Europe

Archived

[...] France

Anatoly Kuzichev, co-host of the talk show Vremya Pokazhet (lit. “Time Will Tell”) on Kremlin-controlled Perviy Kanal (lit. “Channel One”), has made frequent visits to Paris in recent years. Travel records suggest that he also enjoys Amsterdam, Barcelona, Venice, and even the United States.

Kuzichev is not alone in his fondness for France. Other Kremlin propagandists who frequent the country include:

• Marina Danielyan, chief of staff to the CEO of Channel One
• Larisa Krymova, head of public relations and internet broadcasting at Channel One
• Alexander Fayfman, first deputy CEO of Channel One
• Marina Kataya, deputy executive producer at NTV
• Sergey Burygin, deputy CEO of REN TV
• Yulia Bystritskaya, CEO of TV Center
• Oleg Volnov, deputy CEO of Channel One for political programming
• Gennady Gokhshtein, deputy CEO of VGTRK
• Aleksey Yefimov, CEO of Channel One’s international division
• Vadim Takmenyov, deputy executive producer at NTV
• Anatoly Tupitsyn, executive producer at LLC AKCEPT (the legal name of REN TV)
• Igor Ugolnikov, CEO of the VoenFilm Studio
• Darya Khubova, executive producer at Vremya (Channel One's main evening newscast)
• Pyotr Shepin, commercial director at Channel One
• Alexander Yakovenko, deputy director of news at NTV
• Nailya Asker-Zade, television host and media personality

[...]

[The article lists dozens of other Russian propagandists who frequently visit European countries like Spain, Italy, Croatia, Estonia, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Finland.]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/38645950

Archived

Russia, Iran and China are behind a growing number of life-threatening operations in Britain including attacks and kidnappings, often deploying criminals and sometimes children as proxies, two senior British police officers said on Tuesday.

The British authorities in recent years have repeatedly voiced concern at what they said was malign activity by the three states in Britain, ranging from traditional espionage and actions to undermine the state, to sabotage and assassinations.

[...]

British officers said there had been a fivefold increase in hostile state activity since the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2017, which London says was carried out by Russian spies.

[...]

Dominic Murphy, who heads up London's Counter Terrorism Command, said the breadth, complexity and volume of hostile operations from Russia, Iran and China had grown at a rate neither they nor their international partners nor any intelligence community had predicted.

"We are increasingly seeing these three states ... undertaking threat-to-life operations in the United Kingdom," he told reporters.

In most instances, proxies, usually criminals acting quite often for small amounts of cash, were carrying out the states' work for them, said Vicki Evans, the Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing.

The proxies also included vulnerable people or those who felt disenfranchised, with those aged in their mid teens among those arrested or under investigation.

[...]

Original title: ‘Moreel faillissement van onze buitenlandpolitiek’: organisaties woedend over uitblijven EU-sancties tegen Israël, from Dutch newspaper NRC. Translated using DeepL.

European sanctions

Amnesty calls the decision by EU ministers not to impose sanctions on Israel for the time being ‘one of the most shameful moments in the history of the EU’. Israel calls it a success.

Human rights and aid organisations reacted angrily on Tuesday evening to the European Union’s decision not to impose sanctions on Israel for the time being, despite violations of humanitarian law.

In a written response to NRC, Oxfam Novib referred to ‘a political charade’ in which ‘a few crumbs of aid are used to create the impression that there will be a substantial improvement in the terrible situation facing the Palestinian civilian population’. According to Oxfam, this reflects ‘the moral bankruptcy of Dutch and European foreign policy’.

According to Oxfam, outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp (NSC) continues to ‘hide behind European divisions over concrete actions against Israel’. According to the NGO, he uses these divisions as ‘an excuse for this cabinet not to fulfil its own international obligations’.

Postponement

Veldkamp himself told the ANP news agency that it was a ‘win’ that all measures the EU could take ‘remained on the table. There are member states, large and small, that would have preferred to remove such options from the table.’

Israel has been given more time by EU ministers to show that it is allowing sufficient aid to reach the starving population of Gaza. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the EU decision ‘an important diplomatic success’ on social media and thanked ministers who prevented sanctions.

