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The head of the EU executive has delivered a scathing denunciation of David Cameron’s proposals to curb the rights of Europeans working in Britain, suggesting the British are stigmatising and “beating up” poorer east Europeans working legally in the UK. In his first comments on the prime minister’s initiative, Jean-Claude Juncker, the new president of the European commission, insisted the principle of free movement for labour in the EU meant there could be no discrimination against any EU countries.

A left-wing party with communist roots now controls the levers of government in the German state of Thuringia, marking the first time a political party closely linked to East Germany’s communist leadership has gained power since German reunification in 1990. The party is, appropriately enough, the Left Party, reports The Telegraph. This week, the state parliament in Thuringia narrowly voted to authorize a new coalition with the Left Party at the helm. The three-way coalition also includes the Green Party. The Left Party is viewed as the successor to the Socialist Unity Party which controlled East Germany when it was...

The European Central Bank has dashed hopes for quantitative easing this year and acknowledged for the first time that the institution’s elite board is split on plans for a €1 trillion liquidity blitz. Equity markets fell across southern Europe,with Italy’s MIB off 2.77pc, led by sharp falls in bank stocks. Spain’s IBEX dropped 2.35pc. The euro surged by more than 1pc to $1.2455 against the dollar in early trading as speculators rushed to cover short positions. Expectations for immediate stimulus had been riding high after the ECB’s president, Mario Draghi, pledged action “as fast as possible” last month. The bank...

The EU's top human rights court on Thursday ordered France to pay thousands of euros to Somali pirates who attacked French ships for "violating their rights" by holding them an additional 48 hours before taking them before a judge. The Somali pirates were apprehended on the high seas by the French army on two separate occasions in 2008 and taken back to France for trial. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said that French authorities should have brought the pirates before a judge "without delay" when they arrived on French territory after being held at sea. The EU’s top...

Jonathan Cable, Reuters December 3, 2014LONDON (Reuters) - The euro zone economy may face another contraction after business activity grew less than expected in November despite heavy discounting, surveys on Wednesday showed, although Asian readings were more upbeat. Firms across the euro zone cut prices again. That, and signs that the bloc's core economies are struggling, will concern the European Central Bank which has launched a raft of measures to revive growth and drive up dangerously low inflation. In contrast, a survey covering China's services industry showed slightly faster expansion. But after data on Monday said manufacturing growth was its...

Former Polish prime minister Donald Tusk is pushing the European Union’s center of political gravity eastward by taking over the EU presidency from Belgium’s Herman Van Rompuy. Monday’s transition ceremony highlighted the increasing power of Poland within the 28-nation EU, and the bloc’s ongoing shift from a western European economic association half a century ago to a strong political body uniting some 500 million people from Britain to the borders of Russia. …

Britain will be forced to pay benefits to even more migrants under EU plans to be fought over in a politically explosive court case. Officials in Brussels last night confirmed that the European Commission is taking legal action to make Britain lift existing restrictions that prevent some migrants claiming child benefit and child tax credit in the UK. The news comes just days after David Cameron pledged to cut handouts in a bid to reduce soaring immigration. The case at Europe’s highest court will further anger the public and politicians who have called on the Government to tighten up Britain’s...

Mike Bird November 28, 2014 Eurozone inflation figures just released put the rate at 0.3% in November, down from October's 0.4% and in line with estimates. With the recent impact of oil prices, that means deflation isn't just a possibility for the eurozone: markets are now suggesting it's the most likely outcome in a few months' time. Analysts had forecast that that the rate would come in at 0.3% again, though some suggested it could fall as low as 02% The ECB currently targets 2% inflation, but that target was last reached in the summer of 2012. These numbers increase...

For most of my career in international investing, I had always placed a great deal of faith in Switzerland's financial markets. In recent years, however, as the Swiss government has sought to hitch its wagon to the flailing euro currency and kowtow increasingly to U.S.-based financial requirements, this faith has been shaken. But this week (November 30th) a referendum in Switzerland on whether its central bank will be required to hold at least 20% of its reserves in gold, will offer ordinary Swiss citizens a rare opportunity to reclaim their country's strong economic heritage. It's a vote that few outside...

European Parliament Member Bastiaan Belder of the Netherlands has urged the parliament to hold a debate on anti-Semitism. "It's a shame that this has not been done before,'' he said. Belder made his latest comments in an address at the annual conference of the European Coalition for Israel (ECI), a Christian initiative promoting European-Israeli cooperation. The session took place in the European Parliament on Thursday. Following the synagogue slaughter in Jerusalem last week, the ECI called upon the European Union to halt its funding to the PA until incitement to violence by PA leadership stops. MP Belder deplored the situation...

