Europe

Stuff like this makes me think maybe my country (the UK) would be better off back in the EU. Europe together can create great technology like rockets. The UK alone can't.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s High Court ruled Friday that the government’s decision to outlaw the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful, but it kept the ban in place pending an appeal.

The new computer infrastructure is part of an effort by the company to keep its technology and all its cloud servers in Europe

The Epstein files show not only how he abused women and girls while mixing with powerful people, but also how he tried to influence politics in Europe.

According to the published materials, Epstein and Bannon regularly exchanged views on political developments – at times seriously, at others using lewd humour.

Franco-German tank manufacturer KNDS is planning to invest heavily in Germany in order to expand production, the company's boss said on Thursday.

In the past three years, production capacity has already been tripled, said KNDS Managing Director Jean-Paul Alary, touting planned investments totalling more than €1 billion ($1.2 billion).

Alary confirmed plans for a dual IPO in Paris and Frankfurt this year, saying the exact timing would depend on market conditions.

KNDS makes weapons systems such as the Leopard 2 main battle tank and the 2000 self-propelled howitzer. The company was formed through a merger of Germany's Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and French company Nexter.

KNDS is currently owned by the German family behind Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and the French government.

Alary said that KNDS will continue specializing in land systems and aims to supply the armed forces of European allies and partners.

Currently, 24 European armed forces use KNDS weapon systems.

BELGRADE, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The European Union could withhold funds from a 1.6 billion euro allocation of loans and grants to Serbia, after Belgrade passed laws that are "eroding trust" in its commitment to the rule of law, the bloc's enlargement commissioner said.

Reforms to centralise the judiciary that came into force this week brought criticism from judges and prosecutors who see them as bolstering President Aleksandar Vucic's hold on power, weakening the fight against organised crime and undermining Serbia's bid to join the EU.

“These amendments are eroding trust. It is becoming harder for those in Brussels who are willing to advance with Serbia to make their case," EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said in emailed comments to Reuters late on Thursday.

Kos said the commission was reviewing funding for Serbia under the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, aimed at aligning the region to EU rules and ultimately bringing countries such as Serbia into the bloc. Serbia was allocated 1.6 billion euros of loans and grants under the programme.

"These (funds) contain preconditions linked to the rule of law," she said.

Serbia began official talks to join the EU in 2014 but widespread corruption and weak institutions have slowed progress.

The judicial reforms include limiting the mandate of chief public prosecutors and granting court presidents - responsible for court administration - greater powers over judges. Critics fear the reforms will erode judges' independence and jeopardise high-level corruption cases overseen by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime. The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. The justice ministry has said that the new laws will make the judiciary more efficient by streamlining the decision-making process.

Since the backlash, Serbia has requested the opinion of the Venice Commission, a panel of constitutional law experts of the Council of Europe, a human rights body.

"Once that opinion is issued, we expect these laws to be revised accordingly and in an inclusive manner," Kos said.

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20260213110652/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/02/13/nato-shake-up-fails-to-boost-france-s-influence-within-the-alliance_6750458_4.html

Despite Paris's hopes, the reorganization of the North Atlantic Alliance, finalized on February 6, does not allow France to increase its weight within the organization. Meanwhile, Germany is aiming for the key post of chair of the military committee.

MUNICH (AP) — An annual gathering of top international security figures that last year set the tone for a growing rift between the United States and Europe opens Friday, bringing together many top European officials with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others.

The plans - which are subject to a 12-week public consultation - seek to prevent smoking, vaping and the use of heated tobacco in these settings across England.

ANTWERP, Belgium, Feb 11 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday advocated for a single European energy market and for the construction of an integrated electricity grid.

The Belgian federal police raided several European Commission buildings on Thursday as they probe suspected irregularities in property transactions carried out in 2024.

Departure boards for Frankfurt and Munich, Lufthansa's hubs in Germany, showed most flights were cancelled for the day, including to overseas destinations.

After 26 years of negotiations, the EU’s Partnership Agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) was expected to be a geopolitical win for the European Commission. Instead, it turned out to be a test to overcome the EU’s institutional complexity, while exposing deep political divisions and hindering the EU’s trade agenda.

From 1 April, young people with eating disorders in Belgium will be able to attend 38 free dietitian consultations or receive up to 20 hours of care annually.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/58968307

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/58968661

The Seapeak Glasgow tanker loaded a cargo from the Zhejiang Ningbo terminal in late January and was headed south toward Singapore, signaling Europe as its next destination, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Vessel tracking firm Kpler also showed the ship heading to the continent.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/58950931

Preliminary data from the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) showed that about 726,000 people were employed in the sector in Germany in 2025, nearly 47,000 fewer than a year earlier and almost 107,000 fewer than in 2019.

Paywall? https://removepaywalls.com/https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/uk-sign-eu-single-market-rules-deal-reeves-4228840

Paywall? https://removepaywalls.com/4/https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/france-ai-company-mistral-invests-14-billion-data-centres-sweden-2026-02-11/