Amnesty International states that the failure to impose sanctions, such as suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, will be remembered ‘as one of the most shameful moments in the history of the EU.’ It is ‘a cruel betrayal of the European project, which is based on the enforcement of international law.’

The director of human rights organisation The Rights Forum called the decision ‘cowardly and shameful’. ‘Israel is violating international law, but the EU once again does not dare to impose sanctions. This is not diplomacy and enforcement of international law – this is shameless complicity in genocide,’ said The Rights Forum.

The Dutch pro-Israel lobby group CIDI calls it ‘good to see that the EU is not bowing to anti-Israel hysteria’. According to CIDI, not imposing sanctions is ‘the only correct decision’.

Reactions in The Hague

In the Dutch political arena, the parties that have already criticised Dutch policy on Israel are particularly vocal. GroenLinks-PvdA [green/social democrats] MP Kati Piri says that ‘the moral authority of the European Union is evaporating’. Piri calls for national sanctions. CDA [christian democrats] MP Derk Boswijk finds the decision ‘incomprehensible’. ‘The Netanyahu government has so far shown little sensitivity to reasonableness.’

‘Ethnic cleansing is taking place in Gaza,’ writes D66 [social liberal] MP Jan Paternotte. ‘This way, Europe is allowing this to happen.’ ‘Shortly after commemorating the genocide in Srebrenica, European leaders announce that they will not take action against Israel,’ says Christine Teunissen of the Party for the Animals. ‘While we witness genocide in Gaza on a daily basis.’

Archived (archive.org)

MARLBOROUGH, England — After years of illegal polluting by Britain's water industry, an independent report planned for release in the coming days could lead to tightened regulation while also prompting an expensive modernization drive.

* Designers from across Europe invited to apply, starting 15 July 2025
* Application platform open until 18 August 2025
* Governing Council’s decision on final design expected by end of 2026 following a public survey 

The European Central Bank (ECB) today launched a public contest for the design of future euro banknotes – the next step in the euro banknote redesign process. The ECB’s Governing Council has already selected two possible themes for the future euro banknotes after consulting experts and the public. These are: “European culture”, focusing on shared cultural spaces and important Europeans; and “Rivers and birds”, focusing on the resilience and diversity of Europe’s natural ecosystems. In January the Governing Council also selected motifs to illustrate the two possible themes.

The design contest, which is open to graphic designers residing in the European Union, aims to identify the best design proposals for the future euro banknotes. The contest will proceed in two phases: an application phase and a design proposal phase. During the application phase, designers must meet the specific requirements listed in the contest notice. The applicants will be assessed on the basis of their qualifications and achievements. Selected designers will be invited to participate in the second phase and submit their design proposals. A group of independent experts – the Design Contest Jury – will evaluate the proposals and select up to five per theme.

“The euro is more than a currency – it symbolises European unity and diversity. Through this contest, we invite designers across Europe to shape the future of our banknotes to reflect our shared cultural identity and natural heritage,” said ECB President Christine Lagarde.

After the contest finishes, the public will be invited to provide feedback on the designs selected. The Governing Council is expected to decide on the final design by the end of 2026. The new banknotes will be ready to enter circulation some years after this decision and following the production process. For detailed information about the contest, please refer to the ECB’s website and the Official Journal of the European Union. Designers interested in participating are invited to submit their application by 12:00 CET on 18 August.

Speaking after a meeting with Bavaria's state Cabinet atop the Zugspitze mountain, Germany's highest peak, Merz said that continuing with the 15% minimum tax in Europe would put the continent’s economy at a disadvantage.

The odds of a breakthrough to resolve trade frictions at next week’s EU-China summit in Beijing appear slim after China cut the planned two-day talks to a single day.

[...]

The European Union's €400 billion ($467 billion) trade deficit with China is driving the dispute, fueled by restricted access to the Chinese market for EU producers. China's industrial policies favor domestic suppliers, who benefit from huge subsidies, access to government contracts and favorable regulations.

EU officials say these policies have caused significant overproduction, leading to the "dumping" of cheap Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) onto the EU market, harming the domestic auto sector.

