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MICHEL Barnier, the EU's former chief negotiator on Brexit has been on a walking holiday on the Isle of Skye, but still managed to make a pointed dig at the British Government and his equivalent in Boris Johnson'sgovernment, the former UK Brexit negotiator David Frost, by praising the good cooperation between the European Union and the Scottish Government.

Barnier made the comment in a tweet while out walking near the Old Man of Storr when he encountered a sign marking joint support by the European Union and the Scottish Government for a nature conservation project.

He tweeted: "On the path of Old Man of Storr in the north of the Scottish island of Skye...happy to find a lasting trace of the good cooperation between the European Union and the Scottish government...".

Writing in his memoir, he said under Theresa May the UK negotiated in good faith, but she was pushed aside by the likes of Johnson and Frost whereupon "ideology took hold of the pragmatism of the UK."

Barnier will certainly be aware of the controversy stirred up by Frost in recent weeks with his call to roll back devolution and prevent the Scottish Government from being "an independent actor on the world stage."

READ MORE:Scotland reacts as public urged to pledge allegiance to King Charles

Frost has made it clear that he views the Scottish Parliament as a local administration.An opinion which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apparently shares, referring to Holyroodas a 'devolved assembly' in his speech to the Scottish Conservative conference last week.

The Scottish Government's External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson has written to the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly demanding that he withdraw "rude" and "undemocratic" guidance intended to curtail Scottish ministers' overseas work.

The guidance emerged last month after Cleverly issued a letter to British diplomats containg four demands about how the overseas visits of Scottish ministers should be handled.

Insultingly, the new guidance was not communicated to the Scottish Government through official channels, Scottish Government ministers only found out about it through newspaper reports.

Dr Kirsty Hughes, a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh who previously worked at the European Commission, said the guidance would mean that foreign diplomats would clearly see that Scottish Government ministers were "being treated like children".

That's undoubtedly the intent of these new rules, part of the Conservative plan to reduce the Scottish Parliament to a local authority and to neuter any source of political power that the Conservatives do not control.

READ MORE:Scots less likely to watch coronation than rest of UK, poll says

Scots have plenty to suffer this week with the increasingly desperate and nauseating British nationalist festival of humour free high campery and bunting shagging that is the coronation being shoved down our throats by an incessant media.

Over the weekend we learned that we are all to be invited to swear allegiance to Chuck on his special day of hat plonking.

There's bound to be plenty of Scottish people enthusiastically swearing, just not in words that can be printed in a family newspaper.

Despite BBC Scotland's unconvincing attempts to find some Scottish angle to the proceedings, Scots are either not interested or are actively alienated by the red white and blue pageant of privilege and pointlessness.

A recent opinion poll carried out by YouGov found that over 70% of Scots are not interested in the coronation.

A more widespread Scottish attitude was displayed over the weekend by the Celtic fans who were singing "You can stick the coronation up yer A***," which ought to be Scotland's entry in next week's Eurovision Song Contest.

As if we don't have enough to suffer this week due to mediocre adulterers with messiah complexes, Scotland now has been inflicted with a visit from alleged rapist and criminally indicted former American president Donald Trump.

He is visiting his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, presumably in hope of cheating at a few rounds of golf before he becomes a convicted criminal as opposed to an unindicted co-conspirator.

Trump faces mounting legal problems back home, with other criminal indictments thought to be looming, all of which are more serious than the 34 charges he's currently facing relating to hush money payments to adult movie actress Stormy Daniels.

READ MORE:Former Scottish Tory MP has Make America Great Again hat signed by Donald Trump

Despite his many and varied legal woes, which may very well see him becoming a convicted criminal, and opinion polling which consistently shows he's likely to lose if he runs again as a candidate for the presidency in 2024, Trump appears likely to secure the Republican nomination meaning that we will see a rematch of the 2020 contest between Trump and Biden.

Should Trump lose that campaign, he will certainly refuse to concede and America may yet again face a violent insurrection from Trump's embittered followers, stirred up by the conspiracy theory touting far right media which now has a foothold in the UK too.

This piece is an extract from todays REAL Scottish Politics newsletter, which is emailed out at 7pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Wee Ginger Dug.

To receive our full newsletter including this analysis straight to your email inbox,clickHERE and click the "+" sign-up symbol for the REAL Scottish Politics.

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Wee Ginger Dug: The EU is aware of devolution attacks - The National

The European Union (EU) through its Youth Arise project has trained over 1,000 Bauchi and Yobe states young people and equipped them with the required skills to enable them participate in decision-making on local development and economic empowerment initiatives, enhancing their participation in conflict prevention, mitigation, and management.

The EU expressed the conviction that involving young people in decision-making processes can empower them and build their strengths, help policy makers view youth as a resource to inform their decisions, and result in policies and priorities that are more relevant to youths inclusive development.

