Europe

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New Zealand will continue its military assistance to Ukraine until at least December 2026, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced this week, with up to 100 NZDF personnel remaining deployed across Europe to support training, intelligence, logistics, and liaison operations.

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Framed as a show of “unwavering support” for Ukraine, the announcement signals a long-term commitment to a conflict that remains fluid, with ceasefire negotiations reportedly under way.

Of the $152 million committed, $102.3 million has been spent on military training, logistics, and equipment. Only $31.9 million has gone toward humanitarian support, and a further $5.2 million to legal and human rights monitoring

While over 53,000 Ukrainian troops have reportedly been trained through allied efforts, New Zealand’s marginal impact must be weighed against the opportunity cost.

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Additionally, the United Kingdom government has announced a deal worth £30 million (NZ$66.8 million) for drones produced by New Zealand company SYOS Aerospace.

New Zealand is also expected to announce increased support for the joint Operation Interflex training Ukrainian forces in the UK, extending it until the end of the year. More than 54,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained there to date.

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Robotics business SYOS manufactures drones at its factory in Hampshire, southeast of London, and they have been deployed to combat zones.

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Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha will also join a UK carrier strike group leaving Portsmouth for the Indian Ocean.

"As the world becomes an increasingly dangerous place, I am proud how much we are doing together to support our national and economic security - stepping up our defence spending, deploying our navies together in the Indo-Pacific and continuing our work to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to deter an increasingly aggressive Russia," [UK PM] Keir Starmer said.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2599828

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As some European countries and the United States head towards isolationism, authoritarianism and turn to the East — even flirting with Russia — Canada’s continued Liberal leadership reinforces its position as a key ally for the European Union. Carney’s centrist and pro-EU attitude provides stability and relief for Europeans.

From defence to trade and climate, Canada and the EU share deep economic and strategic ties. With a Liberal government, these connections will strengthen, offering both sides what they need the most: a reliable, like-minded partner at a time of transatlantic unpredictability.

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Trade remains the foundation of the Canada-EU relationship, and both sides should aim to build on it. At the heart of this partnership is the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which has increased EU-Canada trade by 65 per cent since 2017.

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Beyond trade and energy, defence co-operation between Canada and the EU is expected to surge. A key priority for the new Liberal government is to finally reach NATO’s benchmark of spending two per cent of gross domestic product on defence, a longstanding commitment that has eluded previous administrations.

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In a remarkable example of how times have changed, Japan is expanding its military with NATO.

There was a time when the notion of a militarily assertive Japan would’ve sent shivers through the spines of world leaders. Indeed, the Japanese themselves, mindful of both the suffering that their nation inflicted and then suffered in return during World War II, pursued a pacifistic foreign policy throughout the Cold War and for even much of the post-Cold War era.

What a difference eight decades, and the looming threat of Chinese aggression, make. Nations that once shuddered at the thought of a stronger Japan now welcome it. This can be seen in Japan’s newly bolstered ties with the Philippines as well as multinational partnerships such as “The Quad” (among India, Australia, Japan, and the United States). And now, in a perhaps even more remarkable example of how times have changed, Japan is expanding those military ties beyond the Indo-Pacific over to NATO.

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“China, North Korea, and Russia are stepping up their military exercises and their cooperation, undermining global stability, and that means what happens in the Euro-Atlantic matters for the Indo-Pacific and vice versa. So our security, I believe, is inseparable,” [NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said].

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“China is supporting Russia’s efforts. China is building up its armed forces, including its navy, at a rapid pace. We cannot be naïve, and we really have to work together, assess what is happening,” [Rutte said].