"The scale of China's economy — the scale of subsidies, overcapacity and government intervention — is immense," Bachulska said, adding that, without "serious action" to protect Europe's auto industry, the EU risks "partial deindustrialization" within a few years.

[...]

In April, the concerns about China's trade practices led the European Union to create an Import Surveillance Task Force to help protect the bloc's internal market, which could trigger EU anti-dumping duties or other safeguards.

The task force promptly noted an 8.2% increase in China's exports to the European Union in April, compared with the same month in 2024, which it attributed to Chinese exporters diverting US exports to the EU to avoid Trump's higher tariffs.

[...]

Some EU observers see US President Donald Trump's tariffs, which helped upend decades of close trans-Atlantic relations, as an opportunity for the European Union to reset ties with the world's second-largest economy. Faced with major disruption to its US trade, they say China needs Europe more than ever and can be pushed to offer concessions during next week's summit.

"I think these voices are very naive," Bachulska said. "China has won the first round of the trade war with the US, and there is a strong feeling in Beijing that time is on their side" in negotiations with the EU.

[...]

Some analysts say the European Union continues to underestimate the economic threat from China and has failed to adopt a tougher approach to counter some of the country's unfair trade practices.

"There's a tendency to sideline China-related issues in Europe because we just have so many things on our plates," Bachulska said, referring to the Ukraine war and the EU's trade dispute with Trump. "China seems just to be a geographically distant challenge ... [but] many of the impacts of Chinese policies are going to be felt in Europe very soon."

Europe’s wine sector has condemned the European Commission’s plan to include the grape-based beverage on its €72 billion retaliation list against US exports

With the potential withdrawal, the Commission apparently wanted to send a signal in the final phase of negotiations on a trade agreement to avoid high tariffs between the EU and the US.

Archived

European Commission vice-president Teresa Ribera has warned China that the EU will not tolerate “dumping” of low-cost Chinese electric vehicles in Europe. And she rejected the idea that the EU should accept “cheap equipment” to help member-states to reach their decarbonisation goals.

[...]

“There is this assumption that counting on cheap equipment could be good to boost the potential of new developments and new decarbonisation pathways in the European market that could be beneficial. And there may be truth on one side, but as you also know, it may be difficult in terms of how it could impact on the capacity to ensure a level playing field. So we cannot accept any type of dumping practices.”

[...]

Trade figures on Monday showed that China’s exports continued to grow in June, jumping by 5.8 per cent compared to a year earlier, despite US tariffs of about 55 per cent on Chinese goods. China ended the first half of 2025 with a record trade surplus of about USD586 billion.

Analysts suggest that Chinese manufacturers have been front-loading exports to the US in case tariffs rise higher in the coming months. But exports to other parts of the world, including the EU, have also continued to rise.

Paywall? https://archive.is/X5ExF

Original Article by Chris Walker , Truthout.

“The influence of climate change has [temperatures] up by several degrees,” the study’s lead author said.

Human-caused climate change was responsible for around 1,500 deaths during this year’s atypical heat wave across Europe, a newly published rapid study of mortality data suggests.

The study, conducted by scientists at Imperial College of London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, examined 2,300 heat-related deaths across 12 European cities during the heat wave from June 23 to July 2. About two-thirds of those deaths — approximately 1,500 — were directly attributable to additional warming caused by the climate crisis, scientists said.

Those deaths only happened “because of climate change,” said study co-author Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College. “They would not have died if it would not have been for our burning of oil, coal and gas in the last century.”

Temperatures across those 12 cities were 2 to 4 degrees Celsius above what would have naturally occurred if not for human-caused climate change, the scientists discovered.

Certain groups of people, particularly the elderly, were more affected by the rise in heat levels than others — indeed, 1,100 of those 1,500 deaths involved people who were 75 years of age or older.

