European Union

Submitted by Alex Newman via TheNewAmerica.com,

Submitted by Judith Bergman via The Gatestone Institute,

• "Islam belongs in Europe.... I am not afraid to say that political Islam should be part of the picture." — Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The Associated Press reports:

The Islamic State group has trained at least 400 fighters to target Europe in deadly waves of attacks, deploying interlocking terror cells like the ones that struck Brussels and Paris with orders to choose the time, place and method for maximum chaos, officials have told The Associated Press.

The network of agile and semiautonomous cells shows the reach of the extremist group in Europe even as it loses ground in Syria and Iraq.

The horrific events in Brussels are still resonating across Europe today. And, as Bloomberg's Mark Cudmore explains, despite what many analysts are saying, the real impact is likely to be more widespread than the very intense emotional anguish.

Mohamed El-Erian -- a regular Bloomberg columnist -- has been one of the most high-profile commentators to express the view that the “macroeconomic effects tend to be limited, and they fade,” in reference to acts of terrorism.

Sadly, that may not be the case this time.

The campaign for Britain to leave the European Union has taken a 2 percentage point lead, according to an ICM poll, to 43%, up 2 percentage points from a similar poll a week ago and the highest proportion in favour of a British exit since ICM started its referendum tracker in May 2015. Bearish bets on GBP have soared to record highs as a split within the governing Tory party and the atrocities in Brussels have sent bookies odds to their highest yet.