Europe

Europe says it will ease regulations on artificial intelligence at a key AI summit in Paris on Feb. 11, 2025, that brought together the U.S. and other global tech giants and politicians. But some experts see bigger challenges stalling the bloc’s ambitions to be an AI heavyweight, from the need to pool resources to attracting more investment and talent.

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/22514185

Paywall? https://archive.is/x9J45

Large crowds gathered outside the proposed site of a new Chinese “mega-embassy” in London on Saturday, as politicians and protesters expressed concerns it could be used to “control” dissidents.

More than 1,000 people congregated outside the Royal Mint Court, the former headquarters of the UK’s coin maker, near the Tower of London. The site could soon be turned into a Chinese embassy.

China bought the site and has proposed turning the two hectares (five acres) of land into the largest embassy in Europe.

Tower Hamlets council refused planning permission in 2022, citing a range of concerns including the impact of large protests at the site. The Conservative government declined to intervene.

Beijing resubmitted the application after Labour came to power and the government called it in after the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, raised it directly with Keir Starmer. Cabinet ministers Yvette Cooper and David Lammy have signalled their support for the proposal and a local inquiry hearing will begin next week.

The final decision rests with Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary.

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Tai, 50, a carer, said: “We come from Hong Kong. We are afraid that China will use this place to look over us, against us. In Hong Kong, we have many experience of China, the CPP, controlling the freedom and democracy and against the Hong Kong people. We all face this.”

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Another protester, who gave her name as Mitochondria, 20, expressed similar concerns. “It’s very possible that this building could be used for holding Chinese dissidents who are on British soil to be arrested in a non-legal way,” she said. “A mega-embassy would enable that to happen.”

She held a blue and white Uyghur flag. “The Chinese government has imperialist interest where they occupy the land of East Turkestan,” she said.

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A number of high-profile politicians including Iain Duncan Smith, Tom Tugendhat and Labour MP Blair McDougall also spoke to protesters. Tugendhat, the former security minister, said allowing the embassy to go ahead would be a “grave mistake”.

“It would be a very clear statement that our government had chosen the wrong side and not the side that was for the defence and protection of the British people and our economic future.”

He said letting the plans go ahead would send a message to the world that the British government “hasn’t learned the lessons of the last decade” and “just hasn’t been listening”.

Tugendhat told reporters: “The reality is some people made decisions in 2010, 2013, you can understand at the time. You can see the hopefulness and the optimism with which they approached it.

“To have that same optimism in 2025? It’s not optimism any more, that’s just a wilful ignorance.”

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/55234231

Leftists are always the best for the economy.

Archived

The political landscape in Serbia was upended on January 28, when Prime Minister Miloš Vučević announced his resignation, bringing an abrupt end to his government’s term. The resignation came nearly three months after student-led protests erupted across the country, demanding accountability for a disaster that claimed 15 lives – the collapse of the newly renovated railway station rooftop in Novi Sad.

The station’s modernization was a key component of a high-profile infrastructure project aimed at upgrading the railway link between Belgrade and Budapest, which has itself become a symbol of Serbia’s growing cooperation with China. Completed in the summer of 2024, the $1.5 billion project – funded through a loan agreement between the Serbian government, China’s Exim Bank, and the Russian government under the China-CEEC cooperation framework – was hailed as a milestone in regional connectivity.

It is thus not surprising that the collapse sent shockwaves through Serbian society.

[...]

At the heart of the matter was the way the project was handled from the start. Critics argue that the collapse was not merely an accident but the consequence of a deeply flawed process in which public transparency was sidelined, international agreements were leveraged to bypass national regulations, and political interests were prioritized over safety. What’s more, in order to showcase progress, officials allegedly inaugurated the station before reconstruction work was complete.

The crisis has also provided an unprecedented look into the inner workings of Serbia’s infrastructure deals with China. From high-level government-to-government agreements to contracts between Chinese firms and local subcontractors, the controversy has exposed largely opaque processes. Thanks to relentless pressure from student protesters, key documents were finally made public, offering a rare opportunity for citizens to scrutinize a partnership that has long operated behind closed doors.

[...]

International agreements signed between the Serbian government and China’s Exim Bank in May 2017 and April 2019 revealed that the modernization of two key railway sections was awarded to a Chinese consortium consisting of China Railway International and China Communications Construction Company. These agreements, adopted by the Serbian parliament, were publicly available. What remained inaccessible, however, were the commercial contracts between Serbian authorities – including the Ministry of Construction and Serbian Railways – and the Chinese consortium. One such agreement, covering the section that included the Novi Sad railway station, was signed in July 2018, revealing a critical detail: the selection of Chinese firms for the project was predetermined before the loan agreements were finalized.

