Trending
Christophe Christiaens's Avatar

Christophe Christiaens

@chchristiaens

Twitter exile. Brompton evangelist and speciality coffee drinker. Day job in Public Affairs. Alumnus @collegeofeurope. Posts in English and Dutch. My views only; RT≠endorse

1,691
Followers
436
Following
1,775
Posts
17.10.2023
Joined
Posts Following

Latest posts by Christophe Christiaens @chchristiaens

Preview
Wall Street Bankers Offered Lucrative Access to Join the Pentagon

A Pentagon recruiter openly offers corruption: “unmatched access to top-level government officials and privileged information flow — whatever you need, you can get.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/u...

14.03.2026 10:53 👍 1377 🔁 788 💬 63 📌 55
Preview
Lost in translation: How Russia’s new elite hit squad was compromised by an idiotic lapse in tradecraft Center 795, which emerged after the start of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine and comprises elite units from the GRU and FSB, was established as a top-secret and fully autonomous entity designed to ...

This is indeed golden: top secret Russian #intelligence unit unmasked because everything its operator wrote in GOOGLE TRANSLATE was read by the FBI.

“It was, as a source close to the investigation later noted, even better than a wiretap because it arrived transcribed.”

theins.press/en/inv/290235

13.03.2026 19:27 👍 80 🔁 29 💬 6 📌 2

Ja

‘Is het weer tijd voor Europa om zelf weer meer olie en gas uit de grond te halen’

www.standaard.be/economie/is-...

14.03.2026 11:09 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Oplichters maken Annemie (68) 435.000 euro armer: “Ik moet mijn appartement verkopen” Ruim twee jaar geleden kreeg de Bilzense Annemie Philippe in de gaten dat ze 435.000 euro armer was gemaakt door internetfraude. In plaats van te genieten van haar pensioen moet ze nu blijven werken om haar schulden af te betalen en zal ze over een paar jaar ook uit haar appartement moeten.

'Een bank heeft een zorgplicht, zeker naar een generatie die kwetsbaarder is voor digitale fraude. Zij hadden veel eerder moeten ingrijpen toen er honderdduizenden euro’s naar verdachte rekeningen in Litouwen vertrokken.'

www.nieuwsblad.be/regio/limbur...

14.03.2026 08:39 👍 22 🔁 6 💬 2 📌 2
Post image

War, Trump and … pigs: why pig farming is high on the agenda in Denmark’s looming elections.
🔗 https://eurac.tv/9Yr9

13.03.2026 13:51 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Making it up as they go along Where does the war in Iran go from here?

“A bombastic celebration of military strength can only take you so far when there is no obvious strategy for bringing the war to a satisfactory conclusion.” @ldfreedman.bsky.social
samf.substack.com/p/making-it-...

08.03.2026 21:40 👍 162 🔁 30 💬 6 📌 0
Post image

Few think that the world’s next trillion-dollar tech company will be European. But, perhaps for the first time, that does not seem a silly idea econ.st/3PlThCL

Illustration: Tyler Comrie

08.03.2026 07:00 👍 43 🔁 14 💬 2 📌 2

The air routes between Europe and Asia are starting to look very fragile.

08.03.2026 19:09 👍 284 🔁 77 💬 13 📌 1
My photo shows a famous wall painting from Pompeii known as the Sappho fresco. It shows the head and upper body of a young woman framed inside a painted circular border. She faces forward. Her eyes are large and dark, gazing to one side with a calm and thoughtful expression, as if pausing mid-thought. Her skin is pale, and her hair is dark brown and tightly curled, forming small ringlets around her face. A thin golden hairnet holds her curls in place. She wears small gold hoop earrings, and a brown cloak over a green garment. In her right hand she holds a thin dark metal stylus (writing tool) up against her lips, as if thinking about what to write. In her left hand she holds a small rectangular wooden wax writing tablet. The fresco is now on display at the Muso Archeologico Nazionale in Naples

My photo shows a famous wall painting from Pompeii known as the Sappho fresco. It shows the head and upper body of a young woman framed inside a painted circular border. She faces forward. Her eyes are large and dark, gazing to one side with a calm and thoughtful expression, as if pausing mid-thought. Her skin is pale, and her hair is dark brown and tightly curled, forming small ringlets around her face. A thin golden hairnet holds her curls in place. She wears small gold hoop earrings, and a brown cloak over a green garment. In her right hand she holds a thin dark metal stylus (writing tool) up against her lips, as if thinking about what to write. In her left hand she holds a small rectangular wooden wax writing tablet. The fresco is now on display at the Muso Archeologico Nazionale in Naples

The ‘Sappho’ fresco from Pompeii.

