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Luigi Di Maio, Italian MP from the M5S party took aim the European Union failures in dealing with the migrant crisis, which has disproportionally hit his country.

Di Maio told him in video published by IlFatto Quotidiano: Dear President Macron, we do not know each other, we have never got the chance to meet, but I want to take advantage of the power of the Internet to send this message.

About 80% of migrants arriving in Europe go through Italy. It's simple math. Of the approximately 90,000 migrants that landed in 2017 in Europe, some 80,000 arrived in Italy."

The Italian politician then explained the shocking financial cost to his country and called for more help from the European budget.

Getty/Il Fatto Quotidiano

You claim to be pro-EU. But let me tell you something, its very easy to be pro-EU with the borders of others

Luigi Di Maio

You know that Italy takes care of 98% of the expenses to receive these migrants. Last year, Italians spent about 4.5 billion euros compared to only 100 million euros coming from the EU.

We ask the EU and Europe not only to help with the money but also with this phenomenon that involves, for geographical reasons, Italy and the EU border. We are an EU member and we should receive help.

Macron was swept into power on a wave of pro-EU sentiment - a point which Di Maio raised when he urged for collective action on the crisis on Italys shores.

President Macron, after your victory in France, everyone was talking about the victory of Europeanism. You claim to be pro-EU. But let me tell you something, its very easy to be pro-EU with the borders of others, especially with the Italian borders.

Germany and France have finally agreed to increase their relocation efforts of migrants from Italy as a crisis over should be done with the new arrivals threatens the whole EU.

The European Union has warned member states all countries must take their share of migrants, but a number of central European countries, in particular, Poland and Hungary, have refused.

Di Maio told Mr Macron: we expect the French and France to help and support us much more than what you have said and done so far.

It is time for all of Europe to take care of the migration problem, the immigration issue. We can no longer hide, we can no longer pretend that Italy is not the port of the EuropeanUnion and that it is receiving an astronomical number of migrants.

President Macron, the time has come to show some courage, it is time to really prove that there is stilla European Union. Lets solve the problem of immigration. Let's get everyone En Marche, as you like saying."

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'We can't afford to be pro-EU' Italian MP warns Macron migrant crisis threatens whole bloc - Express.co.uk

The European Union followed up with a statement saying that the bloc would announce at a summit meeting with Japan in Brussels on Thursday that they had reached a political agreement on a deal. That means that the two sides have agreed on the broad outlines of a pact but still have to work out the details often the most difficult part of trade agreements.

Among other things, the pact would eliminate a 10 percent duty that the European Union imposes on Japanese car imports, while removing obstacles that European automakers face in Japan. That would be particularly significant for luxury carmakers like BMW, Mercedes and Toyotas Lexus brand, said Ferdinand Dudenhffer, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany who focuses on the auto industry.

Those vehicles suffer the most from high import duties. It could be a chance for the high-value, premium vehicles, Mr. Dudenhffer said. American brands like Cadillac or Lincoln wont have the same advantage and will be in a worse position, he said.

The trade deal has been under negotiation for years, but talks were effectively delayed while Japan focused on a separate deal with the United States and other Pacific Rim countries, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

But Mr. Trump dealt that agreement a possibly fatal blow shortly after taking office this year, when he formally abandoned it. At the same time, trade talks between the United States and Europe have stalled.

The pact to be announced on Thursday offers both Japan and the European Union an attractive alternative.

For the European Union, the political imperative around this agreement is intense, said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, the director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, a research organization in Brussels. With Britain preparing to exit the bloc, a process known as Brexit, he continued, European Union leaders were under pressure to show the 27 other states in the bloc that membership still has benefits, including gains from liberalizing trade.

With Brexit, a huge chunk of European trade is under uncertainty, Mr. Lee-Makiyama said. The commission is struggling for a win, he added, referring to the European Commission, the executive arm of the bloc.

For Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, the deal also looks like a much-needed win.

Mr. Abe won office five years ago with promises of liberalizing the Japanese economy and making the countrys industries more competitive, but critics say his efforts have fallen short. He had hoped to make the Trans-Pacific Partnership a centerpiece of his economic legacy, but that may now be out of reach.