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Russia is ramping up immigration enforcement to pressure migrants to join the frontline in Ukraine and increase deportations of people from various Asian countries. As part of the Kremlin’s efforts to bolster military strength, foreigners continue to be coerced into fighting in Ukraine–with many being threatened with deportation should they refuse to fight. And since the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Moscow in March 2024, xenophobic rhetoric targeting migrants from Tajikistan and other countries in Central Asia has ballooned, leading to “sweeping” raids that have resulted in thousands of people being locked up in the country’s sprawling immigration detention system. In February, legislation came into force creating a new “expulsion regime,” increasing authorities’ ability to deport without judicial oversight.

Although the Russian economy relies heavily on migrant labour, particularly from Central Asia, prejudice against migrants is persistent. According to the extremism monitor Sova Research Center, since 2023 Russia has witnessed an increase in hate crimes and racial violence. In particular, the Center reports that violence has targeted persons “visually perceived as ethnic outsiders”–such as migrants from Central Asia, persons from the Caucasus and, more broadly, persons with non-Slavic appearance. Anti-migrant sentiment is also reflected in polls conducted by the Levada Center, who in early 2025 found that fifty-six percent of Russians believe that Central Asians should either be completely blocked from the country, or only permitted to enter temporarily.

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Paywall? https://archive.is/P62dX

Archived

TDs in Ireland [a member of the Dáil Éireann -the Lower House of the Houses of the Oireachtas elected by the people of Ireland- is commonly referred to as a Teachta Dála (TD) or Deputy] increasingly regard China as an “international security issue” amid complaints about the bullying and intimidation of Irish residents, a journalist has said.

The Chinese State has long taken a different attitude to free speech to Ireland’s and individuals who criticise Beijing can face harsh consequences.

On The Pat Kenny Show, Irish Times journalist Colm Keena told the story of Nuria Zyden - a woman from China’s Uyghur minority.

“She came to Ireland in 2009, is a naturalised Irish citizen, has three Irish born children living here,” he said.

“She gets phone calls from the police in Xinjiang because they’re not happy with her Uyghur activities here [in Ireland] on behalf of the Uyghur community.”

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“[They would] ring people and [tell them], ‘I want you to come back to China to face charges,’” he said.

“Then, if you weren’t inclined to do that, then something bad might happen to family members back in China.”

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A report by a human rights group Safeguard Defenders concluded that sometimes such tactics work, with at least one Chinese person returning from Ireland to China to face charges.

“They published a new report last year, the same NGO, and they looked at the history of this activity,” Mr Keena said.

“One of the reports that was in it is a news report from China about a fella in Ireland from Fujian living in Dublin who was wanted by police back in Fujian.

“He got 19 telephone calls from police in Fujian saying, ‘We’ve been visiting your family.’

“He eventually agreed to return to China to face charges and it was all sub-diplomatic, not done through Interpol or anything like that.

“It was reported in Chinese media because, I suppose, the Chinese authorities want people to know this is happening.”

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A sizable number of Ireland’s Chinese diaspora come from Fujian province and the local police force has even set up a centre on Dublin’s Capel Street to keep an eye on them.

“It was created in, I suppose you could say, in a sub-diplomatic kind of way,” Mr Keena said.

Faced with American uncertainty surrounding the war in Ukraine and the future of NATO, Europe is looking to wean itself off US defence. France has promised to ramp up spending, putting its industry into overdrive, but what are the financial and recruitment issues? From the factory floor to AI engineers, our reporters went to meet the companies that are trying to rise to the challenge. #France #Europe #Defence

Good news,
the cause was identified by the Portugal Grid Operator and it wasn't sabotage (see Update in the article)

Due to extreme temperature variations in the interior of Spain, there were anomalous oscillations in the very high voltage lines (400 kV), a phenomenon known as induced atmospheric vibration. These oscillations caused synchronisation failures between the electrical systems, leading to successive disturbances across the interconnected European network.

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Giving up the land that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 is also politically and legally impossible, according to experts. It would require a change to the Ukrainian constitution and a nationwide vote, and it could be considered treason. Lawmakers and the public are firmly opposed to the idea.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” said Oleksandr Merezkho, a lawmaker with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s party. “We will never recognize Crimea as part of Russia.”

