Archived version

Spain’s top prosecutor has been banned from his post for two years after being found guilty of leaking confidential information about a tax case involving a businessman who is the boyfriend of a prominent rightwing politician.

Álvaro García Ortiz, who has served as attorney general since 2022, was also fined €7,300 (£6,428), and ordered to pay €10,000 in damages to the businessman, Alberto González Amador.

The verdict, announced by the supreme court on Thursday, will come as a blow to Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, who had insisted on García Ortiz’s innocence, and who is under increasing pressure because of a series of corruption allegations facing his family and his allies.

...

The case has reignited the debate over the politicisation of the judiciary and comes as investigations continue into allegations of corruption involving Sánchez’s wife and his brother. While the prime minister has dismissed those allegations as politically motivated smears, in June he ordered his right-hand man, Santos Cerdán, to resign as the socialist party’s organisational secretary after a supreme court judge found “firm evidence” of his possible involvement in taking kickbacks on public construction contracts.

The corruption investigations, which also involve the former transport minister José Luis Ábalos and one of his aides, are particularly damaging as Sánchez came to power promising to crack down on graft. The prime minister has previously cast doubt on the independence of some members of the Spanish judiciary, claiming in an interview in September “there’s no doubt that there are judges doing politics and there are politicians trying to do justice”.

...

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/41364587

I'm getting errors and I want to pick better indexers.

Archived

French authorities have arrested three people on suspicion of spying for Russia and acting to promote its war propaganda, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The arrests, which are part of a probe into the French-Russian association SOS Donbass, come as fears of Russian interference across Europe run high due to tensions over Moscow's war on Ukraine.

One of the detainees, a 40-year-old Russian man, was seen hanging up pro-Russian posters on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on video surveillance footage in September, the city prosecutors' office said.

The man then reported by telephone to the head of SOS Donbass, a 40-year-old woman who was suspected by French counter-espionage officials of trying to obtain financial information from French business executives.

The Russia-born woman had been on the radar of France's domestic intelligence service, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), since at least the beginning of the year.

...

She admitted to the Daily Mail that the constant upheaval has made her emotionally guarded, sharing that canceled plans — including three separate summer mini-vacations — have left her with “PTSD” about setting up experiences with her husband and her son.

Honestly, I have PTSD about making plans, so I just don’t,” Leavitt said. ‘We just roll with it. If there’s a night where I happen to become free, then we take full advantage of that as a family.”

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5800263

Archived version

• China is building up its military and is projected to have the capability to launch major combat operations against Taiwan by 2027.
• Historically, America has provided the deterrent to Chinese aggression. But shifting geopolitics mean that it is in the EU’s interest to help Taiwan defend itself and force China to reconsider the risks of military action.
• The Chinese government is becoming bolder: sending arms supplies to Russia, undermining security on European soil and engaging in protectionist policies that damage European trade and supply chains.
• European defence cooperation with Taiwan would bolster deterrence against Chinese aggression in the Taiwan Strait and beyond, helping secure stability for global trade and signalling that European leaders can stand firm rather than yield to pressure.
• The EU and its member states can start by encouraging industry-led initiatives and dual-use technology collaboration to strengthen Taiwan’s deterrence and safeguard European interests.

...

China is constructing a wartime command complex on the western outskirts of Beijing that will be roughly the size of 50 Pentagons. This “Beijing military city”, featuring deep underground bunkers to shield top Communist Party and military leaders, signals that the country is preparing for high-stakes conflict. The Chinese military is also ramping up its capabilities: it is expanding missile infrastructure in eastern China, it has almost tripled its inventory of precision-attack ballistic and cruise missiles, and now operates 134 air bases that can sustain air operations near Taiwan. The Chinese military is projected to have the capability to invade Taiwan by 2027.

...

For decades, the EU has shied away from involvement in the Taiwan issue. The bloc follows a “one-China policy”, which recognises the People’s Republic of China (PRC) led by Beijing as the sole legitimate government representing China. While the EU does not extend diplomatic recognition to Taiwan, it maintains strong economic and substantive ties with it. The policy seeks to preserve stability by maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

...

