legally-sanctioned referendum on independence. In case of a NO vote, the Catalan government should then open negotiation for a revision of the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, that offers symbolic recognition of Catalonia’s nationhood and a better fiscal pact. This deal needs to be accompanied by the promise that the EU will not recognise Catalan independence if is illegal and that the Spanish government will be suspended from the Council of Ministers if it violates civil rights in Catalonia. Europe is not short of diplomatic talent that could be called upon to help foster dialogue: Ireland’s former president Mary Robinson, Carld Bildt, who negotiated Sweden’s EU accession, and Paddy Ashdown, who served as the high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, are well-seasoned politicians who could play a constructive role in diffusing the crisis. Failing to act Inaction would have devastating repercussions for Catalonia, Spain and the EU. To force a reluctant central government to the negotiation table, Catalan people could deploy their most successful strategy so far: mass protests, general strikes, and widespread civil disobedience that would bring the regional and national economy to a standstill and generate further political turmoil. Or, realising that negotiation is not a forthcoming strategy, it could choose to declare independence unilaterally, with all the consequences that this could reap. Both scenarios would result from the failure to act. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Crisis in Catalonia: what the EU must do now

Companies need to make sure that employees are aware in advance of management monitoring of their work email accounts, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday in a landmark privacy case.

In a judgment in the case of a man fired 10 years ago for using a work messaging account to communicate with his family, the judges found that Romanian courts failed to protect Bogdan Barbulescu&#39;s private correspondence because his company had not given prior notice that it was monitoring his communications.

The company had presented him with printouts of his private messages to his brother and fianc&eacute;e on Yahoo Messenger as evidence of his breach of a company ban on such personal use.

The European court in Strasbourg ruled by an 11-6 majority that Romanian judges, in backing the employer, had failed to protect Barbulescu&#39;s right to private life and correspondence.

Romanian courts failed to protect Bogdan Barbulescu's private correspondence because his company had not given prior notice that it was monitoring his communications.

Companies need to make sure that employees are aware in advance of management monitoring of their work email accounts, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday in a landmark privacy case. In a judgment in the case of a man fired 10 years ago for using a work messaging account to communicate with his family, the judges found that Romanian courts failed to protect Bogdan Barbulescu's private correspondence because his company had not given prior notice that it was monitoring his communications. The company had presented him with printouts of his private messages to his brother and fiancée on Yahoo Messenger as evidence of his breach of a company ban on such personal use. The European court in Strasbourg ruled by an 11-6 majority that Romanian judges, in backing the employer, had failed to protect Barbulescu's right to private life and correspondence.

European court rules firms must tell employees of email checks

By&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cesar-renduels-menendez-de-llano-365327">C&eacute;sar Renduels Menendez de Llano</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/donatella-della-porta-366380">Donatella Della Porta</a>

&nbsp;

In 1980, the novelist Martin Amis attended a meeting in Texas with Ronald Reagan, then in the midst of the campaign that would put him in the White House. Reagan liked to end his electoral activities with some audience Q+A. The more personal the question, <a href="https://archive.org/stream/HeliganSecretsOfTheLostGardens/AmisMartin-TheMoronicInfernoAndOtherVisitsToAmerica_djvu.txt">Amis explained</a>, the more Reagan enjoyed answering.

Question: &ldquo;Of all the people in America, sir, why you for President?&rdquo;

Reagan grins.

Answer: &ldquo;Well, I&rsquo;m not smart enough to tell a lie.&rdquo;

Laughter, applause.

Amis relays the exchange:

<blockquote>
&lsquo;But why do you want it, sir?&rsquo; Reagan flexes his worn, snipped, tucked, mottled face. &lsquo;This country needs a good Republican and I feel I can do the job. Why? I&rsquo;m happy. I&rsquo;m feeling good.&rsquo; Here he turns. &lsquo;And I have Nancy to tuck me up at night.&rsquo;
</blockquote>

Laughter, applause, hats in the air.

Anger, discontent and resentment

Imagine this anecdote today. Were Donald Trump had asked the same question in 2016, it seems like he may have responded: &ldquo;Because I&rsquo;m unhappy. I&rsquo;m feeling bad. And my relationship with my wife is catastrophic.&rdquo;

And surely his Republican audience would also have clapped, identifying now not with Reagan&rsquo;s optimism but with Trump&rsquo;s self-portrait of anger, discontent and resentment.

Ronald Reagan, that carefree actor-president, may have been the last US leader to channel Americans&rsquo; good feelings about the free market. As Robert Putnam outlines in his famous <a href="http://bowlingalone.com">investigation</a>, Bowling Alone, civil society and social bonds in the US strengthened from the early 20th century until the 1970s, when the era of neoliberal reforms began.

At that point, things quickly began to unravel. Historically speaking, the growth of mercantilism, en economic nationalism that seeks to enrich the state through trade and wealth accumulation, has always deteriorated social bonds, though that&rsquo;s not necessarily a bad thing. The market also <a href="http://www.rochelleterman.com/ComparativeExam/sites/default/files/Bibliography%20and%20Summaries/Comparative%20Politics_0.pdf">weakens relationships that are clientelistic</a>, toxic or patriarchal.

