Must Reads Trump Affirms Support for U.K. Trade Deal Following Tensions Over Brexit: President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday affirmed their commitment to striking a trade deal, seeking to project unity after the U.S. leader in an interview criticized the prime minister’s app roach to Brexit and threatened that her plan would “kill” the chances of such a deal. Trump Fuels Anxiety in Europe Over Security: A tense NATO summit and President Donald Trump’s scheduled meeting Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin are fueling uncertainty about the U.S.’s commitment to defending Europe and reinforcing the view that the region needs to provide for its own security. NATO’s 2% Target: Why the U.S. Pushed Allies to Spend More on the Military: The end of the Cold War, the rise of the post-9/11 wars and expanding NATO membership led a push for codified defense spending, at 2% of members’ GDP. Here is a short history. European Governments Fail to Agree on Redistributing Migrants: European governments on Thursday failed to reach an agreement on redistributing migrants across the bloc, one of the thorniest issues facing the continent as a backlash against refugees gathers speed. p> Germany Delays Greece’s Final Bailout Payment: Germany on Thursday held up the final bailout disbursement for Greece, a move indicative of how difficult it will be for the southern country to regain financial sovereignty even as it exits an eight-year bailout regime in August. German Court Authorizes Extradition to Spain of Catalonia’s Former Leader: A German court decided to allow the extradition of Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont to Spain, on a charge of misuse of public funds, a blow to the Spanish authorities’ bid to bring him back to stand trial on the more serious charge of rebellion. Trade Tensions Help BMW Enter China’s Fast Lane: Could European companies benefit from the U.S.-China trade spat? BMW is hoping so after China’s Premier this week said it could become the first foreign company to be allowed majority control of an auto-sector joint venture in the country. Global Regulators Push for Faster Transition Away From Libor: Global regulators made a coordinated push Thursdayurging banks and traders to hasten their transition away from using the scandal-plagued London interbank offered rate. |