Dutch regulator approves Tesla's FSD driver-assistance system but won't release safety-test details

Tesla has pressured officials to withhold safety-testing results from the public

Here is the study: The Russian FIMI Playbook in Moldova (pdf)

Moldova underwent the most intensive FIMI (foreign information manipulation and interference) Europe has ever seen, and its defences held.

The core lesson: FIMI is a governance challenge, not a media challenge; Russian operations amplify governance deficits that already exist.

Five priorities follow, for Chișinău and Brussels alike:

• treat FIMI as a good-governance problem;
• prioritize resilience over censorship;
• follow the money — banks, cards, crypto;
• learn faster than the adversary; and treat democratic oversight as an asset, not an obstacle;
• ultimately, Russia is competing less for control over information than for control over citizens‘ trust.

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Democratic resilience depends not only on a pro-European political orientation but equally on the continued strengthening of checks and balances, judicial independence, parliamentary oversight, and institutional accountability – in short, on good governance.

At the European level: treat Moldova as a front-line source of FIMI lessons and systematize their transfer across the enlargement space; make joint monitoring of the G7 RRM type permanent rather than election-bound and extend it to other exposed partners, backed by common analytical cells and a shared TTP database; take action at the EU level on platform accountability — above all Telegram and TikTok — and on crypto-based FIMI financing; and integrate FIMI-resilience and governance-quality benchmarks into the enlargement methodology itself.

Rather than treating FIMI as one instrument among many, European policy should understand it as the connective tissue that links and amplifies all other hybrid instruments.

Russia seeks to weaken democracy not only through disinformation, but also by eroding the institutions that generate public trust; the most sustainable response is therefore not stronger censorship, but stronger democratic governance.

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[Edit typo.]

Data processing, CCTV cameras, facial recognition systems and Chinese contracts in the Balkans. These are all factors against which to assess EU enlargement. Serbia is the most advanced and well-documented case: Huawei has launched a ‘Safe City’ project for Belgrade and potentially for the whole country, whilst the European Commission continues to raise concerns about the lack of safeguards regarding the use of biometrics.

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This is not a peripheral issue. It concerns the Adriatic, European infrastructure, police cooperation, logistics corridors and the credibility of enlargement.

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In January 2019, a Huawei publication stated that the Serbian Ministry of the Interior intended to develop a ‘leading Safe City’ scheme covering Belgrade and, in the long term, the whole country. An integrated platform involves more than just the purchase of cameras: it can include sensors, networks, servers, storage systems, control software, facial recognition, number plate recognition, movement analysis, maintenance and links to public databases. It is the integration, not the optical device itself, that transforms video surveillance into strategic infrastructure.

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The most sensitive issue is maintenance. These systems rely on firmware updates, licence renewals, digital certificates, archive optimisation and technical interventions. Support accounts may have higher privileges than those of police officers. If the supplier retains exclusive control over updates, recovery keys or proprietary formats, the state formally owns the system but does not have full control over its continuity. Huawei’s 2025 annual report states that the group has assessed the cyber and privacy risks of over 4,000 suppliers and holds more than 890 security and data protection certifications.

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The protests that began in Serbia following the collapse of the bus shelter at Novi Sad station on 1 November 2024 [the shelter was built by a Chinese contractor], which claimed the lives of 16 people, have turned into a nationwide campaign for transparency and accountability. In August 2025, United Nations experts reported allegations of intimidation, assaults and surveillance targeting the student movement. These are allegations that require investigation; they are neither verdicts nor accusations levelled at the Huawei platform. In 2026, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe expressed concern over revelations regarding the surveillance of Serbian journalists and activists, calling for effective investigations and accountability.

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It will not be enough [for Serbia and other EU candidate countries] to simply adopt laws that are formally in line with EU requirements: it will be necessary to demonstrate which modules are installed, which databases are connected, who controls updates, and whether the system can operate without the original supplier.

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Serbia is the best-documented case, but not the only vulnerable environment. In 2025, the Commission noted that Montenegro’s data protection legislation was not yet aligned with EU standards; that in North Macedonia, there remained a low level of awareness and insufficient IT safeguards within public bodies; and that in Albania, the Total Information Management System continued to present security and data protection vulnerabilities. Candidate countries set to integrate progressively into the European area could connect infrastructure that is not fully verifiable to border systems, digital identity, judicial cooperation and information exchange. Enlargement without technical convergence would bring vulnerabilities as well as new members.

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cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/69386974

The share of electric cars sold by Chinese brands rose to 14.2% across western European markets – or one in every seven battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – in the first five months of this year, according to Schmidt Automotive Research. The 171,800 sales represented an increase in market share of nearly five percentage points versus the same period in 2025.

Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Sunday warned that hybrid warfare attacks had become a daily threat to the country.

"We're not at war, but we are the daily target of hybrid warfare," Dobrindt told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag following the discovery of a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

"Espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, or covert operations by foreign powers aimed at destabilizing Germany or inflicting direct harm are a constant reality," Dobrindt said.

He also noted that the country is stepping up research into drones to address new security threats.

A new drone security research center will be established later in August at a German Aerospace Center (DLR) test airport in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, Dobrindt said.

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On Saturday, Germany's armed forces confirmed that two drones had been spotted late on Thursday over a German military base in Mechernich in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia near the Belgian border.

The drones were detected at around 10 p.m. (2000 GMT) over the Bundeswehr base, a German armed forces spokesperson said.

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While German government officials have refrained from publicly blaming any foreign country over the Leipzig incident, some lawmakers have pointed fingers at Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since ​its full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.

