Europe
- Far-right Freedom party to come first in Austrian election, first results suggestwww.theguardian.com Far-right Freedom party to come first in Austrian election, first results suggest
Party projected to beat centre-right People’s party by three points, surpassing expectations
- France's new government pledges hardline stance on migration as it cozies up to far rightapnews.com France's new government pledges hardline stance on migration as it cozies up to far right
France’s new government is set to take a hardline approach to migration issues as key officials have pledged to significantly reduce the number of people entering and staying illegally in the country.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20323444
> PARIS (AP) — France’s new government is set to take a hardline approach to migration issues as key officials have pledged to significantly reduce the number of people entering and staying illegally in the country.
- Pope wraps troubled Belgium visit by doubling down on abortion and women, praising abuse victimsapnews.com Pope wraps troubled Belgium visit by doubling down on abortion and women, praising abuse victims
Pope Francis has doubled down on his traditional views on abortion and women during his in-flight press conference coming home from Belgium.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20323226
> ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis wrapped up a troubled visit to Belgium on Sunday by doubling down on his traditional views on women and abortion and demanding that Catholic bishops stop covering up for predator priests — a scandal that has devastated the church’s credibility around the globe. > > Francis revisited the key thorny topics of his trip to Belgium during his in-flight press conference coming home, praising Belgium’s late King Baudouin as a “saint” for having abdicated for a day in 1990 rather than sign legislation legalizing abortion.
- As the Ukraine war enters a critical period, the EU moves ahead without the USapnews.com As the Ukraine war enters a critical period, the EU moves ahead without the US
The war in Ukraine is entering a critical period as the European Union enters a new era. The EU has decided to take more responsibility for what it sees as an existential threat to security in its neighborhood.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20323387
> BRUSSELS (AP) — As the war in Ukraine enters a critical period, the European Union has decided it must take responsibility for what it sees as a security threat in its own neighborhood, and it’s preparing to tackle some of the financial burden, perhaps even without the United States.
- EDPS decentralised social media pilot: the end of a successful storywww.edps.europa.eu EDPS decentralised social media pilot: the end of a successful story
Two years ago, the EDPS embarked on a pioneering journey to launch two social media platforms, EU Voice and EU Video. The pilot project has proved successful in delivering alternative, privacy-friendly and user-focused social media platforms. It is time to review the results.On 28 April 2022, ...
Things must be hard if the EU can't keep a single Mastodon server up.
- Russia: Under a proposed new legislation, comments defending the decision not to have children could be fined by up to €50,000english.elpais.com Russia considers law to ban defending child-free lifestyle
Under the proposed new legislation, comments defending the decision not to have children could be fined by up to $55,000. After prohibiting LGBTQ+ activism, Russian authorities have set their sight on the feminist movement
Openly defending one’s decision not to have children will be prosecuted in Russia. The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, is preparing a bill under which authorities will impose fines of up to €50,000 ($55,580) for supporting “the refusal to have children.” The measure affects all areas of life — from casual conversation to films and books — and is a serious threat to the Russian feminist movement.
The crackdown on what the Kremlin calls the “childfree” movement will result in fines of up to 400,000 rubles for individuals (around $4,300), 800,000 rubles for civil servants ($8,600), and up to five million rubles ($55,580) for companies or other legal entities. Foreigners will also be deported.
There are thousands of reasons why a person may decide not to have children, but the Cabinet of ministers has asked the State Duma to make only three exceptions to the law: religious reasons, medical reasons or in the case of rape. It also alleges that there is a mass-organized childfree movement, even though the websites on this subject are little more than a curiosity; Russian newspapers cite the existence of groups on VKontakte, the Russian Facebook, which barely have 5,000 members.
[...]
- EU Privacy Regulator Fines Meta EUR 91 Million Over Password Storagewww.gadgets360.com EU Privacy Regulator Fines Meta EUR 91 Million Over Password Storage
Meta says it took immediate action to fix the error after identifying it during a security review in 2019.
