CGTN Europe

How can Chinese manufacturers help Germany's industrial transition?

Germany’s heavy industry is under pressure to cut emissions and stay competitive. Chinese firms think they can help.

Production in Germany’s energy-intensive industries in 2025 was 17.8% below 2021 levels.

At the Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Technology World Expos in Hamburg, more than 50 Chinese companies showed up, up from more than 40 last year.

China accounts for around 60% of global electrolyzer manufacturing capacity.

Electricity costs, shipping, infrastructure and finding customers are still major hurdles, and some European manufacturers worry about competition from cheaper imports.

Click here to read the full article on CGTN Europe’s website👇

https://tinyurl.com/4derwavd

Chinese investment helps Serbia develop humanoid robotics

Humanoid robots are now being assembled in Serbia.

At Minth Group’s complex in Sabac, where car parts have long been made, mass production of humanoid robots began in August after a first-phase investment of roughly $23 million.

It is Minth’s first mass-production base for embodied robots in Europe. The machines are assembled and tested in Serbia, then supplied to European and global markets.

Another Chinese company, Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech, plans to invest around $112 million in a battery plant in Inđija, with construction expected to begin in November.

Serbia has its own robotics history: Belgrade’s Mihajlo Pupin Institute developed the 'Belgrade Hand' in 1963.

The challenge now is making sure Serbian engineers, researchers and suppliers take part in development, not just final assembly.

Click here to read the full article on CGTN Europe’s website👇

https://tinyurl.com/3jx53bub

Vladimir Putin meets Chinese Premier Li Qiang in St. Petersburg

China and Russia have maintained close coordination, serving as a valuable force for stability in a world marked by turbulence and transformation, said Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday when meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.

Li conveyed cordial greetings and best wishes from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Putin, noting that since the beginning of this year, the two heads of state have met twice and made further plans for deepening China-Russia relations and cooperation.

Putin asked Li to convey his sincere greetings to Xi, adding that Russia supports China in hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting this year and in assuming the BRICS chairmanship next year.

#Putin #China #XiJinping #Putin

Xi calls for new achievements on new Long March

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for new achievements on the new Long March as China commemorates the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March.

From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army marched through more than 10 provinces during the Long March, opening up a new chapter in the Chinese revolution, Xi said.

#China #LongMarch #XiJinping #ChineseHistory #CPC

'Update as fast as possible' - expert warns firms to catch up over hidden web threat

Government websites across Europe experienced disruptions on Wednesday after critical vulnerabilities were disclosed in PHP, a widely used programming language underpinning much of the internet.


"It's a very positive warning," said Paulo Cardoso do Amaral, a professor at Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics, since it gives defenders time to act. But he warned the disclosure also alerts hackers: "My advice is update as fast as possible."

The flaws, hidden in PHP's codebase for over a decade, were found by cybersecurity firm Wiz using AI tools. France and Finland took government websites offline as a precaution.

#Cybersecurity #PHP #Vulnerability #Europe

Xi leads observation of moment of silence for fallen Long March heroes

Chinese President Xi Jinping led the observation of a moment of silence for the revolutionary heroes who gave their lives during the 1934-1936 historic Long March and in revolutionary struggles across China at an event commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March held in Beijing on Thursday.

From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army marched through more than 10 provinces during the Long March, opening up a new chapter in the Chinese revolution, Xi said when addressing the event.

#LongMarch #LongMarch90 #XiJinping #China

Retired decorator becomes a millionaire after auctioning 42 sets of Pokémon cards

A man who spent his life working as a decorator has become a millionaire after selling what could be the UK's most valuable Pokémon card collection at auction.

Surrey auction house Ewbank sold the collection on Wednesday for £1.56m, in what they believe is the UK's most valuable trading cards auction ever, and possibly a European record.

The man, from Woking, Surrey, had housed his collection in his attic for 15 years after his son lost interest in the franchise. Unaware of the gold mine he was sitting on, the man said it was only when he read in his local newspaper about a single card fetching more than £6,000 that he realised the value of the hobby.

