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The 22nd European Union Film Festival (EUFF) premiered at Siri Fort auditorium on Saturday with the screening of Estonian film Cherry Tobacco. The five-day event is being organised by the Delegation of the EU and Embassies of EU Members in collaboration with Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Award winning movies from countries like Austria, Cyprus, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Spain , Greece, Sweden, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia among others, will be shown during the festival.

Movies panning across various genres ranging from comedy to family drama, romance and adventure are part of EUFF. Perennial themes of redemption of love, resilience of youth, and the triumph of human spirit in adversity run through the creative works of these award winning directors.

Other highlights of the festival include the story of inner struggle of a father, and his complicated relationship with his son; the coming of age of a 17-year-old girl, who has to take decisions that even a grown up woman will find difficult to make.

Audiences can also look forward to a film based on a true story of a Moroccan man who decides to go back home and faces multiple challenges on the way, turning his journey into a real odyssey; another about a stubborn violin maker and his pharmacist cousin who face hardship and adversity as they oppose a powerful tycoon who forces the duo to vacate their house to build a luxurious hotel at the place.

Speaking about the 22nd edition of EUFF, Tomasz Kozlowski, ambassador of European Union to India said, "We are happy to provide an annual platform for film enthusiasts to watch award winning movies from EU right here. I believe that cinema has a universal appeal and helps to bring people and cultures together."

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22nd edition of European Union Film Festival begins - Daily News & Analysis

On 8 June, the Council adopted the decision establishing of the military planning and conduct capability (MPCC) within the EU military staff (EUMS). The terms of reference of the EUMS, which is part of the EEAS, have also been amended and approved.

"The establishment of the MPCC is a very important operational decision to strengthen European defence. It will contribute to make the non-executive European missions more effective and to improve the training of soldiers of partner countries, to guarantee peace and security. This is important not just for our partners, but also for the European Union's security", said the High Representative Federica Mogherini.

The MPCC will assume command of EU non-executive military missions, currently: EU Training Mission (EUTM) Somalia, EUTM Rpublique Centrale Africaine (RCA) and EUTM Mali. The MPCC will be the static, out-of-area command and control structure at the military strategic level, responsible for the operational planning and conduct of non-executive missions, including the building up, launching, sustaining and recovery of European Union forces. This will allow the mission staff in the field to concentrate on the specific activities of their mission, withbetter support provided from Brussels.

The MPCC improves the crisis management structures of the EU. It will work under thepolitical control and strategic guidanceof the Political and Security Committee (PSC), which is composed of EU member states' ambassadors and is based in Brussels.

The MPCC will be composed initially of up to 25 staff but will also benefit from the support of other departments of the EUMS. The Director General of the EU Military Staff will also be the director of the MPCC. He will exercise command and control over the current three training missions and other possible future non-executive military missions. He will also exercise the responsibilities related to deployment and recovery of the missions as well as overall budgeting, auditing and reporting.

The MPCC will work closely with its existing civilian counterpart, the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) through a joint support coordination cell. This cell will be able to share expertise, knowledge and best practices on issues relevant to both military and civilian missions, as well as capabilities when civilian and military missions are simultaneously deployed in the same area, including medical support or protective measures.

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EU defence cooperation: Council establishes a Military Planning ... - EU News

The jointly developed strategy, in the form of a Joint Statement, was signed today during the annual two-day European Development Days by the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, the Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat, on behalf of the Council and Member States, the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and the High Representative/Vice President Federica Mogherini.

The new European Consensus on Development constitutes a comprehensive common framework for European development cooperation. For the first time, it applies in its entirety to all European Union Institutions and all Member States, which commit to work more closely together.

The new Consensus strongly reaffirms that poverty eradication remains the primary objective of European development policy. It fully integrates the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. In doing so, it aligns European development action with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which is also a cross-cutting dimension for the EU Global Strategy.

European leaders committed to three areas:

Background

Europe is a global leader in development, being the world's biggest provider of Official Development Assistance. The new European Consensus on Development was agreed jointly by all European Institutions and all EU Member States in an open and transparent manner, also in consultation with other partners. It is the EU's response to today's global trends and challenges, aligning EU external action to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The 2030 Agenda was adopted by the international community in September 2015, and includes at its core the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and associated targets, which run to 2030. Along with the other international summits and conferences held in 2015 in Addis Ababa and in Paris, the international community has an ambitious new frame for all countries to work together on shared challenges. For the first time, the SDGs are universally applicable to all countries and the EU is committed to be a frontrunner in implementing them.

On 22 November 2016, the European Commission proposed its ideas for a strategic approach for achieving sustainable development in Europe and around the world, including a Commission proposal for a new Consensus. Since then the European Parliament, the Council under the Maltese Presidency, and the Commission have engaged in an intensive series of inter-institutional discussions aimed at agreeing to a new collective vision for development policy which responds to the 2030 Agenda and other global challenges.

Europe is a frontrunner when it comes to sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda, through external and other policies.

For more information:

New European Consensus on Development

A Joint Statement by the Council and the representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission: A new European Consensus on development: Our World, Our Dignity, Our Future

Factsheet - "Q&A: The new European Consensus on development"

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

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The new European Consensus on Development EU and Member States sign joint strategy to eradicate poverty - EU News

Updated at 5:35 p.m. ET

An Afghan soldier opened fire on his U.S. counterparts on Saturday, killing three Americans and wounding at least one other. A spokesman for the provincial governor of Nangarhar, in eastern Afghanistan, confirmed that the incident occurred during an operation in the district of Achin, on the Pakistan border.

