Franco-Benelux leaders talk EU election
The leaders of France and the Benelux countries met in Luxembourg to discuss their progressive agenda ahead of European elections next May, reported Bloomberg and Reuters. The French president Emmanuel Macron told reporters that the EPP bloc, which includes the German chancellor Angela Merkel, should “clarify its positions” on nationalist policies. The EPP also includes the party of the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban. Macron had been meeting with the Belgian prime minister Charles Michel, Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel. At EU level, the Benelux PMs are all members of the liberal ALDE bloc, while Macron’s Republic on the Move party is unallied. They agreed to propose providing EU development funds to African countries in exchange for help reducing the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, reported the AFP. They will present the idea to their fellow EU leaders this weekend.
Race to replace Juncker officially begins
Merkel’s preferred candidate to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission president, Manfred Weber, formally put his hat in the ring earlier this week, reported Reuters. Separately, Reuters named Bettel as one of the “possible contenders” for the job; although he was included as the 16th out of 16 names on the list.
ECB does not having bigger stability role: Mersch
The European Central Bank can only do so much to maintain financial stability in the euro area, said Yves Mersch, one of the ECB’s executive board members. According to Reuters, Mersch said in a speech: “The (EU) treaties did not make financial stability an ECB objective… the ECB’s only primary responsibility is price stability."
Brazilian politician stabbed
Jair Bolsonaro, currently leading the polls to be Brazil’s next president, was seriously injured in attack during a campaign rally, reported the AFP, BBC and FT. The far-right politician’s son said Bolsonaro had lost a lot of blood, but now appeared to be stable.
Passenger details hacked: BA
British Airways said its systems were hacked, with the personal and payment details of 380,000 customers compromised, reported the Independent and Telegraph. The airline urged travelers who booked via ba.com or the BA app to contact their bank. Critics said the carrier waiting too long, under the GDPR rules, to report the breach to customers.
Burberry to stop burning excess stock
The British luxury brand Burberry will stop burning unsold clothes, accessories and perfume in response to an environmental campaign, reported CNBC, the Guardian and Reuters. It will donate the excess inventory instead. Burberry will also stop selling fur products.
Mind trip
Nautilus explains why “your head is older than your feet.”
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