Palantir CEO Alex Karp said on Wednesday French restrictions limiting government use of US-made software were proving counterproductive. His comments followed France’s decision to replace Palantir with domestic provider ChapsVision at intelligence agency DGSI over data sovereignty concerns. Karp said Europe’s regulatory environment was hurting competitiveness.

Minister says Sweden has ‘fulfilled its commitments’ amid criticism of ‘unjust’ deportation decisions such as case of Joyce Thomas

Paywall?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/51446344

Next Sunday, September 6th, state elections will be held in Saxony-Anhalt. All eyes are on one party in particular: the AfD. Not only could it become the largest party with 42% of the vote, but due to Germany’s electoral system, it might even be able to govern alone. The other parties will probably get about as many votes together as the AfD alone. Security services in the state classify the AfD as extreme-right. And the party plans to implement its ideology in schools, since education is a state responsibility. They intend to make significant changes there. They want to make it less "woke" and more patriotic. For example,

• the party wants separate schools for disabled children and refugees.
• In history, less attention to the Holocaust and more to Bismarck.
• politics banned from classrooms.
• No rainbow flag, but the national flag in the schoolyard.
• No more anti-racism programs.
• And Russian becomes a compulsory subject.

If they end up governing, you also have to realize that they can adjust the education system for all pupils in that state in a way that suits their agenda, and that they can use it very effectively to position themselves.

The AfD's lead candidate surrounds himself with figures from a banned neo-Nazi youth organization and Identitarian movement. Party officials have been seen attending Putin's birthday at the Russian embassy in Berlin. If they win and govern in that state, they immediately get access to all documents from the German security services. And that is causing enormous concern for the German government. Because that way, Russia gets to look along via the AfD into all kinds of documents that you really don't want Russia to have sight of.

Germany is also afraid that AfD will use this as a pilot project on a small scale to see what scores well and use that nationally. Combined with the fact that they are already the largest party in the polls, and a chancellor who is becoming less popular by the day... Germany is extremely worried about this.

An attempt to coup German parliament already happened 3 years ago by a group who wants the german empire back. One of the supporters was Birgit Malsack-Winkemann served as AfD member in the Bundestag, now awaiting her trial in prison... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWLsNM9anq8

Their mass manipulation and disinformation seems to work on Germans. How is this possible in gods name? They say: "If I had known that democracy required this much effort... and came with so many compromises, I would not have wanted democracy." You can see from surveys like the Sachsen-Monitor and the Deutschland-Monitor that more and more people would prefer a single-party system or one strong hand that takes care of everything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE2OKiXJaxA Shows why poverty leads to extremism and why we learned we need a social welfare state to avoid it. Apparently we didnt put it into practics too well perhaps...

France and the Netherlands intend to work closely together on Europe's technological development, the countries' respective leaders announced on Wednesday.

The European tech sector must be strengthened, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten emphasized during a joint visit to the Brainport technology centre in Eindhoven.

They underlined the vital importance of Europe's strategic autonomy in the face of geopolitical changes and international conflicts.

"If Europe wants to stay in the race, it must consolidate production chains within Europe," said Macron. He described Franco-Dutch cooperation as a driving force for innovation, AI, quantum technology and electronics.

"The European Union must itself become a technology giant," said Jetten. Businesses, research, talent and industry must be better connected, he added.

Macron and Jetten were accompanied by representatives from tech companies and also visited ASML, a manufacturer of microchip production machinery.

Last year, the global market leader invested around €1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) in the French AI start-up Mistral AI, thereby becoming its largest shareholder.

Macron was due to travel on to the UK after the visit.

A study conducted by the Russian Institute of Science (RAS) Institute of Psychology finds that 49% of Russians show signs of depression and 33% report anxiety.

These levels are driven by rising inflation, slowing economic growth, and expectations of military escalation.

[Original in Russian. Automated translation with minimal edits.]