- Italy, Germany join carmakers in call to rethink internal combustion engine banwww.euronews.com Italy, Germany to propose rethink on petrol and diesel car ban
Rome and Berlin are siding with the European automotive industry in calling for the EU to relax CO2 emissions standards for cars as the bloc aims to end the sale of new petrol and diesel models by 2035. #EuropeNews
cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/43507472
- Sweden’s spreading crime epidemic alarms its neighborswww.politico.eu Sweden’s spreading crime epidemic alarms its neighbors
Shootings by Swedish gang members in other countries ups pressure on government in Stockholm.
cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/43413713
- Europe weakens wolf protection in "major blow to science and biodiversity after vote by EU member states", environmental advocacy sayswww.euronatur.org Europe weakens wolf protection
The plans to speed up the shooting of wolves in the EU have cleared a crucial hurdle. The representatives of the 27 states voted in favour of lowering the protected status of the animals and thus simplifying hunting.
A majority of EU Member States agreed to adopt the European Commission's proposal to downgrade the protection status of the wolf under the Bern Convention. This shift opens the door to wolf culling as a false solution to livestock depredation, which runs counter to Europe’s commitment to safeguard and restore biodiversity. The decision which cannot be scientifically justified went through after Germany changed its position from abstention to support.
With this decision, Member States have chosen to ignore the call of over 300 civil society organisations, among others EuroNatur, and more than 300,000 people urging them to follow scientific recommendations and step up efforts to foster coexistence with large carnivores through preventive measures.
[...]
Wolves are strictly protected under both the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive, serving as a keystone species vital for healthy ecosystems and biodiversity across Europe. Weakening their protection will hinder the ongoing recovery of wolf populations.
‘The EU's decision will not only destabilise the still fragile wolf populations in large parts of Europe, but also undermine the significant progress made towards a coexistence of humans and wolves,’ says Antje Henkelmann, project manager and wolf expert at EuroNatur. ‘Only efficient herd protection can prevent livestock kills. Instead, the EU is focussing on symbolic but inefficient culls. With her turnaround, the Federal Environment Minister is not only weakening wolf protection, but also giving in to populist demands that are of little use to livestock farmers,’’ says the biologist.
[...]
- Students Stumble Upon a Message in a Bottle Written by a French Archaeologist 200 Years Agowww.smithsonianmag.com Students Stumble Upon a Message in a Bottle Written by a French Archaeologist 200 Years Ago
The mysterious missive was written by P.J. Féret, who conducted an archaeological dig at the same site in northern France in 1825
- US announces nearly $8 billion military aid package for Ukrainekyivindependent.com US announces nearly $8 billion military aid package for Ukraine
The new tranche will include an additional Patriot air defense battery, unmanned aerial systems, and air-to-ground munitions.
- Three universities in North America and Europe turned down a bust to a Chinese human rights activist before it went to Irelandwww.irishtimes.com Three universities turned down a bust to a Chinese human rights activist before it went to Galway
Instead of spearheading China’s liberalisation, Western universities which benefit from Chinese money are increasingly vulnerable to pressure from its government
Instead of spearheading China’s liberalisation, Western universities that benefit from Chinese money are increasingly vulnerable to pressure from its government.
[...]
Through a combination of pressure tactics – including a global censorship regime, the weaponisation of informal Chinese networks, questionable party-state funding, and dependencies on “official China” – students and researchers are silenced, and higher education institutions are influenced.
Within many universities outside China, academic freedom has been compromised by Chinese funding. Dependent on the large funds that have been allocated to them, they are more inclined to do research in line with the CCP’s programme. More recently, the much publicised Hong Kong National Security Law allows anyone to be charged who challenges China’s national unity, regardless of nationality or territory. The Hong Kong National Security Law purports to have extraterritorial effect and therefore it is not limited to Chinese citizens or even those physically in Hong Kong. This inevitably contributes to a climate of self-censorship among academics.
[...]