"In (a) joint US-Afghan military operation ... American troops were killed when an Afghan member of army commando opened fire on them," Attaullah Khogyani told Al-Jazeera earlier in the day. "The Afghan commando was also killed in counterattack."

The Associated Press reports that the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the shooting, noting that the militant group released a statement saying one of its loyalists had joined the Afghan military "just to attack foreign forces."

According to the wire service, the Pentagon says the U.S. military is "aware of an incident in eastern Afghanistan."

The Pentagon confirmed the number of deaths in a statement Saturday evening:

"Three U.S. soldiers were killed in eastern Afghanistan today. One U.S. soldier was wounded and has been evacuated for medical treatment. Next of kin notification is underway.

"This incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as appropriate."

Vice President Pence addressed the incident during an appearance Saturday.

"On my way here, I was informed that U.S. service members were killed and wounded at an attack in Afghanistan," Pence said Saturday at a speech in Milwaukee. "The president and I have been briefed. The details of this attack will be forthcoming. But suffice it to say, when heroes fall, Americans grieve. And our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these American heroes."

As Jennifer Glasse reports for NPR's Newscast unit, Achin has been a major base for Islamic State militants.

"U.S. special forces have been working on the ground there with Afghan forces," Jennifer notes, "and in April, the United States dropped its [most powerful] non-nuclear bomb in the area to destroy tunnels being used by ISIS fighters and killed dozens of them, according to locals in the area."

She adds that shootings like the one that occurred Saturday "are called insider attacks or green on blue with Afghans wearing green shooting Americans and NATO soldiers."

And it's not the first time this year that one has occurred, as NBC News explains: "The attack follows one in March in which three American soldiers were shot and wounded by an Afghan soldier on a base in Helmand province, officials said. That Afghan soldier was also killed following the incident."

Reuters reports that shortly before Saturday's attack, at least three members of the Afghan security forces were killed by U.S. aircraft during an overnight raid in Helmand.

"We would like to express our deepest condolences to the families of the [Afghan Border Police] members affected by this unfortunate incident," a U.S. military spokesman said in a statement, according to the news service.

NPR's Amy Held notes that while the U.S. officially withdrew from Afghanistan in 2014, roughly 8,400 troops remain in the country and the Trump administration has been considering requests to increase those troop levels.

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At Least 3 US Soldiers Killed In 'Insider Attack' In Afghanistan - NPR

Donald Trump missed the opportunity to become a General Patton-style military commander and glorious war hero back in the Vietnam era. He surely wouldhave been the greatest ever in history!

But he says, alas, some unspecified foot problem (or something or other) kept him from the privilege of actually having the chance togo fight in that war. Bad luck, Im sure. But now that the Donald is thecommander in chief, his inner warrior has been given a second chance to bloom, and this time hes fully enlisted. In recent weeks, President Trump has escalateda running war of words against Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, bombed the European leaders of NATO with explosive charges that theyre unworthy of his support, launched a fierce new barrage of tough rhetoric in his extralegal offensive to ban all travel to the U.S. by anyone from six Muslim nations, and opened an entirely new battlefront by attacking the mayor of London with one of his Twitter missiles.

In last years presidential campaign, Trump declared with typical modesty,Theres nobody bigger or better at the military than I am. Well, Im certainly no expert on war, but if a president is going to pick a mess of foreign fights, wouldnt it be better strategically speaking to pick on actual enemies rather than on Americas allies? After all, there might come a time when we need friends to stand with us.

In a twist of historic irony, it looks like Trump and his military team might need those European allies sooner than they figured. Trumps national security chief and the Pentagon are pushing a new strategy for Americas long and horribly messy war but it depends on our NATO allies sending some of their troops into the fight. Oops, how awkward for the impetuous tweeter in chief.

President Trump might have dodged military service in his youth, but he certainly is bellicose, likes to issue commands and is constantly firing off militant tweets at anyone he perceives to be an enemy.

Now he and his White House full of military commanders are pondering the launchof a real shooting war. Actually, he would be attempting to achieve battlefield glory by picking up and extending what at first was George Bushs war, then Barack Obamas war. The place is Afghanistan, and the strategy is to shove more American soldiers (none of whomwill be named Trump) into that brutish, interminable hellhole.

Yes, that mess is still boiling, despite President Barack Obamas pledge to end U.S. involvement by 2012. After 16 years, after more than 2,000 Americans have been killed and 20,000 others maimed, after more than $800 billion has been shoveled into it, 8,400 of our troops are still there, the killing continues and we taxpayers keep pumping billions of dollars into the insanity. For all of that, the Taliban forces weve been trying to defeat are stronger than ever, al-Qaida and the Islamic State have gained strength and the Afghan government were supporting is corrupt, inept and despised.

Nonetheless, Trump is violating a basic rule of civilian control of the military: Never ask the generals if they need more resources. This president has surrounded himself with generals and surrendered crucial decision-making authority to them. What can a mini-surge of 5,000 more soldiers do besides assure more U.S. casualties? We werent able to win in Afghanistan when 100,000 of our troops were there, so what do we win by this so-called strategy?

Rep. Walter Jones, a Republican of North Carolina, has introduced a nonpartisan bill to defund Trumps war in Afghanistan. It is co-sponsored by members of both parties. It will be up to House Speaker Paul Ryan to bring up the bill for a vote. If Trump cant tell us why his new strategy will work, we should tell him no. Call Speaker Ryan and tell him to bring up House of Representatives 1666 for a vote. And call your representatives and tell them to defund Trumps war in Afghanistan.

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Our bellicose president wants to continue a 16-year quagmire in Afghanistan - Salon