Related Story Activists project flames and commentary on the side of the Trump International Hotel in protest of President Donald Trump's response to science and climate change in the face of devastating wildfires burning throughout the United States on October 21, 2020, in Washington, D.C. | The days of loudly debating the science have mostly given way to an effort to withhold the raw information itself. “The influence of climate change has [temperatures] up by several degrees and what that does is it brings certain groups of people more into dangerous territory. … For some people it’s still warm fine weather but for now a huge sector of the population it’s more dangerous,” said lead author of the study Ben Clarke of Imperial College.

The climate crisis also likely contributed to higher rates of wildfires seen across Europe. More than 200,000 hectares of land have burned across European Union member states since the start of the year, more than twice the average that has burned annually from 2006 to 2024. Around 1,118 wildfires have been detected across the EU, too — a 56 percent increase from last year.

While wildfires can be natural phenomena, scientists around the globe largely agree that the drying conditions leading to an increase in wildfires are caused by the climate crisis.

“The evidence connecting the climate crisis and extreme wildfires is clear. Increased global temperatures and reduced moisture lead to drier conditions and extended fire seasons,” an article from The Nature Conservancy published earlier this year explains. “Prolonged heatwaves can take what was once a natural event in the fire-cycle process and supercharge it into a maelstrom that devastates entire communities. And, crucially, worsening wildfires mean larger amounts of stored carbon are released into the atmosphere, further worsening climate change.”

With Trump’s fascist agenda driving the narrative, it’s the duty of independent media to disrupt corporate propaganda.

Yet, at such a pivotal moment, donations to Truthout have been declining. Why? Blatant political censorship from Big Tech.

As we face mounting repression, Truthout appeals for your support. Please donate during our fundraiser — we have 10 days left to raise $50,000.

This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license.

• According to the most recent IMF data on foreign investment, EU member states held €72.1 billion in foreign investment in Israel in 2023, compared to €39.2 billion for the US.
• Israel itself has invested €65.9 billion in the EU, seven times as much as in the US (€8.8 billion). That makes the EU the main destination for Israeli investment.
• Despite Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and its unlawful occupation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the EU increased exports to Israel by €1 billion, standing at €25.5 billion in 2023 and €26.7 billion in 2024.
• The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, and its total trade with Israel in 2024, including imports and exports, amounted to €42.6 billion. This is significantly more than the US, whose trade with Israel totalled €31.6 billion in the same year.
• Of all EU member states, the Netherlands is by far the largest investor in Israel and is responsible for two-thirds of EU investment in Israel. In fact, no other country worldwide has more investments in Israel. With €50 billion in investment held by Dutch companies in 2023, the Netherlands even tops the US. Conversely, the Netherlands is also the largest destination for Israeli investment, attracting six times as much investment as the US.

The British government announced in early July that a far-right group called the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) will be banned under terrorism legislation. This will make it a criminal offence in the UK to be a member of the group or to express support for it.

[...]

The RIM is an ultra-nationalist, neo-nazi and white supremacist organisation based in Russia. It was created in 2002 by Stanislav Anatolyevich Vorobyev, a Russian national who is designated a terrorist by the US government.

The group seeks to create a new Russian empire, and uses the Russian imperial flag as its sign. The previous Russian empire (1721-1917) encompassed all of modern-day Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Finland, Georgia, Armenia and the Baltic states, as well as parts of China.

[...]

The movement does not recognise Ukrainian sovereignty. It sees Ukraine as part of what it calls a global Zionist conspiracy designed to undermine Russia and promote Jewish interests. The RIM has engaged in Holocaust denial and is formally outlawed in the US, Canada and now the UK.

It also has a paramilitary wing called the Imperial Legions, which operates at least two training facilities in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. The US State Department believes these facilities are being used to train RIM members in woodland and urban assault, tactical weapons and hand-to-hand combat.

[...]

Since 2014, when the conflict in eastern Ukraine began, the movement has trained and sent members as mercenaries to bolster the pro-Russian separatist groups fighting there. Its members have also actively supported the Russian armed forces in Ukraine after the full-scale invasion in 2022.

[...]

The movement also maintains strong ties with the Russian private military company, the Wagner Group. Imperial Legions fighters are believed to have operated alongside Wagner mercenaries in Syria, Libya and possibly the Central African Republic.

[...]

