Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was a handy foil for President Donald Trump, a target of blame for everything from high mortgage interest rates to the pace of economic growth.

But with new Chair Kevin Warsh now installed as the country's central bank chief - completing Trump's imprimatur across the top echelon of U.S. economic policymaking posts - the dynamic shifts. Where Trump previously could claim that Powell was foisted on him in his first administration by advisers like then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Warsh is Trump's pick, and the president owns the results. (Reuters – Continue Reading)

The EU could deny future member states veto rights for several years in an attempt to make enlargement more politically acceptable as the bloc undergoes a push to admit new countries before the end of the decade.

Under plans being considered by the European Commission, prospective member states – such as Moldova and western Balkan countries – would not, on joining the EU, have the automatic right to veto foreign policy decisions or other issues agreed by unanimity, such as taxation.

The idea is especially pertinent for Montenegro, the frontrunner among nine official EU candidate countries. The former Yugoslav republic of 624,000 people is vying to become the EU’s 28th member state by 2028. This month a technical group tasked with drafting Montenegro’s accession treaty met for the first time, a sign that the 14-year negotiations were entering the final stages. (Guardian – Continue Rading)