Unfortunately, rising authoritarianism, if not actual totalitarianism, in China has turned the tables on Western universities. Instead of spearheading the liberalisation of China, they have become vulnerable to Chinese pressure in the opposite direction. Their partnerships with Chinese universities have turned into potential liabilities as professors come under fire for not properly declaring Chinese funding, research grants are linked to human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and universities’ technology breakthroughs are being used to improve China’s system of mass surveillance.
[...]
The Irish Centre for Human Rights and the University of Galway showed courage in accepting this gift of memory to [Chinese human rights activist] Liu. Statements of support by the university’s president and the director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights are significant. It is our hope that this example will encourage other universities to resist the pressure from Chinese money that might compromise their academic freedom.
[...]
- Romania has raised 4 fighter jets after a Russian drone has entered the national airspacespotmedia.ro Romania has raised 4 fighter jets, after a Russian drone has entered the national airspace
Romania has raised 4 fighter jets, after a Russian drone has entered the national airspace - spotmedia.ro
Romania has once again scrambled fighter jets last night after Russian forces attacked several targets in Ukraine.
A drone reportedly briefly entered Romanian airspace near the Ukrainian border.
The attack last night targeted the town of Izmail in the southern Odesa region, where three people were killed and at least 11, including a child, were injured, according to Governor Oleh Kiper quoted by Kiev Independent.
The Ukrainian Air Forces confirm that a Russian drone "strayed" into Romanian territory. In total, 32 drones were launched last night, of which 24 were intercepted, according to the Ukrainians.
"For monitoring the situation, two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Forces took off from the 86th Air Base in Borcea starting at 1:52 am and, later, starting at 3:22 am, two F-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air Forces from the Extended Air Policing Service at the 57th Air Base in Mihail Kogălniceanu."
[Edit typo.]
- Google files EU antitrust complaint against Microsoftwww.engadget.com Google files EU antitrust complaint against Microsoft
Google filed a complaint with the European Commission against Microsoft on Wednesday. It accused Microsoft of making it difficult for cloud customers to move their work from Azure to other providers.
https://archive.is/rUjJw
- Actress Dame Maggie Smith dies aged 89www.bbc.com Actress Dame Maggie Smith dies aged 89
She won two Oscars in her decades-long career and more recently starred in the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey.
Dame Maggie Smith, star of the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89
A statement from Dame Maggie's sons says she died peacefully in hospital on Friday morning
Fellow Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville says she was a "true legend of her generation" with a "sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent"
A legend of British stage and screen, Dame Maggie won two Oscars during her career - for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite in 1979
- France: Paris museum erases the name 'Tibet' from their exhibition catalogue replacing it with the Chinese name for the region, deferring to a Chinese political narrative, activists saywww.artnews.com Activists Denounce Paris Museum After Report Finds Tibetan Exhibits Were Renamed
Tibetan activists convened outside the Musée Guimet in Paris to protest the museum’s decision to remove Tibet from some exhibition materials.
On Saturday [September 21], Tibetan activists convened outside the Musée Guimet in Paris to protest the museum’s decision to replace exhibition materials that identify certain artifacts as Tibetan by replacing it with the Chinese name for the region. Activists claim the change to the language is problematic for deferring to a Chinese political narrative that’s historically aimed to erase Tibetan cultural identity from public spaces.
The mass protest, which some sources estimate attracted 800 demonstrators, followed a report in the French newspaper Le Monde alleging that Musée Guimet and the Musée du quai Branly, two prominent Parisian museums that house collections of Asian art, altered their exhibition materials cataloging Tibetan artifacts as deriving instead from then Chinese term “Xizang Autonomous Region.” According to the same report, the Musée Guimet renamed its Tibetan art galleries as deriving from the “Himalayan world.”
A handful of Tibetan cultural advocacy groups based in France penned letters to both museums, requesting formal meetings to discuss the reasons behind and implications of the terminology changes, a request that activists say was accepted by Musée du quai Branly, but not it’s peer Musée Guimet.
