Europe

Archived version

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has warned that Russia's "little green men" who try to cross the border with Estonia will be met with deadly force.

"Little Green Men" refers to Russian soldiers without insignia during Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, who wore green uniforms without insignia to conceal their official involvement, the Telegraph reports.

Commenting on recent border incidents with Russia - including one in October when Russians without insignia were seen at the border - Tsahkna told Polish media outlet o2.pl that Estonian troops would "shoot" them if they crossed the border.

"Let me say it bluntly: If the little green men ever cross our border, we will shoot them. These will be the consequences; there is no question about that. If Russia is not sure that we will really react, they can test us," Tsahkna said, as reported by another Polish media outlet, Onet.

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Tsahkna also said that similar incidents were reported near Narva, a border settlement near Russia. "It wasn't the first time we saw them. We have been observing them constantly, for example, we have many different reports from Narva, which is a border town," he said.

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The Narva River marks a narrow strip of land where the incursion took place, extending all the way to the eastern coast of Estonian territory. Estonia and Russia have long failed to ratify a formal border treaty, despite years of negotiations.

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On December 17, Estonia's border protection agency said three Russian border guards briefly entered Estonian territory near the Narva River and stayed there for about 20 minutes.

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In November, a Russian border guard ship flying the flag of the Wagner mercenary group was seen patrolling the Narva River.

In early 2025, Tallinn announced plans to establish a military base in Narva.

Chinese satellites recorded Ukrainian energy infrastructure sites ahead of Russian strikes, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following a report by Oleh Ivashchenko, Head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, on December 24.

Ukrainian intelligence has identified an increase in Russia’s cooperation with “entities in China that may be providing space reconnaissance data,” according to the president.

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“In particular, we are recording an increase in Russia’s ties with entities in China that may be providing space reconnaissance data. Unfortunately, there were correlations between Chinese satellite imaging of Ukrainian territory and Russian strikes on corresponding energy infrastructure facilities,” Zelenskyy said.

“We view such cases as activities that enable Russia to prolong the war and make diplomatic efforts less serious. We will also discuss this issue with our partners,” he concluded.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6301143

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Australian infrastructure and property developer Goodman Group has teamed up with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) to establish a EUR 8 billion (CAD 12.9bn, AUD 14.1bn) European data center partnership.

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The 50/50 venture ... will comprise four projects totalling 435MW of primary power and 282MW of IT load, including two in Paris (PAR01 and PAR02), one in Frankfurt (FRA02), and one in Amsterdam (AMS01).

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According to the partners, all projects have secured power connections, planning permits, and have substantially progressed site infrastructure works, which they claim will enable construction commencement by 30 June 2026.

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“A portfolio of this size and quality – located in Europe’s FLAP markets [FLAP is acronym of “Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris”] – is rare. These powered locations are highly sought after to meet the rapidly growing requirement for cloud computing and AI adoption, particularly when they offer speed to market and delivery certainty. The quality and scale of this partnership make it ideal for our long-term relationship with CPP Investments. We’re pleased to be investing alongside them for their entry into the European data center market,” said Greg Goodman, CEO of Goodman Group.

The transaction will follow a phased approach with completion expected by March 2026, subject to closing conditions. The two companies have had a relationship since 2009, with investments across Australia, Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

CPP has made several significant investments in the digital infrastructure space. Most recently, in August, it announced an investment of C$225m (US$160m) to facilitate the expansion of a data center in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

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[Edit typo.]

Cross-posted

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday revealed details of the latest US-backed 20-point plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying it has been sent to Moscow for feedback. Zelensky gave a point-by-point briefing to journalists in Kyiv, including details on the creation of demilitarised zones.

Taiwan's Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) concluded a high-level visit to Europe in early December, MOEA said in a press release.

According to a press release, Minister Kung Ming-hsin emphasized Taiwan’s role as a reliable economic partner and discussed geopolitics and global supply-chain realignment during meetings in Brussels and elsewhere.

At the 2026 Taiwan Economic Forum in Taipei, hosted by Wealth Magazine on Dec. 15, the press release stated that Minister Kung had just returned from a trip to Europe, where he met with officials from Czechia, Poland, and the European Union.

The press release noted that "supply chain resilience" emerged as a central topic throughout these exchanges. Minister Kung highlighted that in the past, trade negotiations under globalization mainly focused on market access and tariffs. However, since the U.S.-China trade war began in 2018, there has been growing recognition of the importance of the supply chain, initially prompting "supply chain relocation" during the pandemic, and now an emphasis on building "supply chain resilience."

