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The EU is preparing to give its Brexit negotiator new instructions to help close a deal with Britain, in a conciliatory move that will bolster Theresa May as she suffers savage attacks from Brexiters at home.

After a weekend in which Boris Johnson, former UK foreign secretary, lambasted Mrs May’s Brexit strategy as wrapping “a suicide vest around the British constitution”, any positive signals from the EU would provide a rare fillip for the British prime minister.

An informal summit in Salzburg this month between the EU’s 27 remaining leaders is emerging as one of the most significant Brexit discussions since the bloc first set its strategy for talks.

Ambassadors in Brussels have been told that, as well as the planned timing of any deal and sticking points such as the Irish border, the meeting will discuss whether to issue additional guidance to Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator.

If approved, the move to update Mr Barnier’s instructions would help to “serve as a sort of mandate to do the deal” according to a senior EU diplomat.

Senior British officials have long complained that Mr Barnier has interpreted his instructions too rigidly, leaving talks deadlocked. Dominic Raab, Brexit secretary, has blamed “dogmatic legalism” for limiting progress in talks.

EU member states insist they remain firmly behind Mr Barnier. “I don’t know how much you need to change, frankly speaking,” said the EU diplomat, adding that the most important point of new guidelines was “the symbolism.”

Two other officials on the EU side confirmed the planned discussion in Salzburg on supplementing the guidelines for Mr Barnier. One EU diplomat dubbed it a “save Theresa” operation.

While the EU continues to have fundamental reservations about Mrs May’s Chequers plan for close integration with the EU after Brexit, the bloc’s main priority is concluding a withdrawal deal with the UK, including guarantees to avoid a hard border across the island of Ireland. Diplomats expect many hard choices over future relations to be left until after Brexit.

EU leaders have issued instructions to their negotiator three times since the 2016 Brexit referendum, framing the union’s collective response to divorce issues, the transition, and the terms of a non-binding “political declaration” on future relations.

If leaders agree at the September 20 meeting, diplomats expect a final set of guidelines to be formally adopted at the October summit of EU leaders, setting the stage for a special Brexit summit in November, where the two sides would aim to conclude talks.

It all depends on what they think they [the UK] can sell back home. There are some things that will not work. We do have a requirement for a legally operable backstop [for the Irish border]. The rest is solvable

Mrs May’s domestic problems in delivering Brexit were thrown into stark relief on Sunday as Mr Johnson — who quit as foreign secretary over her Brexit plan — launched his frontal attack on her leadership.

He claimed Mrs May’s strategy amounted to a “humiliation” and that she had been “mad” to put the Northern Ireland border at the heart of negotiations.

The prime minister faces a torrid Conservative conference in Birmingham in early October, with Mr Johnson planning to address up to 1,000 party activists at a “Chuck Chequers” rally.

She is hoping that EU leaders will throw her a lifeline by making clear that they want Mr Barnier to show enough flexibility to achieve a final deal. “We aren’t expecting the EU to change Barnier’s guidelines, but we hope the leaders will tell them to interpret them in such a way as to make a deal possible,” said one senior British official.

EU negotiators and diplomats dismiss the idea that the present guidelines are too inflexibly drafted and say no core principles will be revised.

One negotiator said the revised guidelines might acknowledge Britain’s openness to a bigger role for the European Court of Justice, particularly in areas of justice and security affairs.

One of the most important topics of the Salzburg discussion will be the form of the “political declaration” planned on future relations, and the level of detail and precision that is required.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, originally pushed for an unambiguous and clear statement, which would underscore what Britain would lose as a non-member of the union.

However in private discussions Berlin has since signalled it would be willing to see the a more fudged statement, which principally aims to help Mrs May secure support for the accompanying withdrawal treaty in the House of Commons.

“It all depends on what they think they can sell back home,” said an EU diplomat involved in Brexit talks. “There are some things that will not work. We do have a requirement for a legally operable backstop [for the Irish border]. The rest is solvable.”

Many EU officials see the Chequers plan as unworkable, riven with contradictions and in certain parts antithetical to the EU’s founding principles.

But to date the EU side has avoided aggressive attacks on Chequers, seeking to emphasise points of convergence. An important question for EU leaders is whether they are happy to leave some issues — such as customs arrangements — ambiguous so they are resolved only after Brexit day.

Gallery by photo services

Hurricane Florence's wrath begins today.

Track Hurricane Florence

The Carolina coasts can expect winds topping 80 mph late Thursday afternoon. And that's just the prelude to untold days of misery.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Florence has weakened slightly to a Category 2 hurricane; categories only denote the speed of sustained winds. What makes this hurricane extremely dangerous are the deadly storm surges, mammoth coastal flooding and historic rainfall expected far inland.