Unlike a territorial concession, a formal surrender would permanently relinquish Crimea and abandon the hope that Ukraine could regain it in the future.

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The US wants central and eastern European countries to join its path of “energy freedom” instead of following the wider region’s transition to a net zero economy, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in Warsaw.

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“Central Europe faces a time for choosing,” Wright told conference participants. “We warmly welcome you to join us on Team Energy Freedom and Prosperity for Citizens.”

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“In fact, the clarion conclusion from economic studies of climate change is that net zero 2050 is absolutely the wrong goal,” he said. “Not only is it unachievable, but the blind pursuit of it will cause, is causing far more human damage than climate change itself.”

President Trump has repeatedly called on Europe to buy more American energy products if the bloc wants to avoid tariffs.

Extra context:

Climate Crisis Deniers Explain Why They Like U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright - DeSmog

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28815530

Summary

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, during his first visit to Denmark since taking office in March, rejected Donald Trump’s push to annex Greenland, stating the island "will never be a piece of property that can be bought."

Standing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, he added, “We are in a foreign policy situation which means we have to move closer together.”

Frederiksen said Denmark was ready to invest more in Greenland as part of a “modernisation” of the two countries relationship.

Archived

Imagine being a child watching in terror as your country is invaded, seeing bombs obliterate your town and wondering if your father fighting on the frontlines is even still alive. Then imagine being kidnapped by that invading army, taken to a hostile country where you are not allowed to speak your own language and told every day that your parents have abandoned you(Open Link in new window) and your country soon will be wiped off the map.

For the approximately 20,000 Ukrainian children(Open Link in new window) kidnapped by Russian forces, this nightmare is their reality. As the United States continues talks with Moscow and Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine, negotiators must prioritize the return of these innocent lives.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, a famous Ukrainian human rights lawyer and winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, asserts(Open Link in new window) that reprogramming children to “reject their native language and culture is a genocidal tactic aimed at erasing a people by destroying its future.” And that is exactly what Russia is attempting to do by sending the kidnapped Ukrainian children to “re-education” camps, where Russian operatives attempt to brainwash the children into forgetting or giving up their Ukrainian roots.

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cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/62603339

The European Commission imposed definitive countervailing duties on imports of mobile access equipment (MAE) from China.

The measures aim to shield the EU MAE industry, which employs over 3,000 people across several Member States, from unfair trading practices.

The Commission’s anti-subsidy investigation revealed that unfair Chinese subsidies, including land use rights below fair value, preferential financing and tax reductions, made it difficult for the EU industry to compete with imports from China and resulted in significant market share losses, despite a strong increase in demand for MAE.

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MAE is used to lift workers to carry out works at height, mainly in the construction sector, but also to install antennas and other telecom equipment. The EU MAE market is worth more than €1 billion per year.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33482669

Archived

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Working with the anti-racism group Hope Not Hate, the Guardian found more than 150 posts from 29 accounts on three days in August 2024 that sought to draw the attention of anti-immigrant groups and the far right to [exiled dissident Finn] Lau and other Hong Kong exiles. Cybersecurity experts who have reviewed the posts say they exhibited some similarities to a major online influence operation that a Chinese security agency is suspected of orchestrating.

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Lau and his fellow activists have been called traitors, with bounties on their heads that are three times what the authorities offer for murderers. Relatives back home have been arrested and intimidated. As he read the posts, Lau suspected a chilling new tactic: an attempt to harness far-right violence.

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Posts on X inciting attacks on Lau and others were directed at far-right figures, including Tommy Robinson. “They’re even supporting the Muslim minorities too!” read one post denouncing Hongkongers, sent to the Reform UK MP Richard Tice. It gave the date and location of a planned gathering of Hongkongers a few days later. Posts on Telegram appeared in the channels of the leaders of the white nationalist group Patriotic Alternative.