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A research report published on Dec. 16 by the Central European Institute of Asian Studies noted that since the early 2020s, relations between Taiwan and Europe have gained significant momentum, both at the level of EU institutions and among individual member states.

The report said that long-standing partners from Western Europe, many of which had contacts with Taiwan during the time they maintained diplomatic ties with the Republic of China, continue to maintain strong economic and political connections with the island.

At the same time, the research highlighted the emergence of new partners in Central and Eastern Europe. Countries such as Czechia, Lithuania, and Poland, which had limited interaction with Taiwan in previous years, have renewed and strengthened their engagement with the island since the start of the decade.

These countries have become politically active supporters of closer ties with Taiwan and are keen to build new economic links across various industries. The report also noted that they have played a growing role in shaping Europe’s evolving approach toward Taiwan.

Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, Affiliated Researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Visiting Fellow at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, wrote on LinkedIn in mid-December that she believes the EU continues to recognize Taiwan’s geostrategic importance for Europe’s prosperity and security.

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Archive link

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.world/post/40619557

Article translation to English:

It is "in the interest of the United States and Europe" that the European Union be dissolved". That is what Nile Gardiner, director of the European branch of the Heritage Foundation, says to Nieuwsuur. That conservative think tank is known as the main shaper of the policies of US President Donald Trump's second term.

The Trump administration supports "movements and political leaders in Europe" who are "pro-American and believe that Europe should take a different direction," Gardiner says. This concerns leaders of Italy, Poland and Hungary, who see the conservative thinker as "important allies."

In February, Vice President J.D. Already sharply criticized Europe. This summer , further indications came to light that the U.S. is out on a change of power.

According to the new U.S. security strategy, which was published this month, Europe is in danger of "losing its civilization through immigration and the disappearance of national identities." The document praises nationalist parties "who want to preserve the individual character and history of European countries" and supports patriotic parties in their struggle to dismantle the EU from within.

In response, European Commissioner for Human Rights called on Michael O'Flaherty to take courage against US criticism of the EU. European heads of government reacted remarkably little. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was fierce and called the plan "unacceptable and unacceptable."

The chairman of the committee in the European Parliament that maintains contact with the US called the security strategy "a frontal attack on the EU." The words of the White House, according to him, amount to interference in European elections. 'Warning for Europe'

From right-wing parties, there is also a positive reaction to the American policy paper. Member of the European Parliament Mieke Andriese (PVV) calls it a "clear strategic warning for Europe" this week. "Mass immigration threatens our European identity."

Member of the European Parliament Sander Smit (BBB), a member of a committee for strengthening European democracy, can also agree with parts of the American criticism. "BBB does not support the abolition of the EU, but believes that the EU urgently needs internal reforms because of a democratic deficit, diminishing legitimacy and too much bureaucracy," he tells Nieuwsuur. Read his entire response here.

Nile Gardiner is now going a step further with his plea for the abolition of the EU. "I don't see any future scenario where Europe is better off with the survival of the European Union than without."

There are "deep-rooted concerns in the US capital Washington about what is seen as the suppression of freedom of expression within the European Union," says Gardiner. The EU would have too much power over the member states.

The conservative thinker points, among other things, to the fines that the European Commission handed out to the social medium X, owned by tech billionaire and ex-Trump adviser Elon Musk. The fines totalled 120 million euros and were imposed for violations of an internet law. With these types of "attacks on U.S. tech companies," the EU would undermine US security.

Moreover, the Union would not listen to the voice of the people and restrict the power of right-wing radical parties such as the AfD. And the EU would open the gates for mass migration. Gardiner fears the increasing influence of Islam. "All this makes the EU doomed." 'Europe reacts too weakly'

According to the leading Irish researcher Judy Dempsey (Carnegie Institute), the European Union is responding too weakly and too slowly to the Trump administration's lashing out. "The Europeans don't look at themselves, but just say: don't you dare criticize our democracy."

Dempsey, who is researching international relations, argues that the EU does not use its large internal market sufficiently as a geopolitical instrument. "The EU is not confident and knows how to sell itself poorly."

Trump is responding to this by politically influencing and dividing Europe, the researcher says. "The idea that a divided EU would be in US favour is at odds with the transatlantic view that has been in place since 1945."

"The weakness of Europeans is that they do not confront far-right populist parties, whether in France, the Netherlands, Germany or Italy."