A beautiful Roman portrait of a young woman for #InternationalWomensDay

She holds a writing tablet, and raises a writing stylus to her lips in thoughtful contemplation. 55-70 AD.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples 📷 by me

#Archaeology

08.03.2026 18:22 👍 617 🔁 159 💬 10 📌 6
Post image

What if AI just makes us work harder?

Employees have reported increased momentum, but also a feeling of having more to do: ft.trib.al/D8Oyp7h

08.03.2026 12:00 👍 64 🔁 15 💬 6 📌 6
Post image

There are now more tech workers going from the US to Europe than the other way around

08.03.2026 12:05 👍 95 🔁 37 💬 5 📌 4
Post image

Denmark, Epinion poll:

A-S&D: 21% (+1)
F-G/EFA: 12%
I-EPP: 11% (-1)
V-RE: 10%
O-PfE: 9% (+1)
Æ-ECR: 8% (-1)
C-EPP: 7% (-1)
Ø-LEFT: 7% (+1)
M-RE: 5%
B-RE: 5% (+1)
H-*: 3%
Å→G/EFA: 3%

+/- vs. 02-04 March 2026

Fieldwork: 03-05 March 2026
Sample size: 1,807

➤ europeelects.eu/denmark

07.03.2026 15:20 👍 9 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
Post image Post image

The Hague - highly recommended for a weekend family trip

07.03.2026 14:37 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Ingrid (54) gaf via Facebook tientallen kinderen in nood een veilige thuis, maar nu neemt app over | VRT NWS Nieuws Ze is misschien wel de bekendste pleegmoeder van het land: Ingrid Geudens (54) vond de afgelopen 3 jaar voor tientallen kinderen in crisissituaties een veilige, tijdelijke thuis. Dat lukte haar omdat ...

Heel mooi verhaal - maar waarom moest dit perse weer centraal overgenomen worden?

Ingrid (54) gaf via Facebook tientallen kinderen in nood een veilige thuis, maar nu neemt app over
vrtnws.be/p.aDRQDj99d

07.03.2026 14:36 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Berlin verschiebt "sehr, sehr wichtige" Entscheidung zum FCAS-Kampfjet Deutschland will gemeinsam mit Spanien und Frankreich ein Kampfflugzeug entwickeln, das von einem Verbund aus bewaffneten und unbewaffneten Drohnen begleitet wird. Es ist das wichtigste europäische Rü...

"Very important decisions...postponed again.".

While of great comedic value, a continued delaying of any hard choices & actions on FCAS by Berlin is also an act of political cowardice. It underscores how Germany cannot "lead" on European NatSec strategy.
www.n-tv.de/politik/Berl...

07.03.2026 04:50 👍 37 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
Preview
The war of unintended consequences Israel and the US have achieved many military aims in Iran, but the unpredictable fallout poses threats to everyone

The war of unintended consequences ft.trib.al/7abf0re | opinion

07.03.2026 05:07 👍 19 🔁 9 💬 5 📌 1
Preview
Luxury goods are Europe’s global tax on vanity How to trade cachet for dollars and yuan

My Charlemagne on luxury goods, Europe's global tax on vanity.

How did Europe, an egalitarian continent with a slumping share of global GDP, come to host an industry that thrives on bombastic money-making?

Features a $15,000 Louis Vuitton bone-shaped leather trunk
www.economist.com/europe/2026/...

26.02.2026 16:21 👍 16 🔁 4 💬 1 📌 0

We’ve got a great executive course offering this summer! Join us to interact with and learn from leading experts and policymakers on defence, trade, tech and more!

06.03.2026 07:41 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

EU-Mercosur is a political lightning rod. But the economics of the deal favour the EU: it has run a persistent, rising trade surplus with #Mercosur for years.