#Pokemon #Collector #Auction

China marks 90th anniversary of Long March victory

China held a gathering in Beijing on Thursday to mark the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the event, saying, “Only by remembering history can we create a brighter future.”

Beginning in 1934, the Long March saw the Red Army travel across nearly 100 rivers and more than 40 mountains, traverse vast marshlands and fight more than 600 battles.

The historic strategic retreat brought the Red Army to northern Shaanxi, where Yan'an later became the CPC's headquarters for more than a decade.

#China #LongMarch #XiJinping #ChineseHistory #CPC

US congressional nominee detained with activists at West Bank olive harvest

Brad Lander, a US Democratic candidate for Congress, was detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Wednesday along with other volunteers harvesting olives alongside Palestinian farmers.

“We came because we believe that Palestinians have the right to harvest the olives,” Lander said, adding that farmers had been afraid to harvest since October 7 over fears of settler violence.

The Israeli military said the harvest lacked required prior coordination and posed a “security risk.”

Lander, who is Jewish, is running for New York’s 10th Congressional District in the November 3 midterms.

#WestBank #BradLander #Palestine #Israel #OliveHarvest

Should I worry about the PHP security flaws that shut down websites?

Two flaws in a programming language called PHP have sent governments and companies around the world scrambling to patch their systems.

PHP helps run about 70% of the world’s websites. The flaws were found with the help of AI and could let attackers into a server “without any username or password.”

Government sites in Finland and the Netherlands, Japanese banks and railways, the BBC and Wikipedia’s parent foundation all took services offline or warned of outages.

Cloudflare says attempts to exploit the flaw numbered millions within hours of the announcement. A fix is available, and security agencies from the US to Japan are urging everyone running PHP to update immediately.

For most people, the responsibility lies with website operators.

Experts advise staying alert rather than alarmed - watch for password-change requests from affected services and be wary of phishing messages.

‘The bigger concern is the websites that are not down today.’

Click here to read the full article on CGTN Europe’s website👇

https://tinyurl.com/yep3e3v3

Macron: “Illegitimate” protests will be banned in coming days

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that protests deemed “illegitimate” will be banned in the coming days, while demonstrations organized by groups such as trade unions will be offered alternative routes to protect businesses and public buildings.

“The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the coming days,” Macron said after meeting with intelligence officials and senior ministers. He said prefects will propose alternative routes for union-organized marches, while banning demonstrations “wherever possible” when they are not organized by such groups.

Macron also blamed “seditious” far-left groups, which he accused of seeking to “bring down the Republic” with planning and violence, alongside separate criminal acts, for riots and looting across France last Saturday.

#France #Macron #Protests #Paris #Security

China slams “Cold War mentality” after new EU Arctic plan

China said on Thursday it opposes using a “Cold War mentality” to stoke conflict over the Arctic, after the European Union linked Beijing’s Arctic cooperation with Russia to security concerns.

The EU unveiled a push this week to boost Arctic surveillance and expand icebreaker fleets, pointing to China’s growing “strategic ambitions” as it deepens ties with Russia. Beijing and Moscow had earlier agreed to expand cooperation on Arctic shipping, including more routes between Russian and Chinese ports.

Asked about the EU strategy and calls from foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to bolster the bloc’s Arctic defenses, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China’s activities are aimed at promoting “peaceful, stable and sustainable development” and comply with international law.

“Using Cold War mentality to create factions and incite geopolitical confrontation is not conducive to the peaceful and stable development of the Arctic region,” she said, without naming the EU directly.

#China #EU #Arctic #MaoNing #KajaKallas #Russia #Geopolitics

India-EU trade deal could come into effect within months

India's proposed ​free-trade agreement with ‌the European Union could come into effect within months, trade ​minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday.

Speaking during a visit to Germany, Goyal said the agreement ​is expected ​to be signed before ‌the ⁠end of the year, potentially accelerating market-access ​opportunities and ​investment ⁠flows between India and the ⁠27-member ​EU bloc.

#IndiaEu #TradeDeal #FreeTrade

Australian TV reporter rescues man from sinking car during floods

An Australian television reporter and a bystander rescued a man from a car as it was engulfed by floodwaters on Thursday, according to footage of the incident.

