Southern nations gear up for EU future showdown

Southern EU leaders on Friday sought to close ranks on migration, extremism and austerity with the bloc's future on the line, and ahead of a showdown with hardliners next week. Bringing together the members worst hit by the EU's twin recession and refugee crises, the mini-summit will focus on "protecting borders, fostering growth, fighting against immigration... and acting together against terrorism," French President Francois Hollande said at the meeting's start. With Italian Prime Minister Mat