Page 36 - European Union

US airlines may soon face cash penalties for delayed, cancelled flights

This proposed compensation scheme would mean US airlines would have to pay a set cash payment amount to each passenger on a disrupted flight, in addition to compensation for meals and lodging

Germany's expansion of border controls testing European Union's unity

The German government says it is cracking down on irregular migration and crime following recent extremist attacks, and plans to extend temporary border controls to all nine of its frontiers next week. Last month, a deadly knife attack by a Syrian asylum-seeker in Soligen killed three people. The perpetrator claimed to be inspired by the Islamic State group. In June, a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant left a police officer dead and four other people wounded. The border closures are set to last six months and are threatening to test European unity. Most of Germany's neighbours are fellow members of the European Union, a 27-country bloc based on the principles of free trade and travel. And Germany the EU's economic motor in the heart of Europe shares more borders with other countries than any other member state. The Polish prime minister on Tuesday denounced the closures as unacceptable and Austria said it won't accept migrants rejected by Germany. Here's a look at some of the .

Apple loses European Union top court fight over $14.4 bn Irish tax bill

"It's important to show European taxpayers that once in a while, tax justice can be done," Vestager told reporters in Brussels in response to questions on her Apple win

Teva faces fine for disparaging rival multiple sclerosis medicine: Report

The EU competition enforcer's tough line underscores its concerns that such practices could stifle innovation in the pharmaceutical industry

Google loses EU court appeal against 2.4 bn euro fine in antitrust case

Google lost its final legal challenge on Tuesday against a European Union penalty for giving its own shopping recommendations an illegal advantage over rivals in search results, ending a long-running antitrust case that came with a whopping fine. The European Union's Court of Justice upheld a lower court's decision, dismissing the company's appeal against the 2.4 billion euro (USD 2.7 billion) penalty from the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust enforcer. The commission's original decision in 2017 accused the Silicon Valley giant of unfairly directing visitors to its own Google Shopping service to the detriment of competitors. It was one of three multibillion-euro fines that the commission imposed on Google in the previous decade as Brussels started ramping up its crackdown on the tech industry. Google made changes to comply with the commission's decision requiring it to treat competitors equally. The company started holding auctions for shopping search listings

Germany expands border controls to curb irregular migration, extremists

Germany's government ordered temporary controls at all land borders Monday, expanding checks it already has in place at some borders, saying that it was responding to irregular migration and to protect the country from extremist threats. We are strengthening our internal security through concrete action and we are continuing our tough stance against irregular migration, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said at a news conference. The ministry said that it notified the European Union on Monday of the order to set up border controls at the land borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark for a period of six months. They will begin next week on September 16. This adds to restrictions already in place on the land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland. Until we achieve strong protection of the EU's external borders with the new Common European Asylum System, we must increase controls at our national borders even more, Faeser said. She n

Mario Draghi urges policy reform, investment drive to revive lagging EU

EU countries had already responded to the new realities, Draghi's report said, but it added that their effectiveness was limited by a lack of coordination

EU buying too much defence equipment from abroad, especially US: Report

European Union countries are buying too much of their defence equipment abroad, almost two thirds of it in the US, and failing to invest enough in joint military projects, a landmark report on EU competitiveness warned on Monday. The 27 member states are also failing to make best use of Europe's research and development capacities to modernise their armed forces, with just a fraction the level of US investment, said the report by former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi. The report comes as the EU continue to struggle to find enough weapons and ammunition to help Ukraine survive the full-scale Russian invasion, now in its third year, and to kickstart Europe's defence industry. Europe is wasting its common resources. We have large collective spending power, but we dilute it across multiple different national and EU instruments, said Draghi's report, which has been a year in the making and is likely to fuel an overhaul of the bloc's industrial ...

Meta to allow messages from 3rd-party apps on WhatsApp, Messenger: Details

Meta is working on new notifications in Messenger and WhatsApp that will inform the user when they have the option to connect chats from supported third-party apps

Carbon fibre will be produced by India in 2025-26: Textile minister Giriraj

Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday expressed confidence that the niche carbon fibre -- which is used in aerospace, civil engineering and defence as an alternative to metal -- will be produced by India in 2025-26. Currently, India does not produce any carbon fibre and relies completely on imports from countries such as the US, France, Japan and Germany. The European Union's proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tax on embedded carbon imports, is expected to kick in from 2026. "The coming days belong to Technical textiles in every sector... I am fully confident that in 2025-26 the niche carbon fibre product will also be with India," Singh told reporters here. The minister asserted that after the Narendra Modi-led government came to power, it has "balanced imports" in the hygiene sector. "Earlier we used to import diapers. Thanks to PM Modi for bringing production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme which has created excitement in the industry," Singh said. Earlier w

Russia wants to keep gas transit via Ukraine to Europe: Vladimir Putin

Putin said that Gazprom's main consumers in Europe did not seem to want the transit agreement to end even though they provided military assistance to Ukraine