Problems arise when mercantilism becomes an expansive, generalised social dynamic, which is precisely what globalisation unleashed starting in the 1970s. After global economic crisis exposed the limits of the Fordist assembly line-style mass production model, the world veered sharply back toward the liberal, unregulated <a href="http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/series/manchester-capitalism/">Manchester capitalism</a> that had predominated before the second world war.

The rest of the story, which is the subject of our new book <a href="http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1509522352,subjectCd-SO20.html">The Great Regression</a>, you know well.

&lsquo;A catastrophic level of social corrosion&rsquo;

We often make the mistake of thinking that globalisation is a radical new phenomenon, both postmodern and futuristic.

In fact, in his 1944 book <a href="http://inctpped.ie.ufrj.br/spiderweb/pdf_4/Great_Transformation.pdf">The Great Transformation</a>, historian Karl Polanyi was already explaining the political and social crises of the inter-war period as a reaction to the failures of the free market.

<figure class="align-right "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/169363/width237/file-20170515-7024-fllol3.jpg" />
<figcaption>
<a class="source" href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-Regression-Heinrich-Geiselberger/dp/1509522360">Amazon</a>

&nbsp;
</figcaption>
</figure>

From his perspective, the whole utopian idea of a self-regulating market was nihilistic and self-destructive, materially incompatible with the variety of human social life of humans.

For the pragmatist Polanyi, the &ldquo;free market&rdquo; never existed and could never exist. To begin with, mercantilism as a financial system has always required aggressive state intervention, both to ease the pains of its flaws and to break people&rsquo;s natural resistance to being dragged along by the coattails of their economy.

Practically every government in the world has undertaken this process since the 1980s. In <a href="https://www.uow.edu.au/%7Esharonb/jape.html">privatising public services</a>, for example, they have created enormous business opportunities for local elites (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/06/business/the-big-push-toward-privatization-in-argentina.html?pagewanted1">Argentina</a> being a prime example), stimulated rampant real estate speculation (just look at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/feb/06/made-london-property-speculation-industry-capital">the UK</a>) and used public resources to rescue the banking system from its own mistakes (remember <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/spain-banks-timeline-idUSL5E8H88YV20120608">Spain</a>?).

When mercantilistm reaches the catastrophic point at which it begins to corrupt all society, Polanyi says, then collective counter-movements emerge. These efforts to reestablish communal living can have radically different political orientations.

The 20th century had the fascists, waging what Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci dubbed &ldquo;<a href="https://quadernidelcarcere.wordpress.com/tag/teoria-della-rivoluzione-passiva/">passive revolutions</a>&rdquo; that aspired to alter the economic and social machinery to preserve elite privileges. It also saw Roosevelt&rsquo;s New Deal, Europe&rsquo;s 1940s democratic socialist movements and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/attlee_clement.shtml">Clement Attlee&rsquo;s reformist Labour government</a> in the UK (1945-1951).

All these were anti-mercantlist projects inspired by democratisation, learning and egalitarianism.

Anti-neoliberal counter reactions

This history is a reminder that there is an old pattern to these shaky modern times.

In the 21st century, counter reactions to globalisation have also been taking radically different forms. Early in the century, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13260219.2013.853353">Latin America&rsquo;s leftist governments</a> challenged the neoliberal order, rejecting the Washington Consensus and building regional solidarity.

Then, there were the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-years-on-the-spirit-of-tahrir-square-has-been-all-but-crushed-53461">Arab Spring</a> uprisings of 2010 to 2013, which sought to deepen democracy in a region long dominated by dictators.

The former was crushed and the latter has <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-a-chilean-outsider-revive-latin-americas-ailing-left-71213">largely waned</a>. But the innovative ideas developed in the <a href="http://www.academia.edu/1644759/Understanding_European_movements_new_social_movements_global_justice_struggles_anti-austerity_protest">anti-austerity protests</a> of Iceland Greece, Spain and Portugal following the start of the European debt crisis in 2009 are still very much alive.

What has everyone talking are developments on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum: Brexit, Trump, the extreme right, Islamic fundamentalism &ndash; <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-brexit-to-colombias-no-vote-are-constitutional-democracies-in-crisis-66668">neoliberal backlashes</a> offering new solutions for global elites hoping to preserve their privileges in a turbulent international economy.

It is early yet for an in-depth analysis of the current regressive phenomenon. But we can at least start asking the right questions.

First, did economic discontent really fuel the rise of the modern right, as many claim? <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2016/jun/24/the-areas-and-demographics-where-the-brexit-vote-was-won">Data from the UK</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/09/white-voters-victory-donald-trump-exit-polls">the US</a> indicate exactly the opposite. Not only &ndash; not even mainly &ndash; blue collar workers supported Brexit and Donald Trump; <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-are-trump-voters-social-sciencing-the-s-t-out-of-yard-signs-66099">the rich and the educated did</a> too.

But it is misleading to blame the resentment of the declining middle class for the state of Western politics today.

Money played a crucial role in right-wing victories in the US. Big business and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/opinion/29rich.html">well-funded think tanks</a>, including the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brendan-demelle/study-confirms-tea-party-_b_2663125.html">tobacco lobby and the billionaire Koch brothers</a>, have funded the US Tea Party for years, and starting in 2015, they richly backed Trump.

To mobilise the traditional conservative base of the Republican Party, <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-trump-and-sanders-rewriting-the-rules-on-money-in-politics-56891">cash was injected</a> into media blitzes that spread simple messages, often lies, appealing to American fear.