According to Gardiner, the plan to turn the EU into a defense force clashes with US interests. "This undermines the NATO alliance, while it pulls military resources away," he says. "NATO will hopefully exist for centuries to come, but the EU will eventually disappear."

The U.S. under Trump supports right-wing nationalist parties in Europe that "insist on more sovereignty and self-determination," Gardiner says. He mentions, among others, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and the party president of France's Rassemblement National, Jordan Bardella. Gardiner emphasizes that it is about political support; there would be no question of financial aid. Discussion within the Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is an independent right-wing conservative think tank in Washington. They developed 'Project 2025', policy proposals that the government is now implementing. Nile Gardiner is the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, the European branch of The Heritage Foundation.

The extreme course that the Heritage Foundation has been pursuing since this year leads to ideological discussions within the institute: in recent weeks, some fifteen employees left the institute. Disagreements included stopping support for Ukraine and the controversial tariff policy that President Trump is pursuing. Heritage director Kevin Roberts also initially refused to condemn statements by the far-right, anti-Semitic influencer Nick Fuentes.

Discussions on Reddit about the Heritage Foundation with one saying that the think tank was founded by former Nazis or at least has remote connections to Nazis.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/23384142

More info on this at

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelamis_Wave_Energy_Converter .

The company was bought by E.ON and the project was killed. At that time, there were working 450 Kilowatt prototypes (see the video). 450 Kilowatt is a power volume that took wind power plants over three decades (about from 1970 to 2000) to achieve.

The technology was then apparently copied by a Chinese company.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/55588932

Recently sites like archive.is and archive.ph are not resolving when using DNS providers from Mullvad and DNS4EU. Is it just me or does anyone else also experience this issue?

https://archive.is/1fiT9

The European Commission and Japan have successfully concluded negotiations on Japan's association to Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship €93.5 billion research and innovation funding programme. The agreement, expected to be signed in 2026, represents the closest form of collaboration offered by the EU to global partners in this field. It will enable Japanese researchers to lead and coordinate their own research and innovation projects under the programme, to apply and receive funding, and to seek closer collaboration with partners in the EU and other associated countries.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6270906

Archived version

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While Brussels champions policy initiatives and American tech giants market their own ‘sovereign’ solutions, a handful of public authorities in Austria, Germany, and France, alongside the International Criminal Court in The Hague, are taking concrete steps to regain control over their IT.

These cases provide a potential blueprint for a continent grappling with its technological autonomy, while simultaneously revealing the deep-seated legal and commercial challenges that make true independence so difficult to achieve.

The core of the problem lies in a direct and irreconcilable legal conflict. The US CLOUD Act of 2018 allows American authorities to compel US-based technology companies to provide requested data, regardless of where that data is stored globally. This places European organizations in a precarious position, as it directly clashes with Europe's own stringent privacy regulation, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

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A satirical sculptor from Düsseldorf has expressed bewilderment after Russian prosecutors charged him in a Moscow court with criminally defaming the country’s army.

Jacques Tilly, 62, is Germany’s most prominent designer of carnival floats and has spent 40 years creating outsized and grotesque papier-mâché models of figures including President Trump, Angela Merkel and Baroness May of Maidenhead.

Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, his floats have repeatedly mocked President Putin’s brutality.

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This year’s float for the Düsseldorf carnival depicted Trump and Putin shaking hands, with President Zelensky crushed in their grip and haemorrhaging blood, along with the caption: “Hitler-Stalin pact 2.0”.

Previous editions have shown Putin choking on a map of Ukraine and posing naked alongside Trump and President Xi of China, with a gigantically enlarged scrotum emblazoned with the words “Make Russia great again”.

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https://www.unionesarda.it/en/italy/attack-on-la-stampa-headquarters-in-turin-over-thirty-identified-judu8eju

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6267965

Archived version

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“A Russian soldier came to her house in May 2022, smashed her face with his rifle butt and broke her teeth, slashed her stomach with a knife, and raped her. He then stole her bicycle and left her a Kalashnikov bullet as a souvenir.”

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“How can you look in the eyes of this 75-year-old woman and say there won’t be punishment for what that Russian soldier did to you?” said Kovalenko, her own eyes wet with tears.

The 38-year-old [Ukrainian documentary-maker Alisa Kovalenko] from Zaporizhzhia was one of a group of four Ukrainian survivors of sexual violence and activists who came to London last week to lobby MPs, members of the House of Lords, and Foreign Office officials to try to get British support against the proposed amnesty.

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