HowRu68

Russian intelligence operatives proposed staging an assassination attempt on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to reshape the country’s election campaign, according to The Washington Post on March 21.

The newspaper reported that the proposal appeared in an internal document from Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR, which was obtained and authenticated by a European intelligence service.

Justice minister David van Weel has said there are strong indications that the four teenagers arrested after an arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam were recruited to carry out the crime, and that a possible link with Iran is also being investigated.

Context:

"Drawing on the author’s dataset of Iranian external operations, which are depicted in the Iranian External Operations interactive map and timeline, of the 218 plots in the overall dataset covering 1979 to today, 102 plots occurred in Europe. "

#Note: Am not in agreement with the current relentless bombing by US & Israel, but I won't condone terrorism by Iran either.

Canada is pushing for a collective G7 and Middle East approach to de-escalating the Iran war, including off ramps that could bring an end to the conflict, the Canadian foreign minister, Anita Anand, has said.

In London to meet the UK foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, after talks with the her Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, Anand told the Guardian she hoped a G7 meeting chaired by France, this year’s president of the group, might start to build a broader collective approach to the crisis.

A small French town has won instant internet fame because its mayor – running for re-election in Sunday's municipal elections – goes by the name of Hittler.

Not just that. One of his two opponents is called Zielinski.

#note: reallife, but a bit eurotrash story.

BRUSSELS, March 17 (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called on the United States and Israel ​on Tuesday to end their war with Iran and said the EU was consulting with governments in the Middle East about how ‌to bring the conflict to a conclusion(...)

"We have been consulting with regional countries like ‌the Gulf ⁠countries, Jordan, Egypt, (about) whether we could also bring forward proposals for Iran, Israel and the U.S. to get out of this situation so that everybody saves face."

MADRID, March 11 (Reuters) - More than 330 people have been arrested across 70 countries in a ​crackdown on organised crime networks accused ‌of trafficking illicit waste within Europe and exporting it to Africa, Asia and Latin America, Europol said ​on Wednesday.

Authorities seized 127,149 metric tons ​of waste, 602 tons of polluting agents ⁠along with 75 tons of plant ​protection chemicals, 2.3 tons of mercury and nearly ​10 million euros ($11.6 million) in cash and bank accounts.

Add: Europol link

TNO and High Tech Campus Eindhoven are starting construction of the world’s first industrial factory for producing indium phosphide photonic chips on a 6 inch wafer scale.

Context: Photonic chips have the benefit of being very fast and energy-saving. If the chips can be produced on a large scale, then they could improve the performance of data centers with, for example, AI applications.

In addition, they also provide possibilities regarding faster internet connections or smart devices, medical applications, and defense systems, TNO said.

Amazon has withdrawn from the Paris book festival after a boycott by France’s booksellers’ association prompted a row over the company’s sponsorship of the event. The dispute started after the French booksellers’ association Syndicat de la Librairie Française (SLF) announced it would boycott the festival in protest at Amazon’s involvement.

The SLF has been sharply critical of Amazon, arguing that it destabilises the book trade. In a statement reported by the Bookseller, it accused the company of seeking “to flood the market with fake AI-generated books, [which are] promoted by fake reviews, written by fake readers [and rise] to the top of fake rankings”. It also criticised the publishers’ association and the festival organisers for what it described as an “irresponsible” decision to collaborate with Amazon, taken in the name of short-term financial interests.

A major online forum for stolen data has been dismantled following an international operation coordinated by Europol.

The forum, known as LeakBase, had established itself as a central hub in the cybercrime ecosystem, specialising in the trade of leaked databases and so-called “stealer logs” – archives of stolen credentials harvested through infostealer malware. Accessible on the open web and operating in English, the platform combined elements of a forum and discussion board, enabling cybercriminals to buy, sell and exchange compromised data.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes across the Middle East are quickly dragging Europe in, forcing the continent into defensive action to protect military bases and evacuate citizens caught up in the conflict.

The SPARTA IV, registered as a merchant ship, entered Portuguese waters at the end of the day on Sunday and was sailing off the coast of Nazaré on Wednesday evening.

In the new era, European leaders are not only promising to take more responsibility for the conventional defense of their continent; they’re also beginning to talk about an expanded nuclear deterrent of their own. Practically, this would mean leveraging the capabilities of Britain and France, currently the only two European states with nuclear weapons.

For now, Kristersson said, “the American nuclear umbrella is absolutely dominant.” And he has seen no indication that Washington intends to curtail it, even as the Trump administration presses European countries to assume greater responsibility for their own defense. Still, the prime minister said, “it’s a good thing” that there are European countries with such capabilities