Will Murray, a journalist with Australia's public broadcaster ABC, was reporting on flooding north of Brisbane in Queensland state when a man drove a four-wheel drive through floodwater. The vehicle stalled and began to sink, the ABC said.

Murray and another man swam out to the car and pulled the driver free moments before it was fully submerged.

About 170 mm (6.7 inches) of rain had fallen in the town of Morayfield when the incident took place, the ABC said.

#Australia #Queensland #Brisbane #Floods #Rescue #ABC #Weather

France reports first human case of Shamonda virus in patient who died

One person has died in France after contracting the Shamoda virus, an insect-borne disease affecting livestock.

The patient was found to have been infected with the virus before he died in early October in a hospice in Lyon. He was reportedly already suffering from serious illness.

The death marks the first time a human has been recorded to have caught - and died - from the virus, which was previously thought to be non-transmissible.

France's agricultural department has said they see no health risk to the general population at this stage.

#Virus #Livestock #Disease

Kyiv battles fires after Russian Strikes

An explosion lit up the night sky over Kyiv in footage released on Thursday, as Russian strikes hit the Ukrainian capital in the early hours of October 22.

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said strikes hit two districts on the eastern side of the Dnipro River, which divides the city.

Authorities said 15 people were wounded and subway infrastructure on the Southern Bridge was damaged, prompting traffic restrictions. Firefighters battled multiple fires following the attacks.

The strikes followed another attack on Wednesday evening that wounded six people.

The latest assault came as US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin in efforts to end the conflict.

#Ukraine #Kyiv #Russia #Conflict

Russia and Ukraine exchange 277 fallen soldiers' bodies

Russia and Ukraine exchanged the bodies of nearly 300 fallen soldiers on Thursday, at the Novaya Guta border crossing in Belarus.

Russia returned 252 bodies to Ukraine and received 25 fallen Russian soldiers in return, said Shamsail Saraliyev, a State Duma lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party.

The prisoner exchange is a rare sign of cooperation amid a tense month, where negotiations between the leaders of both countries have stalled, and energy facilities have been increasingly targeted as winter approaches.

The exchange also comes a day after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, where the renewal of trilateral negotiations was discussed – not with Kyiv however, but China instead.

#SoldierExchange #RussiaUkraine #Putin #Zelenskyy #SteveWitkoff

Saudi Aramco tells staff to evacuate Dhahran headquarters

Saudi Aramco has instructed staff to evacuate its headquarters in Dhahran and work remotely. 

The orders, which came on Thursday, come as Houthi attacks on the Kingdom escalate in response to Saudi strikes on Yemen. 

Missile and drone strikes on airports, energy facilities and military bases in Saudi Arabia, as well as a deadly attack on Riyadh's international airport, have raised concerns for the region's stability, with US diplomats already leaving the country.

#Houthis #Yemen #SaudiArabia #SaudiAramco

How Mao Zedong's first biography became a literary sensation

In 1936, a journalist smuggled himself through nationalist blockades to meet Mao Zedong. The book that followed was described as the ‘scoop of the century.’

It’s been 90 years since the end of the Long March. Edgar Snow’s Red Star Over China was the first authorized biography of Mao, and it introduced Western readers to a story they knew almost nothing about.

London-based publisher Victor Gollancz’s Left Book Club, with around 60,000 subscribers, distributed thousands of copies. Once the book reached the general public, it sold roughly 100,000 copies in the UK in its first month alone.

Translated into nearly 20 languages, it has never gone out of print. A recent reprint in China reportedly sold three million copies in just over a year.

Click here to watch the video and read the full story on CGTN👇 https://tinyurl.com/yu52mwzn

#MaoZedong #LongMarch #EdgarSnow

Pumpkin pickings: Zoo animals get Halloween treats

Lemurs and macaques at England's Whipsnade Zoo got into the Halloween spirit with treats hidden inside pumpkins. One rhino was less impressed, sticking to his usual breakfast of hay and cabbage.

