Politics

Over the past two months, China, North Korea’s economic benefactor and formally the source of 90% of its foreign trade, has been withdrawing financial support, ostensibly under the auspices of US sanctions, as Communist Party leaders try to rein in the North’s nuclear program to appease the US and prevent a potentially destabilizing conflict on its border – a development that would be particularly unwelcome during the Communist Party’s upcoming national congress.

Catalonia’s bid to separate from Spain had prompted investors to dump bonds issued by the region’s two biggest lenders, CaixaBank SA and Banco de Sabadell SA. Today, in a signal that the banks are taking thelikelihood of Catalonia independence very seriously, Sabadell has called a board meeting to approve a change of headquarters outside of the region.

The last few days' drop in Catalonia's biggest bank bonds has prompted an even more serious reaction by the banks themselves.

Authored by Alex Christoforou via TheDuran.com,

Catalonia continues to press on with its independence movement, much to the dismay of Spain and the European Union. Catalonia is not the only region in the EU demanding more autonomy or independence.

Here are seven regions in the European Union that may seek separation, and cause more fragmentation in an already weakened Europe.

1. Scotland, Britain

On the heels of our earlier note regarding the disastrous speech Theresa May gave yesterday and the backlash from her own party, it appears the mutiny is mounting as The Telegraph reports that Tory rebels have said that there is a "50/50" chance they will confront Theresa May in the next three days and demand that she steps down before the end of the year.

Following Theresa May's "disastrous" conference speech in Manchester yesterday, in which she had a coughing fit preventing her from speaking for minutes, while a heckler gave her the UK equivalent of a pink slip, and ended with letters falling from the slogan behind the stage and the Prime Minister being comforted by her husband, her political future is reportedly hanging in the balance, leaving her feeling "extremely distraught." Overnight, the Telegraph reported that May could be ousted as Prime Minister as soon as Christmas because as many as 30 Tory MPs are said to be preparing