"I don't care if this goes down to a Category 1," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. "We're still going to have a Category 4 storm surge."

These computer models shows a variety of potential tracks for the hurricane, including potential landfalls.

© Provided by CNN

TRACK THE STORM

Even worse: Florence is expected to hover over the Carolinas, whipping hurricane-force winds and dumping relentless rain at least through Saturday.

By the time it leaves, it's expected to have unloaded 10 trillion gallons of rainfall in North Carolina, weather.us meteorologist Ryan Maue said.

Latest developments

• Storm has weakened: Florence is now a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.

• Where is Florence? The storm was about 235 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina and was moving at about 17 mph on Thursday morning.

• The path of the storm: Florence's center will approach the North and South Carolina coast late Thursday and Friday, but it's unclear where and precisely when it will make landfall. As the storm moves inland, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland will also be in peril.

• Storm surge still a big threat: Strong winds will send rising water inland from the coastline of the Carolinas. The National Hurricane Center says the storm surge could rise up to 13 feet -- that's water inundating homes up to the first floor ceiling.

• Flight cancellations: At least 800 flights along the US East Coast have been canceled Thursday through Saturday ahead of the storm.

© Alex Brandon/AP Seth Bazemore IV, center moves sandbags, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, in the Willoughby Spit area of Norfolk, Va., as they make preparations for Hurricane Florence. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Millions flee or prep for chaos

Officials in the potential path of Florence urged people to evacuate their coastal homes and directed drivers away from the coast.

"You put your life at risk by staying," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said. "Don't plan to leave once the winds and rains start."

Cooper and his South Carolina counterpart, Henry McMaster, told the more than 1 million people who have been directed to leave that if they don't do so, they are on their own.

About 300,000 people have been evacuated from South Carolina, McMaster said. The governor added that a million or more people could be evacuated before the storm makes landfall.

"Even the rescuers cannot stay there," he said.

In Carolina Beach, authorities have stopped allowing traffic to the island via the only bridge between the island and the mainland. They also instituted a 24-hour curfew. The town is less than 5 feet above sea level and officials worry that as many as 1,000 of the town's 6,300 residents are planning to stay.

Mayor Joe Benson said the storm will batter the oceanside town through two high tide periods. Storm surge of 13 feet on top of a high tide at 7 feet could overwhelm Carolina Beach.

"Our sand dunes are healthy but they're not going to be able to keep back a wall of water like that," he said. "Flooding is almost guaranteed."

Susan Faulkenberry Panousis has stayed in her Bald Head Island, North Carolina home during prior hurricanes, but not this time. She packed up what she could and took a ferry.

"When that last ferry pulls out ... it's unnerving to see it pull away and know, 'That's the last chance I have of getting off this island,'" she said Wednesday.

More than 10 million people are under a storm watch or warning in Virginia and the Carolinas, where up to 40 inches of rain could fall.

© Provided by AFP A sign on a boarded up vacation rentals office near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, ahead of Hurricane Florence

Emergencies declared in several states

Officials in several states have declared states of emergency, including in the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland, where coastal areas are still recovering from summer storms.

Florence's expanse has even captured the attention of the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station, who have been tweeting pictures of the storm back to Earth.

"Watch out, America! #HurricaneFlorence is so enormous, we could only capture her with a super wide-angle lens from the @Space_Station, 400 km directly above the eye," German astronaut Alexander Gerst tweeted. "Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you."

Florence is one of four named storms in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Isaac is forecast to approach the Lesser Antilles Islands on Thursday. Hurricane Helene is veering toward Europe and newly formed Subtropical Storm Joyce is not expected to threaten land. The four storms in the Atlantic come as another one in the Pacific is hitting Hawaii.

CNN's Kaylee Hartung, Jason Hanna and Steve Almasy contributed to this report. © REUTERS A sailor heaves line in preparation ahead of Hurricane Florence at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, September 11, 2018. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/US Navy/Handout via

Source: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hurricane-florence-will-slash-the-carolinas-today-in-the-opening-act-of-a-3-day-coastal-disaster/ar-BBNgqol?li=BBnbcA1&srcref=rss&ocid=iehrs

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Many people want to be rich, but few of us actually consider ourselves wealthy. Whether you're working for minimum wage or even if you have a prestigious job on Wall Street, there's probably a big gap between your financial status and your financial aspirations.

What can you do to close it? For one thing, maybe you need to stop holding yourself back. Here are 10 reasons you're probably keeping yourself from getting rich.

Any time I get to visit Madrid, Spain (España!), I take it. It’s where my mother was born and it’s where much of my family still reside. I used to visit every other year going back to my earliest of years. I miss it, I miss my family and I hope to visit again soon.