EU committed to stronger cooperation with India in Indo-Pacific, says envoy

The European Union is committed to forge a stronger cooperation with India to ensure a free, open, inclusive and rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific, EU envoy Herve Delphin said on Thursday. The EU envoy to New Delhi described the Indo-Pacific as a "vital hub" of strategic importance to both India and the EU in view of the region's role in the maritime supply chains. "We're committed to forge a stronger cooperation with India to ensure free, open, inclusive and rules-based maritime order, address common security challenges and promote peace and stability in the region," he said. Delphin's comments came following a visit of senior Indian officials to EU institutions in Brussels to strengthen two-way security and defence ties. "The Indo-Pacific region is a vital hub of strategic importance to both India and the EU due to the growing interdependence of global economies and the importance of maritime supply chains," he said. The Indian delegation was led by Muanpuii Saiawi,

Google limits on Android Auto access may breach EU rules: Court adviser

Google's refusal to provide third-party access to Android Auto platform may be in breach of competition rules, Court Advocate General Laila Medina said

Illumina wins court battle with EU over $7 billion Grail takeover

Under the controversial system, the Brussels-based commission encouraged national regulators to ask it to probe deals that would normally fall below the threshold for EU investigations

China: Anti-dumping probe into canola imports as Canada imposes EV tariff

Canada has followed the lead of the United States and European Union, and announced last week a 100 per cent tariff

EU chief aims for gender parity but commissioner roles remain male-heavy

At first glance, the European Union may seem like a paragon of gender equality what with Ursula von der Leyen heading the all-important executive branch. Still, all the talk this week is about an excess of men poised for top positions at the EU headquarters. Not that von der Leyen, the first woman to hold the position as European Commission president, would want anything other than full gender parity in the body that runs the day-to-day business of the world's biggest trading bloc of 450 million people. One of its key objectives is achieving gender balance in decision-making, the strategy of von der Leyen's outgoing European Commission boldly proclaimed. Her office was committed to lead by example, with the first female Commission president selected in 2019, and the first gender-balanced College of Commissioners during this time. When it comes to gender issues, the 27-nation EU is often seen as perhaps the most progressive grouping of countries in the world, leaving other nations a

Thousands protest in Serbia over crackdown on anti-lithium activists

Several thousand people rallied Sunday in the Serbian capital, accusing the populist government of cracking down on environmental activists opposed to a large European Union-backed lithium excavation project planned in the Balkan country. The protest outside the headquarters of the state RTS television station in central Belgrade comes after tens of thousands rallied in recent weeks against the opening of the lithium mine in western Serbia. The state-controlled TV station is accused of ignoring the detentions of anti-lithium excavation activists. Environmental organizations reported detentions of dozens of their activists after a big rally last month in Belgrade and elsewhere in Serbia, saying their homes were searched, laptops and phones confiscated while many faced threats on social media. Activist Nina Stojanovic told the crowd on Sunday that a total of 30 to 60 people have been detained or questioned in the past two months throughout Serbia. We are here to protect everyone, to

Inflation fell to 2.2% in Europe, clearing way for ECB's Sept rate cut

Inflation in the 20 European Union countries that use the euro fell sharply to 2.2 per cent in August, opening the door for the European Central Bank to cut interest rates as the ECB and the US Federal Reserve prepare to lower borrowing costs to support growth and jobs. The August figure was down from 2.6 per cent in July, according to figures on Friday from European Union statistics agency Eurostat. Energy prices fell in August by 3 per cent, helping lower the overall figure, while inflation fell to 2 per cent in Germany, the eurozone's largest economy. The monthly figure is now close to the ECB's target of 2 per cent, the level considered best for the economy. The central bank is charged with maintaining stable prices under the treaty that set up the European Union. Not all of the EU's 27 countries use the euro. Economists expect the ECB to cut its key rate by a quarter point from 3.75 per cent at its September 12 meeting, while the Fed is expected to cut rates from a 23-year high

EU diplomat builds pressure on Ukraine's backers to allow targeting strikes

The European Union's top diplomat on Thursday ramped up pressure on Ukraine's international backers to lift restrictions on the use of weapons they provide the conflict-ravaged country to allow its armed forces to strike targets inside Russia. The US restricts the use of long-range ballistic missiles it provides to Ukraine and some EU members also limit the use of their weapons. Ukraine is desperate to target airfields and other military installations inside Russia that are used to stage attacks on its armed forces and civilians. We need to lift restrictions on the use of weaponry against Russian military targets, in accordance with international law, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said as the bloc's foreign ministers gathered in Brussels to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The weaponry that we are providing to Ukraine has to have full use, and the restrictions have to be lifted in order for the Ukrainians to be able to target the places where Russia is bombing them. ...

EU new car sales flat in July as battery EVs lose market share, says ACEA

Improvements in the Belgian, Dutch and French electric-vehicle (EV) markets failed to offset a drop of almost 37 per cent in sales