Money is not the whole story, but it is an important part of it and it has historic resonance. During Europe&rsquo;s fascist and Nazi movements, regressive counter movements feigned solidarity with the 99% while clearly enjoying the support of the 1%. The market&rsquo;s positive response to Trump&rsquo;s victory may be a <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-we-can-learn-from-markets-reaction-to-a-president-trump-68116">clear indication that this is happening again</a>.

So far, the new regressive movements are adopting very different forms to their left-wing recent predecessors in Latin America and Europe. They diverge not only ideologically &ndash; with cosmopolitanism on the one side and xenophobia on the other &ndash; but also in their organisational models.

On the right, politics today is characterised by <a href="https://theconversation.com/trumps-inauguration-ushers-in-2017-the-year-of-the-strongman-70846">strong, personalised leadership</a>: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump being prime examples.

Recent progressive anti-neoliberal movements, on the other hand, have been mostly been <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-hate-neoliberalism-but-love-each-other-a-latin-american-grassroots-guide-68899">defined by citizen participation</a>.

There&rsquo;s no evidence (yet) that regressive movements are necessarily more successful than their progressive counterparts. Rather, in times of economic crisis, left-wing advances such as workers&rsquo; rights have been met with a powerful, well-funded resistance.

The near-constant protest of Trump, Erdogan or Orban confirm progressive counter-reactions <a href="https://theconversation.com/trump-victory-comes-with-a-silver-lining-for-the-worlds-progressives-68523">are very much alive</a> indeed. But they seem unlikely to put regressive movements out of business any time soon.

<figure><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rmdiUoL-ZMk?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440"></iframe></figure>

&nbsp;

One step forward, two steps back

The mainstream progressive response to this reactionary challenge has been, primarily, nostalgia for Keynesian economics: increase public spending to stimulate the economy, boost demand and create employment, redistribute wealth to grow the economy, among other things.

That&rsquo;s a bad alternative. Keynes is dead and he&rsquo;s not coming back. Everything about his era &ndash; from the post-second world war international relations system of Bretton Woods and the Soviet threat to the fast clip of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/6251312/Keynes-the-Return-of-the-Master-by-Robert-Skidelsky-review.html">economic expansion</a> back then &ndash; is unthinkable today.

Only in a few places has the popular response to the failure of the self-regulating free-market been to push for greater freedom and deeper democracy, rather than to retrench or reminisce.

In addition to a timid normalisation of such activism around basic rights such as housing, a universal basic income, cooperativism and feminism, we have <a href="https://theconversation.com/austerity-portugal-is-on-a-different-path-to-greece-and-spain-heres-why-48121">Portugal&rsquo;s left-wing ruling coalition</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/meet-podemos-the-party-revolutionising-spanish-politics-33802">Podemos</a> in Spain and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/syriza-sweeps-to-victory-in-greek-election-promising-an-end-to-humiliation-36680">Syriza government in Greece</a>.

Today, it is evident that Greece is not the European Union&rsquo;s burden to bear but rather part of its salvation. Syriza has proposed an alternative to European financial metastasis by <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/06/03/greece-eurozone/">reclaiming fiscal sovereignty</a>, battening down the markets, focusing on democratisation, and seeking continent-wide social solidarity.

It&rsquo;s noteworthy that virtually <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-hate-neoliberalism-but-love-each-other-a-latin-american-grassroots-guide-68899">all rights-based anti-neoliberalism</a> has come from peripheral or semi-peripheral nations: first Latin America a decade ago, and now southern Europe. All of them have faced fierce opposition from the rich West.

It may be time to start <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-hate-neoliberalism-but-love-each-other-a-latin-american-grassroots-guide-68899">thinking about the Global South not as a problem but as a solution</a> to the great regression.

*Llano is with the&nbsp;<a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/universidad-complutense-de-madrid-2383">Universidad Complutense de Madrid</a>

**&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/donatella-della-porta-366380">Porta</a>&nbsp;is with the&nbsp;<a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/institute-of-human-and-social-sciences-scuola-normale-superiore-florence-3060">Institute of Human and Social sciences, Scuola Normale Superiore, Florence</a>

The Great Regression, available in 13 languages, can be <a href="http://www.thegreatregression.eu/">found online</a>.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-road-to-the-great-regression-76293">original article</a>.

On the right, politics today is characterised by strong, personalised leadership: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump being prime examples.

