Page 44 - European Union

Biden hosts Prez of Romania at White House to celebrate Nato partnership

President Joe Biden hosted Klaus Iohannis, the president of Romania, on Tuesday at the White House, with the two leaders celebrating their joint cooperation on issues including international security, the economy and continued support for Ukraine. The meeting in the Oval Office was meant to mark Romania's two decades as a NATO member, according to the White House. At the start of the meeting, Biden joked he advocated for NATO accession for Romania when he was a senator 180 years ago and said the alliance was stronger for the country's inclusion. Biden noted that Romanian and American troops have fought and trained alongside one another and praised Romania for having stepped up to assist Ukraine in fending Russia's invasion. The United States is committed to standing with you, Biden told Iohannis. In turn, Iohannis thanked Biden for hosting him and called the transatlantic alliance a cornerstone of our democratic way of life. He said he intended to make progress toward a visa waiver

India, European Union eyeing to boost cooperation in Indo-Pacific

India and the European Union have vowed to expand cooperation in the Indo-Pacific with a resolve to address common security challenges and promote peace and stability in the region. The two sides explored ways to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region at a security and defence dialogue in Delhi on Monday. In the meeting, India and the EU reiterated their commitment to a free, open, inclusive and rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region, underpinned by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, democracy and rule of law and freedom of navigation and overflight, a readout by the EU delegation in India said. The dialogue was co-chaired by Vishvesh Negi, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation) in the defence ministry and Joanneke Balfoort, Director, Security and Defence policy of European External Action Service. The two side also underlined the importance of unimpeded lawful commerce and peaceful resolution of disputes in line with international law, ...

India-EU FTA: Will the marriage reconcile?

While realpolitik is not expected to result in a favourable trade agreement between India and EU, the partners would do best in settling for a more realistic agenda with some compromise from both side

Microsoft hit with Spanish startups' complaint over its cloud practices

The Spanish Startup Association, which represents more than 700 startups in Spain, cited a number of allegedly anti-competitive practices by Microsoft in recent years

More civilians will be killed in Rafah despite Israel's claims: Borrell

There are no safe zones in Gaza, EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell told journalists

Macquarie eyes rise of protectionist policies in upcoming US, EU elections

Over two dozen countries - home to more than half the world's population - are voting this year. India is part way through its mammoth multi-month vote

Case for ECB rate cut getting stronger, says chief economist Lane

The ECB has all but promised a rate cut on June 6, provided incoming data strengthen policymakers' belief that inflation will head back to its 2% target

Case for ECB rate cut getting stronger, says chief economist Lane

The ECB has all but promised a rate cut on June 6, provided incoming data strengthen policymakers' belief that inflation will head back to its 2% target

Spice row: Govt plans greater scrutiny, guidelines on use of ethylene oxide

ETO, a flammable, colourless gas is generally used as a disinfectant, sterilising agent as well as an insecticide to reduce microbial contamination in spices

As Xi Jinping visits Europe, Ukraine, trade likely to be top priority

Ukraine, trade and investment are expected to dominate Chinese leader Xi Jinping's first trip to Europe in five years, as the Asian giant rebuilds its foreign relations after a prolonged absence during the Covid-19 pandemic. Xi will start the tour in Paris on Monday, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been stressing the idea of European strategic autonomy from the U.S. On a visit to Beijing last year, Macron courted controversy by saying France would not necessarily always align with the US in foreign policy, an apparent reference to American support for the self-governing republic of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary. After leaving France, Xi will visit Hungary and Serbia, both seen as China-friendly and close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, rebuffing Western criticism of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Xi's European visits will be closely followed in Washington for signs of diminishing support for its k

Air France, KLM, Brussels Airlines among carriers in EU greenwashing probe

It is unclear which other airlines are being investigated

Ireland becomes second EU state with no women leading listed companies

Only 8% of CEO positions at the largest listed companies in the EU28 in 2023 were women

Meta's Facebook, Instagram in EU crosshairs for election disinformation

The Digital Services Act which kicked in last year requires Big Tech to do more to counter illegal and harmful content on their platforms or risk fines of as much 6% of their global annual turnover

Lufthansa, Air France-KLM plan to cut costs after tough first quarter

Air France-KLM said it would tighten spending for the rest of the year, including a freeze on hiring support staff and a vow to stabilise operations, particularly at carrier KLM

Higher consumer spending, investment boost French first quarter growth

Economists broadly expect activity to pick up over the course of the year as lower inflation boost consumers' purchasing power and interest rate cuts fuel an increase in investment

France's Thales may buy parts of strategic assets of troubled Atos Defence

Thales, a defence group partially owned by the French state, has repeatedly said it is not interested in Atos' computing assets known as Big Data & Security (BDS)

EU to probe Meta over handling of Russian disinformation, says report

Dozens of countries worldwide, including Britain, Austria and Georgia, will elect new leaders in 2024. The European parliament elections are also due in June

Apple's iPad operating system subject to tough tech rules, says EU

The European executive's decision followed an investigation launched in September last year. Apple's operating system iOS, its browser Safari and its App Store were designated gatekeepers last year

German inflation creeps up to 2.4% in April on back of higher food prices

Euro zone inflation is expected to remain at 2.4%, unchanged from the previous month, according to economists polled by Reuters

Russia, Ukraine exchange fire, strike each others' refinery and gas targets

Russia reported a Ukrainian drone attack on the Slavyansk oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, the first such strike since early this month