During my last trip, I had the opportunity to partner with BBVA and Oracle to present to executives from Spanish companies on the state and future of digital transformation and innovation. I also was treated to a tour of BBVA’s open innovation center in the heart of Madrid.

Following my presentation, I was asked to share my thoughts on the state and future of innovation and digital transformation. I also added some spice to flavor the discussion by taking the “digital” out of digital transformation to highlight the human story.

I wanted to share the conversation with you here. I hope it helps you!

Brian Solis is principal analyst and futurist at Altimeter, the digital analyst group at Prophet, Brian is world renowned keynote speaker and 7x best-selling author. His latest book, X: Where Business Meets Design, explores the future of brand and customer engagement through experience design.

Invite him to speak at your event or bring him in to inspire and change executive mindsets.

Connect with Brian!

Twitter: @briansolis
Facebook: TheBrianSolis
LinkedIn: BrianSolis
Instagram: BrianSolis
Youtube: BrianSolisTV
Snapchat: BrianSolis

With his appointment as chairman of Alibaba, Daniel Zhang is once again being tasked with filling the shoes of the tech company’s showman-founder Jack Ma.

Mr Zhang, 46, has been chief executive of the company valued at about $420bn for the past three years, earning a reputation as a safe pair of hands. Joe Tsai, executive vice-chairman of the company, says he is “capable . . . very creative and has big vision”.

An alumnus of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, he was set to join Barings only for the venerable British bank to then implode on the back of rogue trader Nick Leeson’s colossal losses.

Another luckless choice was Arthur Andersen, a career — and company — that died when the Enron scandal erupted.

Mr Zhang joined PwC instead, and later gained experience working at Shanda, the online gaming company which was acquired last year by Zhejiang Century Huatong Group.

He joined Alibaba in 2007 as chief financial officer of Taobao Marketplace, its online ecommerce platform, and has gradually risen up the ranks.

Mr Zhang is perhaps best known for his stewardship of Singles Day, an Alibaba innovation that transformed November 11 into the biggest shopping bonanza on the planet.

Last year, shoppers spent more than $25bn across Alibaba platforms on the day while Mr Zhang raced around logistics units and other parts of the Singles Day machine, cheering on workers and ensuring the 24 hours ran smoothly.

More recently, he is credited with driving the partnership with Starbucks to deliver coffee, dealing a blow to rival Tencent.

Mr Zhang will have another year to adust to learn the ropes from Mr Ma, but takes up the double-headed role at a difficult time.

Margins are being pummelled by the group’s pivot to “new retail”, with company spending heavily in bricks and mortar operations that require more capital expenditure and longer lead times than purely online efforts.

Intense competition with rival Tencent, in everything from payments to food delivery to ecommerce, is also pushing up operating costs, as the companies have to shell out subsidies to woo consumers and merchants to their platforms.

The trade dispute between China and the US, meanwhile, is roiling markets, threatening to dent the Alibaba model of connecting, say, cherry farmers in Washington state with diners in Beijing.

Mr Zhang has, however, stepped into Mr Ma’s shoes before. At Alibaba’s anniversary party last year the pair both dressed up as singer Michael Jackson but it was only Mr Ma’s pelvic thrusts that made it on to video.

It remains to be seen how smoothly the two will choreograph the transition from flamboyant showman to a rather more reluctant entertainer.

“In most organizations, innovation isn’t hampered by a lack of ideas, but rather a lack of noticing the good ideas already there. It’s not an idea problem; it’s a recognition problem.”

I like this observation from David Burkus in the HBR a couple years ago.

There can be a lot of friction when ideas move from conception to execution. The mindset needed to vet and evaluate ideas is fundamentally different than either the mindset needed when coming up with ideas or the mindset needed when executing ideas.

Walt Disney famously thought of those three mindsets as three distinct personalities: the Dreamer, the Realist, and the Spoiler. According to my friend (and Disney alum) Paul Williams at Idea Sandbox, Walt Disney treated ideas as progressing sequentially through those three compartmentalized stages.

As Paul Williams put it:

“When we brainstorm alone and in groups – too often – we tend to fill the room with a Dreamer or two, a few Realists, and a bunch of Spoilers. In these conditions dream ideas don’t stand a chance.”

To draw lines between those mindsets even clearer, Walt Disney apparently dedicated different physical rooms to each mindset. These rooms helped prompt what mindset was required at each stage. They helped ensure that innovation remained both creative and practical.

Here are a few related cartoons I’ve drawn over the years:

“Culture of Innovation” January 2018

“Open Innovation” August 2013

“Innovation Funnel” March 2011