- China, EU agree to end EV tariff disputes with minimum price pledge | Automotive News
cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/43413835 > https://archive.is/g9pfT
- German supermarket Aldi's fake discounts breach EU law, top European court sayswww.euronews.com Aldi's fake discounts breach EU law, top European court says
The supermarket can’t pretend it’s offering a discount if it raises prices just to cut them back, the judges ruled in a case brought by consumer activists from Baden-Württemberg. #EuropeNews
The supermarket can’t pretend it’s offering a discount if it raises prices just to cut them back, the judges ruled in a case brought by consumer activists from Baden-Württemberg.
- France denies employment visa to Chinese researcher after French intelligence indicated he had links with the Chinese militarywww.intelligenceonline.com China/France/Israel : Researcher prevented from taking up post at French engineering school due to alleged Chinese army links
A Chinese teacher-researcher recruited by the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers has been prevented from travelling to France to take up his post. A French administrative court has
A Chinese teacher-researcher has been prevented from taking up a post at the prestigious French engineering school, the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers (ENSAM) in Paris, where he had been due to give lectures and pursue his research work in a restricted access laboratory. The researcher, who already had a contract in Israel, applied for a long-stay "talent" visa of the kind normally granted to researchers at the French consulate general in Jerusalem.
His application was initially refused on 5 June. He appealed against the decision to the specialised visa appeals body in Nantes in western France, which has yet to give its decision, but also took his case to the Nantes administrative court, asking it to suspend the consulate's decision and order the French authorities to grant him the visa he had applied for.
- The EU’s decision to name a Hungarian as its health commissioner is raising eyebrows in his country, which itself has crumbling hospitals and no health ministerwww.euractiv.com EU nomination shows up Hungary's struggling health service
The European Union's decision to name a Hungarian as its health commissioner has raised eyebrows in his country, which itself has crumbling hospitals and no health minister.
The nomination of Olivér Várhelyi, an ally of Hungary’s nationalist ruling party, to the health portfolio in the bloc’s new executive commission last week cast a harsh spotlight on the country’s own much-criticised public health system.
“If the goal is to help the member states of the European Union with ideas to destroy the health sector, to ransack it… then it was a great idea” to nominate Várhelyi, Zoltan Tarr, an EU lawmaker from Hungary’s opposition, told local media.
Hungary’s public health system has been under scrutiny since opposition leader Péter Magyar — a former ally turned critic of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — started touring hospitals this summer to denounce their “deplorable” conditions.
Magyar accuses Orbán of “systematically underfunding and dismantling public healthcare” by getting rid of the health ministry to save money shortly after he returned to power in 2010.
Hungary spent only 4.4% of its GDP on health in 2022, a smaller share than any other EU country, Eurostat figures show.
“Unfortunately… successive governments have not treated health as a priority,” the head of the country’s Hospital Association, Gyorgy Velkey, told AFP.
No water, no air con
Surveys show the quality of healthcare is one of the Hungarian public’s biggest concerns. Complaints from patients proliferate on social media.
From the lack of basic sanitary items to crumbling facilities, the list of complaints is almost as long as the notorious waiting lists for specialist care.
In one Facebook post from last month, a father deplored the state of the hospital in which his son, in his 30s, died of thrombosis.
“There was no air conditioning in the ICU. We had no light in the bathroom outside the ICU, and we were using our phone to get some light. There was no toilet seat and no water,” Laszlo, who asked not to be identified by his full name, told AFP.
Many patients say they turn to private providers to get better and faster medical care.
Szilvia, 32, who did not want to be identified by her full name, paid the equivalent of 3,000 euros ($3,350) to give birth to her second child in a private hospital after a “traumatic birth experience” with her first-born.
[...]
- Russia-friendly parties are manipulating Europe's traumatic past.theloop.ecpr.eu Russia-friendly parties are manipulating Europe's traumatic past
Russia-friendly parties are exploiting Europe’s war-torn past to justify Russia’s aggression and undermine Europe’s support for Ukraine. Polina Zavershinskaia argues that there is evidence in Germany and Italy that the strategy is working.
