Give Peace a Chance!

Europe Calling

So, Cataluñan Independence was declared then suspended. What does this mean? Who will benefit? Is Russia really in the mix? German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stressed her backing for the "unity of Spain" in a phone call with Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy amid a threat by Catalan separatists to declare independence, her spokesman said on Monday. Leaders of far-right parties in other countries are being blamed. A group of Catalan professors at prestigious universities in the United States has become a crucial pillar of the independence drive. Their defense of a referendum and independence has helped to project an image of academic support. Some of these academics now strongly and forcefully defend a unilateral declaration of independence following the October 1 referendum, which was outlawed by the Constitutional Court. Barcelona, which the Financial Times once defined as the best city to live in, made the front page of Europe’s financial publications last week. This is because several major listed companies – including CaixaBank, Banco Sabadell, Gas Natural and Agbar – decided to join a growing list of small and medium enterprises moving their corporate headquarters out of Catalonia over fears of political turmoil should a declaration of independence be announced. Meanwhile, Ryanair and all the travellers involved Easyjet have been greatly disrupted by the French air traffic controllers. This does not seem to have made the headlines in the UK where the major interest seems focussed around the antics of wayward film directors and film stars. ....despite the fact that an estimated 1 million illegals roam around the UK. David Wood, an ex-director general of immigration enforcement, told MPs there are 'enormous difficulties' in removing overseas nationals who are in the UK unlawfully. The headlines tell us that jailbirds are returning to prison to help smuggle drugs into the jails.....A third of youngsters under 5 own a tablet and Researchers from the University of Nottingham found greater immaturity among young girls makes them 31 per cent more likely to be told they have ADHD, while boys are 26 per cent more likelyto be told they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the research adds. Barack Obama and his aides regarded the idea of a special relationship between Britain and the US as a joke, it was claimed. As more than 700,000 people in Lancashire had to boil their water in summer 2015 when microbial parasite cryptosporidium was found in the Franklaw water treatment works in Preston. The resultant fine was a mere 300, 000.