Yet European “appeasement” towards China has not produced the desired results. China leverages its vast market and critical role in global supply chains to exert influence in the EU, often using trade policies, investment strategies and control over strategic materials to advance its interests. Geopolitically, Beijing has also become increasingly assertive, going so far as to supply Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine. As the global security environment deteriorates, Taiwan’s strategic needs converge with those of Europe. Now, Europe helping Taiwan defend itself is a key way to stem China’s assertiveness; what was once unthinkable is becoming not only conceivable but also necessary. European policymakers have been debating economic sanctions on China to respond to its new positioning, but they should also consider transferring defensive equipment to Taiwan—a topic far from the top of the agenda.

...

It is precisely with defence transfers that European countries could help Taiwan forestall a crisis with China that could disrupt global trade and push China closer to Russia. By transferring advanced technology and expanding Taiwan’s defence capacity, the EU can force China to recalculate the risks and sustainability of an invasion scenario, thereby making a meaningful contribution to the credibility of deterrence. The firmer the EU’s support for Taiwan, the clearer the red lines that Beijing must reckon with. Placing defence transfers higher on Europe’s agenda with Taiwan would send China one of the most resolute signals of determination. This would show Beijing that the EU means business—not just in Taiwan, but also on economic issues within the EU itself.

...

Taiwan is a highly complementary partner for European industries. In addition to its recent partnerships with Poland and Ukraine on drones, Taiwan is a world leader in semiconductors and electronics, and boasts deep expertise in precision engineering, notably in metal materials, machine tools and advanced manufacturing.[22] Taiwanese firms have also built solid foundations in aerospace components, materials research, aircraft production and maintenance, and related systems. Many of them can meet European certification standards on a case-by-case basis. This industrial strength presents fertile ground for reciprocal and high-value defence-industrial collaboration between Taiwan and Europe.

Such two-way cooperation would align with the EU’s strategy of de-risking from China. It would also strengthen European supply-chain resilience and cost efficiency in Asia, while allowing Taiwan to benefit from European institutional experience and regulatory frameworks to scale up its industrial and technological base. By sharing industrial data, testing and certification results, and market insights, both sides can gradually build mutual trust—establishing confidence in each other’s production capacity, quality control and supply chain security.

Over time, this mutual understanding and trust could also enhance European confidence in Taiwan’s export-control and non-proliferation standards. This would reduce perceived political risks and pave the way for more regular and transparent defence cooperation—that would, in turn, strengthen European supply chains, boost industrial competitiveness and enhance the EU’s credibility as a security actor in the Indo-Pacific.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5800263

Archived version

• China is building up its military and is projected to have the capability to launch major combat operations against Taiwan by 2027.
• Historically, America has provided the deterrent to Chinese aggression. But shifting geopolitics mean that it is in the EU’s interest to help Taiwan defend itself and force China to reconsider the risks of military action.
• The Chinese government is becoming bolder: sending arms supplies to Russia, undermining security on European soil and engaging in protectionist policies that damage European trade and supply chains.
• European defence cooperation with Taiwan would bolster deterrence against Chinese aggression in the Taiwan Strait and beyond, helping secure stability for global trade and signalling that European leaders can stand firm rather than yield to pressure.
• The EU and its member states can start by encouraging industry-led initiatives and dual-use technology collaboration to strengthen Taiwan’s deterrence and safeguard European interests.

...

China is constructing a wartime command complex on the western outskirts of Beijing that will be roughly the size of 50 Pentagons. This “Beijing military city”, featuring deep underground bunkers to shield top Communist Party and military leaders, signals that the country is preparing for high-stakes conflict. The Chinese military is also ramping up its capabilities: it is expanding missile infrastructure in eastern China, it has almost tripled its inventory of precision-attack ballistic and cruise missiles, and now operates 134 air bases that can sustain air operations near Taiwan. The Chinese military is projected to have the capability to invade Taiwan by 2027.

...

For decades, the EU has shied away from involvement in the Taiwan issue. The bloc follows a “one-China policy”, which recognises the People’s Republic of China (PRC) led by Beijing as the sole legitimate government representing China. While the EU does not extend diplomatic recognition to Taiwan, it maintains strong economic and substantive ties with it. The policy seeks to preserve stability by maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

...