[...]

Facilitating Disaster: The Role of Chinese Companies

Chinese companies played a critical role in the modernization project, yet they have largely escaped the level of scrutiny faced by domestic actors. Public outrage over the Novi Sad station collapse was overwhelmingly directed at the Serbian government and its officials. Many saw domestic actors as the primary culprits, accusing them of implementing a project riddled with secrecy and mismanagement. Protesters demanded the publication of all project-related documents, accountability for those responsible, and a transparent investigation – especially after government officials issued conflicting statements, even attempting to downplay the incident by claiming that no work had been done on the station’s rooftop. But as public pressure intensified, nearly 800 documents were released, shedding new light on the project’s many layers.

[...]

For years, Serbian leaders have championed cooperation with China as a pillar of the country’s economic and infrastructure development. The partnership has often been framed as “no-strings-attached” – a model where Chinese investment flows without the pressures of regulatory oversight or strict compliance with international standards. But the tragedy in Novi Sad underscores a dangerous flaw in this approach. When accountability is absent and safeguards are ignored, the consequences can be catastrophic, putting human lives at stake.

To prevent further disasters, Serbia must rethink its approach to foreign-backed projects. Transparency, legality, and accountability must become non-negotiable principles, regardless of the partner involved. This means ensuring that all agreements – whether with China or any other foreign investor – are subject to public scrutiny, adhere to the highest safety and labor standards, and uphold the rule of law. Only through such reforms can Serbia rebuild public trust and prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Archived

TLDR

• Umeå in northern Sweden is one of Europe's fastest-growing cities, offering a high quality of life despite the long winter's dark and cold.
• In surveys, 99% of residents say they feel safe during the day, and 90% of women say they are unafraid to walk alone at night.
• Following the trauma of a serial rapist active in the city, authorities have worked hard to eliminate spaces of fear, listening closely to women's needs and concerns in the sphere of public safety.

A look at the statistics casts light into this subarctic darkness: Umeå turns out to be more than just an education hub. The city also occupies top relative positions in terms of its infrastructure, the equality of opportunity, and sustainability. In October 2024, it was named the location in Sweden with the best quality of life. According to the crime statistics, it is the only significant urban center in this country afflicted by gang wars that does not have a neighborhood classified as «vulnerable» by the police.

Within the EU, it is considered a model of sustainable and inclusive urban planning. Fully 99% of residents say they feel safe during the day, regardless of their gender or age. And even at night, almost nine out of 10 women say they are unafraid to walk the streets alone. For comparison: According to the December 2024 survey, about 50% of women in Bern report feeling unsafe at night. In Zurich, 70% of women avoid certain streets and locations after dark.

Something must be different in Umeå. How is it possible to create such a pervasive sense of security in a place where it is constantly dark?

France and the European Union have condemned US President Donald Trump's new 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, vowing immediate retaliation and warning of escalating trade tensions.

Lapland tourism campaigns will be forced to abandon exaggerated sustainability claims with a new EU greenwashing directive coming into effect.

Archived

Moldova's Kremlin-Backed Breakaway Region Transnistria Rejects EU Energy Aid Over ‘Russian Blackmail,’ Moldova's Prime Minister Says

Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria rejected 60 million euros ($61 million) in conditional aid from the European Union due to pressure from Russia, Moldova’s Prime Minister Dorin Recean said Monday.

Moldova began supplying EU-funded gas to Transnistria on Feb. 1 as part of an initial emergency aid package worth 30 million euros ($31 million). Those supplies were set to expire on Monday.

The EU had pledged an additional 60 million euros, contingent on Transnistria making “steps on fundamental freedoms and human rights.” Recean said the region also needed to “gradually increase” utility costs for consumers to receive the funds.

“Tiraspol refused this solution. Russia does not allow them to accept European aid for fear of losing control over the region,” Recean says.

[...]

Russia’s state-owned Gazprom halted gas supplies to Transnistria on Jan. 1 over an outstanding debt, while Ukraine refused to renew a Russian gas transit agreement.

Pro-Russian authorities in Transnistria have not publicly commented on the reported EU aid rejection. Earlier, the region extended its economic state of emergency over the gas crisis until March 10.

Mirror: https://archive.is/2025.02.10-050702/https://www.ft.com/content/2bb87769-805a-4270-bab2-2382e0b84cec