Ben R

Exclusive | Cold shoulder? China, EU in diplomatic stand-off ahead of Munich showdown Annual security conference could provide rare venue for high-level EU-China talks as top diplomats Wang Yi and Kaja Kallas attend.

Exclusive

Cold shoulder: China, EU in diplomatic stand-off ahead of Munich

Beijing has frozen out the EU’s envoy & snubbed its biz lobby, EU quietly boycotting China’s envoy in return, Wang Yi is Munich-bound with no locked‑in meeting with Kallas

"The mess has put renewed attention on the complicated relationship between Dassault and its main customer, the French government, reviving questions over who really calls the shots."

The French Republic as the
captive customer.
Key point I think why there is so much distrust on the German side.

But family-controlled Dassault Aviation has long had an independent streak and outsized influence as the main provider of France's homegrown combat jet fleet since the 1950s. It famously walked away from another cross-border defence project in the 198os - the Eurofighter Typhoon later built by the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain - because it wanted design leadership and the bulk of manufacturing. The situation this time is almost identical. Dassault and its hard-nosed chief executive Éric Trappier are intent on keeping control over the fighter part of the €100bn Future Combat Air System (FCAS), despite staunch opposition from partner Airbus. Macron has tried to drag

Incidentally some good background today in the FT:

www.ft.com/content/3735...

That was the first thing I googled this morning. Here ya go

Dassault revenue is >7bn/y. AB Defence is double that. Even with exports to India etc SCAF dev will put tremendous stress on resources (40-50bn easily).
Their company culture values independence & controlling execution. The last time they co-developed a jet was in 1970s, Alpha Jet with Dornier.

Wonder when Airbus will go on a little shopping spree & acquire a bunch of meddling defense startups for cheap incl some space stuff etc. Hensoldt wouldn't be a bad investment although Leonardo bought a 22% stake in 23.

And Dassault Aviation of course.

Not really. Only Poland has ordered K2 so far. Czechia, Croatia, Netherlands, Norway, Lithuania, Sweden all bought new Leo2s. In addition, Poland + Romania acquired Abrams.
Korean are a lot more successful with their K9 tracked artillery guns and K239 rocket artillery Himars alternative.

How to fix railway ticketing in the EU We know there is a problem with rail ticketing in the EU - anyone who has ever tried to book trains cross-border has encountered the issues. If you can find the trains you want, you often cannot get p...

The European Commission will propose the Single Digital Booking and Ticketing Regulation (#SDBTR) this spring

We know WHY rail ticketing in the EU needs to be fixed

Here I explain the building blocks HOW to do it
jonworth.eu/how-to-fix-r...

WTF is this ZERO rocket pod flying heretic contraption??? Eastern Euro credentials revoked.

Seit Tagen Flut von fröhlichen Texten über den Semperopernball (der heute Abend ist) bei @saechsische.de und anderen sächsischen Lokalmedien. Aber keine einzige Zeile dazu. Es ist einfach egal. ⬇️

Special Polish menu in Thailandia when.
“Massaman-curry with kasza no chilies and pepper“

The Secret Egyptian Air Base Behind Sudan’s Drone War

A new player entered the war in #Sudan, as Egypt is now hosting Turkish-built Akinci armed #drones operated by the #SAF in its fight against the UAE-baked RSF. We supported the @nytimes.com with satellite image analysis for this excellent investigation. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/w...

Statins. Exercise. Diet. Assuming individual risk factors (chronic disease, family history of T2 diabetes or heart disease).
More fiber and plant protein has obvious benefits for LDL and stabilizes post-prandial glucose. A1C? Unless history/very high post prandial levels/A1C <5.7 I wouldn't worry.

The team from @theaircurrent is seeking more information on this statement from the President. A massive amount of the U.S. fleet of mainline, regional, helicopter and military aircraft are "made in Canada."

Exclusive: Airbus to kickstart pre-sales for a larger A220 jet, sources say Airbus is poised to start offering airlines and leasing firms a larger version of its A220 regional jet with a view to launching development later this year, industry sources said.

www.reuters.com/business/aer...

From 9 hours ago. A220-500 here we go.

The Embraers are nice. Like the A220s. My favorite is this little Dutch rocket though. Sadly only a few jets left in active service.

"From this moment onwards it's E175s only, until the end of times"

Exclusive: Airbus to kickstart pre-sales for a larger A220 jet, sources say Airbus is poised to start offering airlines and leasing firms a larger version of its A220 regional jet with a view to launching development later this year, industry sources said.

It is kinda funny though with today's Reuters piece on Airbus (likely) announcing a stretched version
of the A220 at Farnborough Air Show in June. Has been rumored for almost a decade. Well, I guess the Yanks won't receive those either. RIP US feeder airlines

www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Trump logic is decertifying weakass Montreal-built A220s versus identical Chud MAGA-assembled A220s.

any good background reading on the pre-ISIS Maliki era?

"Porco Dio, enjoy your formerly cheap Eurotrip, American"

"Within our (holy) mandate"

The Tronc Team

"Welcome to the future of content"

Baltic sea map shows A total of two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmissions from the Danish island of Bornholm are planned as part of the overall BEI project: One link with a capacity of 1,200 MW is to run through the Baltic Sea to the Danish island of Zealand (Zealand Link). The second link with a capacity of 2,000 MW is planned to run through the Baltic Sea to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

"2 HVDC transmissions from the Danish island of Bornholm are planned [...] One link with a capacity of 1,200 MW is to run through the Baltic Sea to the Danish island of Zealand. The second link with a capacity of 2,000 MW is planned to run through the Baltic Sea to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania."

YouTube video by Noy Alooshe Muammar Gaddafi - Zenga Zenga Song - Noy Alooshe Remix

Real banger at early 2011 parties

youtu.be/cBY-0n4esNY?...

“They love me all my peoples”

“Vectoring assets” just seriously broke my brain.
I’m gonna use that phrase from now on to tell my buddy to bring some beers when he comes to my place.

Really puzzling how his decade-long toddler diet of milk (for the brain), burgers, candy & daily 325mg of Aspirin for "thin blood" led to some cognitive impairment.

YouTube video by ITN Archive Romanian Revolution | Intense Fighting for Bucharest TV Tower | Previously Unseen Footage (1989)

ITN released some new footage from Bucharest 89' protests last September. Crazy stuff here
youtu.be/p-Ei3o8MpRc

Wasn't he defense minister at the time too? Although i might be confusing him with another guy