The psychological state of Russians leaves much to be desired. Signs of depression were noted in every second respondent (49%), and anxiety in every third (33%), and a high severity of anxiety-depressive symptoms is characteristic of 36% of Russians, the monitoring of the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences showed.

“This indicator is supported primarily by pessimistic economic expectations, as well as the weakening of hope for the early completion of the SVO,” the academics note. The economy has almost stopped growing, in its civilian part, the decline, wage and income growth has slowed, and inflation has risen, Ukrainian drone attacks have caused a fuel crisis and are destroying marketplaces. However, Vladimir Putin is preparing for an escalation of hostilities.

For residents of large cities, symptoms of depression are more characteristic, and for rural residents - anxiety, notes IE RAS. The lowest psychological well-being among young people aged 25-34 (their psycho-emotional state has been deteriorating since spring) and people with low incomes.

...

Depressive states can be a consequence of the economic situation, but at the same time they themselves are a factor that reduces economic activity. “These psychological mechanisms can influence perceptions of economic performance and lead to ... economic pessimism growing.”

Pessimism already prevails. FOM polls commissioned by the Central Bank show a noticeable deterioration in expectations of Russians: in the summer they fell below 100 points, which share pessimism and optimism. Other polls FOM recorded an increase in anxiety of people, the share of those in whose environment it prevails, since February exceeds the share of those who are surrounded by people mostly calm.

Especially a large proportion of those who are anxious at the thought of their finances. According to the IP RAS, it grew by May to 66%, by early July it decreased to 56%, and in July-August it grew again. The fuel crisis gave way to attacks on Wildberries warehouses, followed by a second wave of gasoline shortages.

...

Depression and anxiety aren’t just in people’s answers to questions. The Russians for the third year in a row broke records for sales of antidepressants. This may indicate that people began to suffer more mental disorders that are treated with antidepressants - this is not only depression, but also an adaptation disorder, anxiety disorders, psychiatrist Viktor Lebedev told TMT.

In this state, people have several strategies of behavior, notes the IP. Anxiety increases the consumption of basic necessities, and symptoms of depression in a crisis can increase the consumption of “hedonistic” entertainment products (although with severe depression, the desire for such purchases decreases). The severity of anxiety and depression increases the tendency to compulsive consumption. In addition, economic pessimism can strengthen outstripping consumption: anticipation of rising prices, new restrictions and higher taxes can spur demand for durable goods, the academics write. According to them, the growth of consumer demand, which in the second quarter added 6% year-on-year, is associated, among other things, with the increase in financial anxiety of the population, the response to which is an additional increase in consumption.

Rising prices, a slowdown in the growth of real disposable incomes and the loss of hope for a quick end to the war deprive people of faith that they can influence what is happening. According to him, since 2022, the share of respondents who believe that in the current circumstances, what happens in their lives depends more on them. In July, they were only 38% compared to 67% in April 2022.

If high anxiety about the future and a downward trend in perceived control persist, there will be long-term consequences, academics warn. The value of family and friendships as protection against future uncertainty will be strengthened, but reproductive attitudes will be weakened, young Russians will be more inclined to postpone the birth of children.

Archived

The police report debunks the Spanish government's narrative that Rabat bears no responsibility for the deadly migrant surge.

MADRID – A leaked report by Spain’s national police claims Moroccan authorities engineered the mass migrant influx into Ceuta in late July to destabilise the Spanish frontier.

Moroccan gendarmes ushered thousands of migrants to the border of the tiny Spanish city in North Africa, according to a report by the police’s National Immigration and Borders Centre (CENIF), as revealed by newspaper El Español.

The “planning and execution” of the entry of 72,000 migrants into Ceuta on 30-31 July (80,000 according to local authorities) – in which more than 100 people died – was “monitored by Moroccan agents on the ground”.

The police report had been requested by the National Court, Spain’s top criminal court, as a magistrate is now making a preliminary investigation into the mass border crisis. The incident constitutes perhaps the worst national security crisis in Spain’s recent history.