- Trump declines to meet with Zelensky to discuss Ukraine’s ‘victory plan’ against Russianovayagazeta.eu Trump declines to meet with Zelensky to discuss Ukraine’s ‘victory plan’ against Russia — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Despite Ukrainian officials saying last week that former US President Donald Trump would be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Washington this week, an official from the Trump campaign told the Associated Press on Wednesday that no such meeting had been schedul...
- Donald Trump pledges to take jobs from Britain, Germany and Chinawww.telegraph.co.uk Donald Trump pledges to take jobs from Britain, Germany and China
Republican candidate says he will impose substantial tariffs on companies that do not relocate to the US
Wrong link. https://archive.is/ZwF79
Correct link. https://archive.is/2ujHV
- Switzerland opens probe into use of suicide boothwww.aljazeera.com Switzerland opens probe into use of suicide booth
Police have detained several people over the death of a woman in Sarco suicide capsule.
- Far-right lawmakers nominate Musk for top EU rights awardwww.france24.com Far-right lawmakers nominate Musk for top EU rights award
Far-right lawmakers have proposed Elon Musk for the EU's top rights prize for the second year in a row as a champion of "free speech", the European Parliament said on Thursday.
- Top ally of Hungary PM Viktor Orbán says his country would not have fought a Russian invasiontelex.hu Balázs Orbán: Based on 1956, we probably wouldn't have done what Zelensky did, who took his country into a war of defense
The Hungarian PM's political director also said that 80-90 percent of Hungarians agree with the Hungarian government's policy on the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Balázs Orbán, the Hungarian Prime Minister's political director (who is not related to PM Viktor Orbán) gave an interview to the pro-government Mandiner, in which he discussed current public issues, [political opponent] Péter Magyar, the Draghi report, the US presidential election and US Ambassador David Pressman, which was caught by 444. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 comes up at the 14th minute of the conversation, when the journalist argues that at the time, the Americans did not seem to have viewed Hungary as a country worth helping.
"I think that the fact that there was no substantial American help for Hungary in '56 takes '56 out of the mouth of the United States. And from that point on, I don't think they can use it as an argument for anything," Mátyás Kohán said, to which Balázs Orbán replied:
>“Based precisely on '56, we probably would not have done what President Zelensky did 2.5 years ago, because it is irresponsible, because one can see that he took his country into a war of defense. So many people have died, so much territory was lost, and I'll say again, it is their right, it is their sovereign decision, they could choose to do it, but if they had asked us, we would not have recommended it, because of what happened in '56. Because we have learned that one has to be cautious here, and one has to treat the very precious Hungarian lives with great care. They cannot simply be thrown before others.”
The Prime Minister's Political Director then said that he believes provocation is counter-productive, and added that 80-90 percent of the Hungarian people agree with the Hungarian government's policy on the Russian-Ukrainian war. When the journalist asked what would have happened if the United States had helped Hungary in 1956, Balázs Orbán replied that he believes it would have led to World War III.
"Maybe we would have won, maybe we wouldn't have won, maybe the neighbouring countries would have sided with us, maybe they would have been against us," he said.
- Russia has destroyed all thermal power plants in Ukraine, says Zelenskyyenglish.nv.ua Russia has destroyed all thermal power plants in Ukraine, says Zelenskyy
Russia destroyed all thermal power plants and a significant portion of hydroelectric power plants in Ukraine, potentially leaving millions without heating this winter, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 25.
- Estonia again refutes suggestions that the rupture of a gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea last year by a Chinese cargo ship was an accident, China has still to respond a request for legal assistancenews.err.ee New Balticconnector pipeline damage facts come to light
Nearly a year ago, Estonia and Finland were both stunned by the news that the Balticconnector gas pipeline linking the two countries had ruptured, while nearby communication cables had also been damaged.
