HowRu68

Lithuania will cover all the costs associated with hosting U.S. troops in the country, where a new barracks is among the improvements made for American forces deployed along NATO’s eastern edge.

More than 1,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed to Lithuania, which has long been regarded as a potential flashpoint in any conflict, given the country’s proximity to the Russian military exclave of Kaliningrad and Kremlin ally Belarus.

The worst-case scenario is now a possible one: European troops fighting off an invasion largely alone

It’s by no means clear the Europeans would succeed. Romanian and other European officials at the exercise in Cincu, about 260 kilometers (162 miles) north of Bucharest by road, voiced concerns about how long it would take for NATO allies to make it to the front.

French four-star General Philippe de Montenon said he’s confident Europe could prevail, even without the US on side.

“The direction of history is a progressive disengagement of the United States from the European continent,” he said.

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Bremen, GERMANY – The 23 countries of the European Space Agency agreed on Thursday to provide €22.1 billion to cover everything from rocket subsidies and science projects to the modernisation of Europe’s spaceport infrastructure.

The commitments, which will mostly run to 2028, mark a roughly 20% increase when adjusted for inflation compared with ESA’s last ministerial pledging summit in Paris in 2022, at which €16.9 billion was committed to various programmes.

In its new draft for combating child abuse online, the EU is abandoning chat control. Instead: risk assessments and voluntary measures

One headline in a Russian paper (Izvestia) can say so much according to Steve Rosenberg, like showing Russia’s approach to what is happening.

"EU and Ukraine derail Trump's (Peace)plan. And; " With its strikes on Russia Kyiv is demonstrating it doesn’t want peace."

They want to sow divisions between Europe and Ukraine on the one hand, and America on the other. Europe and Ukraine are warmongers while Russia and USA want peace.

#Note: This is how the Russian propaganda machine works.

Mao Zedong, the longtime Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and the founder of the People's Republic of China, was reported to have expressed his gratitude to the Japanese military and political figures who visited China in the 1950s and 1970s. Mao said that the Japanese invasion of China had united Chinese people and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to win the Chinese Civil War.

In the 21st century, these remarks by Mao caused strong reactions on the internet in China. With the 2020 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) history subject controversy on the historical understanding of Japan's invasion of China, these remarks have returned to the spotlight on Hong Kong and mainland Chinese websites. The word "thanks" expressed by Mao has been also interpreted by some observers as dark humour.

The new European Parliament, elected in June 2024, has shifted further to the right, with conservative and nationalist parties gaining ground and forming two new groups — Patriots for Europe (PfE) and Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN).

Since taking office, the new parliament has voted on at least 14 resolutions concerning Russia and Ukraine — an early test of how its fresh line-up approaches foreign policy.

Drawing on these voting records, EUobserver and Novaya Gazeta Europe are releasing an updated ranking of the most pro-Kremlin parties and MEPs.

Note# The wiki for euobserver, states they were founded as an euro skeptical organisation but have developed into reliable in-depth journalism it seems

In May this year, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced it would be prosecuting Damen Shipyards Gorinchem and Damen Naval Shipyards for bribery, forgery, money laundering and sanctions violations. The trial is starting today, 24 November.(...)

The Dutch government feels the company is of ‘national strategic importance’ as it builds naval vessels for the Netherlands and other NATO countries.

Here the Shipyards official response: "(..) the suspicions of the Public Prosecution Service are unfounded"

• Ukraine's European allies have reassured Zelenskyy of their 'unwavering' support in joint call
• Zelenskyy has said Kyiv was 'working on the document prepared by the American side'
• Moscow has denied involvement in the US plan but nevertheless urged Kyiv to engage in negotiations

After the fascist and Nazi regimes were defeated in 1945, European post-war historiography largely overlooked right-wing extremism. New research now shows how extremists rebuilt cross-border networks in Europe and the part Switzerland played.

For more depth on the usages of Fascism and it's history, context etc. see this link about this new book. Facsism" by Princeton History Prof Federico Marcon.

The faster we recognise it, the better we can counter it.

France, U.K. and Germany have growing budget deficits and debt, while the former crisis hot spots in the south look financially healthier

The European debt crisis of the early 2010s created an image of a continent cleaved in two: The fiscally responsible core countries led by Germany versus the spendthrift southern periphery of Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain—disdainfully dubbed PIGS.

Nowadays, there has been a role reversal. Europe’s three biggest economies are stuck in a cycle of weak growth, leading to widening budget deficits. France is the epicenter of this shift and remains mired in a budget and political crisis, while the U.K. is weighing tax rises to try to narrow the gap and avoid spooking markets. Famously frugal Germany and the Netherlands are taking on debt, albeit from lower levels.

Note: link is from early November but still relevant.