This was disclosed by assistant project manager at delegation of the European Union in Nigeria, Felix Ngozi while speaking at the one-day youth summit organised by International Alert, Taimako Community Development Initiative in partnership with the European Union held at Bauchi.

According to her, young people across the world are facing challenges related to job creation and labour markets, globalisation, governance and the impact of climate change.

She said many young people are not in employment, education or training, and the global youth unemployment rate of 13.6 percent is three times higher than that of adults, with young women being the most vulnerable.

The assistant project manager said this can push young people into political apathy, radicalisation, crime or irregular migration, At the same time, young generations represent a key actor for change and development. We have already seen the increasing leadership role of youth in fighting climate change, advancing digital entrepreneurship and demanding sound democratic governance.

The European Union- Youth Arise project has engaged with youth and youth-led organizations from diverse backgrounds, this engagement has confirmed our belief that meaningful youth engagement is critical for the creation of sustainable, widespread, and high-impact change in the systems and settings that can support young peoples progress, she added.

Felix said in a move to create opportunities for change, policy and change makers need to find effective ways to involve youth in shaping policy, improving services and strengthening trust between youth and decision makers.

An attempt at addressing the challenges of youth exclusion and conflict in Yobe and Bauchi states has been attained through creating opportunities for young people to have more say in decisions that shape their lives, thus reducing grievances, addressing their basic needs, and rebuilding the fractured trust with community leaders, state authorities and security forces.

Such trust is the foundation of long-term stability, as it encourages collaboration between different stakeholders in preventing and responding to conflict triggers. This is evident in some of the results achieved under the Matasa Ku Taso: Youth Arise! Project, which has an overall objective to increase the leadership role of young people in addressing local drivers of conflict and fragility in Bauchi and Yobe states through enhanced youth participation in conflict prevention, mitigation and management, and increased youth access to decision-making on local development and economic empowerment initiatives, Felix Ngozi added.

She said the European Union would continue to partner with all stakeholders to promote youth inclusion, human rights and civil society participation.

The EU also commended the partnership with International Alert, Taimako Community Development Initiative, the Government of Yobe and Bauchi states in providing opportunities for young people to build their capacity for leadership and engage with government on policy issues, particularly issues related to conflict management and peace-building.

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EU Trains 1,000 Bauchi, Yobe Youths On Conflict Prevention, Others - Leadership News

BRUSSELS, April 18 (Reuters) - The European Union on Tuesday agreed a 43 billion euro ($47 billion) plan for its semiconductor industry in an attempt to catch up with the United States and Asia and start a green industrial revolution.

The EU Chips Act, proposed by the European Commission last year and confirmed by Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, aims to double the bloc's share of global chip output to 20% by 2030 and follows the U.S. CHIPS for America Act.

Reuters reported on April 5 that a deal was imminent and the confirmation of the EU Chips Act was welcomed by industry players which said it would bring manufacturing capabilities, skills and research and development improvements.

"We need chips to power digital and green transitions or healthcare systems," Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said in a tweet.

Since the announcement of its chips subsidies plan last year, the EU has already attracted more than 100 billion euros in public and private investments, an EU official said.

But the EU may struggle to close the gap with rivals, said analysts such as Paul Triolo, a China and tech expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies.

"The critical piece of the equation which the EU will need to get right, as for the U.S., is how much of the supply chains supporting the industry can be moved to the EU and at what cost," said Triolo.

While the Commission had originally proposed funding only cutting-edge chip plants, EU governments and lawmakers have widened the scope to cover the whole value chain, including older chips and research and design facilities.

Hendrik Bourgeois, VP European Government Affairs at U.S. chipmaker Intel, which will get subsidies for a plant it operates in Germany, welcomed the deal saying ti showed that the EU was "serious about securing its future prosperity".

Reporting by Foo Yun Chee

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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EU takes on United States, Asia with chip subsidy plan - Reuters

The European Union has agreed a landmark plan to boost its chip industry.

The initiative, dubbed the European Chips Act, seeks to help the bloc compete with the U.S. and Asia on tech, and secure control over a critical bit of technology behind the worlds electronics products and devices.

The EU Parliament and 27 member statesreached a deal on the legislationon Tuesday. In a statement, they said the new rules would aim to double the EUs global market share in semiconductors from 10% to 20% by 2030.

This agreement is of utmost importance for the green and digital transition while securing the EUs resilience in turbulent times, Ebba Busch, the Swedish energy minister, said Tuesday.

The new rules represent a real revolution for Europe in the key sector of semiconductors.

The European Chips Act is a massive, 43-billion-euro ($47 billion) package of public and private investments that aims to secure its supply chains, avert shortages of semiconductors in the future, and promote investment into the industry.