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The goal of the Industrial Accelerator Act: to lift manufacturing to 20% of EU GDP by 2035.

The Foreign Ministries of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom have issued a joint statement regarding the Russia-Georgia War. The joint statement was published on social media by the British Embassy in Georgia.

As stated in the joint declaration, the Foreign Ministries reaffirm their full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

“August 7th is a date when we remember the grave consequences of Russian imperialism. On this day in 2008, the Russian Federation took military action against Georgia, further damaging Georgia’s territorial integrity by occupying the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

18 years after the Russian aggression, we reaffirm our full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders. We welcome the Republic of Naoero’s decision to withdraw its recognition of the so-called independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. We urge states that have established diplomatic relations with these entities to follow this example.

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In October 2025, the European Court of Human Rights found the Russian Federation guilty of many violations committed in the occupied breakaway regions, including excessive use of force, ill-treatment, unlawful detention and unlawful restrictions on day-to-day movement across the administrative boundary line between Georgian-controlled territory and Russian-occupied territory. We urge Russia to implement the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights relating to this situation and to fully fulfil the commitments it made on August 12 and September 8, 2008,” the statement reads.

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Furthermore, the Foreign Ministries of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom expressed grave concern over the recent agreement signed between Moscow and the de facto authorities of South Ossetia, describing it as a clear violation of international law.

“We are concerned about the latest developments in South Ossetia. The “Agreement on Deepening Alliance and Cooperation” signed on May 9, 2026, between Moscow and the de facto authorities of South Ossetia further violates Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in clear breach of international law. This document, as well as the appointment of a Russian citizen to head the region, raises concerns about a possible full-fledged annexation of the region, which would not go unanswered.

We reaffirm our support for the “Geneva International Discussions” (GID) platform, co-chaired by the European Union, the OSCE, and the United Nations. This is the only framework that will enable the parties to work towards conflict resolution. We commend the work of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and we will continue to support the role of the mission,” the joint statement concludes.

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cross-posted from: https://lazysoci.al/post/52086263

cross-posted from: https://lazysoci.al/post/52086261

Didn't know the first one ended, let alone the fourth.

A financial analysis by Strategy&, PwC's German consulting arm, found that average interest expenses at ​Germany's leading auto suppliers rose for a ​fourth consecutive year in 2025 to 102% of ⁠operating earnings - far exceeding levels in the rest ​of Europe and China.

Though progress is often slow, city planners and politicians are gradually waking up to the fact that when cities offer safe and affordable alternatives to cars, we start to travel differently.

More and more young people are choosing bicycles, buses and trains over owning a car out of the sheer cost. In Berlin, it’s public transport, not cars, which is the coolest way of getting around.

In Copenhagen, a city that has a long held reputation for being bike-friendly, a whopping 62% of people choose to cycle their commute.

In the French city of Lyon, the number of cars entering the city has fallen by 20% compared to just a decade ago. As the city’s network of bike hire stations continues to grow, town planners are hoping for a further 20% decline.

In London, where cycle super-highways are becoming popular, the share of journeys made by car has fallen by a quarter since 1990.

Car free days are rising in popularity in many of the world’s largest cities, giving people a taste of what it’s like to live with less noise, traffic and pollution. Bogota was one of the first cities to introduce a car free day, and it’s now become so popular that it’s been extended to a full week.

Bogotá's Ciclovía is fantastic! I was there in the mid-nineties and they closed a major artery, the Carretera Séptima, on Sundays. Here some pictures.

Nearly six years ago, Belarusians poured onto the streets after Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian president who has ruled the country since 1994, claimed another implausible election victory.

Pasta may be one of the world's most beloved staples, but technology is being used to improve the iconic Italian dish. In the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy's "Food Valley", researchers are creating the pasta of the future by focusing on its main ingredient, wheat. FRANCE 24's Natalia Mendoza, Laura Roudaut, Tommaso Marro and Charlotte Davan Wetton report.

Italy wants to consolidate its presence in the Indo-Pacific, where China has been stepping up its maritime activities, and plans to deepen security cooperation with Japan, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a recent interview.

Italy has been dispatching warships and aircraft to Japan, and Tajani told Kyodo News in the written interview that a naval patrol ship is set to call at Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, in September.

Italy has stepped up efforts to support "freedom of navigation" in the Indo-Pacific, including by deploying the aircraft carrier Cavour to Japan in 2024 for the first time.

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In July, Canada joined as an observer in the Global Combat Air Program, a next-generation fighter jet development project pursued by Japan, Italy and Britain. Tajani said he is open to potential new partners such as Germany but stressed that any such participation must not affect the project's progress or governance.

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Japan’s recently released 2026 Defense White Paper Warns of China’s Expanding Military Reach in the Pacific.

The report, Defense of Japan 2026, again described China as “an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge” to Japan’s peace and security, repeating language first adopted in Japan’s revised National Security Strategy in 2022. This year’s white paper placed particular emphasis on China’s expanding military activities in the Pacific, highlighting what Tokyo views as Beijing’s growing ability to project military power beyond the so-called First Island Chain and increasingly deeper into the Pacific.

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The German startup ecosystem is off to a strong start in 2026: Between January and June, 3,053 new startups were founded. This represents a 52 percent increase compared to the second half of 2025 and means more startups were founded than in all of 2024.

A study by the government-funded Polish Economic Institute (PIE) found that 7.09% of Polish SMEs used AI in 2025— one of the lowest rates in the EU and equivalent to 35% of the EU average.