France

Submitted by Douglas Murray via The Gatestone Institute,

Rumors of the Trumpflation rally's death have been greatly exagerated, and not only is the Dow 20,000 back on the radar, following a 124 point surge in Dow futures, bringing the "key psychological level" back within 100 points, but European stocks rose for a third day and entered a bull market, rising 20% from theor lows set last February, following strong Chinese manufacturing and services PMI data, both of which ended 2016 on robust notes well inside expansion territory.

Submitted by George Igler via The Gatestone Institute,

A problem has emerged for France's anti-immigrant, anti-Euro presidential frontrunner, Marine Le Pen, and it has little to do with being behind in the polls ahead of the 2017 presidential elections, far from it. It has, however, everything to do with something far simpler: money, as the National Front leader is suddenly struggling to raise the €20 million ($21 million) she needs to fund the French presidential and legislative campaigns in 2017 after the party’s Russian lender failed, the party treasurer said.

Marine Le Pen said that NATO exists only ‘to serve Washington’s objectives’, and that she plans to hold a Brexit-style referendum. In an explosive interview with a Greek newspaper, the French presidential candidate, who is leader of France’s National Front, called for many of the leading nations of the EU to call time on Brussels’ hegemony of the continent. She also supported closer ties with Russia as she blasted what she saw as NATO meddling in eastern Europe.