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DEVELOPING: A gunman in a mask stormed a movie theater in western Germany Friday and opened fire wounding several people, local media reported. Investigators would not immediately confirm the number of wounded, but described it as a "threat situation." The Kinopolis movie theater is located in Viernheim, approximately 40 miles south of Frankfurt. Police in the nearby city of Mannheim sent officers to support the operation, spokesman Norbert Schaetzle told reporters.

A masked man with a gun and ammunition belt opened fire in a cinema complex in the small western German town of Viernheim, near Frankfurt, injuring between 20 and 50 people and barricaded himself inside, German media reported on Thursday.

***************************************************EXCERP*********************************Financial markets are on a knife's edge ahead of the Brexit referendum on Thursday, with sterling and European stocks whipped around by changes in polls and booking odds. According to the Financial Times' Brexit poll tracker, 44% are would like to remain in the EU, while 45% want to leave.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker today dismissed Mr Cameron’s eve-of-referendum pledge he will push for changes to migration rules if the UK stays in the EU beyond the historic referendum in less than 24 hours time. It represents a major blow to the Tory leader’s hopes of persuading still undecided voters to vote Remain with the promise of a further renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with Brussels. In a newspaper interview today the Prime Minister said he can “guarantee” a Remain result will give him the mandate to push eurocrats for greater reform of the 28-country bloc.

Germany’s top court ruled on Tuesday that a key crisis-fighting tool of the European Central Bank complies with German national law. The constitutional court ruled that the ECB’s 2012 bond-buying plan called Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) complies with German law. OMT — though never actually used — was part of ECB’s President Mario Draghi’s landmark promise to do “whatever it takes” to save the battered euro at the height of the crisis in 2012. […] The promise of OMT was that the ECB could, if necessary, buy up unlimited amounts of government bonds from debt-stricken countries that had pledged reforms...

Germany’s top judges have warned in a landmark case that they will not tolerate any measure or legal finding from the European Union that clashes with the higher principles of the German Basic Law, but have retreated on a crucial point, implicitly bowing to EU primacy. The ruling by the German constitutional court in Karlsruhe reiterates a long-standing position that Germany does not accept claims of judicial supremacy by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). But the wording is weaker than its explosive ruling on Lisbon Treaty in 2009 and marks a climb-down. “The court has asserted its residual right...

Great debate 3 - 5pm EDT

France and Germany are divided on what to do in the event of a Brexit. But common EU security is an area of agreement. Even within the German coalition government, parties are not singing from the same hymnbook on what to do in the case of a Brexit, as some feel there should be a return of powers from Brussels to individual nations. “Germany does not have a plan to follow because the government is divided on its post-Brexit strategy,” said conservative daily Die Welt. Consequently, several sources believe that the EU partners would turn their attention to issues where...

..."If we choose to leave, we can leave but let's be clear if we do leave we are walking out the door, we are quitting, we are giving up on this organisation which even if we leave will have a huge effect on our lives, our children, on our opportunities, on our businesses," he said . "I don't think Britain at the end is a quitter. I think we stay and fight. That is what we should do. That is what made our country great and that's how it will be great in the future. "At my office I sit...

Latest YouGov / The Times EU referendum voting intention: Remain 42%, Leave 44%, Don't know 9%.

If it "brexits," the United Kingdom would likely chart its own course within the U.N. climate process, seeing its influence shrink overall while pro-coal Poland gained clout within the group of nations in opposition to more climate-ambitious Germany and France, analysts said.

The actress, model and underwear designer Elizabeth Hurley is getting behind Brexit, using her social media presence to campaign for Britain to leave the European Union (EU). The Bedazzled and Austin Powers star began her personal Brexit push earlier this month June, when she urged her half a million followers on Twitter to register to vote. “Every vote counts #Brexit”, she added on the micro-blogging site. Soon after she began retweeting messages from Vote Leave, the official campaign to leave the EU, and its leader Boris Johnson. The issues of immigration and the accession of new member states appear to be...

Fairfax Global Markets CEO Paul Dietrich on the potential market implications of a British exit from the European Union, the state of the U.S. economy and the 2016 presidential race.

The two most surprising political phenomena of this year have been the rise of Donald Trump and the success of the Leave Europe camp in Britain's referendum on Brexit. Few pundits saw either coming (and full disclosure, I include myself here, particularly on Trump) - but we should have and now would be a good chance to make up for past oversight by looking at how the two are linked. Next week, polls suggest, Britain may pull out of the European Union. Opinion polls currently have the 23 June referendum too close to call but the Brexit camp (those in...

The European Union has had a bad couple of years. There were the major crises in southern European states, especially in Greece; support for the EU has eroded; and the Dutch voted against an EU treaty with Ukraine last month. That's bad enough for the federalists in Brussels, but it may get even worse in the month ahead. In June, British voters will decide whether their country remains in the EU or will cease to be a member state. Although most recent polls show the Remain camp in the lead, they realize they can't afford to make any unforced errors....

Buckingham Palace last night moved to deny extraordinary claims that the Queen backs Brexit in the EU referendum. She is said to have told former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg during a lunch at Windsor Castle that she thought Europe was going in the wrong direction, according to The Sun. A source told the paper the pro-EU then deputy PM was reprimanded by the Queen – who is politically neutral in public – for ‘quite a while’ over the issue of Europe.

The Queen has been hailed as a backer of Brexit tonight after details emerged of an extraordinary alleged bust-up between her and Nick Clegg over Europe. Her Majesty let rip at the then Deputy PM during a lunch at Windsor Castle, The Sun has been told. The 89-year-old monarch firmly told passionate pro-European Mr Clegg that she believed the EU was heading in the wrong direction. Her stinging reprimand went on for “quite a while”, leaving other guests around the table stunned. The account of the bombshell lunch during the last government - which a handful of other government ministers...

The campaign to keep Britain in the European Union regained its lead in two opinion polls published on Saturday, giving a boost to Prime Minister David Cameron who is battling to avoid a historic "Out" vote in Thursday's referendum. A third poll also showed a change in momentum in favor of the "In" camp and Cameron got the backing of a leading newspaper when the right-leaning Mail on Sunday urged its readers to vote to remain in the EU. "We are now in the final week of the referendum campaign and the swing back towards the status quo appears to...

Angela Merkel has called on campaigners in Britain’s EU referendum debate to moderate their language ahead of next week’s vote, as political leaders and officials across Europe paid tribute to the killed Labour MP Jo Cox. The German chancellor, who described the attack on the pro-European West Yorkshire MP as “terrible” but declined to link it directly to the referendum, called for all involved to respect the beliefs and opinions of others. “Otherwise, the radicalisation will become unstoppable,” she said. “Exaggerations, and radicalisation of part of the language, do not help foster an atmosphere of respect. We know how important...

Dear Remainers,The morning after a senseless tragedy which has appalled the whole of Britain I’d like to ask you a simple question: Is there any depth to which you will not stoop in order somehow to snatch victory in this EU referendum? The answer I’m getting from some of you is: “Nope. None.”