Europe

Russian forces struck another foreign-flagged commercial vessel during a missile attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region on July 18, killing one person and injuring three others, according to Odesa Regional Military Administration head Oleh Kiper.

The construction of a new Chinese “mega-embassy” in central London would breach local people’s human rights, the High Court has heard.

As Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s friendship deepened, the business operations of Babiš’s Agrofert holding company in Hungary and Romania also grew. Agrofert secured loans worth billions from a bank co-owned by the Hungarian state as well as by Orbán’s childhood friend, and acquired a stake in a company linked to individuals close to the Hungarian government at the time.

Escalation of Moscow’s rhetoric and ongoing ‘hybrid’ attacks have left Baltic states somewhere between war and peace.

A student-led electoral list has taken the lead over Serbia’s long-ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) for the first time in a public opinion survey, underscoring how nearly two years of anti-government protests are reshaping the country’s political landscape.

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A joint report by the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), Beyond the Battlefield: Russia’s Information War Against Ukraine’s European Future (opens pdf), shows that Russia’s attempts to undermine Ukraine’s EU path are systematic, coordinated, and persistent. They are not isolated ‘fake news’ stories. They are part of a wider Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) ecosystem designed to weaken Ukraine, divide European societies, and damage confidence in enlargement.

This article offers a case study of the Russian-American pro-family organisation the World Congress of Families, explaining its emergence, strategies, and religious and political agenda from 1995 until 2019. The article adds to a growing body of research that sheds light on transnational networks of conservative and right-wing political and civil society actors. It zooms in on Russian pro-family activists as connected to such networks and thereby takes an innovative perspective on the Russian conservative turn as part of a global phenomenon. The article also makes the argument that a specific Russian Christian Right movement, comparable to and linked with the American Christian Right and conservative Christian groups in Europe, is taking shape in Russia.

France has granted political asylum to Alexei Moskalev and his daughter, Masha, according to inTransit, the human rights group that assisted the family.

The European Union has authorized Ukraine to spend part of a €6 billion ($6.9 billion) defense loan on Chinese-made drone components, the Financial Times reported, citing sources.

The European Court of Justice said people running free, donation-funded websites can qualify as “operators” under the EU’s Russia sanctions, even if they are not traditional broadcasters.

Europe’s first-ever dedicated non-alcoholic craft beer festival has kicked off in Warsaw, placing Poland on the frontier of the fast-growing alcohol-free beer market while also spotlighting the nation’s wider shift towards mindful drinking.

The 5,120 heat-related deaths in Germany in 2026 through June 28, published by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), is therefore an estimate. But that does not mean the figure is pulled out of thin air. “It is based on a statistical correlation,” says Alexandra Schneider, a meteorologist, epidemiologist and deputy director of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Munich.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.world/post/49585184

Poland recorded 235 attempted illegal crossings from Belarus during the first half of 2026, down from more than 15,500 during the same period last year, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

The planned abolition of support for new, small solar systems from 2027 in particular could cause investments worth billions to collapse and put tens of thousands of jobs at medium-sized businesses and in the skilled trades at risk nationwide, the German Solar Association (BSW) warned.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s president signed a constitutional amendment into law on Saturday that ends his term in office, bringing to a close a dispute between him and the country’s new government that was seeking to oust him as part of a purge of officials appointed during the reign of Viktor Orbán.

Europe’s China debate has long been shaped by the assumption that China’s power would continue to grow almost automatically and that this rise would lead to liberalization. When this did not happen, Europe thought it could get away with adapting and managing risks.

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Once upon a time, inequality in Europe was largely horizontal. The rich western half drove BMWs and holidayed abroad, while the poorer east rewired its own appliances and queued for bread. But three decades of catch-up growth in erstwhile communist countries has put paid to jokes about Romanian cars whose top speed was “downhill”. These days inequality in Europe has a vertical dimension—one that goes up and down family trees. Youngsters unable to move out of their parents’ spare room due to sky-high house prices wonder if they will ever enjoy the lifestyle as adults which they knew as kids. Thirty-somethings in jobs pay hefty taxes to fund the pensions of oldies who retired in their prime. Costs related to ageing are guzzling a quarter of the European Union’s GDP, a figure unlikely to fall as the Old Continent grows older still. To be a young European is to feel oneself an unwitting participant in an intergenerational confidence trick.

Musk on Wednesday called Le Pen “France’s last hope” on his social media platform X, in a post declaring his support for her presidential bid – which she confirmed earlier this month, even after her conviction for embezzlement was upheld on appeal(..)

The EU has decided on new exceptions to the battery replacement obligation, which also benefit Meta’s smart glasses. The US had previously exerted pressure.

EU countries made fewer than half of the changes Brussels asked for to fight corruption and uphold democracy, the lowest level since 2022, according to the EU’s annual Rule of Law report.