Estonian officials have again refuted suggestions that the rupture of the Balticconnector gas pipeline and two data cables in the Baltic Sea by the Chinese cargo ship, NewNew Polar Bear, in October 2023 was an accident.
“You would need to find a very stupid captain” for the incident to have been an accident, Jüri Saska, commander of the Estonian Navy (Merevägi), stated. Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur pointed out that the length of the furrow (180 km) that the Chinese ship’s anchor made on the seabed made it hard to believe that the incident was accidental. When the ship struck the gas pipeline, its speed dropped suddenly from 11 knots to 6 knots, which must have made a very loud noise throughout the ship’s hull, Saska noted.
Nevertheless, the ship’s crew insisted that it had no need for assistance. China has yet to respond to Estonia’s and Finland’s request for legal assistance in the investigation.
By the time the Newnew Polar Bear moved out of Estonia's area of responsibility, on October 11, a criminal case had already been initiated on both sides of the Gulf of Finland.
Finland is investigating the case as an act of sabotage, as damage to Estonian infrastructure. In the aftermath of the incident, the two countries jointly submitted to China a request for legal assistance, but 11 months and two weeks later had not received an official response.
- Russia has established a weapons programme in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine, European intelligence says
- Russia establishes drone factory in China
- Russian arms firm develops UAVs for use in Ukraine
- China-made drones have been delivered to Russia
- Chinese government says it is not aware of such a project
Russia has established a weapons programme in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine, according to two sources from a European intelligence agency and documents.
IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned weapons company Almaz-Antey, has developed and flight-tested a new drone model called Garpiya-3 (G3) in China with the help of local specialists, according to one of the documents, a report that Kupol sent to the Russian defence ministry earlier this year outlining its work.
[...]
Fabian Hinz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based defence think-tank, said the delivery of UAVs from China to Russia, if confirmed, would be a significant development.
"If you look at what China is known to have delivered so far, it was mostly dual-use goods - it was components, sub-components, that could be used in weapon systems," he [said]. "This is what has been reported so far. But what we haven't really seen, at least in the open source, are documented transfers of whole weapon systems."
[...]
David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector who heads the Institute for Science and International Security research group and has conducted extensive work on Chinese and Russian cooperation on drone production, told Reuters that Kupol could skirt Western sanctions on Russia by setting up a production facility in China where it could access advanced chips and expertise.
[...]
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his military had received around 140,000 drones in 2023 and that Moscow planned to increase this number tenfold this year.
"Whoever reacts faster to demands on the battlefield wins," he told a meeting in St Petersburg about drone production.
- [EU] [abortion] My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion
Publication croisé avec : https://peculiar.florist/notes/9ymyi5j3ibbdeh59
> [EU] [abortion] My Voice, My Choice: For Safe And Accessible Abortion > > @europe > eci.ec.europa.eu/044/public/#/screen/home > > Objectives > > The “My Voice, My Choice” campaign offers the people of Europe the chance to make women's lives freer, safer, and better; wherever they live in our union, whatever conditions they may find themselves in. > > The lack of access to abortion in many parts of Europe not only puts women at risk of physical harm but also puts undue economic and mental stress on women and families, often on the margins of society that can afford it the least. > > It has been well documented that treating reproductive care as a luxury does not reduce abortions, it simply drives women to seek unsafe abortions. > > To change this we are asking the European Commission to - in the spirit of solidarity - submit a proposal for financial support to Member States that would be able to perform safe termination of pregnancies for anyone in Europe who still lacks access to safe and legal abortion. > > Countless lives and livelihoods are ended, disrupted, and lost because of lack of access to safe abortion. This must stop. With this European Citizens' Initiative, we will move to a more just policy that expresses our European values more compassionately and concretely. > > \#EU #MyVoiceMyChoice #Abortion
- Why has Elon Musk been snubbed from the U.K's major investment summit?fortune.com Why has Elon Musk been snubbed from the U.K's major investment summit?
