Page 44 - European Union

Google, Amazon win EU court backing in Italian rule dispute: Report

Dispute between companies and Italian authorities centered on provisions adopted in 2020, 2021 mandating online service providers in Italy to sign up to register, submit various types of information

EU watchdog says banks must take full responsibility when using AI

While AI holds promise in enhancing investment strategies, client services, it also presents inherent risks, and potential impact on retail investor protection is likely to be significant, ESMA said

EU announces over Rs 2 cr aid for Manipur, hit by hailstorm, heavy rain

The European Union (EU) on Wednesday announced a financial aid of Euro 250,000 (over Rs 22.6 million) to help people hit by a hailstorm and heavy rain in the northeastern state of Manipur in early May. The EU said the aid will be delivered by its humanitarian partner ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) and it will benefit more than 1,500 most vulnerable families. "The European Union has made available Euro 250,000 in response to the recent hailstorm and heavy rain that hit India's northeastern state of Manipur in early May," the EU said in a statement. It said humanitarian aid will provide crucial assistance to those most affected in some of the worst-hit areas. The EU said priority will be accorded to the distribution of food and emergency shelter kits to help affected people whose livelihoods and houses have been damaged by the storm. "This will help communities to cope with the impact of the storm on their livelihood and to restore their houses," it said. On May 5,

Tech giants working closely on AI compliance, says top EU's data regulator

AI creates a number of potential issues for data privacy, the two top officials at Ireland's Data Protection Commission said in an interview on Tuesday

European Union banks seek RBI approval for third-party transaction model

Credit Agricole, Societe Generale, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas aim to resolve deadlock between their home authorities and Indian policymakers

Spain, Ireland to recognise a Palestinian state; EU, Israel ties to plummet

Relations between the European Union and Israel took a nosedive Monday, the eve of the diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state by EU members Ireland and Spain, with Madrid insisting that sanctions should be considered against Israel for its continued deadly attacks in southern Gaza's city of Rafah. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Spain that its consulate in Jerusalem will not be allowed to help Palestinians. At the same time, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell threw his weight to support the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, including leaders of the Hamas militant group. The prosecutor of the court has been strongly intimidated and accused of antisemitism as always when anybody, anyone does something that Netanyahu's government does not like," Borrell said. The word antisemitic, it's too heavy. It's too important. Spain, Ireland and Norway plan to make .

Hungary's PM Orbn faces new serious challenger in upcoming EU elections

About three months ago, a scandal rocked five-time nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbn's Fidesz party which prides itself on upholding family values and Christian conservatism. As party leaders attempted damage control after close Orbn allies, President Katalin Novk and Justice Minister Judit Varga, were forced to resign over a presidential pardon for a man convicted of covering up a string of child sexual abuses, Pter Magyar saw a chance and broke ranks with the party in February. In a matter of weeks, Magyar a 43-year-old lawyer built a political movement, now poised to become Hungary's largest opposition force and challenge Orban's party in the June 9 European Parliament and municipal elections. Magyar said in a recent interview with The Associated Press that the upcoming vote was a prelude to his planned run in the 2026 Hungarian national elections. Whether he can score a win remains to be seen. Orbn has delivered his Fidesz party four straight wins in Hungary's parliamen

Brazil, EU urge India for timely notifications on sugar subsidies at WTO

A group of WTO member countries, including Brazil, Canada and the European Union, have urged India to submit timely notifications on sugar subsidies in the World Trade Organisation, an official said. The issue came up for discussion during the meeting of the WTO's agriculture committee on May 23-24 in Geneva. These countries are also major sugar exporters like India and they allege that support measures by India distort global sugar trade. Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Paraguay, New Zealand, the EU, and Guatemala have "urged India to submit timely notifications on the subsidies", the Geneva-based official said. India has stated that the Indian central and state governments neither paid for nor procured sugarcane from farmers, as all purchases were made by private sugar mills, hence, this information was not included in its notifications of domestic support. The discussion assumes significance as in 2022, India has appealed against a ruling of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) tra

