Page 37 - European Union

Orban's charge of EU presidency raises questions about Hungary's stance

The European Union traditionally ends its summer slumber in the dying days of August with an informal meeting of its foreign affairs ministers in a political equivalent of a fireside chat. But with Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Hungary holding the presidency of the 27-nation bloc, vacation has already been turned into one long firebrand's shout. Since July 1, and right up to year's end, the EU's arcane rules allow Hungary, a nation of 9.5 million, to represent and often speak for the bloc of 450 million. The problem is that Orban increasingly stands for everything the EU opposes. The first two months of the half-year rotating presidency has already turned into troll diplomacy, said Peter Kreko of the Center for European Policy Analysis. Orban "just wants to provoke more anger from the leaders of the European Union, he said. When Russian President Vladimir Putin is the EU's archenemy because of his war in Ukraine, Orban travels to Moscow and hobnobs with the autocratic leader. When .

Telegram questions grounds of CEO's detention, says it abides by EU laws

Telegram issued a statement on its platform and on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the Dubai-based company abides by European laws

China's EV maker's weak response to EU proves costly in tariff dispute

The main factor driving the uneven treatment appears to be varying levels of cooperation

EU envoy to India hails PM Modi's Ukraine visit on 'landmark date'

European Union's Ambassador to India, Herve Delphin on Friday stated that August 23 marks a landmark date as the official National Flag Day of Ukraine coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country.Delphin added that the European Union will continue to support Ukraine in defending itself against "Russian aggression".Taking to X, Delphin said, "This August 23 is a landmark date as it is Ukraine National Flag Day & coincides with the historical visit of Indian PM Narendra Modi to Kyiv. European Union will continue to support the Ukrainian country and nation in defending itself against Russian aggression. Ukraine will prevail!"Prime Minister Modi today arrived in war-hit Ukraine after a 10-hour journey from Poland aboard the trail Rail Force One."Reached Kyiv earlier this morning. The Indian community accorded a very warm welcome," PM Modi stated in a post on X.Upon his arrival PM Modi was received at the Kiev Central station and subsequently headed to the Hyatt

Chinese govt discusses import tariffs on large cars ahead of EU tariff vote

The 27-strong bloc is due to vote in October on whether to adopt additional duties of up to 36.3 per cent on Chinese-made electric vehicles

Apple to update browser options in EU, make applications more deletable

In an update later this year, Apple users will be able to select a default browser directly from the choice screen after going through a mandatory list of options

What you need to know about China's widening probe of European imports

Beijing is already assessing whether EU brandy and pork imports are being sold below market rates

Donald Trump anxiety spurs investment in European defence startups

In June, the $1.1 billion Nato Innovation Fund (NIF) announced partnerships with venture capital firms and defence startups across Europe, aiming to bolster security on the continent

French destroyer rescues mariners from tanker stricken in Red Sea attacks

A French destroyer rescued 29 mariners from an oil tanker that came under repeated attack in the Red Sea, officials said Thursday, while also destroying a bomb-carrying drone boat in the area. Yemen's Houthi rebels are suspected to have carried out the assault on the Sounion. The attack, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a monthslong campaign by Houthis targeting ships over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which $1 trillion in cargo typically passes each year. The Sounion is now at anchor in the Red Sea and no longer drifting, the European Union's Operation Aspides said. However, it wasn't clear if the vessel was still ablaze. The vessel had been staffed by a crew of Filipinos and Russians. Military officials did not name the French destroyer involved in the rescue. In the attack Wednesday, men on small boats first opened fire with small arms about 140 km (90 miles) west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeid

China opens anti-subsidy probe into imported dairy products from EU

China will examine 20 subsidy schemes from across the 27-strong bloc, specifically those from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Ireland, and Romania, it said in a statement

EU approves $5.5 bn German aid under Chips Act for ESMC Dresden plant

ESMC is a joint venture led by TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, with European chipmakers Bosch, Infineon and NXP each taking a 10 per cent stake

India, EU to host conference to discuss threats in online radicalisation

The two-day EU-India Track 1.5 Conference in New Delhi will bring together experts, policymakers, academia

China's biodiesel producers seek new outlets for export as EU tariffs bite

"With hefty prices of UCO partly supported by strong U.S. and European demand, and free-falling product prices, companies are having a tough time surviving," said Gary Shan

Bavarian Nordic seeks EU's approval to extend mpox vaccine to adolescents

Mpox has been declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization, with children and adolescents being particularly vulnerable to the disease

EU estimate: Wildfire near Athens burned area twice the size of Manhattan

A European Union satellite mapping agency says 104 square kilometres (40 square miles) of land was burned northeast of Athens this week during a deadly wildfire that gutted scores of homes and prompted multiple countries to send assistance. The Copernicus Emergency Management Service announced the damage estimate Wednesday, a day after the wildfire was contained in a massive effort that ended on the outskirts of the capital. A factory worker was killed in the fire that swept through mountainous areas southward, covering an area almost twice the size of Manhattan and blanketing the Greek capital with a thick cloud of smoke. The fire damaged 22 businesses and rendered at least 78 homes uninhabitable, with nearly half of them completely destroyed, Greek officials said Wednesday. Inspections in fire-afflicted areas will continue in coming days. Nine countries, including neighbor Turkey, sent assistance to Greece to boost ground crews and water-dropping planes and helicopters operating

Iran rejects European leaders' call to refrain from retaliatory attacks

The European leaders also endorsed the latest push by mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States to broker an agreement to end the Israel-Hamas war

Residents of Serbia's lithium-rich region pledge to block EU-backed mining

Zlatko Kokanovic does not want a lithium mine in his backyard and he will do anything he can to stop it from opening. All of us here, we are ready to lose our lives," the 48-year farmer told The Associated Press. "They can shoot. That is the only way they can open the mine. At stake is a lush farming valley in western Serbia that holds one of Europe's richest deposits of lithium, a precious metal that is used to make batteries for electric cars and is crucial for the global transition to green energy. Whether there should be a mine in the valley or not has become one of the most contentious issues in the Balkan nation, triggering protests by thousands of people in a challenge to the populist President Aleksandar Vucic. While the government insists the mine is an opportunity for economic development, critics say it would inflict irreparable pollution on the Jadar valley, along with underground water reserves, farm land and two small rivers that run through the valley. Thousands are

TikTok agrees to withdraw rewards feature after EU raised concerns

It was the first resolution of an investigation under the 27-country EU's sweeping Digital Services Act, which went into effect in February

Febi expects to become the go-to agency for EU companies in India

A 2024 survey of German companies in India flagged bureaucratic hurdles, high corruption, and the tax system as the three biggest obstacles to doing business in India

PM Starmer announces police unit to counter violence after fatal stabbings

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday that he will create the ability for police forces to work across the UK to crack down on violent protesters after clashes with police across England on the past two nights that followed a horrific stabbing. Starmer condemned the violence by a tiny mindless minority and said: We will put a stop to it. The announcement came after police were pelted with bottles in several cities by what Starmer called marauding mobs who apparently were reacting to a stabbing Monday at a children's dance class that killed three and wounded 10. The attack at a Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday dance class shocked a country where knife crime is a long-standing and vexing problem, though mass stabbings are rare. Far-right activists have used the deaths to stoke anger at immigrants and Muslims though the suspect is not an immigrant, and his religion has not been disclosed. The announcement came as the 17-year-old boy charged with murdering three girls and stabbi