It is understood that Musk wasn't added to the list after he weighed into race riots in the U.K. over the summer.
https://archive.is/4Cczq
- Ukraine: Biden calls Germany meeting of Kyiv allies – DW – 09/26/2024www.dw.com Ukraine: Biden calls Germany meeting of Kyiv allies – DW – 09/26/2024
US President Joe Biden has said he will convene a high-level meeting of 50 Ukrainian allies in Germany next month. He also announced nearly $8 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
- Hungary connection: Orbán’s elite bodyguards protect Geert Wilders.vsquare.org Hungary connection: Orbán’s elite bodyguards protect Geert Wilders - VSquare.org
VSquare has learned that Geert Wilders spends time in Hungary under the auspices of Viktor Orbán’s elite bodyguards.
- 'A Disgrace': Italy Issues New Detention Order for Ship Saving Lives in Mediterranean | Common Dreamswww.commondreams.org 'A Disgrace': Italy Issues New Detention Order for Ship Saving Lives in Mediterranean | Common Dreams
Doctors Without Borders is fighting to save refugees in the Mediterranean, but Italian authorities are blocking their efforts. How can we stand by as lives hang in the balance?
> Doctors Without Borders is fighting to save refugees in the Mediterranean, but Italian authorities are blocking their efforts. How can we stand by as lives hang in the balance?
- Austria election brings into focus Russian gas addictionwww.euractiv.com Austria election brings into focus Russian gas addiction
The government that takes power in Austria after next Sunday's (29 September) general election will face growing pressure to diversify its energy supply away from dependence on Russian gas, just as the economy is stuck in reverse gear.
The government that takes power in Austria after next Sunday’s (29 September) general election will face growing pressure to diversify its energy supply away from dependence on Russian gas, just as the economy is stuck in reverse gear.
No party is expected to win enough seats to win an outright majority. Opinion polls give a slim lead to the opposition far-right, Russia-friendly Freedom Party (FPÖ), and the result could influence the speed of the energy transition.
[...]
“Other countries aren’t happy Austria is still consuming such large volumes of Russian gas”, said Stefan Schiman-Vukan, senior economist at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research.
[...]
Pointing to supplies from Norway and elsewhere, the energy ministry said it had taken steps to make Austria independent of Russian gas in the long-term, noting the country had sufficient import capacity for non-Russian gas via Germany and Italy, and that its large gas storage facilities were more than 90% full.
“The high dependence on Russian gas supplies is a major economic and security risk for Austria,” the ministry said in a statement. “It is therefore essential for our country’s security to further reduce gas consumption and stop buying Russian gas.”
The FPÖ says Russian gas must remain part of Austria’s energy mix, although its lead is narrowing.
[...]
Austria can manage, officials say, pointing to a recent government-commissioned study that states imports through Italy and Germany, as well as its reserves, could cover its needs.
[...]
- Combustion engine ban threatens ‘grave crisis’ for Europe, Italy says
Industry minister Adolfo Urso warns of large-scale job losses among carmakers unless Green Deal rules are relaxed
- How Eastern Europe is shaking up the EU's multicultural ambitions.www.rfi.fr How Eastern Europe is shaking up the EU's multicultural ambitions
The European Union is grappling with a widening divide over its identity, with a major report this week exposing tensions between ethnic nationalism and values centred on inclusivity and diversity. These…
- 80 years on, French lake still polluted by World War II bombswww.france24.com 80 years on, French lake still polluted by World War II bombs
A French environmental group has found artillery shells dating back to World Wars I and II and even the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 in a lake in eastern France. Water samples from Gerardmer in the Vosges…
A French environmental group has found artillery shells dating back to World Wars I and II and even the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 in a lake in eastern France. Water samples from Gerardmer in the Vosges mountains show high levels of TNT explosive as well as metals like iron, titanium and lead. A major theatre of conflicts over the past century and a half, France is particularly afflicted by unexploded ordnance, which results in 10 deaths nationwide a year.