Europe

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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The plans, hatched by Sweden’s rightwing government with support of its far-right backers, made waves around the world. Politicians said they were working to strip citizenship from dual nationals who had been convicted of some crimes.

Paywall? https://archive.is/NicVP

Paywall? https://archive.is/ZSHXV

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cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/62370804

Russia became increasingly aggressive and provocative toward European countries in 2024, employing espionage, cyberattacks, and covert disinformation campaigns to influence public debate, according to the annual report released by the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). The agency described Russia’s actions as approaching the level of state terrorism aimed at spreading fear across Europe. The report also highlighted a rise in extremist threats within the Netherlands.

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Speaking to the BBC, she said: "I understand why there's so much focus on our trading relationship with the US but actually our trading relationship with Europe is arguably even more important, because they're our nearest neighbours and trading partners.

The European Union is looking into whether Hungary’s plan to deploy facial recognition technology to identify people attending LGBTQ+ Pride events is illegal.

The UK could soon reach a deal to join the EU's €150 billion defence joint procurement scheme, Ursula von der Leyen said in London on Thursday.

Donald Trump is turning his back on free trade and, with it, the €1.6 trillion transatlantic trade relationship. That's motivating the European Union to do trade deals with just about everyone else.

Moldova will receive new financial assistance, amounting to 60 million euros, on behalf of the European Union (EU). EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has made statements to this effect at a joint conference with President Maia Sandu.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday the Russian missile that struck a residential building in Kyiv overnight and killed 12 people was supplied by North Korea, confirming an earlier Reuters report.

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Several of Europe’s biggest funders of scientific collaboration with China, in fields such as viruses and air quality, have put bilateral research programmes on hold due to concerns over Chinese data protection laws, funding agencies said.

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Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will introduce an amendment to legislation to ensure there is no slavery in GB Energy's supply chains.

New findings from an alliance of NGOs challenges the belief that climate falsehoods are confined to social media.

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The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child clearly expresses that minors have rights to freedom of expression and access to information online, as well as the right to privacy.

tldr; Teheran uses criminal networks throughout Europe to silence Iranian dissidents.

they argued that the European Union (EU) should adjust its prices to better align with those in the United States.

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[The European Commission] is also working on legal options to allow EU companies to break existing gas supply contracts with Russia without facing penalties, [according to a] senior official. ...

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“The one thing that we have to watch is to make sure we don’t see more countries in a similar boat as where we are with China. We’re watching the EU,” Boeing CEO and President Kelly Ortberg said.

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Despite record declines in oil revenues and a growing budget deficit, the Kremlin has doubled its 2025 funding for Yunarmiya, a Russian youth movement known for promoting military training and ideological indoctrination among teenagers, reported independent Russian outlet Mozhem Obyasnit, citing the organization’s financial documents on April 22.

BASF said in a statement it had completed the sale of its shares in Markor Chemical Manufacturing and Markor Meiou Chemical to the Singaporean group Verde Chemical.

In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that only the United States has the power to stop Russia. He believes peace will require compromises on both sides, including from Ukraine.

"We don't always agree with the policy prescriptions and we're seeking a deal that reduces the trade barriers between our countries," Reeves told U.S. television channel Newsmax

Beijing is getting ready to remove sanctions it placed on European lawmakers four years ago, the Financial Times reports — a move that could lead to the revival of an investment deal between the two sides just as punishing US tariffs hit China’s economy.

The two tech firms have reacted angrily, with Meta accusing the EU of "attempting to handicap successful American businesses" and Apple saying it was being "unfairly targeted" and forced to "give away our technology for free."

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has taken at least 744,000 Ukrainian children to its territory, mostly accompanied by their parents, according to Daria Zarivna, Head of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative. Her remarks were published in an Espresso interview on April 19.

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The European Commission imposed a 500 million euro ($571 million) fine on Apple for preventing app makers from pointing users to cheaper options outside its App Store.

... people today are less concerned about the type of vehicle they travel in, and more about how useful it is. To many of us, what matters most is simply getting where we’re going rather than how we look while doing it.

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Russia is increasing its hybrid attacks aimed at undermining society in the Netherlands and its European allies, and Russian hackers have already targeted the Dutch public service, Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD said.

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Apparently, Ukrainian drones pushed through and started a chain reaction.

Major Russian banks have set up a netting payments system dubbed "The China Track" for transactions with China, aiming to reduce their visibility to Western regulators and mitigate the risk of secondary sanctions.

A record-breaking tunnel is being built under the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Germany, which will slash travel times and improve Scandinavia's links with the rest of Europe.

The fact that the relative distance between the US and Europe under Trump is increasing does not yet mean that the absolute distance between Europe and China has been reduced.

The European Union will not decouple from the Chinese economy as a condition for reaching a trade deal with Donald Trump's administration, the European Commission said on Tuesday amid reports that the White House has asked countries to do exactly that.

BRUSSELS, April 21 (Reuters) - The European Union is determined to enforce its full digital rule book no matter who is in charge of companies such as X, Meta, Apple and Tiktok or where they are based, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Politico.

Residential communities in Spain are now allowed to bar individual property owners from using their apartment as a holiday let under new legislation that came into force this month.

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