Online incitement appears to represent a novel weapon in the arsenal that projects Beijing’s power. Lau is one of the opponents of the regime – Hongkongers as well as Tibetans, Uyghurs, Taiwanese and campaigners for democracy – subjected to what the US-based advocacy group Freedom House calls “the most sophisticated, global and comprehensive campaign of transnational repression in the world”. [...]

https://archive.is/7fdeH

Germany’s chancellor in waiting hands key ministries to CDU veterans and business figures, setting the tone for a more conservative, security-focused government.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/62609277

Overall, sales of Chinese car brands in Europe increased again in the first quarter. However, manufacturers achieved this growth by bringing more combustion-engine and hybrid vehicles into Europe – both not affected by the EU’s special tariffs on China-made EVs.

The Socialist Party mayor of Paris, a guest on franceinfo on Monday, defended her urban policy aimed at reducing car traffic, despite, she said, lobby pressure.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a guest on franceinfo on Monday, August 28, defended her choices in urban policy, and in particular her desire to reduce car traffic, a source of "pollution that kills . "

"Threats" from lobbies

The role of cars is shrinking in Paris. The mayor of the capital believes that the city was "behind" and that today, projects must be "accelerated," particularly "the bicycle plan . " "It makes us improve the public transport network," she added before defending the fight against pollution. "Pollution kills." Anne Hidalgo clarifies that she has not changed her mind, even though she has been "threatened ," she says, by diesel and automobile lobbies.

"I repeat, I prefer to be on the right side of history ," declared Anne Hidalgo.

Harshly criticized for her choices regarding mobility in a book entitled Notre-Drame de Paris , written by Airy Routier and Nadia Lebrun, to be published on August 30 by Albin Michel, Anne Hidalgo said she was not seeking unanimity. "The book is a damning document, a caricature," she added.

The prescription method is not the right one

Asked about the government's record, Anne Hidlago criticized the method used for the reform of the Labor Code . "Orders are not a mode of governance adapted to the modernity that we should be able to bring: relying on social partners, working while taking the time for these reforms ," ​​declared the Socialist Party representative.

The mayor of Paris did not comment on the substance of the project under negotiation, preferring to "wait and see what the outcome is . " "Let's not make assumptions," she added.

Her position is identical on an overall assessment of Emmanuel Macron's presidency since his election. "It is difficult after four months to make an exhaustive and definitive assessment ," declared Anne Hidalgo, specifying that as mayor of Paris, she is "a partner of the State . " "I have many subjects on which I am working with the President of the Republic (...) I feel very free to give my point of view on each of the elements ," specified the mayor of Paris. "On the Olympic Games, we are together (...) On refugees and migrants, there is a word that the head of state gave me, I have no reason to question it. But I have a certain number of concerns."

Jean-Luc Mélenchon "stirs up" Asked to comment on the state of the Socialist Party, Anne Hidalgo asked for "time" after the "blow to the head" in the presidential and then legislative elections, calling for "not to make French political life hysterical at the start of a five-year term ." The mayor of Paris declared that she was wary of "the violence of words," which can "produce violence in actions . "

Is she targeting Jean-Luc Mélenchon? "I am targeting those who use political discourse in such an aggressive way that there is no longer any room for dialogue ," replied Anne Hidalgo, adding that "Jean-Luc Mélenchon is one of those who stir up trouble." However, for the mayor of Paris, the last elections showed "a rejection by the French of something that stirs up trouble, that antagonizes."

LA GRAND COMBE, France (AP) — A man suspected of killing a Muslim worshipper in a mosque in the south of France was still on the run Sunday, authorities said, in an attack described by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou as Islamophobic.

Both men were alone in the mosque in the former mining town of La Grand Combe on Friday when the victim was fatally stabbed. The assailant recorded the attack on his phone, and security camera footage showed him shouting insults at “Allah,” which means God in Arabic, local media said.

https://archive.is/A4rQ7