Yet European “appeasement” towards China has not produced the desired results. China leverages its vast market and critical role in global supply chains to exert influence in the EU, often using trade policies, investment strategies and control over strategic materials to advance its interests. Geopolitically, Beijing has also become increasingly assertive, going so far as to supply Russia with weapons for its war in Ukraine. As the global security environment deteriorates, Taiwan’s strategic needs converge with those of Europe. Now, Europe helping Taiwan defend itself is a key way to stem China’s assertiveness; what was once unthinkable is becoming not only conceivable but also necessary. European policymakers have been debating economic sanctions on China to respond to its new positioning, but they should also consider transferring defensive equipment to Taiwan—a topic far from the top of the agenda.

...

It is precisely with defence transfers that European countries could help Taiwan forestall a crisis with China that could disrupt global trade and push China closer to Russia. By transferring advanced technology and expanding Taiwan’s defence capacity, the EU can force China to recalculate the risks and sustainability of an invasion scenario, thereby making a meaningful contribution to the credibility of deterrence. The firmer the EU’s support for Taiwan, the clearer the red lines that Beijing must reckon with. Placing defence transfers higher on Europe’s agenda with Taiwan would send China one of the most resolute signals of determination. This would show Beijing that the EU means business—not just in Taiwan, but also on economic issues within the EU itself.

...

Taiwan is a highly complementary partner for European industries. In addition to its recent partnerships with Poland and Ukraine on drones, Taiwan is a world leader in semiconductors and electronics, and boasts deep expertise in precision engineering, notably in metal materials, machine tools and advanced manufacturing.[22] Taiwanese firms have also built solid foundations in aerospace components, materials research, aircraft production and maintenance, and related systems. Many of them can meet European certification standards on a case-by-case basis. This industrial strength presents fertile ground for reciprocal and high-value defence-industrial collaboration between Taiwan and Europe.

Such two-way cooperation would align with the EU’s strategy of de-risking from China. It would also strengthen European supply-chain resilience and cost efficiency in Asia, while allowing Taiwan to benefit from European institutional experience and regulatory frameworks to scale up its industrial and technological base. By sharing industrial data, testing and certification results, and market insights, both sides can gradually build mutual trust—establishing confidence in each other’s production capacity, quality control and supply chain security.

Over time, this mutual understanding and trust could also enhance European confidence in Taiwan’s export-control and non-proliferation standards. This would reduce perceived political risks and pave the way for more regular and transparent defence cooperation—that would, in turn, strengthen European supply chains, boost industrial competitiveness and enhance the EU’s credibility as a security actor in the Indo-Pacific.

...

Archive/non-paywall link.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5800183

Archived version

A couple of hundred kilometers southeast of the Serbian capital of Belgrade lies the city of Bor, home to one of the largest reserves of copper in the world and one of the most egregious examples of environmental racism towards a Romani community anywhere in Europe.

In Bor, a community of more than 300 Romani people find themselves unwillingly at the centre of a story of corruption, unscrupulous government contracts, and environmental degradation in a country with a regime on the brink of potential collapse. As the forces of government, a multinational mining company, and the local municipality converge on Bor, it is the Romani people living on the edge of the mine who are left to suffer the indignations of segregation and pollution. Their story exposes the sharp edge of environmental racism in Europe.

...

[In 2018], the Chinese multinational Zijin Mining Group Co., Limited took a 63% controlling interest in [Serbia's state-owned mining company RTB Bor] as part of a $1.26 billion deal with the Serbian government. The name of the mine changed to ‘Serbia Zijin Bor Copper Mine’ and that year the mining operation produced a net income of around €760 million, with most of the profit coming from the conversion of debt into new shares. The exact details of the public tender and what was in the contract that was drawn up between the Government of Serbia and Zijin Mining are not publicly known. What is known is the record of Zijin around the world for grievous human rights abuses, exploitation, and environmental harm. The company faces accusations of forced labour of Uyghur, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz workers in China; forced labour of workers in Tibet; forced evictions of villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo to make way for cobalt mines; poisoning the Tingjiang River in China with toxic waste and threatening water supplies and fishing industries; and allegations of pouring toxic sludge into tunnels in Colombia where informal miners were working.

