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The top US and British diplomats said Wednesday they were prepared to move "as soon as possible" on a trade deal after Britain's planned withdrawal from the European Union on October 31... Last year, the two countries exchanged $262 billion in goods and services, governed by the US trade agreement with the European Union. Britain was America's fifth-largest export market, and the United States ran a $20 billion trade surplus. ...Meanwhile Britain's International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, traveling with Raab, had lined up meetings with top American officials including Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

European civilisation is imbued with notions of Christian morality and the values of the Enlightenment. It is diverse, organic, syncretic and all-encompassing. After centuries of internecine warfare, the continent finally came to recognise that this religio-cultural homogeneity offered a foundation for peace and prosperity, and so expressions of Christian democracy began to develop which drew together the fractious and heterogeneous strands of national allegiance to forge a new progressive identity for the modern era. But that identity has been hijacked by an aggressive, coercive, supra-national secularism of categorical imperatives which gnaw at the threads of Europe’s carefully-woven patchwork of civilisations....

The move will see the European Commission blocking Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Singapore from accessing parts of the European Union's financial market, according to the Financial Times. The five countries are deemed as no longer regulating credit rating agencies as rigorously as the bloc — thereby removing them from a position which made it possible for European banks to rely on those ratings, reported the Financial Times, The European Commission will be blocking five countries from accessing parts of the European Union's financial markets — in a move that could hit the United Kingdom after it leaves the bloc,...

The European Commission is taking the Hungarian government to the Court of Justice of the European Union over its 'Stop Soros' laws that prevent illegal immigration.The law, which references globalist billionaire George Soros, was passed last year, making it a crime to help illegal immigrants and asylum settle in Hungary.Pro-immigration activists who help illegal immigrants face up to a year in jail.

London (AFP) – A no-deal Brexit could lead to a united Ireland as more people in Northern Ireland would “come to question the Union” with Great Britain, Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar has said. His comments came after new British prime minister Boris Johnson said the current Brexit deal was unacceptable and set preparations for leaving the EU without an agreement as a “top priority” for his right-wing government. Tension around the withdrawal deal centres on the so-called Irish backstop — a mechanism designed to keep Northern Ireland in the bloc’s Single Market and prevent a customs border between it...

... While the Leave victory in the referendum was just 52-48, almost two-thirds of Britain’s parliamentary constituencies voted to leave, so Johnson has in his back pocket the ability to win an election on the issue, even if he has to form an alliance with the original Brexit leader, Nigel Farage, who swept the anachronistic Euro-elections in May. Johnson has astutely pledged to attempt to gain a satisfactory compromise with Brussels on a genuine departure from the EU, but unlike Theresa May, he has made it clear he would rather leave without an arrangement with Brussels, “crash out” as the...

European Union: A Massive Expansion of Top-down Powers by Soeren Kern July 23, 2019 at 5:00 am https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14584/eu-top-down-powers An examination of von der Leyen's main policy proposals reveals that she is calling for a massive expansion of top-down powers of the European Commission. Her proposals would substantially increase the role of Brussels in virtually all aspects of economic and social life in Europe — all at the expense of national sovereignty. Von der Leyen warned that Brussels would overrule EU member states opposed to her tax overhaul... She called for a comprehensive "European Rule of Law Mechanism" to ensure the...

The European Union formally condemned the demolition of illegal Arab apartment buildings near Israel’s security barrier separating Jerusalem from Palestinian Authority-controlled areas, and demanded Israel halt its enforcement of demolition orders. In a statement issued Monday afternoon, the European Union’s foreign affairs department said the demolitions undermine the “viability of the two-state solution”. “Israeli authorities have proceeded with the demolition of 10 Palestinian buildings, containing some 70 apartments, in Wadi al Hummus, part of Sur Baher neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem. The majority of the buildings are located in Area A and B of the West Bank where, according to...

russels bureaucrats are spending nearly £2 million of taxpayers' cash to market obscure politicians' homes and bland offices as must-see tourist attractions. A drab civic building in Holland where the Maastricht Treaty was signed to create the European Union is just one of the latest 'European Heritage' spots – locations considered to be on a par with historic castles and even the Acropolis in Athens. Sites, properties and objects which will – according to the EU's guidelines – 'strengthen' European citizens' sense of belonging to the union and promote greater 'integration' are awarded European Heritage status.

The United States imposing sanctions on four top generals from the country of Myanmar (formerly Burma). Those generals and their families banned from entering the USA because of the conflict in the predominately Buddhist country with the Rohingya Muslims. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blaming the generals for what are considered harsh policies against the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country. The Myanmar government views the conflict a a fight with Islamic terrorism. A "partial preliminary injunction" from a federal judge against ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond in Oregon Tuesday.... The US House voting 240-187 to condemn President Trump for...

