The UK is to rejoin the EU’s Horizon research scheme AND Copernicus (the Earth observation satellite system). Very cheering news to start the day!
It doesn’t really make up for the stupidity of leaving in the first place, or the damage done to our research base when our contributions stopped, though.
#FediBlock snarfed.org and brid.gy for bridging fediverse folks to Bluesky against their will (and in likely contravention of GDPR in the EU) with typical Silicon Valley techbro sense of entitlement:
“[O]pt in results in far fewer users, and users are critical for a bridge to be useful.”¹
Knowing US MAGA Republicans, Donald Trump, and House Speaker Mike Johnson have procedurally blocked all US military aid to Ukraine, Putin is depleting Ukrainian Air defenses by overwhelming it with missiles; 110+ Russian rockets last night alone across Ukraine!
Putin and the Republicans will leave the Ukrainians defenseless against the Russian barbaric onslaught!
Khrystyna and Svitlana were singing in the street in Zaporizhzhia an hour before a Russian missile strike on the city, and this video of them was filmed.
One of them died yesterday at the site of the strike. She was 19 years old. The other girl died in the ICU today. She was 21.
"The EU has just sent formal letter to Elon Musk over "indications" that Twitter/X is “being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU" in the wake of Hamas’ attacks on Israel."
While most Western countries are concerned with extrajudicial security personnel from #China going after Chinese dissidents and other interference via secret police stations, Hungary just went and signed a deal with China: "lol, police from a totalitarian country officially patrolling our streets? sure thing"
The EU bans Meta's use of personal data for behavioural advertising.
The European Data Protection Board said Wednesday it had adopted a binding decision that will ban Facebook and Instagram owner Meta from using the personal data of users for targeted advertisements.
Earlier this year Norway imposed a ban on sending Facebook and Instagram users targeted advertisements based on their personal data.
The proposed EU eIDAS regulation will force web browsers to include government-issued certificate authorities. The key technology that makes HTTPS secure would have a backdoor to enable governments to intercept and decrypt your web traffic.
@mozilla, @internetsociety, @edri, @eff, and I have written the European Parliament about the disastrous consequences if this becomes law.
We are making a step towards our neighbouring countries and the enlargement.
We recommended that the Council:
🔹opens accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova,
🔹grants Georgia the status of a candidate country,
🔹opens #EU accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved.
Enlargement is an opportunity for the countries aspiring to join the European Union and us.
Jamie Rubin, the special envoy and coordinator for the U.S. State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC), did not specify which countries he was particularly concerned about, but said that the primary targets would likely be in Europe.
THEY'RE BUILDING THE WORLDS' FIRST OCTOPUS FARM - HERE'S HOW WE CAN STOP THEM
To the President of the #CanaryIslands, the EU and governments everywhere:
We’re calling on you to reject the plan to build the world's first industrial octopus farm in #Spain and #BanOctopusFarming in the #EU and around the world, including its #import and #financing.
EU leaving Fediverse (Mastodon & PeerTube) because no one wants to operate the servers
“In recent years, a total of 40 institutions have opened an account with EU Voice, including the EU Data Protection Supervisor, the European Court of Justice and the EU Commission. The video platform, on the other hand, was used by six institutions … the EU institutions were thus the largest group of public institutions in the Fediverse worldwide.”
We want digital platforms to protect freedom of speech and a healthy, well-informed public debate.
The Digital Services Act set clear rules for this. It is now time to implement them.
Today, we launched the #DSA Transparency Database, a first-of-its-kind initiative that makes content moderation decisions by very large online platforms operating in the #EU accessible.
Users can view statistics, search for statements of reasons, and download data and its source #code.
Let's do something Putin will hate. Let's rejoin the #EU. And if that means we have to have cheaper food and fuel; the right to live, work, and retire in 31 other countries; higher environmental standards; and peace secured in NI, then that's a price I'm willing to pay...
Was away for a week visiting my parents. Don’t get to see them nearly enough, in no small part thanks to our lovely “European Values” meaning they have to jump through more hoops to come visit us in Ireland than they can manage at their age. You see, we don’t really see non-Europeans as human in Europe. They’re something less. A potential threat.
I may have an EU passport and pass for white but I never forget that. In fact, I think about it every time I miss my parents.
Israel—a terrorist state committing genocide in Palestine backed by the US, Canada, and the UK—has just destroyed the office building of the Belgian Agency for Development Cooperation in Gaza as retaliation a day after Belgium announced it would continue to fund the vital humanitarian work of UNRWA.
In #Vovchansk, #Kharkiv region, where active hostilities are taking place, the first executions of civilians by #Russian troops have been reported, police said. A man who tried to flee on foot was killed. Civilians are also being captured.
Evacuations had been taking place, but now the Russian military, trying to gain a foothold in the city, is not allowing locals to evacuate.
Using a loophole in sanctions, #Turkey is disguising Russian oil as its own and exporting it to the #EU, bringing billions in profits to #Russia, Politico writes.
Between February 2023 and February 2024, Turkey increased its purchases from Russia by 105% compared to the previous 12 months. During the same period, Turkish fuel exports to the EU increased by 107%.
US warns of Russian efforts to turn public opinion against Ukraine in upcoming European elections (kyivindependent.com)
Jamie Rubin, the special envoy and coordinator for the U.S. State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC), did not specify which countries he was particularly concerned about, but said that the primary targets would likely be in Europe.