The EU’s draft agreement with the UK received moderate backing from governments in eastern Europe, who had been critical of British prime minister David Cameron’s plans to curb benefits for EU workers.  Governments across Europe are still studying the small print of EU Council chief Donald Tusk’s proposals for a deal with the UK to keep it in the EU, but gave tentative backing to the plan on Tuesday (2 February)  EU leaders will discuss the draft agreement for the first time on 18 and 19 February.  Tusk’s plan offers Britain a gradual, four-year brake on welfare for EU workers, and cuts benefits for children of EU workers living outside Britain.  Eastern European countries had argued that cutting benefits for EU workers was discriminatory and threatened the principle of free movement. Poland, which supplies the bulk of EU workers in Britain, wanted to see more details before signing up to the plan. “Free movement of workers and services is a fundamental value of the European Union,” Polish 
president Andrzej Duda said Tuesday, Reuters reports. "There is a clause [in the deal] saying that in the case of a sudden influx of wage migrants some payments could be curbed. We will see what the interpretation [of the clause] is.

Cameron will visit Poland  to encourage Warsaw to accept the deal.  “We are analysing the latest proposal thoroughly,” Polish prime minister Beata Szydlo also said. The Polish and Hungarian foreign ministers will meet in Budapest on Wednesday to coordinate their positions. “While Hungary supported Britain’s effort to cut down on the abuse of its social system, the government opposes any discrimination in benefits among workers hailing from the EU,” Hungary’s foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said, according to Bloomberg.  The Czech Republic gave a positive first signal, with state secretary for EU affairs Tomas Prouza telling Bloomberg the draft agreement was a "very good solution" for keeping the UK in the EU. “It doesn’t mean totally closing the UK and it isn’t turning anyone into a second-class citizen,” he added. Berlin has kept quiet so far. But Cameron is to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 12 February.  Norbert Roettgen, chairman of the German parliament’s committee on foreign affairs, told the Guardian, a British daily, that the draft proposal was a “good and fair compromise, and a convincing outcome that Cameron can present to the British public”. Denmark’s prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen tweeted on Tuesday that Tusk’s proposals were a good basis for negotiations. He will also meet Cameron on Friday.

Funny that they were all expecting Russia to crumble, but instead its the ISIS supporting country of Saudi Arabia and the Ukrainian Na@tzi supporting country of Canada that are the worst hit thus far. Russia is diversifying the economy with a 2 year plan to become completely independent and its paying off fast. A guaranteed $400 billion energy agreement with China probably helps some too, as does the Nord Stream 2 project that is still a go. So, I'm thinking that in WW3, Russia are the good guys and the US has picked some pretty terrible allies who support ISIS in the Middle East and fascism in Ukraine. My, that was a quick fall from grace as Worlds super cop to aiding and abetting terrorists and Na@tzis. The alliances and proxies of the Syrian Front explained. World War III - The New Axis of Evil.. The general manager of state-run Russian energy company Gazprom Exports, Elena Burmistrova, said at the ninth European Natural Gas Conference in Vienna that the two-pipeline Northern Stream project does not require any financial support and will not cost the European Union anything. Burmistrova provided details regarding the two underwater pipelines that will carry 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Burmistrova said Europe will need more natural gas in the future, and since prices have dropped more than expected, the competition in the market has become fiercer. Currently, Gazprom supplies 25 to 30 percent of Europe's gas demand, and with the Northern Stream-2 project, this will be secured, as more countries in Central and Eastern Europe will be able to receive Russian gas. "Since we will be using the same design as the previous Northern Stream line, we will not need months to design it. Currently, large energy companies support the project, which means we won't require any financial support from the EU. All financial matters are being discussed and resolved together with our partners," Burmistrova said. Gazprom CEO Viktor Zubkov also stressed that the project will be beneficial for Europeans. Once it is implemented, Russia can sell gas to Europe at better prices. "Not only Russia but other gas providers should also decide on the role they want to play in the middle- and long-term with their relations with the EU. We will always be a reliable resource for Europe; however, we need to establish a common dialogue," Zubkov said.  The official contract was signed between Gazprom, the German companies E.ON and BASF and the Austrian based OMV last September. However, Eastern European countries such as Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine are objecting to the project, as they don't want to lose the $3 billion in transit fees they receive.

The European Court of Justice has dealt a blow to David Cameron on the morning of his renegotiation, as its top legal adviser said that France was wrong to jail a woman attempting to get into Britain on someone else's passport.  France had no right under EU rules to detain an African woman who was caught at Calais attempting to reach Britain on false papers.  The case has potentially significant implications for how French and British police guard Calais - and critics will argue the opinion will encourage further attempts to reach Britain illegally.  Sélina Affum, a Ghanaian woman, was stopped by French police at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel while on a coach going from Ghent in Belgium to London. She was carrying a Belgian passport with the name and photograph of someone else, and had no other travel documents. Looks like there is going to be a biff between China and the Wall Street parasites, sorry, investment bankers. Could be interesting to see what the Chinese do as they have clearly identified who is driving their currency down. It is also interesting that they are paying off Dollar debt like the Russians are. This situation is historically unlike what has gone before as the global financial system appears on the verge of splitting and making assumptions about it being the same as before might not be a good idea.