The Chips Act has three main aims:

The EU Chips Act will invest 6.2 billion euros to promote industrialization of innovative technologies, establish competence centers for skill development, and ensure access to finance, the European Commission, the E.U.s executive arm,said in a statement.

It will also incentivize investments in manufacturing facilities and provide a framework for integrated production facilities and open EU foundries for security of supply.

Member states will also coordinate to monitor supply and forecast any shortages, the commission said. Since first announcing the plan last year, the EU has already attracted between 90 billion and 100 billion euros of public and private commitments for industrial deployment.

Chips are effectively the brains of electronic devices. Theyre used in everything from smartphones to gaming consoles but also products you wouldnt expect them in, like cars and refrigerators.

Semiconductors, and the mainly East Asia-based supply chain behind them, have become athorny issue for world governmentsafter a global shortage led to supply problems for major automakers and electronics manufacturers.

TheCovid-19 pandemicexposed an overreliance on manufacturers from Taiwan and China for semiconductor components. That dependency has become fraughtwith tensions between China and Taiwan on the rise.

TSMC, the Taiwanese semiconductor giant, is by far the largest producer of microchips. Its chipmaking prowess is the envy of many developed Western nations, which are taking measures to boost domestic production of chips.

Europe has been seeking to control more of its supply chain to reduce its reliance on foreign market players. The move is part of a push from the EU to achieve digital sovereignty, which refers to the idea that they have more control over critical technologies.

A swift implementation of todays agreement will transform; our dependency into market leadership; our vulnerability into sovereignty; our expenditure into investment, Busch said. The Chips act puts Europe in the first line of cutting-edge technologies which are essential for our green and digital transitions.

At the same time, the bloc has realized it cant achieve this production ramp up alone there are no European firms that can manufacture leading-edge chips.

The EU wants to attract funding from foreign companies into its market. U.S. chipmaking giantIntelis among the companies upping its investments in Europe, and hascommitted over 33 billion eurosto boost chipmaking across the EU.

In the U.K., chip firms have beenthreatening to leave the U.K.due to a lack of similar support from the government.

Europe is home to a titan in the semiconductor space Dutch firmASML. ASMLs extreme ultravioletlithography machines are used to etch microscopic features into silicon wafers. But the company doesnt produce its own chips.

Officials want more semiconductors to be developed within Europe, so they dont face the risk of a big shortage, or threats to national security.

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Europe approves its $47 billion answer to Bidens CHIPS Act - NBC News

BEIJING, April 19 (Reuters) - The European Union has said it is seriously concerned about the arrest of two prominent Chinese human rights activists and has called for their immediate release after they were detained in Beijing last week en route to a meeting with EU officials.

The detention of Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan shortly before their meeting with visiting EU officials last Thursday was "already not acceptable", an EU spokesperson said in an emailed response to Reuters late Tuesday, adding that their "formal arrest on Saturday is a matter of serious concern".

"The EU requested to the Chinese authorities their immediate and unconditional release," the spokesperson said.

"China's ongoing crackdown on human rights activists and lawyers is a well-known EU concern, which we raise at all levels."

Chinese authorities have not confirmed the detention of the two, a married couple, and Beijing's Public Security Bureau did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.

When asked about the detentions at a Wednesday briefing, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin did not refer directly to the pair but said "Chinese authorities handle cases according to the law" and China opposed interference in internal affairs.

Yu Wensheng, 55, is a human rights lawyer who last year completed a four-year prison sentence for "subversion of state power". He was among more than 300 rights lawyers and activists arrested in a 2015 crackdown.

His activist wife, Xu Yan, campaigned for his release, and alleged that he had suffered torture and ill health while in detention. Authorities deny accusations of torture.

The two were formally arrested for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", a vague charge used by authorities against dissidents, which carries up to a prison term of up to 10 years for more serious cases, fellow human rights lawyer, Peng Jian, citing information from a relative, told Reuters.

The couple had planned to join a meeting with the EU's visiting top diplomat for Asia, Gunnar Wiegand, EU Ambassador to China Jorge Toledo Albinana, and Chinese civil society representatives, a source familiar with the matter said.

The EU delegation in Beijing said on Friday three other human rights lawyers, Wang Quanzhang, Wang Yu and Bao Longjun, had been placed under house arrest.

Two of those lawyers had successfully attended Thursday's meeting, said the source, who declined to be identified.

Reporting by Laurie Chen

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Thomson Reuters

Laurie Chen is a China Correspondent at Reuters' Beijing bureau, covering politics and general news. Before joining Reuters, she reported on China for six years at Agence France-Presse and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. She speaks fluent Mandarin.

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EU seriously concerned about arrest of Chinese rights activists - Reuters