The surge aimed to overwhelm Spanish security forces in Ceuta, according to the report. The intelligence police unit links this to Morocco’s territorial claims on the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla, its other exclave in North Africa.

Jorge Dezcallar, Spain’s former envoy to Morocco and ex-chief of the National Intelligence Services (CNI), previously told Euractiv that Morocco’s territorial claims on the two cities were a key factor in the event. By enabling the surge, Moroccan authorities could “test the waters” at a time when it “perceives a weak government in Madrid”, he said.

The CENIF report concludes that Morocco’s objective was to “violate” the Spanish and EU border “under the guise of a migratory crisis”. It notes that around 70,000 people who entered Ceuta had voluntarily returned within hours.

Political pressure

The bombshell report has sent shockwaves through Madrid, where the entire political spectrum is questioning the Socialist Party (PSOE) complacency with Rabat.

Despite Sánchez initially calling the surge a “violation of Spain’s territorial integrity”, and Moroccan ministers making public claims of sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla, Madrid has not taken any concrete action against what it calls a “loyal ally”. Morocco’s ambassador to Spain has not even been summoned for questioning.

The official line maintained by Spain and Morocco blames human smuggling criminal networks and social media disinformation for the crisis – a hypothesis questioned by Spanish security forces and experts.

No evidence Morocco was behind Ceuta surge, says Sánchez

Amid the political fallout, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has called on the Director-General of the Police, Francisco Pardo, “to brief him as soon as possible on the content” and “veracity” of the report, a ministry spokesperson told Euractiv.

The ministry adds this “essential” information “should have been brought to the attention of the executive immediately,” as well as to the members of the National Security Council – the crisis management body that advises the prime minister.

The police report is in the hands of Judge Maria Tardón, and the public prosecution, who will decide soon whether to open a judicial investigation.

Pardo, appointed by Marlaska in 2018, subsequently informed the minister that “there is no police report whatsoever that attributes to the Moroccan security forces the planning or execution of what happened on July 30 and 31 in Ceuta,” according to a statement.

The judge “instructed the investigators not to provide their superiors with any information regarding its preparation and content,” which is why Pardo had no knowledge of it.

European Union member states are assessing a new Ukrainian request for funding for new air-defence systems, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

"It is worth several billion euros and would cover Ukraine's air defences, including the highly advanced PAC-3 Patriot air-defence system," von der Leyen said, speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels.

Since June, €8.5 billion ($9.85 billion) from the €90 billion support loan for Ukraine has already been earmarked for drones and missiles, she added.

Ukraine recently put its current requirement for interceptor missiles at around 300.

EU defence and foreign affairs ministers discussed further military support for Ukraine at talks held in Ireland this week, including providing Kiev with Patriot air defence missiles.

After no new pledges were made as part of Tuesday's talks by defence ministers, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas announced new commitments by EU foreign ministers on Wednesday.

Kallas however did not provide any details.

"The member states who made the announcements will make the announcements also publicly," she said.

Analysts are urging the European Union to work more closely with LG Energy Solution, SK On and Samsung SDI to reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturers, which hold around 72.6% of the global EV battery market against the three Korean firms' combined 13.8%, according to a Nikkei Asia report.

Chinese manufacturers dominate Europe's EV battery supply chain. Experts cited by Nikkei Asia are pushing for closer EU-South Korea cooperation on diversification. The article, published August 31 and written from London, notes that the three Korean firms are moving toward cheaper lithium-iron phosphate chemistry.

...

LG Energy Solution, SK On and Samsung SDI are all expanding their energy storage businesses.

LG Energy Solution began LFP battery production for energy storage at its Ultium Cells joint venture with GM in Michigan in July 2026, and plans production in Wroclaw, Poland early next year.

Samsung SDI is producing NCA energy storage batteries at its StarPlus Energy joint venture with Stellantis and plans LFP production there by year end.