By César Renduels Menendez de Llano and Donatella Della Porta In 1980, the novelist Martin Amis attended a meeting in Texas with Ronald Reagan, then in the midst of the campaign that would put him in the White House. Reagan liked to end his electoral activities with some audience Q+A. The more personal the question, Amis explained, the more Reagan enjoyed answering. Question: “Of all the people in America, sir, why you for President?” Reagan grins. Answer: “Well, I’m not smart enough to tell a lie.” Laughter, applause. Amis relays the exchange: ‘But why do you want it, sir?’ Reagan flexes his worn, snipped, tucked, mottled face. ‘This country needs a good Republican and I feel I can do the job. Why? I’m happy. I’m feeling good.’ Here he turns. ‘And I have Nancy to tuck me up at night.’ Laughter, applause, hats in the air. Anger, discontent and resentment Imagine this anecdote today. Were Donald Trump had asked the same question in 2016, it seems like he may have responded: “Because I’m unhappy. I’m feeling bad. And my relationship with my wife is catastrophic.” And surely his Republican audience would also have clapped, identifying now not with Reagan’s optimism but with Trump’s self-portrait of anger, discontent and resentment. Ronald Reagan, that carefree actor-president, may have been the last US leader to channel Americans’ good feelings about the free market. As Robert Putnam outlines in his famous investigation, Bowling Alone, civil society and social bonds in the US strengthened from the early 20th century until the 1970s, when the era of neoliberal reforms began. At that point, things quickly began to unravel. Historically speaking, the growth of mercantilism, en economic nationalism that seeks to enrich the state through trade and wealth accumulation, has always deteriorated social bonds, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The market also weakens relationships that are clientelistic, toxic or patriarchal. Problems arise when mercantilism becomes an expansive, generalised social dynamic, which is precisely what globalisation unleashed starting in the 1970s. After global economic crisis exposed the limits of the Fordist assembly line-style mass production model, the world veered sharply back toward the liberal, unregulated Manchester capitalism that had predominated before the second world war. The rest of the story, which is the subject of our new book The Great Regression, you know well. ‘A catastrophic level of social corrosion’ We often make the mistake of thinking that globalisation is a radical new phenomenon, both postmodern and futuristic. In fact, in his 1944 book The Great Transformation, historian Karl Polanyi was already explaining the political and social crises of the inter-war period as a reaction to the failures of the free market. Amazon From his perspective, the whole utopian idea of a self-regulating market was nihilistic and self-destructive, materially incompatible with the variety of human social life of humans. For the pragmatist Polanyi, the “free market” never existed and could never exist. To begin with, mercantilism as a financial system has always required aggressive state intervention, both to ease the pains of its flaws and to break people’s natural resistance to being dragged along by the coattails of their economy. Practically every government in the world has undertaken this process since the 1980s. In privatising public services, for example, they have created enormous business opportunities for local elites (Argentina being a prime example), stimulated rampant real estate speculation (just look at the UK) and used public resources to rescue the banking system from its own mistakes (remember Spain?). When mercantilistm reaches the catastrophic point at which it begins to corrupt all society, Polanyi says, then collective counter-movements emerge. These efforts to reestablish communal living can have radically different political orientations. The 20th century had the fascists, waging what Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci dubbed “passive revolutions” that aspired to alter the economic and social machinery to preserve elite privileges. It also saw Roosevelt’s New Deal, Europe’s 1940s democratic socialist movements and Clement Attlee’s reformist Labour government in the UK (1945-1951). All these were anti-mercantlist projects inspired by democratisation, learning and egalitarianism. Anti-neoliberal counter reactions This history is a reminder that there is an old pattern to these shaky modern times. In the 21st century, counter reactions to globalisation have also been taking radically different forms. Early in the century, Latin America’s leftist governments challenged the neoliberal order, rejecting the Washington Consensus and building regional solidarity. Then, there were the Arab Spring uprisings of 2010 to 2013, which sought to deepen democracy in a region long dominated by dictators. The former was crushed and the latter has largely waned. But the innovative ideas developed in the anti-austerity protests of Iceland Greece, Spain and Portugal following the start of the European debt crisis in 2009 are still very much alive. What has everyone talking are developments on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum: Brexit, Trump, the extreme right, Islamic fundamentalism – neoliberal backlashes offering new solutions for global elites hoping to preserve their privileges in a turbulent international economy. It is early yet for an in-depth analysis of the current regressive phenomenon. But we can at least start asking the right questions. First, did economic discontent really fuel the rise of the modern right, as many claim? Data from the UK and the US indicate exactly the opposite. Not only – not even mainly – blue collar workers supported Brexit and Donald Trump; the rich and the educated did too. But it is misleading to blame the resentment of the declining middle class for the state of Western politics today. Money played a crucial role in right-wing victories in the US. Big business and well-funded think tanks, including the tobacco lobby and the billionaire Koch brothers, have funded the US Tea Party for years, and starting in 2015, they richly backed Trump. To mobilise the traditional conservative base of the Republican Party, cash was injected into media blitzes that spread simple messages, often lies, appealing to American fear. Money is not the whole story, but it is an important part of it and it has historic resonance. During Europe’s fascist and Nazi movements, regressive counter movements feigned solidarity with the 99% while clearly enjoying the support of the 1%. The market’s positive response to Trump’s victory may be a clear indication that this is happening again. So far, the new regressive movements are adopting very different forms to their left-wing recent predecessors in Latin America and Europe. They diverge not only ideologically – with cosmopolitanism on the one side and xenophobia on the other – but also in their organisational models. On the right, politics today is characterised by strong, personalised leadership: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump being prime examples. Recent progressive anti-neoliberal movements, on the other hand, have been mostly been defined by citizen participation. There’s no evidence (yet) that regressive movements are necessarily more successful than their progressive counterparts. Rather, in times of economic crisis, left-wing advances such as workers’ rights have been met with a powerful, well-funded resistance. The near-constant protest of Trump, Erdogan or Orban confirm progressive counter-reactions are very much alive indeed. But they seem unlikely to put regressive movements out of business any time soon. One step forward, two steps back The mainstream progressive response to this reactionary challenge has been, primarily, nostalgia for Keynesian economics: increase public spending to stimulate the economy, boost demand and create employment, redistribute wealth to grow the economy, among other things. That’s a bad alternative. Keynes is dead and he’s not coming back. Everything about his era – from the post-second world war international relations system of Bretton Woods and the Soviet threat to the fast clip of economic expansion back then – is unthinkable today. Only in a few places has the popular response to the failure of the self-regulating free-market been to push for greater freedom and deeper democracy, rather than to retrench or reminisce. In addition to a timid normalisation of such activism around basic rights such as housing, a universal basic income, cooperativism and feminism, we have Portugal’s left-wing ruling coalition, Podemos in Spain and the Syriza government in Greece. Today, it is evident that Greece is not the European Union’s burden to bear but rather part of its salvation. Syriza has proposed an alternative to European financial metastasis by reclaiming fiscal sovereignty, battening down the markets, focusing on democratisation, and seeking continent-wide social solidarity. It’s noteworthy that virtually all rights-based anti-neoliberalism has come from peripheral or semi-peripheral nations: first Latin America a decade ago, and now southern Europe. All of them have faced fierce opposition from the rich West. It may be time to start thinking about the Global South not as a problem but as a solution to the great regression. *Llano is with the Universidad Complutense de Madrid ** Porta is with the Institute of Human and Social sciences, Scuola Normale Superiore, Florence The Great Regression, available in 13 languages, can be found online. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The road to the great regression

