Yes, but Europe must also revive its renewable energy industry to avoid dependence from malign influence and dependence from abroad …

Germany’s foreign minister to visit China next week, as EU prepares to toughen up on trade

The European Union is expected to toughen its trade stance on China next month, with signs that Germany - the EU’s largest member and economy - is aligning with the shift and that the 27-member bloc may be sufficiently united to push through policy changes that deepen ties with like-minded trading partners …

China’s weaker economy and its move up the value chain of industrial production means it is no longer the reliable market it once was for German exports.

But Germany still remains a key investment partner for China, which is struggling to attract fresh funds as its post-COVID recovery struggles for momentum …

Germany’s foreign minister to visit China next week, as EU prepares to toughen up on trade

The European Union is expected to toughen its trade stance on China next month, with signs that Germany - the EU’s largest member and economy - is aligning with the shift and that the 27-member bloc may be sufficiently united to push through policy changes that deepen ties with like-minded trading partners …

China’s weaker economy and its move up the value chain of industrial production means it is no longer the reliable market it once was for German exports.

But Germany still remains a key investment partner for China, which is struggling to attract fresh funds as its post-COVID recovery struggles for momentum …

Putin is desperate as he’s struggling to find trade partners. India used to be the biggest buyer of Russian crude oil but has been decreasing its volume significantly this year - and the downward trend goes on (with even China, Russia biggest ‘ally,’ significantly reducing its Russian oil imports as the trade data reveals).

There is not only the ‘U.S. factor’ of sanctions as the elephant in the room. Australia, Canada, the EU, and many others are in the process of negotiating new trade agreements with India. If Mr. Modri chooses to go with Putin’s Russia, he knows that he will have a tough stand with these Western partners. And this isn’t worth the price.

I am not a legal expert, but I guess if one files a lawsuit against you then you’ll have to at least defend yourself, at least in Western democracies. So as a legal layman I would say simply ignoring might not be an option.

Experts now apparently have found a legal way to use Russian asset as collateral for this reparation loan.

A quick reminder that Russia has already seized (seized, not frozen!) Western assets within Russia of around 50 billion euros. The Kremlin introduced ‘rules’ that allowed it to confiscate assets of what it called ‘unfriendly countries’ as early as 2023. Among the affected Western companies whose assets were seized are Carlsberg and Danone, based in Denmark and France respectively. Both companies were ‘punished’ - according to the Kremlin - for halting their business in Russia.

Just read a [BBC article]https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8e5j20g27o():

… Several residents have revealed in interviews that the fire alarm did not sound when the fire broke out. Authorities said on Friday that they had checked the fire alarms in all eight blocks and found that they were not working properly …

Oh, no, it’s also about toxic and unsafe products that threaten people’s health because they are offered by retailers that violate any safety and consumer regulation. This is why they have no license.

As Interpol says,

Counterfeit toys pose a significant risk to children, as they may contain hazardous materials and chemicals that can be toxic to children, and their poor build quality can lead to accidents and injuries.

Justice and accountability are not tokens for negotiation, say survivors in Ukraine

At the international conference hosted by Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) in Kyiv on 26 November, survivors presented their Call to Action. These demands include:

• No amnesty for war crimes

• The immediate release of all those still in Russian captivity

• The inclusion of survivors of violations committed since 2014 in the Registry of Damages. Survivors also stress that the process for applying for compensation need to be flexible, accessible and survivor-centred

• The effective and prompt implementation of Law 4067 (Bardina Law)

The Bardina Law gives survivors of conflict-related sexual violence the right to urgent interim reparation. The law came to force in June 2025 but is yet to be implemented. The pilot project on Urgent Interim Reparations for conflict-related sexual violence survivors proves that the registration process can be inclusive, transparent, credible and survivor-centred.

And don’t forget that one in 10 rescued Ukrainian children sexually abused in the occupied territories.

It is important to note that Putin’s Russia broke some 400 agreements in the recent decade or so, that’s basically every he signed.

The operation is the second in two years and brings the number of counterfeit toys seized by authorities to almost 17m, most of them from China.

bUt It Is cHeAp.

If a war breaks out I would work also longer than 60 hours and if this propaganda parrot promises to never come back I pay for his one-way ticket to Moscow or Beijing.

Me too.

As early as 2012, one report wrote on Chinese Fascism’s Global Consequences:

It is increasingly clear that China is the most powerful, mature and internationally accepted fascist state in global history and its status as such should cause us all a great deal of concern.

Last year, under, China’s Turn to Fascist Rule, another analysis reads,

Under Xi Jinping, China meets all four hallmarks of what constitutes fascism – cult-like worship, hyper-nationalism, a merciless surveillance apparatus and the glorification of military strength.

There are many more.

do we(legally) need to protest against each new version over and over again?

Not a legal expert, but I am afraid that’s how it is …

You may wish to write your MEP(s):

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/home

That’s a shame. It may also be important in this context that Chinese military was reportedly hosted at base in the UAE. The UAE and China have close military ties and held a joint air force drill in China’s Xinjiang region.

Financial Services firm Morningstar sees European defense stocks as undervalued after the recent overreaction to potential peace deal ignores the real drivers of demand.

The market reaction is overstated. European defense valuations are anchored in structural budget increases rather than short-term Ukraine revenue, and rearmament plans are unlikely to reverse even in the event of a peace agreement …

European governments’ long-term demand reflects inventory rebuilding, capability and platform scale-up, and autonomy from US support … to reach 3.5% of GDP on defense spending. These fundamentals remain intact and support order visibility, backlog conversion, and cash generation.

Ukraine procurement is marginal for most contractors. Germany is now the largest single supporter of Ukraine. Yet, Rheinmetall has only EUR 1.7 billion of Ukraine orders within an EUR 64-billion backlog, underscoring the sector’s long-run domestic and NATO-driven demand …

How do you make such an inference? This is a divisive rhetoric out of the blue that is echoing anti-democratic propaganda aimed at sowing division among society.

Aha …

Chinese robotaxi operator Pony.ai says one of its cars caught fire in Shanghai

Pony.ai Recalls Autonomous Driving Software After Crash in California

Europe needs to build that itself, as much as it needs to ‘re-industrialize.’ The safest and best place to produce things is in Europe as its environmental and social rules are more developed as elsewhere: https://feddit.uk/c/buyeuropean

Exactly. There is no option for Europe other than developing its own technology. https://feddit.uk/c/buyeuropean

A similar case recently happened in Germany, where the country’s authorities face heavy criticism after admitting that a 56-year-old Uyghur asylum-seeker was mistakenly put on a plane to China instead of to Turkey.

According to reports (one is here), the woman, Reziwanguli Baikeli, had fled China’s Xinjiang region in 2017, lived in Turkey for several years and joined her daughter in Germany in 2024. Uyghurs are recognised by Germany as a group at extreme risk of persecution; informal guidance says they should not be returned to China.

Experts call for Germany (and possibly the whole of Europe) for a federal “white list” of countries to which deportations are categorically barred, similar to policies already used in Sweden and the Netherlands.

Yeah, mainland China - the other China, so to say - shows a similar stance. Despite critical voices of Beijing regarding Israel’s war in Gaza, ties between China and Israel have in many ways proven resilient. Bilateral trade rose to USD 16.3 billion in 2024, up almost 12% from 2023, for example.

Despite Israel having banned Chinese suppliers from sensitive military procurement, commercial ties improved as trade data shows. In addition to U.S. companies, Chinese technology firms are a decisive supplier of Israel surveillance tech in Gaza and the West Bank (you’d easily find many reports on the web about that).