Europe

In 2018 the Moldovan government launched an initiative to grow the country's IT sector - the Moldova IT Park (MITP).

This isn't a physical business park. Instead it is virtual scheme open to all IT firms in the country - and those that wish to move there from overseas. Firms that sign up only have to pay a corporation tax rate of 7%.

The MITP is part of a wider effort by the Moldovan government to modernise and expand its economy ahead of a bid to join the European Union in 2030.

This drive is being led by Moldova's pro-EU President Maia Sandu, who this week was re-elected for a second term. And last month Moldovans voted "yes" on pro-EU constitutional changes.

[...]

Dumitru Alaiba, Moldova's deputy prime minister and minister for economic development and digitalisation, is positive about where Moldova is heading.

"Moldova in the past 10 to 15 years has really proven that it's a country that can change very fast," he tells the BBC.

"This used to be a highly corrupt country, a country where, exactly 10 years ago, a billion dollars from our central banks just disappeared."

"We are moving very fast towards joining the EU, and we are reforming our economy at top speed. Of course, we have a long way to go."

[...]

Member companies of the MITP don't just benefit from the 7% corporation tax rate. They also don't need to make employer social security contributions, and staff don't have to pay income tax. [...]

The MITP has also simplified immigration procedures through the IT Visa program.

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Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office said on Thursday that it had arrested a US national, identified as Martin D., on suspicion of offering to spy for China.

"The accused is strongly suspected of having declared himself willing to conduct espionage agent activities to a foreign intelligence service," prosecutors said in a statement.

What are the allegations?

"Until recently, Martin D. worked for the US military services in Germany," prosecutors said. "In 2024, he contacted Chinese state officials and offered to them to forward sensitive information belonging to the US military to an intelligence service in China."

Prosecutors said he had acquired the data during his time working with the military. They did not say whether his offer had been accepted or whether he had delivered any information.

The investigations were conducted in close coordination with Germany's domestic intelligence agency, prosecutors said.

[...]

Several recent arrests on espionage allegations

German authorities last month arrested a Chinese woman, who had worked for a logistics services company at the Leipzig/Halle international airport.

She was accused of providing information obtained via her workplace to another Chinese national, Jian G., who is a former employee of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) European Parliament member Maximilian Krah.

Jian G. is accused of forwarding information to China from the European Parliament, with news of this development coming at the height of the European Parliament elections earlier this year, when Krah was the party's lead candidate.

Three German citizens were also arrested in Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg in April of this year, accused of forwarding on information on military technology.

Several of the other espionage-related investigations in Germany this year pertain to alleged attempts to transfer information to Russia.

DARPA helps drives technological progress in the US forward. If the EU wants to create a similar agency, key changes will be needed.

The petitioner calls for the European Union to actively develop and implement a Linux-based operating system, termed ‘EU-Linux’, across public administrations in all EU Member States. This initiative aims to reduce dependency on Microsoft products, ensuring compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and promoting transparency, sustainability, and digital sovereignty within the EU. The petitioner emphasizes the importance of using open-source alternatives to Microsoft 365, such as LibreOffice and Nextcloud, and suggests the adoption of the E/OS mobile operating system for government devices. The petitioner also highlights the potential for job creation in the IT sector through this initiative.

Dutch commissioner recommits to a 90% emissions cut by 2040, pledges not to revise deadlines for the phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars, and brushes off a far-right climate denier during a grilling by MEPs.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/25878453

The draft amendment also includes prison time for those who access systems to maliciously spy or intercept data.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has congratulated his future US counterpart Donald Trump on his re-election.

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Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) commented on the election [in a press conference ...] "I have been saying for a long time that Europe must take a bigger role. We cannot count so much on US support. Of course, the United States has other interests," the PM said.

[...]

In Orpo’s view, peace must be achieved in Ukraine, but not under any conditions.

"Peace must be attained on Ukraine's terms," he said. "We have our own experience from history that if the big ones agree over [others'] heads, it is not in the interest of a small or independent nation, and hopefully this will be kept clearly in mind when a peace agreement is possibly made."

[...]

Former president Sauli Niinistö, who met with Trump multiple times, struck a cautious note in regard to the possible ramifications for Nato and Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Niinistö commented to Yle about Trump’s assertion that he will end the war in Ukraine quickly.

"I haven't seen a detailed plan on the matter, if there is one. Rather, that will have to be considered after we see what he is really going to do," Niinistö said.

[...]

Archived link

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Monday, the 4th of November, during a visit to the German capital where he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, that Russia is carrying out hybrid attacks against other countries as part of its all-out war against Ukraine.

“Russia is carrying out … an intensified campaign of hybrid attacks in the territories of our allies, directly interfering in our democracies, sabotaging industry and committing acts of violence,” Rutte said.

[...]

Calling the deployment of North Korean troops by Moscow a “major escalation”, Rutte said China and Iran also supported Moscow, but added that the NATO alliance was cooperating with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including South Korea and Japan.

There was evidence of hostile agents using "increasingly sophisticated strategies" to gain access to Italy's most advanced knowledge, Alfredo Mantovano, a senior undersecretary in charge of intelligence matters, told a news conference.

The most affected technology sectors are biomedicine, robotics and semiconductors," said Mantovano, a close aide to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, citing sponsorships and donations as among the vulnerable areas deserving attention.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/46758406

Katarzyna Calow-Jaszewska revealed late last month that four people had been arrested and authorities across Europe were investigating the incidents.

Western security officials have now told US media they believe the fires - which happened in July - were part of an orchestrated campaign by Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.

Russia denies being behind acts of sabotage. But it is suspected to have been behind other attacks on warehouses and railway networks in EU member states this year, including in Sweden and in the Czech Republic.

Ms Calow-Jaszewska said in a statement that a group of foreign intelligence saboteurs had been involved in sending parcels containing hidden explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies. The parcels then spontaneously burst into flames or blew up.

Western officials believe the fires originated in electric massage machines containing a "magnesium-based" substance.

Magnesium-based fires are hard to put out, especially on board a plane.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21686945

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/46717399

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21671511

Summary

A Swedish court sentenced far-right activist Rasmus Paludan to four months in jail for inciting hatred against Muslims after he burned a Quran at two protests in Malmo in 2022.

The court ruled that Paludan’s remarks and actions went beyond permissible criticism of Islam, aiming instead to insult and defame Muslims, Arabs, and Africans. Paludan, a dual citizen of Sweden and Denmark, plans to appeal the verdict.

His Quran burnings previously strained Sweden’s relations with Turkey, complicating Sweden’s bid to join NATO.

Image via Katapult (Instagram, German)

Data source & longer analysis: https://europeelects.eu/2024/11/04/u-s-election-europeans-would-vote-for-harris-if-they-could/

Due to high gerrymandering and messed up voting system it's expected that a result like this would still give Orbán a small majority in the parliament.

But Orbán won all elections since 2006 (in 2006 he lost parliamentary elections in March but won local elections in September, than won everything in 2010, than he changed the voting rules). Current system overwhelmingly punishes coalitions and small parties, and favors big parties.

Medián, the pollster behind this poll is usually one of the most accurate. Wiki page about recent polls, and the rise of Tisza Party: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2026_Hungarian_parliamentary_election

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/46715705

The Amsterdam office is the headquarters of the company's operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The French investigation is being carried out by the National Financial Prosecutor's office (PNF), a special unit used for investigations into high-profile white-collar crime.

It relates to suspicions of "covering up serious tax fraud and off-the-books work", according to the PNF.

The company is also under investigation for tax filings for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/18830559

Mirror: https://archive.is/slqAq