The European Parliament will next Thursday (27 November) add its voice to the debate on whether EU states should recognize Palestine. The motion was initiated at the 11th hour by the left-wing GUE and S&D groups in the EU assembly. It is too early to say what the final text of the resolution will propose. The GUE group’s draft text “urges all EU member states … to recognize the State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as the capital”. …

Ambassadors from five major European Union (EU) member states met with the Foreign Ministry's senior diplomat Alon Ushpiz in Jerusalem on Thursday, where they voiced opposition to the demolition of the homes of Arab terrorists. Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Spain were the five countries whose consul generals argued that such demolitions, which are meant as a deterrent for future terrorists and a punishment for heinous crimes, are "counterproductive." The ambassadors also denounced the attack on a Jerusalem synagogue this Tuesday in which four Jews and a Druze police officer were murdered by two Arab terrorists, reports Haaretz citing Israeli...

DRAGHI: Inflation Must Rise Without Delay Mike Bird   European Central Bank boss Mario Draghi is speaking today at a banking conference in Frankfurt, and he has one central message: we have to bring inflation back up, now. It’s one of Draghi’s most forthright speeches, with one exceptional snippet: “It is essential to bring back inflation to target and without delay.” Draghi added: “We have to be very watchful that low inflation does not start percolating through the economy in ways that further worsen the economic situation.” You can take a look at the full text of the speech...

Latest 04.21 Reckless won by 2,920 votes in the end - a lead of around 8 percentage points The breakdown of votes... Ukip 16,867 Con 13,947 Lab 6,713 Green 1,692 Lib Dem 349 And the breakdown by share of votes... Ukip 42.05 per cent Con 34.77 per cent Lab 16.74 per cent Lib Dem 0.85 per cent 04.20 MARK RECKLESS WINS ROCHESTER AND STROOD BY-ELECTION 04.00 Farage hints another Tory MP is ready to jump

Messianism of new age: The road to universal happiness lays through the creation of Palestinian State Right after taking office, Federica Mogherini, the new EU foreign minister, said she “would be happy if by the end of my term, a Palestinian state existed”. Her words exactly - “would be happy”. The solution of acute and painful conflict in Ukraine, the destruction of the ISIS, anarchy in Libya, hundreds of thousands of African migrants rushing to Italy (home of Mogherini, by the way), massacre in Syria, exodus of Christians from Middle East, stabilization of Lebanon, standing on the brink of chaos...

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czechs who helped bring about the "Velvet Revolution" that overthrew Kremlin-backed Communist rule are marking the 25th anniversary this week by accusing the country's present-day leaders of once again cosying up to Russia.

Violence broke out on the streets of Brussels today as more than 100,000 people marched against EU-enforced austerity. Water cannons and tear gas were used in the centre of the Belgian capital as riot police tried to bring the situation under control. Fighting broke out soon after the end of a largely peaceful march organised by trade unions and left wing politicians. For two hours, the demonstrators had peacefully marched down the main thoroughfares of central Brussels to protest government policies that will raise the pension age, contain wages and cut into public services. But violence broke out at the...

By Michael Snyder November 5th, 2014 How do you fix a superpower with exploding levels of debt, that has a rapidly aging population, that consumes far more wealth than it produces, and that has scores of zombie banks that could collapse at any moment. You might think that I am talking about the United States, but I am actually talking about Europe. You see, the truth is that the European Union has a larger population than the United States does, it has a larger economy than the United States does, and it has a much larger banking system than the...

Germany 'Would Accept UK Exit From EU' To Protect Migration Rules Angela Merkel is reported to have told David Cameron that she will not negotiate on EU migration Chancellor Angela Merkel would rather see the UK exit from the European Union than compromise over the principle of free movement of workers, according to the German magazine Der Spiegel. Mrs Merkel is alleged to fear that the UK is approaching a "point of no return". Downing Street would not comment on the reports. Mr Cameron wants to renegotiate the terms of the UK's continued membership before holding an in-out referendum. The...

In newly surfaced (audio) recording, White House adviser compared possible deal with Tehran to health care coup; Kerry says gaps have narrowed ... The US has indicated readiness for an agreement that leaves Iran with some of its uranium enrichment capabilities. Israel has urged the dismantling of Iran’s entire “military nuclear” capacity. The differing positions are one of the key points of ongoing friction between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government. The main players — Kerry, his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and outgoing EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton — will crisscross the globe ahead of the November...