Officials in the EU have urged Turkey to let in tens of thousands of Syrian refugees trapped on its border at Kilis after fleeing fighting. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said there was a moral, if not legal, duty to provide protection.  Turkey says the refugees are receiving food and shelter inside Syria and there is no need to allow them to cross.  About 35,000 Syrians have fled a Syrian government offensive on rebel-held positions near Aleppo.  Ms Mogherini said the EU was providing funding to Turkey to make sure it had the "means, the instruments, the resources to protect and to host people that are seeking asylum".   In November, the EU clinched a deal with Turkey, offering it €3bn (£2.3bn; $3.3bn) to care for Syrian refugees on Turkish soil.  Ms Mogherini's call was echoed by EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn and Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, whose country currently holds the EU presidency.  "I look at these images of people standing at the Turkish border and I just wanted to underline the message people who are in humanitarian need should be allowed in," said Mr Koenders.  However Kilis governor Suleyman Tapsiz said the move was not necessary. "Our doors are not closed but at the moment there is no need to host such people inside our borders," he said.  Turkey already hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees - 2.5 million. In the past few days, the Syrian army - backed by Russian air strikes - has made a series of gains around Aleppo, Syria's largest city.  On Thursday, 60 donor countries meeting in London pledged billions of dollars to ease the plight of Syrian refugees.  About 4.6 million people have fled Syria since the civil war began in 2011. Another 13.5 million are said to be in need of humanitarian assistance inside the country.

This is "THE HEADLINE" - A pernicious cycle of collapsing commodities, corporate defaults, and currency wars loom over the global economy. Can anything stop it from unraveling?.... I totally disagree with the headline. I also think if the truth was told by the press rather than pandering to political leanings people would understand better. This is like adolescence of a new world. Before or at least since WW2 oil and the US dollar has been the kingmaker. Not anymore. Commodities may hold national economies to ransom, but not the western world. At a point Africa and South America was gaining traction to wealth the power broker's kill the energy goldmine. The stock markets will recalibrate and the new order of power will rise. This will be the pacific rim countries due to population, education and ability to out produce a lazy west. Renewal has always has happened in history. Fifteen years ago the UK should have had a mild downturn. Political will to offer endless free finance that led to the economic meltdown in 07/08. This will take twenty five years to repay the debt and leaner more productive players will move higher. Iran, Russia and China will form an economic pact and have the low cost energy to grow their economies. Only a provoked war will stop this from happening. US will hold control in the west. You cannot manufacture everything in Asia, sell it in Europe and US corporations make the profit in New York and Bahamas.

The price of commodities are falling towards their cost price. A good thing in sane World. Yet we are told that if Countries are not able to charge scarcity rents for oil and minerals, this is a bad thing. The solution to the reduction of this free lunch is to carry it on by other means i.e IMF funding.  Oil-producing nations face years of pain as prices remain lower for longer, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned. Christine Lagarde said the Fund stood ready to help struggling countries such as Azerbaijan and Nigeria cope with a renewed drop in oil prices, amid reports that the African nation has sought support from the World Bank. "Oil and metals prices have fallen by around two-thirds from their most recent peaks, and are likely to stay low for quite some time," she said in a speech at the University of Maryland. "As a result, many commodity-exporting emerging economies are under severe stress, and some currencies have already seen very large depreciations." Ms Lagarde called on policymakers to boost the global "safety net" to cope with future financial shocks. The managing director called for more co-operation between central banks as well as better planning for countries to access credit in times of stress. In separate comments on Thursday, Ms Lagarde praised Azerbaijan for taking steps to reassess spending and use its exchange rate as a "buffer". However, she said Nigeria was still wasting money on subsidies and suggested that the country's woes were being exacerbated by the naira's peg to the US dollar. Whatever Lagarde forecasts the opposite is guaranteed to happen. The idea of helping Nigeria with IMF money is absurd. It is a nation perpetually run by corrupt politicians who have lined their own pockets with its vast oil riches and who live like emperors whether in or out of office. If the Nigerians can't get the right people to run their country that's their problem. Not the IMF's.