...

Their activities in Serbia have not been without controversy either. ‘Serbia Zijin Bor Copper Mine’ has been accused of human trafficking, exploitation, and forced labor of Chinese workers after a 2021 investigation by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. Protests have also been held around Bor over excessive air pollution that has intensified since Zijin took over the mine in late 2018. The largest was a months-long-blockade of access roads to one of the mines by villagers from nearby Krivelj over pollution and environmental degradation.

...

When Zijin Mining bought Bor Copper Mine, they also bought the land around it. This resulted in the land on which the Romani community live in Herderova Street being transferred to the private ownership of the company ... [Therefore] since 2018, the residents have been unable to register their residence at Herderova Street, and therefore cannot obtain personal identification documents without issue. While some individuals have managed to register with the local social welfare center’s address, many are unable to do so for unclear, untransparent reasons. The absence of a systemic solution prevents all individuals who are living there (or even born there) from obtaining personal identification documents through their actual address, which is a prerequisite for accessing basic infrastructure, public services, and exercising their rights.

...

The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) holds the Serbian authorities responsible for failing to protect the rights of the Romani people living at Herderova Street and has filed a legal complaint with the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality. Additional complaints have been sent to the Division for Mining Inspection within the Energy and Mining Ministry, as well as to the Environmental Protection Inspection in the Environmental Protection Ministry. The Mayor of Bor, Aleksandar Milikić, who is from the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), has so far declined to respond to requests for a meeting with the ERRC.

...

For most people in the city of Bor, the revitalization of the mining industry has contributed to the city’s overall economic development. While Bor is booming, though, the Roma living at Herderova Street have not felt the benefits. Instead, they bear the worst consequences of industrial expansion while being systematically excluded from infrastructure improvements and social services. The residents have clearly expressed their desire to relocate to safer, more suitable housing. Until such measures are implemented, urgent improvements to their current living conditions are a necessity. Without intervention, these Romani families in Bor remain at risk of forced eviction and homelessness at worst, or at “best”, remain stuck living on the edge of the mine.

Smaller production lines and those with low capacity utilization are to be relocated from the company's Bavarian headquarters in Stein and from a second site in Geroldsgrün to Brazil and Peru, the company announced.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/53795138

Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume told reporters that producing a majority of cars in Germany before exporting them all over the world "doesn't work anymore."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/53793129

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/53793117

Brett Ratner, accused of sexual misconduct by several women, will bring his hit franchise back to the big screen

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.today/post/42453153

Congress requires the Pentagon to support the scouting program's Jamboree, a gathering of thousands of young scouts held every three or four years. The U.S. military lends trucks, ambulances and medical teams, and puts on aviation and skydiving demonstrations, all at no cost to the Scouts. For the military, it's both a training exercise and an opportunity to recruit highly motivated, civic-minded kids.

But the law includes an exemption: the Secretary of Defense can withhold support  if he determines providing it would be "detrimental to national security."

Drafts of a report to Congress obtained by NPR show Hegseth invoking that clause — accusing Scouting America of fostering "gender confusion."

His memo to the House and Senate Armed Services committees argues the Scouts have strayed from their mission to "cultivate masculine values." It also claims that with international conflicts and a tight budget, sending troops, doctors and vehicles to a 10-day youth event would harm national security by diverting resources from border operations and protecting U.S. territory.

I can buy the normally very deliciously painful spicy stuff from Walmart now, instead of the pan Asian supermarket. I’ve noticed that it seems to taste wayyyy less spicy. It feels closer to a hot Cheetos spicy than the proper actually painful way it used to taste.

https://archive.is/0U70e

In May Pfizer, America’s biggest drugmaker, agreed to pay $1.25bn in fees to 3SBio, a Chinese biotech firm, for the rights to manufacture and sell an experimental cancer drug outside China, if approved.

GlaxoSmithKline, a British rival, struck a $500m deal with Hengrui, another Chinese company, for a lung-disease treatment and the options to buy 11 more drugs, that together may be valued at as much as $12bn

Such deals are no longer exceptions. In the first half of this year nearly a third of all global licensing agreements signed by big pharma were with Chinese firms—four times the share in 2021