Germany's Ursula von der Leyen has been elected as the European Commission's first female president. Her nomination was approved by 383 votes in a secret ballot on Tuesday evening at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. There were 327 votes against her and 22 abstentions. After being elected by a narrow margin of just nine votes over the required 374, von der Leyen called for a "united and strong Europe." The 60-year-old outgoing German defense minister and multilingual mother of seven will succeed Jean-Claude Juncker, who has served as president since 2014.

Coincident with burgeoning attention in America to Spygate, Steve Hilton's Positive Populism has swept the European Union.  The revolution has predictably exploded. This not only reinforces the decision of Great Britain's P.M. Theresa May to resign, but also corroborates the downfall of German chancellor Angela Merkel (who will not seek election as party leader) and portends the departure of French president Emmanuel Macron (who was defeated by nationalist Marine Le Pen in French European Parliament elections).  The "Three Ms" are not the only losers, for Brussels has been rebuffed for its open-border policies throughout the E.U., notably in Italy, where...

European Union: Toward a European Superstate "The EU is a Sham Democracy" by Soeren Kern July 8, 2019 at 5:00 am https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14503/european-union-towards-superstate German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, nominated to be the next President of the European Commission, has called for the creation of a European superstate. "My aim is the United States of Europe..." she said in an interview with Der Spiegel. She has also called for the creation of a European Army. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, nominated to be the next President of the European Council, has said that Eastern European countries opposed to burden-sharing on...

Deutsche Bank announced Sunday that it will pull out of global equities sales and trading, scale back investment banking and slash thousands of jobs as part of a sweeping restructuring plan to improve profitability. Deutsche will cut 18,000 jobs for a global headcount of around 74,000 employees by 2022. The bank aims to reduce adjusted costs by a quarter to 17 billion euros ($19 billion) over the next several years. The German bank’s decision to scale back investment banking comes just two days after investment banking chief Garth Ritchie stepped down by “mutual agreement.” Deutsche expects its restructuring plan to...

Greece's opposition party New Democracy are set to win the country's snap general election, exit polls suggest. Led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the centre-right party is projected to defeat Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's leftist Syriza party. New Democracy is forecast to win 38-42% of the vote, while Syriza is projected to win 26.5-31.5%. That would give New Democracy an outright majority, as the winner receives 50 extra seats in parliament. The first official results are expected later on Sunday evening. What does New Democracy stand for? New Democracy has promised to lower taxes and privatise services in the country, which is...

A court in Gibraltar has ruled the ship can be detained for a further 14 days. Iran later summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to complain about what it said was a "form of piracy". Mohsen Rezaei said...: "If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the authorities' duty to seize a British oil tanker." Gibraltar said there was reason to believe the ship was carrying Iranian crude oil to the Baniyas Refinery in the Syrian Mediterranean port town of Tartous. The territory was initially able to detain the ship for 72-hours, but Gibraltar's Supreme Court granted...

France has accused the Italian government of behaving “hysterically” over migrants and refugees, earning a furious rebuke from Matteo Salvini, the Italian interior minister. The criticism from Paris came as Mr Salvini said the German captain of a migrant rescue vessel should go to prison for defying Italian orders and bringing a group of rescued asylum seekers to the island of Lampedusa. Italy “had not been up to the task” of managing relatively small numbers of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, said Sibeth Ndiaye, a French government spokeswoman.

The 2015 Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to under two degrees Celsius is in serious doubt following the collapse of European Union talks to set a target of completely decarbonizing Europe by 2050. Today’s summit of the 28 national EU leaders in Brussels was the last chance for the bloc to up its ambition before a U.N. climate summit of all the parties to the Paris Agreement in New York in September. The hope was that setting a long-term target for the EU to meet the Paris Agreement goals would spur other countries to up their commitments at...

Turkey’s main opposition claimed a decisive victory on Sunday in Istanbul’s re-run election, dealing one of the biggest blows to President Tayyip Erdogan during his 16 years in power and promising a new beginning in the country’s largest city.

Are tolls going to be enforced on private drivers? The German government, along with every car owner in the European Union, will finally get a definitive answer to that question on Tuesday. If the European Court of Justice (ECJ) rules in favor of the tolls, all motorists will be charged to drive on German highways. The fees, known as "vignettes," are to be collected according to the time traveled on the autobahn. For cars registered in Germany, however, owners will get a credit deductible from the motor vehicle tax as compensation, meaning the costs would be offset, and ultimately, Germans...