Artistic ironworkers reinstall Notre Dame cathedral cross in Paris

The cross at the apse of Notre-Dame de Paris, which survived the devastating 2019 fire, has been reinstalled atop the cathedral's framework after a meticulous restoration by artistic ironworkers from Normandy. The imposing cross, spanning 12 metres and weighing 1.5 tons, is the only element of the choir roof that resisted the flames. It was reinstalled on Friday. Approximately 250 companies and hundreds of craftsmen, architects and professionals have contributed to the ongoing restoration project, aiming for the cathedral's reopening on December 8, 2024. The fire, which occurred on April 15, 2019, caused the collapse of Notre-Dame's spire and part of its roof. Five years later, the restoration has made significant progress, including the reinstallation of the spire's lead-covered needle. The 2019 fire was a significant blow to the cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site and a symbol of Christianity that welcomed 12 million visitors each year.

EU hits Cadbury & Oreo-maker Mondelez with $366 mn fine for market rigging

Mondelez has been accused of hindering the cross-border trade of chocolate, biscuits, and coffee products within the European Union

Germany backs ending EU tax break that helps Shein, Temu keep prices low

Under current EU regulations, packages purchased online from a non-EU country are not subject to customs duties if their value is under 150 euros

China may raise temporary tariffs on some US, EU cars, warns lobby group

Chinese EVs are under the spotlight in the EU and US, as China controls a majority of the battery supply chain and produces more EVs than anywhere else in the world

Apple fights 1.8 billion euro EU antitrust fine for restrictions on Spotify

The EU's crackdown on Apple also included an order to stop preventing music-streaming apps from informing users of cheaper deals away from its App Store

EU activates rapid response mapping to locate missing Iranian Prez Raisi

Moreover, Iran has requested assistance from Turkey in the search for the Iranian President's helicopter, CNN reported, citing the Turkish disaster and emergency management ministry

Why simple election narratives fail

Given India's complex electoral dynamics and geographical diversity, policy initiatives crafted to suit a simple national narrative are not very useful

Russia asks British diplomat to leave country in a week in tit-for-tat move

Russia on Thursday declared Britain's defence attach persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to London's decision to expel the Russian defence attach earlier this month over spying allegations. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned a representative of the British Embassy in Moscow on Thursday to express its strong protest in connection with the unfriendly and groundless decision to expel the Russian attach from London. We emphasized that we regard this step as a politically motivated action of clearly Russophobic nature, which is causing irreparable damage to bilateral relations, the statement read. Britain on May 8 announced several measures to target Moscow's intelligence gathering operations in the UK Those included a decision to boot Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the British government termed an undeclared military intelligence officer, rescinding the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties ...

Facebook, Instagram face new scrutiny under EU's strict digital regulations

The European Union opened fresh investigations Thursday into Facebook and Instagram over suspicions that they're failing to protect children online, in violation of the bloc's strict digital regulations for social media platforms. It's the latest round of scrutiny for parent company Meta Platforms under the 27-nation EU's Digital Services Act, a sweeping set of regulations that took effect last year with the goal of cleaning up online platforms and protecting internet users. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, said it's concerned that the algorithmic systems used by Facebook and Instagram to recommend content like videos and posts could exploit the weaknesses and inexperience of children and stimulate addictive behaviour". It's worried that these systems could reinforce the so-called rabbit hole effect that leads users to increasingly disturbing content. The commission is also looking into Meta's use of age verification tools to prevent children from accessing Faceboo

Digital Competition Bill may hinder investments in tech startups: IAMAI

The Digital Competition Bill seeks to further regulate large digital enterprises, including news aggregators, as part of efforts to ensure a fair competition in the digital spaces

TotalEnergies will continue to be listed in France: CEO Patrick Pouyanne

Poyanne said the LNG market was 'tense' but would have more supply and, as a result, lower prices by 2027-2030

Russia warns EU of strong response if restrictions imposed on Russian media

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Western correspondents in Moscow would feel response if the European Union took action against Russian media