&nbsp;An audio message purporting to come from the spokesman of Islamic State called on followers to launch attacks in the United States, Europe, Russia, Australia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and the Philippines during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, which began in late May.

The audio clip was distributed on Monday on Islamic State&#39;s channel on Telegram, an encrypted messaging application. It was attributed to the militant group`s official spokesman, Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer.&nbsp;

The authenticity of the recording could not be independently verified, but the voice was the same as a previous audio message purported to be from the spokesman.

&quot;O lions of Mosul, Raqqa, and Tal Afar, God bless those pure arms and bright faces, charge against the rejectionists and the apostates and fight them with the strength of one man,&quot; said al-Muhajer. Rejectionist is a derogatory term used to refer to Shi&#39;ite Muslims.

&quot;To the brethren of faith and belief in Europe, America, Russia, Australia, and others. Your brothers in your land have done well so take them as role models and do as they have done.&quot;

&nbsp;

An unverified audio message distributed on?Islamic State's channel on Telegram called on followers to launch?attacks in the US, Europe, Russia, Australia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and the Philippines

An audio message purporting to come from the spokesman of Islamic State called on followers to launch attacks in the United States, Europe, Russia, Australia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and the Philippines during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, which began in late May. The audio clip was distributed on Monday on Islamic State's channel on Telegram, an encrypted messaging application. It was attributed to the militant group`s official spokesman, Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer. The authenticity of the recording could not be independently verified, but the voice was the same as a previous audio message purported to be from the spokesman. "O lions of Mosul, Raqqa, and Tal Afar, God bless those pure arms and bright faces, charge against the rejectionists and the apostates and fight them with the strength of one man," said al-Muhajer. Rejectionist is a derogatory term used to refer to Shi'ite Muslims. "To the brethren of faith and belief in Europe, America, Russia, Australia, and others. Your brothers in your land have done well so take them as role models and do as they have done."

Islamic State calls for attacks in US, Europe, Middle East, Asia during Ramzan

UK Elections 2017 has been a tight race between the Conservatives and Labour party candidates. While PM Theresa May was sure of making it to the finished line with a majority, Jeremy Corbyn has managed to pull a masterstroke.&nbsp;

Jeremy Bernard Corbyn, 68, the grand old man of British politics had a different game plan from the beginning. His policies and the Labour party&#39;s manifesto stood its ground on local and domestic issues that made a connect with the British citizens. Corbyn was able to shave off Theresa May&#39;s lead in the popularity polls in the last two weeks. His focus on education, security, income tax and importantly his stance on Brexit clearly touched a chord while May and her party did not have a solid post-Brexit roadmap for UK citizens.&nbsp;

Corbyn has served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 12 September 2015. He was born in Chippenham and is the youngest of the four sons in the family.&nbsp;

Always a crusader, while still in&nbsp;school, he became active in The Wrekin constituency Young Socialists, his local Labour Party, and the League Against Cruel Sports.&nbsp; 
He joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in 1966 whilst at school and later became one of its three vice-chairs.

&nbsp;

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Whatever the final result, our positive campaign has changed politics for the better. <a href="https://t.co/EHLta2rnIW">pic.twitter.com/EHLta2rnIW</a>
&mdash; Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/872975310249230336">June 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Brexit:

Corbyn has consistently spoken for Britain to remain as an EU member but after the referendum result, Corbyn over the last two weeks of campaigning has maintained that the &ldquo;result must be respected&rdquo; and a &quot;close new relationship with the EU&quot; should be targeted. He said that one of his first acts as Britain&#39;s prime minister would be to call German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron to chalk out a plan for Brexit. He also promised to guarantee the rights of EU citizens based in the UK while&nbsp;rejecting the idea of &#39;no deal&#39; in EU negotiations.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Education:

What also added&nbsp;to his popularity&nbsp;is his commitment to education and providing for the youth by announcing the scrapping of tuition fees for universities. He also announced&nbsp;the scrapping of upfront costs for colleges and further education courses while reintroducing maintenance grants for students. He also wooed&nbsp;new mothers by plugging the gap in childcare after maternity leave helping them to come back to work with the aid of National Education Service.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Terrorism:

