St.Martin/St. Maarten Trump’s Caribbean mansion is right in the path of Irma’s wrath - by Terence Cullen

The commander-in-chief owns a mansion on St. Martin, the Caribbean island where the category 5 hurricane made landfall Wednesday morning.

Irma is the strongest recorded storm to hit the Atlantic Ocean with 175 mph winds. It’s expected to make landfall in Puerto Rico later Wednesday, some 230 miles west of St. Martin.

The mansion, dubbed Le Château des Palmiers, is currently controlled by a trust, which listed it earlier this year for $28 million.

Read more: Trump’s Caribbean mansion is right in the path of Irma’s wrath - NY Daily News

Ireland: EU stands with Ireland in Brexit talks, Barnier assures Coveney - by Patrick Smyth

“Ireland’s concerns are the union’s concerns, and all member states and EU institutions are fully united in this regard,” Michel Barnier told Brussels journalists and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney on Monday.

It is by now a familiar refrain, but nonetheless reassuring to Mr Coveney who was in Brussels for the day for consultations with the EU’s chief negotiator, Mr Barnier, the European Parliament’s Brexit representative, Liberal MEP Mr Guy Verhofstadt, 

Irish MEPs Matt Carthy (SF), Brian Hayes (FG), and Luke Flanagan (Ind), and Danuta Hubner the parliament’s European People’s Party chair of its constitutional affairs committee.

The reassurance, it is expected, will be reflected in detail in the Commission negotiating paper on Ireland expected to be published in the next week, and whose content was certainly central to the Barnier-Coveney working lunch.

Read more: EU stands with Ireland in Brexit talks, Barnier assures Coveney

Germany election: Merkel holds ground in TV debate

This was supposed to be the highlight of a lacklustre election campaign. For months German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have enjoyed a significant lead over their nearest rival - and current coalition partner.

The TV stations prepared their viewers for an impassioned, furious debate.

But those hoping for rhetorical bloody noses were disappointed. As were the viewers hoping that Martin Schulz, who is unlikely to take Mrs Merkel's crown, might at least taste victory on national TV.

Angela Merkel has been in the job for 12 years, and it showed.

The chancellor is not known for her skilful oratory and she doesn't relish this kind of public debate.

Nevertheless, Mrs Merkel appeared relaxed, credible and experienced, effortlessly parrying her opponent's attacks. It was her best debate performance, according to the German news site Spiegel online. Which doesn't say much, given that she lost the first three.

Read more: Germany election: Merkel holds ground in TV debate - BBC

Christianity: Broad Coalition of US Evangelicals Release 'Nashville Statement' on Human Sexuality, Identity

A broad coalition of US Christian leaders, including J. I. Packer and Francis Chan, have released a statement articulating God's design for human identity as male and female. Such a statement is needed, they say, in order to resist the spirit of the age and for the church to maintain its counter-cultural witness in a world that seems "bent on ruin."

The Nashville Statement, which was sponsored by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission was published Tuesday. The document contains a preamble and 14 articles responding to the current realities in the Western world regarding the many messages swirling in society and even in some churches about sexuality, particularly homosexuality and transgenderism, which have come to the fore in both politics and church life in recent years.
 
Note EU-Digest:  in relation to the potential impact of the Nashville Statement also read:  "Take a deep breath: The Nashville statement won't change anything." by  Jonathan Merrit.

Read more: Broad Coalition of Evangelicals Releases 'Nashville Statement' on Human Sexuality, Identity

EU-Motherhood: Which EU country has the most teenage mothers? - by Chris Harris

Romania and Bulgaria have the highest proportion of teenage mothers in the European Union, new figures have revealed.

Nearly one-in-ten births in both countries was to a teenager or girl even younger in 2015, the latest year for which data is available.

That is more than three times the EU average.

Read more: Which EU country has the most teenage mothers? | Euronews

Medical Tourism: A Multifaceted Business

Europeans and Canadians have universal health coverage at home, and the US itself is a popular medical tourism stop, so why is medical tourism from the West becoming increasingly popular? Among the reasons are:

• Cost. In the US, universal health coverage is still a goal, not a reality, and health costs are among the highest in the world. For those without health insurance, lower prices – as much 80% less in some countries – can be a dominant concern.
• The excellence of care. Malaysia, Costa Rica and Mexico also have some of the best health care in the world – often in the top five – based not only on affordability but also the excellence of staff and facilities. Looking to Asia, a 2000 report by the World Health Organization rated Singapore the 6th highest in the world.
• Shorter waiting times. They may be able to obtain treatment sooner in another country.
• Privacy. Those who do not wish to disclose a serious illness to acquaintances (heart surgery or cancer treatment) for fear that it would affect their job prospects or cosmetic surgery for fear of embarrassment may find that a trip to Latin America, Europe or Asia can make a good cover.
• Travel. It’s not insignificant that these medical tourism destinations often have beautiful scenery and amenities, too. An exotic environment may help with recuperation. 

But there are risks as well. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns:

• The language barrier could be a problem which hampers clear communication.
• Other countries may not test and regulate medications for quality and counterfeits as rigorously as one’s native country.
• Antibiotic resistance is rising around the world, but not at the same rate everywhere. It may be higher in a chosen destination.
• After some surgeries, flying poses a greater risk for blood clots.
• Financial. Although costs are less, insurance probably doesn’t cover medical tourism. Even for Europeans travelling to other EU countries, the European Health Insurance Card doesn’t cover scheduled treatment, only urgent medical treatment that cannot be postponed until a return to the home country.

Medical Tourism: A Multifaceted Business - The Market Mogul

France Labor Laws: Macron government launches overhaul of France's labour laws - by Kim Willsher

Emmanuel Macron’s government has announced a “major and ambitious” transformation of France’s complex labour laws aimed at tackling mass unemployment and making the country more competitive in the global market.

Five decrees have been issued, containing what ministers said were “concrete and major measures” to overhaul and simplify the weighty Code du Travail, which covers every aspect of working life in France.

In an interview before the measures were unveiled on Thursday morning, the French president said the country was “turning the page on three decades of inefficiency”.

Read more: Macron government launches overhaul of France's labour laws | World news | The Guardian