


A bitcoin scandal is good news for the Czech Donald Trump
Andrej Babis looks set to return as prime minister in the autumn
TOMAS JIRIKOVSKY got in way over his head. In 2013 the amateur programmer set up a dark-web market for illegal drug sales. He soon landed in prison. Upon release in 2021 he demanded his gear, which contained lots of cryptocurrency. The case stalled in court, and in March Mr Jirikovsky quietly struck a deal: in exchange for his drives, he would donate 468 bitcoins (currently worth about $49m) to the government.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Bitcoins, Babis and automobiles”

Ukraine is inching towards robot-on-robot fighting
It is ahead of Russia, for now

Germany is embarking on an almighty borrowing binge
It is not without risks

A defence splurge will slow Europe’s deindustrialisation
But probably not reverse it
How strongmen mastered the art of dividing Europe
Soft-power Europe is often bested by hard-nosed autocrats
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America’s allies have pledged to spend a lot more, but details are thin
Corruption at the heart of his party wounds Spain’s prime minister
Pedro Sánchez is a survivor, but it is getting harder