SK On has launched its own energy storage brand and is targeting mass production. All three have existing or planned manufacturing in Europe — LG Energy Solution in Poland, Samsung SDI in Hungary, SK On in Hungary and Slovakia.

...

Archived

Original article is paywalled.

...

In Hungary, in Debrecen, nine employees at CATL’s plant recorded elevated nickel exposure. This finding prompted the local occupational safety authority to suspend activities in three workshops. The pause targeted the cell-manufacturing building, a measured halt that comes as the site’s ramp-up already faces delays.

...

The nine nickel-exposure cases were uncovered through biological monitoring tests that began in early June at the site.

...

Inspectors found that the workers involved were not adequately protected by personal protective equipment, which is deemed essential for working in those workshops.

...

On paper, the Debrecen site is meant to become a key European hub for CATL. The first phase of the cell plant was designed for an annual capacity of around 40 GWh. The total announced investment exceeds €7.6 billion. CATL had indicated that mass production of cells was expected to start in March or April 2026, a timeline that has already slipped. The cell production building is complete, but cell production has not yet begun.

...

The plant has already been hit with a €10 million forint environmental fine for permit breaches. Hungarian authorities are tightening oversight on safety and permits at the site.

...

Archived

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/11079345

...

Serbia is pursuing two intertwined energy agendas: reducing its long-standing dependence on Russian gas and building renewable generation capacity capable of eventually replacing coal.

...

The rise of Chinese investment in Serbia's renewable energy sector has revived debate over a new form of energy dependency, this time technological and financial. Chinese companies operate in Serbia in several capacities at once: as majority shareholders in project companies, as general contractors under EPC arrangements — engineering, procurement and construction — and as suppliers of wind turbines or solar inverters.

...

Several of Serbia's largest wind projects follow a similar pattern. A Western developer — Nordic, Dutch-Belgian or British — advances a project to a mature stage, once permits are secured, land rights obtained and sometimes a state-aid quota won through public auctions, before selling a majority stake, or nearly the entire project, to a Chinese investor or group of investors.

This mechanism has applied to several of the country's largest wind farms. In one of the most documented cases, the project was initially 100% owned by private Serbian investors before being sold to Chinese state-linked entities.

An emblematic case of divestment and political proximity

One of the sellers in that transaction, Mr. Nikola Petrović, had a long-standing personal relationship with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, in office since 2017. Several analysts describe this proximity as a governance issue rather than a mere biographical detail, in a sector where the awarding of projects and public quotas remains sensitive. The account of this transaction must name this link explicitly to grasp its significance.

Mr. Petrović headed Elektromreža Srbije (EMS), Serbia's electricity transmission grid operator, from September 2012 to late 2016. He remained a 50% shareholder in the project company Crni Vrh Power until 2023, before divesting his stake. This trajectory illustrates the overlap observed between past public office, personal networks and stakes in energy project companies in Serbia.

...

The technological dimension of the risk [lies in] the nature of the equipment installed. Mr. Stefan Vladisavljev, an analyst at the BFPE foundation (Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence), and Mr. Caspar Hobhouse, an analyst at the EU Institute for Security Studies, point specifically to wind turbines that are remotely connected and controllable, as well as solar inverters — equipment whose operation and maintenance underpin a fast-growing global market, as highlighted by a recent study on the global solar operations and maintenance market. Mr. Zhang Chuanwei, president of Chinese turbine manufacturer Mingyang Smart Energy, leads one of the industrial groups whose equipment is installed in several Serbian wind farms.

Several Western countries have already restricted the use of Chinese equipment in their energy infrastructure on security grounds, a precedent that fuels questions over the path Belgrade is following.

...

Archived

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/70753629

Germany has said Russia was responsible for last month's drone attack at Leipzig's airport.

A drone carrying an explosive device was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany, close to Ukrainian cargo planes, on 4 August.

The government has contracted a subsidiary of notorious arms company BAE Systems to help propel police use of AI technologies