In the wake of London Bridge terror attacks, both May and Corbyn differ on opinions. Corbyn chose to not support counter-terrorism legislation as a parliamentarian. He promised to reverse the cutting of around 20,000 police officers since 2010. He also vowed his support for Trident, that is&nbsp;UK&rsquo;s Vanguard fleet of submarines carrying nuclear missiles. Corbyn has however been a strong opponent of&nbsp;nuclear weapons.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Income Tax:

Motivated to ensure that the national debt is reduced, Corbyn in his party&rsquo;s manifesto looked&nbsp;to raise tax revenues from the top earners in the country. For those earning above &pound;80,000 ($103,544), income tax rate would increase 45 per cent for earnings above the amount and then to 50 pence in each pound for people with an income of more than &pound;123,000.

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Trump:

Before Trump had withdrawn from the Paris climate accord and talks were still on, Corbyn spoke about calling US President Donald Trump and urging him to not withdraw from the accord. He continuously criticised May&rsquo;s approach in dealing with Trump calling it &quot;dereliction of duty&quot; when she failed to sign a joint statement with other EU leaders condemning the US administration.&nbsp;

<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

Iraq War:

Corbyn identifies himself as an anti-war activist. In October 2001, Corbyn was elected to the steering committee of the Stop the War Coalition, which was formed to oppose the Afghanistan War. He also opposed the Iraq War in 2003 and spoke at anti-war rallies in Britain and overseas. He helped organise the February anti-Iraq War protest which was claimed to be the largest such protest in British political history. In 2006, Corbyn was one of 12 Labour MPs to support Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party&#39;s call for a parliamentary inquiry into the Iraq War.&nbsp; 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn almost singlehandedly chipped PM Theresa May's political capital

UK Elections 2017 has been a tight race between the Conservatives and Labour party candidates. While PM Theresa May was sure of making it to the finished line with a majority, Jeremy Corbyn has managed to pull a masterstroke. Jeremy Bernard Corbyn, 68, the grand old man of British politics had a different game plan from the beginning. His policies and the Labour party's manifesto stood its ground on local and domestic issues that made a connect with the British citizens. Corbyn was able to shave off Theresa May's lead in the popularity polls in the last two weeks. His focus on education, security, income tax and importantly his stance on Brexit clearly touched a chord while May and her party did not have a solid post-Brexit roadmap for UK citizens. Corbyn has served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 12 September 2015. He was born in Chippenham and is the youngest of the four sons in the family. Always a crusader, while still in school, he became active in The Wrekin constituency Young Socialists, his local Labour Party, and the League Against Cruel Sports. He joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in 1966 whilst at school and later became one of its three vice-chairs. Whatever the final result, our positive campaign has changed politics for the better. pic.twitter.com/EHLta2rnIW — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 9, 2017 × Brexit: Corbyn has consistently spoken for Britain to remain as an EU member but after the referendum result, Corbyn over the last two weeks of campaigning has maintained that the “result must be respected” and a "close new relationship with the EU" should be targeted. He said that one of his first acts as Britain's prime minister would be to call German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron to chalk out a plan for Brexit. He also promised to guarantee the rights of EU citizens based in the UK while rejecting the idea of 'no deal' in EU negotiations. Education: What also added to his popularity is his commitment to education and providing for the youth by announcing the scrapping of tuition fees for universities. He also announced the scrapping of upfront costs for colleges and further education courses while reintroducing maintenance grants for students. He also wooed new mothers by plugging the gap in childcare after maternity leave helping them to come back to work with the aid of National Education Service. Terrorism: In the wake of London Bridge terror attacks, both May and Corbyn differ on opinions. Corbyn chose to not support counter-terrorism legislation as a parliamentarian. He promised to reverse the cutting of around 20,000 police officers since 2010. He also vowed his support for Trident, that is UK’s Vanguard fleet of submarines carrying nuclear missiles. Corbyn has however been a strong opponent of nuclear weapons. Income Tax: Motivated to ensure that the national debt is reduced, Corbyn in his party’s manifesto looked to raise tax revenues from the top earners in the country. For those earning above £80,000 ($103,544), income tax rate would increase 45 per cent for earnings above the amount and then to 50 pence in each pound for people with an income of more than £123,000. Trump: Before Trump had withdrawn from the Paris climate accord and talks were still on, Corbyn spoke about calling US President Donald Trump and urging him to not withdraw from the accord. He continuously criticised May’s approach in dealing with Trump calling it "dereliction of duty" when she failed to sign a joint statement with other EU leaders condemning the US administration. Iraq War: Corbyn identifies himself as an anti-war activist. In October 2001, Corbyn was elected to the steering committee of the Stop the War Coalition, which was formed to oppose the Afghanistan War. He also opposed the Iraq War in 2003 and spoke at anti-war rallies in Britain and overseas. He helped organise the February anti-Iraq War protest which was claimed to be the largest such protest in British political history. In 2006, Corbyn was one of 12 Labour MPs to support Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party's call for a parliamentary inquiry into the Iraq War. (WION)

How ?Corbyn strategy? stumped PM May

The southern German state of Bavaria has decided to ban full-face veils in public places like schools, universities, government workplaces and polling stations.