 

Have you noticed it is now virtually impossible to believe a word the BBC SKY or any

other broadcasting media say, or don't say in our tiny Island, if you want the truth on

Europe or here you have to tune in to RT or others in Europe, which when you think of it

is a sick joke in the so called mother of democracy,which I suppose in a way is a sick joke

Have you noticed it is now virtually impossible to believe a word the BBC SKY or any

other broadcasting media say, or don't say in our tiny Island, if you want the truth on

Europe or here you have to tune in to RT or others in Europe, which when you think of it

is a sick joke in the so called mother of democracy,which I suppose in a way is a sick joke

You know of course this summers scenario? No then you are stupid. There at least a million Muslim youths here already who are " settled " and very restless and lawless,There will at least a similar number urged on to make the journey to their steaming colleagues crammed in already to ghettos.  Violence and insurrection will spark across the Continent and there you have it. All will be up and God knows who will take over. It will not be Merkel, Juncker or Cameron. They will already be on their way across the Atlantic to the land they so despised.

You fools the coming planned summer invasion must be stopped dead in its tracks and I mean dead. Ignore the planned bleeding heart photo-shoots. This summer will be a fight for survival. OUR SURVIVAL!!!...Put simply the EU has failed and should be put out of its misery. It offers nothing but a full blown demolition of Europe.Arrogance and slavish devotion to a political ideology that no one wanted or asked for brought it down.

Have you noticed it is now virtually impossible to believe a word the BBC SKY or any

other broadcasting media say, or don't say in our tiny Island, if you want the truth on

Europe or here you have to tune in to RT or others in Europe, which when you think of it

is a sick joke in the so called mother of democracy,which I suppose in a way is a sick joke

Have you noticed it is now virtually impossible to believe a word the BBC SKY or any

other broadcasting media say, or don't say in our tiny Island, if you want the truth on

Europe or here you have to tune in to RT or others in Europe, which when you think of it

is a sick joke in the so called mother of democracy,which I suppose in a way is a sick joke

Wrong on both counts.

1) The vast majority might not be terrorists but they come from the exact same culture, society and religion that has created the terrorists and if you check polls across the world. Large numbers sympathise and condone the attacks.

Swedish police have admitted 5000 attacks have been logged/reported in the past 3 months alone from migrants. Think of the ones who don't bother to report any longer cos they know nothing will be done.

Al this religion of peace, migrant minority is getting more ridiculous by the day.

As to point 2 regarding Brexit. It will do a lot to the migrant crisis. We leave. We take back al laws, immigration control. Regain seat on the WTO etc and make our own deals. Meanwhile the EU pushes harder for a federal Europe under complete control of Brussels. More and more power is demanded. Taxes are planning to be raised continent wide to pay for the migrants. Eu army about to come into being. Frontex has the power any day now to walk in and seize immigration control without being asked. Turkey, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia al looking to come in.

Al the while anti-EU sentiment grows and anti-EU parties are gaining more support by the day. Al EU citizens watch us having escaped and flourish, while they get forced to give up more and more while accepting ever growing migrant quotas that are hostile to the western way of life and Christianity.

How long do you think it will be before the likes of Denmark or such tell Brussels that enough is enough and follow us out the door. At that point, the while st1nking thing will collapse as they all rush out the door.

Now the migrants cannot come into Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain and be expected to be waived on through nation after nation til they get to their favoured destination. Every country will deploy their armed forces to make sure they do not get in because if they do, they are stuck with them.

Hence when word gets around, they ain't ever getting to Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway or where have you, then the numbers will sink like a stone. They are not going to pay smugglers to be stuck forever in Greece or Bulgaria etc. 

Wrong on both counts.

1) The vast majority might not be terrorists but they come from the exact same culture, society and religion that has created the terrorists and if you check polls across the world. Large numbers sympathise and condone the attacks.

Swedish police have admitted 5000 attacks have been logged/reported in the past 3 months alone from migrants. Think of the ones who don't bother to report any longer cos they know nothing will be done.

Al this religion of peace, migrant minority is getting more ridiculous by the day.

As to point 2 regarding Brexit. It will do a lot to the migrant crisis. We leave. We take back al laws, immigration control. Regain seat on the WTO etc and make our own deals. Meanwhile the EU pushes harder for a federal Europe under complete control of Brussels. More and more power is demanded. Taxes are planning to be raised continent wide to pay for the migrants. Eu army about to come into being. Frontex has the power any day now to walk in and seize immigration control without being asked. Turkey, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia al looking to come in.

Al the while anti-EU sentiment grows and anti-EU parties are gaining more support by the day. Al EU citizens watch us having escaped and flourish, while they get forced to give up more and more while accepting ever growing migrant quotas that are hostile to the western way of life and Christianity.

How long do you think it will be before the likes of Denmark or such tell Brussels that enough is enough and follow us out the door. At that point, the while st1nking thing will collapse as they all rush out the door.

Now the migrants cannot come into Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain and be expected to be waived on through nation after nation til they get to their favoured destination. Every country will deploy their armed forces to make sure they do not get in because if they do, they are stuck with them.

Hence when word gets around, they ain't ever getting to Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway or where have you, then the numbers will sink like a stone. They are not going to pay smugglers to be stuck forever in Greece or Bulgaria etc.