New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @antonspisak.bsky.social

Read here: buff.ly/IESx33T

19.02.2026 13:00 👍 6 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
In times of chaos, Europe is the muddled power the world needs In praise of the dreaded European working group

”In an age of blood-soaked realpolitik, Europe stands out. Yes, it is meek, a vegetarian in a world of omnivorous geopolitical rivals. [But i]f it is a sin to think that rules matter, the world could do with a few more sinners… the relative sanity found in Europe is a kind of defiance.”

05.03.2026 05:20 👍 295 🔁 71 💬 11 📌 5
Post image

Government-aligned pollsters show Fidesz with a 6pt lead while opposition-aligned and neutral pollsters show Tisza with a 13pt lead. It's the first time since Orban came to power that there's been such a clear split between pollsters

03.03.2026 08:08 👍 19 🔁 10 💬 3 📌 0
Preview
Google faces lawsuit after Gemini chatbot instructed man to kill himself Lawsuit is first wrongful death case brought against Google over flagship AI product after death of Jonathan Gavalas Last August, Jonathan Gavalas became entirely consumed with his Google Gemini chatbot. The 36-year-old Florida resident had started causally using the artificial intelligence tool earlier that month to help with writing and shopping. Then Google introduced its Gemini Live AI assistant, which included voice-based chats that had the capability to detect people’s emotions and respond in a more human-like way. “Holy shit, this is kind of creepy,” Gavalas told the chatbot the night the feature debuted, according to court documents. “You’re way too real.” Continue reading...

Google faces lawsuit after Gemini chatbot instructed man to kill himself

04.03.2026 14:34 👍 148 🔁 69 💬 12 📌 19

To be clear - Japan (or uk) does not have local content rules. Your statement is incorrect.

Tesla, Hyundais, etc can access Japanese BeV subsidies

04.03.2026 14:27 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

1/ Russian commentators are sounding the alarm over America's use of a new kamikaze drone against Iran, the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS). They note that it appears to have an integrated Starlink terminal and warn that it's a serious threat to Russia. ⬇️

01.03.2026 20:38 👍 418 🔁 104 💬 15 📌 18
Preview
Prostitution and Drug Abuse: How Hungary Is Failing Children in State Care - VSquare.org Children in Hungarian care homes are targeted by criminal networks, with pimps effectively embedding themselves within the child-protection system.

💥INVESTIGATION: In Viktor Orbán's Hungary, children in care homes are targeted by criminal networks, with pimps effectively embedding themselves within the child-protection system. Those working in the sector say they are powerless to stop the abuse.

02.03.2026 19:30 👍 26 🔁 8 💬 0 📌 0

🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷 A bombshell? Not quite but President Macron went further than expected this afternoon in announcing progress towards a strengthened “European dimension” for France’s nuclear deterrent. 1/

02.03.2026 15:52 👍 75 🔁 18 💬 2 📌 7
Preview
Inside the plan to kill Ali Khamenei Israel spent years hacking Tehran’s traffic cameras and monitoring bodyguards ahead of the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader

Inside the plan to kill Ali Khamenei - remarkable reporting here by Mehul Srivastava and James Shotter. ie "Nearly all the traffic cameras in Tehran had been hacked for years, their images encrypted and transmitted to servers in Tel Aviv and southern Israel." www.ft.com/content/bf99...

02.03.2026 17:48 👍 209 🔁 100 💬 10 📌 30

1/ Videos of Iranian Shahed drone strikes in the Gulf have been eye-catching, but lack an important nuance: they are less technologically advanced and used differently than Russia's similar Geran-2 drones, as Russian warbloggers point out. ⬇️
bsky.app/profile/tend...

02.03.2026 18:36 👍 163 🔁 30 💬 6 📌 0

Isn’t Steam there nearly as well?

02.03.2026 19:25 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Roblox may be designated by European Commission as a Very Large Online Platform | MLex | Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation US game platform Roblox may soon be designated as a Very Large Online Platform, or VLOP, under the EU’s Digital Services Act, MLex has learned Monday. A confirmation by the EU in the coming months tha...

“US game platform Roblox may soon be designated as a Very Large Online Platform, or VLOP, under the Digital Services Act, marking the first time a gaming platform would face additional systemic risk obligations” www.mlex.com/mlex/article...

02.03.2026 18:37 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0