Accusations of influence-peddling and gaffes by members of Mr. Abes cabinet have added to his problems. Voters in Tokyo delivered a stinging rebuke to his party in municipal elections on Sunday.

Though key issues must still be ironed out, the two sides have reached agreement on several contentious issues, including cars and cheese.

European negotiators had insisted that Japan lower import duties on a range of agricultural goods, in particular dairy products, an area that Tokyo has staunchly protected.

In return, the Europeans offered to lower duties on vehicles from Japan, a change that could benefit carmakers like Toyota and Honda, who have so far claimed a smaller market share than in other markets, including the United States.

Together, the European Union and Japan would create a trading bloc of a size to rival the North American Free Trade Agreement, now the worlds largest free trade zone.

Still, history shows that political opposition can derail trade pacts even after the parties reach a broad agreement. The Obama administration was unable to conclude a trade deal with the European Union, even though both sides wanted one. The talks stalled largely because of opposition from the food industry and environmental activists.

The proposed deal between the European Union and Japan could founder for the same reasons. Environmental groups have expressed worry that drafts of the pact fall short on a number of issues, including curbing the illegal timber trade and tackling overfishing.

European automakers said on Tuesday that they wanted assurances that the pact would truly give them access to Japan, which is notorious for tax policies and other measures that effectively exclude foreign manufacturers.

Japan should resolve the remaining nontariff measures facing E.U. vehicle exports, Erik Jonnaert, secretary general of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, said in a statement.

Original post:
EU to Unveil Outline of Trade Deal with Japan on Eve of Trump Visit - New York Times

MANILA - The European Union said Tuesday it would donate P49 million (850,000 euros) in humanitarian aid to victims of fighting between government forces and Islamic State-inspired extremists in Marawi City.

The grant from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations will be used to buy food and water supplies, health care, and hygiene kits among others, the EU said in a statement.

This grant from the EU will support the delivery of immediate life-saving assistance to those most in need, and contribute to increased protection of populations affected by the conflict," said Pedro-Luis Rojo, head of the East, South East Asia and Pacific Regional Office for ECHO.

The government earlier said it would no longer accept grants with conditions from the EU, which has criticized President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. Humanitarian aid, however, will still be accepted.

The Philippines new ally, China, earlier donated P20 million for relief operations in Marawi, including P5 million for families of slain soldiers.

Beijing also turned over P370 million worth of arms to Manila to fight terrorism.

Clashes between government troops and Maute terrorists broke out in Marawi City last May 23, prompting President Duterte to declare martial law in the whole island of Mindanao.

Thousands have fled the city while more than 461 people have been killed in ongoing clashes, among them 337 terrorists, 85 government forces, and 39 civilians.

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European Union donates P49M for Marawi victims - ABS-CBN News

The Italian Ambassador to the UK agreed the actions of some EU member states has been not good enough as they attempt to manage migrants.

Italy has been forced to take drastic measures, including threatening to turn rescue boats away from its ports.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Pasquale Terracciano admitted that his country could not cope on its own with the migrant crisis.

He said: There is a limit and we have now reached it. It is rather odd that we have a rather international operation for rescuing people in the Mediterranean and they are only disembarked in Italian ports, never in some other nations ports.

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We are simply alerting the international community that if they do not act, if there is no solidarity, there will be a situation where our ports will be overwhelmed.

Even if we dont block them the situation will be untenable.

The Italian Ambassador claimed that there was a sense of despair within public opinion in attempting to deal with the crisis.

He added: There is a lot of solidarity and the whole country is still showing a lot of solidarity, but at the same time there is anger that we are left alone.

There is a limit and we have now reached it

Pasquale Terracciano

There were 160,000 migrants that had to be relocated, only 6,600 have been relocated so far.

As Matt Frei responded by claiming thatthe Czech Republichave taken 12 migrants and Poland and Hungry have not taken any, he said: Not good enough?, to which Mr Terracciano quipped back saying No.

Germany and France have finally agreed to increase their relocation efforts of migrants from Italy.

Eurostat figures show Germany has so filled 6,400 of the 8,250 places it has so far formally pledged, with 2,947 of those people coming from Italy. However, it is still well short of its overall allocation of 20,736 set by Brussels.