#Halloween #WhipsnadeZoo #Animals #Wildlife

Historic city hall collapses in flames amid France protests

Part of the roof of Limoges' historic city hall collapsed after the building was set ablaze during nationwide protests in France. Hundreds of thousands joined largely peaceful demonstrations, while violent incidents were reported in several cities. 

#France #Limoges #Protests #Europe

Multiple people were killed and injured in a serious incident that resulted in a fire on one of Canada's busiest military bases in Alberta, Defense Minister David McGuinty has said.


Reports have also said that large numbers of injured people were being transported to hospitals.


Fire crews scrambled late into the night as fierce winds whipped flames beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright and into the surrounding rural area.


It was not immediately clear how many people were killed or injured, but a doctor at a hospital in the city of Edmonton, 180 km (120 miles) northwest, told Canada’s national broadcaster that patients were being brought to hospitals across the city as health-care facilities around the base became “completely overwhelmed” by the number of people needing care.

#canada #fire #militarybase

German police said on Sunday that they were investigating a breach at the Leipzig/Halle airport where a vehicle appeared to have driven through a fence.

German police initially investigated the suspected breach on Saturday evening. The north runway remains closed for use. 

While police have said that no suspicious objects or unauthorized personnel have been found, further searches on Sunday would still be carried out.

In August, investigators discovered an explosive-laden drone ‌near a runway at the airport, an event that German officials later said Russia was responsible for. Russia has denied the allegations.

#Germany #Airport #Security #Leipzig

A sea of green in Madrid as thousands rally for public education, housing reforms

Madrid has seen no shortage of protests in recent weeks, and on Friday, tens of thousands took to the streets to demand changes to the country's public education and housing.

CGTN's Ken Browne spoke to some of the teachers, parents and students protesting against what they say is a system propping up private education, and leaving young people without homes.

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/mkak2258

#Madrid #Protests #StudentsProtests

Lyon tourist office set ablaze during nationwide French protests

A tourist office in Lyon was set on fire as nationwide protests over the rising cost of living and declining public services swept France. Police fired tear gas and clashed with demonstrators in several cities.

#France #Lyon #Protests #CostOfLiving

The European Union wants to catch up in the AI race by taking a cue from Ireland, an early adopter of the technology, which has rolled out the red carpet for data centers despite local backlashes.

Ireland showcased the role it aims to play in the technological revolution as it hosted an international AI summit in Dublin this week.

While the European Union is pushing for strong governance to limit the risks of AI becoming too powerful to control, the bloc also believes it must invest and exploit its potential.

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/yc2hht69 

#eu #ai #ireland

Xi Jinping inspects wetland conservation in Inner Mongolia

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for unwavering commitment to ecological conservation and green development during an inspection tour of Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, on Friday.

At the Huangqihai Lake nature reserve, Xi stressed the need to respect, adapt to and protect nature, fully implement the Wetlands Conservation Law, enforce ecological conservation redlines and strengthen ecosystem quality and stability.

#XiJinping #China #GreenDevelopment #WetlandProtection #InnerMongolia

🔴Zelenskyy says Ukraine's military’s access to the Starlink satellite internet service has not yet been fully restored, following accusations of "betrayal" by the White House. 

🔴Donald Trump signs executive order to halt sweeping sanctions targeting Russia.

🔴Putin: Russia is building non-negotiable 'security zone' in Ukraine along border.

Read the latest from the Russia-Ukraine conflict by clicking this link: https://tinyurl.com/7pra7r3v 

#RussiaUkraine #Putin #Zelenskyy #Trump #Starlink #Sanctions

Israeli settlers attack journalists during West Bank olive harvest

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and journalists during an olive harvest in the occupied West Bank, injuring at least two people. Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was taken to hospital after the assault near Abu Falah.

#WestBank #Palestinians #Israel #Journalists

Three Chinese women are among 100 recognised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome for their contributions to rural development. 

From smart farming and vocational training to land restoration, their work highlights the role women are playing in shaping a more sustainable future. 

CGTN's Hermione Kitson attended the awards event in Rome, and spoke to the women about what their work means to them. 

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2t2pj8zk 

#UnitedNations #FAO #Rural #Farming #RuralChina