Poland’s president vetoed two ​bills on Friday that would have introduced “cohabitation contracts” for couples living together, dealing a blow to ‌same-sex couples in one of the few European Union countries with limited rights for LGBT people.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/68088063

Leo-linked operatives were among a who’s who of the international right that gathered for the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in June.

Axel Springer SE is a European multinational mass and online media company, based in Berlin, Germany. The company is organized as a societas Europaea (SE) publishing house and is one of the largest mass media publishers in the European Union, with numerous multimedia news brands such as Business Insider, Politico, The Daily Telegraph, or the price comparison service Idealo.

There isn’t one China, but de facto two, and both are now very different countries.

The partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform today present a report (opens pdf) which outlines the deteriorating situation for media freedom and safety of journalists in Serbia. The report is a result of an international mission to Belgrade that took place in March 2026.

Not that old, but since no one posted, I thought I would.

The European Commission is preparing a serious warning to Spain for its limited progress in the fight against corruption. The draft 2026 Rule of Law Report, whose official publication is scheduled for this Friday, calls for accelerating pending reforms and strengthening the bodies responsible for monitoring, investigating, and sanctioning irregularities.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/68050695

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/68050611

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has confirmed that an investigation is underway into former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó’s relationship with Russia, while also announcing new public safety measures for Budapest and providing updates on major transport and energy projects.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/68049854

[Q&A with Alicia García-Herrero is Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis and a Senior Fellow at Bruegel.]

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/68048948

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A crowd of mostly young people gathered in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on Thursday morning, holding up signs reading “Hands off Fedorov” and “Stop sabotaging victory!” and chanting “Shame!”.

The German Bundestag last week approved a new law that significantly expands the powers of the federal police by providing the scope to use drones, artificial intelligence, and increased surveillance of telecommunications. The law also makes it easier to incarcerate immigrants due for deportation.

Billionaire Elon Musk has thrown his support behind far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s bid for the French presidency, calling her “France’s last hope”, and prompting accusations of foreign interference in the 2027 election.

Germany’s upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, has introduced a bill seeking to ban the questioning of Israel’s right to exist. It is now up to the lower house to decide whether to turn it into law.

The Trump administration has cut billions of dollars in public research funding and fired government scientists.

Soldiers in Poland will be able to pick up their uniforms from their nearest parcel locker rather than having to collect them from military stores under a new scheme being rolled out by the armed forces, with private logistics giant InPost responsible for deliveries.

The European Union on Tuesday condemned the “inflammatory” statement of a Serbian government minister supporting the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo Albanians during the 1998-99 war.

If you want to build a Turtle Tank, or construct an armored vehicle with some kind of other main armament than a turret… this is as good as a starting point as you are going to get if you aren’t trying to breach a minefield.

Russia will require migrants to buy mobile phones so authorities can track their whereabouts, Deputy Interior Minister Igor Zubov said, according to the Russian business news outlet RBC:

During a joint conference with European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos in Brussels on Tuesday, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama promised to change the country’s disputed Law on Protected Areas to align with EU standards – a declaration that protesters at home hailed as a “moral victory”.

Fines issued to Russian drivers for parking and stopping violations while they waited in line for gasoline will be canceled, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said.

Lithuania is increasing protection around critical infrastructure after President Gitanas Nauseda said intelligence indicated Russia could be preparing targeted physical attacks intended to damage or disrupt energy and transport assets in the Baltic region or Poland.

Why Poland and Ukraine Are Facing Their Worst Crisis in Years https://youtu.be/ED509nskSmc

Former Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has announced that he will resign his parliamentary seat and take up an international position at Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD.

The EU and UK blamed Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) for a cyberattack that threatened to cut heating to half a million people in Poland last winter.

On 1 July China’s Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress (中华人民共和国民族团结进步促进法) entered into force. Adopted in March, the law has since drawn criticism from China analysts, Western governments, and human rights organizations.

China’s use of economic statecraft and espionage on Dutch strategic industries is meant to ensure systemic dependency and Beijing’s global industrial leadership, researchers at an influential think tank allege in a recent report, citing pressures applied on chip equipment maker ASML.

Volkswagen boss Blume – who also told staff that four plants might need to close – said in April that he was open to Volkswagen’s Chinese partners using its plants.

“Hungary must rebuild trust with its allies, and as for the Russians, we are shutting the door on them,” Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said during a panel discussion at the Budapest Energy and Strategy Talks organized by the think tank Egyensúly Intézet (Equilibrium Institute).

Hungary’s former health secretary admitted why the Fidesz party destroyed occupational health services: the outgoing Orban government allowed industry to dictate legislation

The demographic shift in the European Union is set to take place in 2029. In that year, the population of the Old Continent will begin to decline inexorably. This will be the first time since prehistoric times, excluding epidemics or wars. In a report on this upheaval published on Tuesday 14 July, the European Commission considers it futile to try to reverse the trend but necessary, however, to adapt public policies to the considerable impact that this new reality will have not only on economic growth potential but also on the labour market, healthcare, housing and the public finances of Member States.