The movement has been active in supporting far-right organisations in Europe. These include the Nordic Resistance Movement in Sweden and similar groups in Germany, Spain and elsewhere.

It provides training to these groups through its so-called “Partizan” (Russian for guerrilla) programme. The training includes bombmaking, marksmanship, medical and survival skills, military topography and other tactics.

[...]

Two Swedish nationals who took part in the programme later committed a series of bombings against refugee centres in Gothenburg, a city on Sweden’s west coast, in late 2016 and early 2017.

[...]

The RIM has also provided specific paramilitary training to far-right groups in Finland. Some members of these groups have fought on Russia’s side in Ukraine, while others have attempted to establish a Finnish cell of the international neo-nazi Atomwaffen Division. Police raids in 2023 also unveiled plans to assassinate the then Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin.

[...]

The movement has previously been critical of the Russian government. It initially believed the approach of Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, to Ukraine was too soft, while the group’s promotion of white supremacy and neo-nazism is at odds with Putin’s pragmatic nationalism within Russia.

In 2012, the RIM even took part in discussions with other far-right groups in Russia to form an opposition movement called New Force to challenge Putin’s rule. However, the crisis in Ukraine that erupted in 2014 after pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted from power has caused the Kremlin and RIM’s political objectives to converge.

Indeed, the group can now be viewed as one of the core Russian proxy paramilitaries operating in Ukraine at a time when Putin needs more recruits to continue the war. Western intelligence agencies now believe it has a relationship with officials from Russian state intelligence.

[...]

Archived

A third major fire in less than a week broke out in Poland on Monday, prompting the authorities to suspect that the incidents may be linked to hybrid operations by Russian intelligence services.

The latest fire broke out in a warehouse in Siemianowice Ślaskie in southern Poland. This follows a fire in a residential building in Ząbki, near Warsaw, on 1 July, and a fire in a production hall in Mińsk Mazowiecki, around 35 km from the capital, on Sunday.

Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on Monay that in light of Russia’s hybrid tactics, the government is treating all major fires with increased scrutiny.

"Since January 2024, we have seen several attempted acts of sabotage. Every significant incident, fire, or attempted arson is being assessed as a potential act of sabotage," he said during a press conference.

The suspicion of Russian involvement intensified after a massive shopping center in Marywilska, Warsaw, burned down in May. The government later said it had evidence linking Russian intelligence to the incident. In response, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski ordered the closure of Russia’s consulate in Kraków.

[...]

[...]

China is stepping up its scientific and technological partnership with Russia. In June 2025, a delegation of highly qualified Chinese experts of Luzhou North Chemical Industries Co., Ltd. (carries out a full cycle of development, production, testing and adaption of explosive materials) visited powder plant in Perm, Russian Federation. This plant is one of the most important elements of Russian Military Industrial Complex producing powder for the Russian Army.

[...]

The Chinese delegation was comprised of five senior engineers from Luzhou North Chemical Industries Co., Ltd.: Dai Jiushuang, Guo Xiaobing, Qi Chenyong, Chen Shimin, and Xu Hai. Russian side expressed considerable interest in the practical experience of some members of the delegation.

[...]

Moscow attempts to use Beijing’s scientific and industrial potential for the development of the Russian defense industry capabilities.

[...]

Such a “cooperation” contradicts official position of the PRC regarding its neutrality and diplomatic attempts to end the unjust war of Russia against Ukraine.

[...]

China has been supplying:Tooling machines, special chemicals, gunpowder, and defense components to 20 Russian military production.

[...]

Although China denies involvement, multiple credible sources—from Ukrainian intelligence to US officials and historical customs records—indicate that Chinese-origin gunpowder and related components have flowed into Russian defense factories. This has likely helped sustain Russian munitions output.

These dual-use exports align closely with Russia’s military strategy and enable Putin’s war machine to circumvent Western sanctions.

[...]

BRUSSELS — European trade ministers are meeting in Brussels on Monday, following U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise announcement of 30% tariffs on the European Union.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/43954228

Egypt's foreign minister said on Monday that the flow of aid into Gaza has not increased despite an agreement last week between Israel and the European Union that should have had that result.