The regional government drafted a law to ban the full-face veil for civil servants, and in public places where there are concerns for public safety.&nbsp;

&quot;Communication happens not only via language but also via looks, facial expressions and gestures,&quot; Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann said.

&quot;It&#39;s the foundation of our interactions with each other and it&#39;s the basis of our free and democratic order. Concealing your face is at odds with this culture of communication,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

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<h5>The Bavarian conservatives that govern the region, the sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel&#39;s, are worried about the rise in popularity of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD)</h5>
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He expects the regional parliament of Bavaria to approve&nbsp;the law.&nbsp;

Elections are due in Germany in seven months and immigration is expected to dominate campaigning.

The Bavarian conservatives that govern the region, the sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel&#39;s, are worried about the rise in popularity of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD).

In December, Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a ban on full-face Muslim veils &quot;wherever legally possible&quot;, after she suffered electoral setbacks in regional elections where the AfD managed to get a significant vote share.&nbsp;

France and Belgium have already banned burqas.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

'Communication happens not only via language but also via looks, facial expressions and gestures,' the Bavarian interior minister said

The southern German state of Bavaria has decided to ban full-face veils in public places like schools, universities, government workplaces and polling stations. The regional government drafted a law to ban the full-face veil for civil servants, and in public places where there are concerns for public safety. "Communication happens not only via language but also via looks, facial expressions and gestures," Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann said. "It's the foundation of our interactions with each other and it's the basis of our free and democratic order. Concealing your face is at odds with this culture of communication," he added. The Bavarian conservatives that govern the region, the sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel's, are worried about the rise in popularity of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) × He expects the regional parliament of Bavaria to approve the law. Elections are due in Germany in seven months and immigration is expected to dominate campaigning. The Bavarian conservatives that govern the region, the sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel's, are worried about the rise in popularity of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). In December, Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a ban on full-face Muslim veils "wherever legally possible", after she suffered electoral setbacks in regional elections where the AfD managed to get a significant vote share. France and Belgium have already banned burqas. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Bavaria drafts law to ban full-face veil months before German elections

American video sharing giant YouTube is experiencinng&nbsp;major problems in Europe with many users unable to access the website,&nbsp;The&nbsp;Independent reported.

A report in The&nbsp;Independent&nbsp;on Tuesday cited&nbsp;DownDetector as saying that the site went down for users in Europe at around 6pm GMT.

Many users&nbsp;are seeing a message which reads: &ldquo;500 Internal Server Error&rdquo;, Independent reported.&nbsp;

(WION)

A report in The?Independent?cited?DownDetector as saying that the site went down for users in Europe at around 6pm GMT

American video sharing giant YouTube is experiencinng major problems in Europe with many users unable to access the website, The Independent reported. A report in The Independent on Tuesday cited DownDetector as saying that the site went down for users in Europe at around 6pm GMT. Many users are seeing a message which reads: “500 Internal Server Error”, Independent reported. (WION)

YouTube experiencing major problems in Europe

US vice president Mike Pence told nervous Europeans on Monday that Donald Trump will remain committed to transatlantic ties, but warned NATO allies they must boost their defence spending in return.

Capping a European trip aimed at allaying fears about the new administration&#39;s support, Pence said Washington&#39;s backing for the EU remained &quot;steadfast and enduring&quot;.

&quot;Today it is my privilege on behalf of President Trump to express the strong commitment of the United States to continued cooperation and partnership with the European Union,&quot; Pence said after talks with EU president Donald Tusk in Brussels.

European allies have been unnerved by Trump&#39;s criticism of the EU as a vehicle for Germany, his praise of Britains decision to leave the bloc and his dismissal of NATO as &quot;obsolete&quot; even as he praises Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But Pence pledged the United States would keep working with Europe to boost the world&#39;s two biggest economies, fight terrorism and defend eastern EU states against Russian encroachment.

Tusk, a former Polish premier, said that Europeans &quot;truly needed&quot; the meeting with Pence and that the 28-nation bloc counted on &quot;wholehearted and unequivocal&quot; US support.

&quot;Too much has happened over the past month in your country and in the EU... for us to pretend that everything is as it used to be,&quot; Tusk said.

Pence also met European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, a former Luxembourg premier, who stressed that the United States &quot;needs a strong united Europe.&quot;.Scores of protesters gathered in the EU quarter of the Belgian capital during Pence&#39;s visit, criticising the Trump administration&#39;s attitude towards women, gay people and climate change.

Two female protesters went topless and carried banners saying &quot;Pence get out of our pants,&quot; while another placard read &quot;Love Trumps Hate&quot;.

At NATO headquarters, Pence said Trump expects NATO allies to make &quot;real progress by the end of 2017&quot; towards meeting a goal they set in 2014 of raising defence spending to two percent of GDP over a decade.

&quot;If you don&#39;t yet have a plan -- these are my words, not his (Trump&#39;s) -- get one. It is time for actions, not words,&quot; Pence told a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

So far, of the 28 NATO members, only the United States, Britain, Poland, Greece and Estonia have met the two percent target.

&quot;America will do our part but Europe&#39;s defence requires Europe&#39;s commitment as much as ours,&quot; Pence said Monday.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis delivered a similar message at a NATO defence ministers meeting last week, saying Washington could &quot;moderate&quot; its commitment if allies fail to pay up.

Pence, Mattis and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have stuck close to established policy during their first foray into Europe despite Trump&#39;s previous pronouncements.

