28/10 – Today’s headlines from across the EU

EUROPEAN HEADLINES

FT – China hackers sought health insurance tips, says US probe. New twist in cyber-attack on Anthem. Beijing eyes universal cover by 2020.

WSJE – FED aims for clear signal. Central bank hopes to better manage market expectations for rates and US economy.

INYT – Greenland is melting away. Fieldwork, threatened by Congress, shows ice sheet like “Swiss cheese.”

BALTIC STATES

Baltic Times – Vejonis underlines Baltic support to Ukraine. During his state visit to Ukraine, Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis underlined the importance of Latvia’s support to the country. Vejonis told BNS that it has been another opportunity to prove Latvia is ready to provide any kind of support

FRANCE

Le Monde – Unemployment drop gives faint hope for economic rebound. Unemployment dropped 0.7% in September, the highest diminution since 2007, ending up at 3.55 million unemployed people.

Les Echos – Renault-Nissan: strong-arm tactics with the State. Carlos Ghosn proposes readjusting the alliance in favour of the Japan carmaker. The pressure on the government, Renault’s leading shareholder, is mounting.

GERMANY

Frankfurter Allgemeine – Bavaria accuses Austria of jeopardising German security. Home Affairs Minister Herrmann: we won’t let it be. Juncker: the EU is not in good condition.

Sueddeutsche Zeitung – Bavaria: Austria has a “scandalous” attitude. PM Seehofer accuses Vienna of ruthlessness as thousands of refugees cross the border unhindered every day. Crisis summit on Sunday with the CSU leader, Merkel and Gabriel.

ITALY

La Repubblica – EU, Juncker says yes to flexibility. The president of the European commission, Jean Claude Juncker, has opened the door to more flexibility for the budgets of countries hosting refugees. But he maintains that some countries are not doing enough to solve the crisis.

Il Sole 24 Ore – The State issues treasury bonds with a negative return. Italian Treasury allocated for $1.75 billion of CTz bonds with a yield on two years of 0.023%. The market anticipates a prolongation of the ECB’s QE policy.

NETHERLANDS

Nos – Support for anti-Islam PVV reaches all-time high. The Nos poll, based on an aggregate of five other opinion surveys, says the PVV would win between 33 and 37 seats in the 150-seat parliament if there were a general election tomorrow. This is a rise of six seats on a month ago.

POLAND

Gazeta Wyborcza – Success, although not triumph. The Civic Platform (PO) party has lost the parliamentary elections in almost all the electoral districts. It has lost its former bastions: Silesia, Lower Silesia, and Greater Poland. PM Ewa Kopacz might seek some consolation in the fact that she visibly defeated Jarosław Kaczyński in Warsaw.

SPAIN

El Pais – Catalan declaration of independence gets no response from Rajoy. Junts pel Si and CUP agree on a revolt strategy against the Constitution. The Catalan Parliament will vote a roadmap to split Catalonia from Spain soon.

Expansion – Boom in air traffic. The market will soar this winter, with an 11% growth. Ryanair to open 54 new routes, Vueling to grow in Bilbao, Barcelona, Seville and Majorca.

The Times – For your eyes only. As Britain prepares for new surveillance laws, spies emerge from the shadows to talk to the Times.

The Guardian – Osborne ready to change tack on tax credits. George Osborne is preparing to dig deep into the Treasury’s pockets to resolve a standoff with the House of Lords over his proposed cuts to tax credits.