France, meanwhile, has so far pledged 5,490 places of which it has filled 3,779 - but only 330 of those came from Italy. Paris is due to take in 19,714 migrants under calculations made by eurocrats.

The European Union has warned member states all countries must take their share of migrants, but a number of central European countries, inparticular, Poland and Hungary, have refused.

Getty Images

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Refugees and migrants wait in a small rubber boat to be rescued off Lampedusa, Italy

The countries have been warned that they mayloseEuropean Union funding if they do not accept their share of migrants.

Former Polish Prime Minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), said Poland should not be forced to accept migrants.

He said: As for the use of the European funds, they also benefit the [western] businesses and those countries are cashing in on them.

The [western] enterprises located in Poland transfer tens of billions of zlotys every year without paying any taxes.

On Saturday, he added: We have not exploited the countries from which these refugees are coming to Europe these days, we have not used their labour force and finally we have not invited them to Europe.

See more here:
'Not good enough' Infighting breaks out between Italy and EU states over migrant crisis - Express.co.uk

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, said the military had expressed concern about the hollowing out of the State Department.

The issue is again highlighting the United States militarys outsize role in Afghanistan, with American commanders even shouldering some of the diplomatic efforts around the country.

President Trump is expected to announce a troop increase of several thousand in addition to the roughly 8,800 American forces currently in Afghanistan in a dual mission of training and assisting Afghan forces and carrying out counterterrorism missions.

Pentagon officials have already hinted that the new strategy would not put a timeline on the increased military presence, essentially drawing the United States into another prolonged chapter of a war that has already dragged on for 16 years.

The political patience at home will depend on the clear articulation of a strategy going forward, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, said. We need a strategy in the United States that defines our role in Afghanistan, defines our objective and explains how we are going to get from here to there.

The United States diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan in recent years have been criticized for the turnover rate, what some officials have come to call an annual lobotomy.

Most of the midranking diplomats only come for one-year terms, and by the time they understand the complexity of the place, they are already headed for their next assignment.

The concern has grown in recent months as many of the senior positions in the State Department dealing with regional policy remain vacant, and the position of special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan was recently scrapped.

The role of the United States ambassador to Kabul has particularly been crucial in the past two years, as the coalition government brokered by former Secretary of State John Kerry has required constant hand-holding and mediation.

The coalition partners, President Ashraf Ghani and the governments chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, have struggled to see eye to eye on issues, throwing the government into long periods of stagnation amid a Taliban resurgence.

During one stretch of crisis in the relationship between the two leaders last year, P. Michael McKinley, the former ambassador, was meeting the two men almost daily and shuttling between other prominent leaders to help keep the arrangement together.

The political pressure on the government has only grown in recent months, after security forces opened fire and killed protesters outside the palace gates.

Much of Kabul remained under lockdown, with the palace bunkered by shipping containers stacked at its main entrances as protesters pitched tents outside. The tents were removed by violence again, with police officers killing two protesters when they forcibly removed the last tent.

Three of the countrys main political parties, including those led by Mr. Ghanis vice president as well as his foreign minister, recently announced a coalition which is expected to further the pressure on the president.

They accuse Mr. Ghanis government of keeping power monopolized by a small circle at the palace. At the center of the new coalition is Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, the leader of Junbish Party and Mr. Ghanis vice president.

The coalition was announced in Ankara, Turkey, where General Dostum is currently in de facto exile. The Afghan judicial system is trying to prosecute him and his bodyguards over accusations that they tortured and raped a political rival.

The security situation in Afghanistan has increasingly worsened over the past couple of years, with the Taliban overrunning districts, surrounding cities and inflicting heavy casualties on Afghan forces.

Afghanistans acting minister of defense, Maj. Gen. Tariq Shah Bahrami, told a news conference on Tuesday that there was fighting in 21 of the countrys 34 provinces, and that government forces were facing fierce fighting in seven of those provinces.

Heavy fighting continued for a third day on the outskirts of Kunduz, a city the Taliban overran twice in one year. Afghan forces were trying to clear Taliban checkpoints on the highway connecting Kunduz to Kabul.

Jawad Sukhanyar contributed reporting from Kabul, and Najim Rahim from Kunduz, Afghanistan.

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Senators, Visiting Afghanistan, Warn Trump Over Diplomatic Vacancies - New York Times