US blows off Netherlands in ISIS fight - by Maxime Zech

The United State has deemed The Netherlands unfit to address the threat of the Islamic State (IS) in a powerful enough manner. Because of the country’s hesitation to contribute heavy weaponry, The Netherlands
will not be part of the so-called coalition of the willing, in which  nine allies are joining forces in the fight against IS, the Dutch daily Volkskrant reports. 

At the NATO summit in Wales last week, American Foreign Affairs Minister John Kerry called on nine allies to join the coalition of the willing and contribute to the armed struggle. 

According to a source, The Netherlands was very surprised not to be on the list. The coalition is now made up out of The United States, Great Britain, France, Germany,  Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Poland, Canada and Australia.

Note Almere Digest: The list who is in or out among the nations participating in the fight against ISIS keeps changing daily. Recently Turkey stated they would not participate with troops.  

Read more: US blows off Netherlands in ISIS fight - NL Times

Muslims on the move against ISIS: German Muslims invite all faiths to day of prayer against ISIS - by Bethan John

More than 2,000 German mosques have invited Germans of all religions to join their Friday prayers to present a united front against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to try to dissuade young Muslims from travelling to fight with radical Islamists in Syria and Iraq.

Germany’s four main Muslim groups announced their plan on Tuesday in response to concerns that German Muslims are joining ISIS and returning home with radical ideas and combat experience, posing a domestic security threat.

“We want to make clear terrorists and criminals do not speak in the name of Islam, they have trampled on the commandments of our religion, and that murderers and criminals have no place in our ranks, in our religion,” the head of the Central Council of Muslims, Aiman Mazyek, told a news conference in Berlin.

The groups are also organising peace rallies across Germany on the same day which senior officials, including Interior Minister de Maiziere and Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit, are expected to attend.

Authorities estimate 400 Germans have joined IS in Iraq and Syria. De Maiziere, announcing a ban on the group last week, urged the country’s 4 million Muslims to be vigilant about IS recruitment, especially on the Internet.

A 20-year-old man charged with joining IS in Syria went on trial in Frankfurt on Monday, the first such case in Germany.

Ali Kizilkaya, a spokesman for the umbrella group behind Friday’s initiative, said the Muslim community needed the support of the rest of German society to stop the radicalisation of young Muslims.

Note EU-Digest: excellent  initiative by German Muslim organizations  Should be copied by Muslim organizations around the world . Also more in-depth investigations should be conducted as to the actual provenience of so-called "radical Muslim" organizations. This could possibly lead to some surprising results?

Read more: German Muslims invite all faiths to day of prayer against ISIS - Al Arabiya News

Scottish referendum on a knife edge: Two polls put No at 52% - with undicided at 14%

Scotland is heading for a cliffhanger result in Thursday's independence referendum, two eve-of-vote surveys are indicating.

Both opinion polls put the No campaign on 52 per cent, with support for Yes on 48 per cent, setting the scene for a highly-charged final 24 hours of campaigning.

The final result could lie in the hands of voters who are yet to make up their minds.

An ICM poll for the Scotsman put the undecided vote at 14 per cent, but suggested the Yes campaign was gaining ground.
 
Read more: Scottish referendum on a knife edge: Two polls put No at 52% - Scottish independence - UK - The Independent

EU-US Trade Negotiations: Unions oppose US trade deal with EU - by John Moylan

Plans for a major EU-US trade deal have been denounced by trade unions on the last day of their annual conference.

Delegates unanimously backed a motion opposing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership (TTIP) and calling for negotiations to be halted.

Some trade unions and NGOs say that the agreement will threaten the future of the NHS and other public services.

The government insists it could boost the economy and open up the US market to British firms.
In recent months, unions have stepped up their opposition to the plan.

Many have focused on the potential impact on the NHS, where private firms are able to provide services.

They claim that TTIP would allow those firms to sue the government if it chose to return those services to public ownership.

Speaking at the conference, Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary of the Unite union, called for the NHS to be protected from TTIP.

Read morfe: BBC News - Unions oppose US trade deal with EU

Europe -New EU Commissioners Ready To Roll As France and Britain Secure Top EU Economy Posts

French Socialist Former finance minister Pierre Moscovici takes the key portfolio of economic policy, though he will be supervised by former Finnish prime minister Jyrki Katainen and former Latvian prime minister Valdis Dombrovskis.

British Conservative Jonathan Hill takes a revamped portfolio entitled Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union - something the London government, outside the euro zone, had been pitching hard for. He will be in charge of relations with, among others, the European Banking Authority.

Danish liberal Margrethe Vestager will be in charge of the powerful competition portfolio that gives the EU a big say in the expansion or merger plans of the world’s biggest companies, while former Slovenian prime minister Alenka Bratusek will oversee the EU’s plan to create an energy union.

Sweden’s Cecilia Malmstrom will have the task of negotiating the world’s biggest trade agreement between the United States and Europe. Miguel Arias Caneta of Spain will be energy and climate change commissioner, though former Slovenian former premier Alenka Bratusek will have the more senior post of vice-president overseeing the development of an energy union.

Germany’s Guenther Oettinger will have responsibility for the digital economy, a portfolio including the overhaul of the EU telecoms market. Elzbieta Bienkowska of Poland takes the role of commissioner for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and small business.

The new Commission is due to take office on November 1, subject to its confirmation by the European Parliament.

Read more: ReEurope - France and Britain secure top EU economy posts - France 24

Soccer: Key Battles That Will Shape Netherlands' Clash with Czech Republic

Kicking off their Euro 2016 qualification campaign, the Netherlands will face the Czech Republic in Prague on Tuesday.

It won't be the first time the two countries face off: The Netherlands and the Czech Republic have played against each other a total of nine times.

Three games were won by the Dutch, three by the Czechs. The remaining three matches ended in a draw. In other words: From both perspectives, the two nations seem like worthy opponents.

Read more: Key Battles That Will Shape Netherlands' Clash with Czech Republic | Bleacher Report

Italy: Outlook Italian insurance market improves

Fitch Ratings has revised Italy's Outlook to Stable from Negative. At the same time the agency has affirmed Italy's Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) at 'BBB+'. The issue ratings on Italy's senior unsecured foreign and local currency bonds were also affirmed at 'BBB+'. 

The Country Ceiling has been affirmed at 'AA+' and the Short-term foreign currency IDR at 'F2'.

Fitch has also  revised its outlook on the Italian insurance market from negative to stable following stronger-than-expected first-half results from Italian insurers.

The change also reflects Fitch's expectation that Italian insurers' profit and capital adequacy will be resilient despite the country dipping back into recession.

GGGD will peak at 135% of GDP in 2014, marginally higher than Fitch's previous forecast (133% of GDP), due to weaker nominal GDP growth. Fitch expects GGGD to decline slowly and remain above 130% of GDP until 2017, compared with the 'BBB' median of 40%. The high debt leaves very limited fiscal space to respond to any adverse shock.

The new government of Matteo Renzi announced a structural reform agenda with an ambitious timetable and confirmed in the 2014 Stability Programme the previous governments' commitment to the eurozone fiscal framework, in particular, keeping deficit below 3% of GDP in 2014 and maintaining the medium-term fiscal consolidation path.

Almere-Digest