But they have also been left to cope with their president&#39;s unpredictable remarks, and by a growing scandal over the new White House&#39;s links to Russia.

The vice president admitted on Monday he was &quot;disappointed&quot; that former US national security adviser Michael Flynn had given him &quot;inaccurate&quot; information about his contacts with Russia over US sanctions before he resigned last week.

However he said he fully backed Trump&#39;s decision to accept Flynn&#39;s resignation.

Pence also defended Trump&#39;s criticisms of the media, whom the president has called &quot;the enemy of the American people&quot;.

&quot;Rest assured, both the president and I strongly support a free and independent press,&quot; he said.

&quot;But you can anticipate that the president and all of us will continue to call out the media when they play fast and loose with the facts.&quot;Pence&#39;s visit came two days after Trump referred, during a rally in Florida, to a non-existent Swedish terror incident and urged people to &quot;look at what&#39;s happening in Brussels&quot; as he listed a series of European cities struck by deadly terror attacks.

Pence said the United States would remain &quot;full partners&quot; with the EU in fighting terrorism, a Trump priority.

He also pledged it would defend Europe&#39;s &quot;territorial integrity&quot; and said the Trump administration will &quot;continue to hold Russia accountable&quot; for the violence in eastern Ukraine and demand that Moscow honour the Minsk agreements for a ceasefire due to begin Monday.

Trump is expected to attend a NATO summit in Brussels at the end of May and he has also been invited to meet EU leaders.

An EU source told AFP that Pence&#39;s meeting with Tusk was &quot;very positive&quot;.

&quot;Will it allay all Europeans fears about Trump? No but it was the best we could have hoped for,&quot; the source added.

(AFP)

&nbsp;

Pence said Washington's backing for the EU remained 'steadfast and enduring'

US vice president Mike Pence told nervous Europeans on Monday that Donald Trump will remain committed to transatlantic ties, but warned NATO allies they must boost their defence spending in return. Capping a European trip aimed at allaying fears about the new administration's support, Pence said Washington's backing for the EU remained "steadfast and enduring". "Today it is my privilege on behalf of President Trump to express the strong commitment of the United States to continued cooperation and partnership with the European Union," Pence said after talks with EU president Donald Tusk in Brussels. European allies have been unnerved by Trump's criticism of the EU as a vehicle for Germany, his praise of Britains decision to leave the bloc and his dismissal of NATO as "obsolete" even as he praises Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Pence pledged the United States would keep working with Europe to boost the world's two biggest economies, fight terrorism and defend eastern EU states against Russian encroachment. Tusk, a former Polish premier, said that Europeans "truly needed" the meeting with Pence and that the 28-nation bloc counted on "wholehearted and unequivocal" US support. "Too much has happened over the past month in your country and in the EU... for us to pretend that everything is as it used to be," Tusk said. Pence also met European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, a former Luxembourg premier, who stressed that the United States "needs a strong united Europe.".Scores of protesters gathered in the EU quarter of the Belgian capital during Pence's visit, criticising the Trump administration's attitude towards women, gay people and climate change. Two female protesters went topless and carried banners saying "Pence get out of our pants," while another placard read "Love Trumps Hate". At NATO headquarters, Pence said Trump expects NATO allies to make "real progress by the end of 2017" towards meeting a goal they set in 2014 of raising defence spending to two percent of GDP over a decade. "If you don't yet have a plan -- these are my words, not his (Trump's) -- get one. It is time for actions, not words," Pence told a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. So far, of the 28 NATO members, only the United States, Britain, Poland, Greece and Estonia have met the two percent target. "America will do our part but Europe's defence requires Europe's commitment as much as ours," Pence said Monday. US Defence Secretary James Mattis delivered a similar message at a NATO defence ministers meeting last week, saying Washington could "moderate" its commitment if allies fail to pay up. Pence, Mattis and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have stuck close to established policy during their first foray into Europe despite Trump's previous pronouncements. But they have also been left to cope with their president's unpredictable remarks, and by a growing scandal over the new White House's links to Russia. The vice president admitted on Monday he was "disappointed" that former US national security adviser Michael Flynn had given him "inaccurate" information about his contacts with Russia over US sanctions before he resigned last week. However he said he fully backed Trump's decision to accept Flynn's resignation. Pence also defended Trump's criticisms of the media, whom the president has called "the enemy of the American people". "Rest assured, both the president and I strongly support a free and independent press," he said. "But you can anticipate that the president and all of us will continue to call out the media when they play fast and loose with the facts."Pence's visit came two days after Trump referred, during a rally in Florida, to a non-existent Swedish terror incident and urged people to "look at what's happening in Brussels" as he listed a series of European cities struck by deadly terror attacks. Pence said the United States would remain "full partners" with the EU in fighting terrorism, a Trump priority. He also pledged it would defend Europe's "territorial integrity" and said the Trump administration will "continue to hold Russia accountable" for the violence in eastern Ukraine and demand that Moscow honour the Minsk agreements for a ceasefire due to begin Monday. Trump is expected to attend a NATO summit in Brussels at the end of May and he has also been invited to meet EU leaders. An EU source told AFP that Pence's meeting with Tusk was "very positive". "Will it allay all Europeans fears about Trump? No but it was the best we could have hoped for," the source added. (AFP)

Mike Pence reassures Europe, demands NATO pay up

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