Page 46 - European Union

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

EU flagged cancer-causing chemicals in 527 Indian food products: Report

Recently, MDH and Everest spices have come under scrutiny for allegedly containing traces of ethylene oxide above permissible levels

EU raids Chinese security equipment firm over foreign subsidies concerns

During the raids, the European Union officials reportedly accessed the company's ICT system, instilling apprehension among Chinese businesses operating in Europe

EU parl approves rules requiring companies to repair worn-out products

Consumers will gain the right to choose either a repair - or a replacement - for faulty products while the product is still under guarantee

Indians can now get multiple entry Schengen visa as EU eases norms

Frequent Indian travellers to Europe will now be able to apply for multiple entry Schengen visa of up to five years, with the European Commission effecting certain changes in existing rules. European Union's ambassador to India Herve Delphin described the new visa regime as another step towards enhancing people-to-people contact between the two sides. "On April 18, the European Commission adopted specific rules on the issuing of multiple entry visas to Indian nationals, which are more favourable than the standard rules of the visa code that applied to date," an EU readout said. It said this new visa 'cascade' regime for Indian nationals residing in India who apply for Schengen (short-stay) visas in India will provide easier access to visas with multi-year validity for travellers with an established travel history. "According to the newly adopted visa 'cascade' regime for India, Indian nationals can now be issued long-term, multi-entry Schengen visas valid for two years after having

EU aims to increase agri-food exports to China despite trade tensions

Unlike sectors such as solar panels or new energy vehicles (NEVs) the European Union's agri-food sector runs an export surplus in its trade with China

EU foreign ministers to discuss air defence for Ukraine, Iran sanctions

After a video conference of NATO defence ministers with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, Stoltenberg said he expected announcements soon

Lufthansa executives seek to persuade EU regulators over ITA stake buy

Guillaume Loriot, the European Commission's deputy director general for mergers, and lawyers as well as officials from national competition agencies will also be there

Vestager defends EU merger rules, says competition creates strong cos

Telecoms companies have been the biggest proponents of looser merger rules as they look to consolidate to boost revenues and market power amid costly investments to roll out 5G and broadband

EU leaders to hear shake-up needed to match global rivals in new green tech

The EU faces new challenges from massive US subsidies drawing in investment and China's domination of new tech supply chains, on which it is dependent

EU leaders step up new sanctions on Iran after drone attack on Israel

EU leaders condemned the Iranian attack, reaffirmed their commitment to Israel's security and called on all sides to prevent more tensions, including in Lebanon

EU leaders mull sanctions against Iran, Zelenskyy pleads for more support

European Union leaders debated ways to ramp up sanctions against Iran at a summit on Wednesday as concern grows that Tehran's unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded the gathering that his country still badly needs support to combat Russia's invasion. French President Emmanuel Macron urged his EU counterparts in Brussels to adapt and expand sanctions against Iran. The EU has already slapped sanctions on the Islamic Republic but Macron said new measures should target those who are helping to produce the missiles and drones that were used" in the weekend attack. According to a draft statement prepared for the meeting also focusing on the war in Ukraine and ways to boost the bloc's economic competitiveness, the leaders are to warn that the EU is ready to take further restrictive measures against Iran, notably in relation to unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles. The statement also calls on Iran and its

European Union questions TikTok on new app that pays users for watching

European Union regulators said Wednesday they're seeking details from TikTok on a new app from the video sharing platform that pays users to watch videos. The European Commission said it sent TikTok a request for information on the TikTok Lite app that has been quietly released in France and Spain. The commission wants to know about the risk assessment that TikTok should have carried out before deploying the app in the European Union. We have already been in direct contact with the Commission regarding this product and will respond to the request for information," TikTok said in a statement. Such evaluations are required under the bloc's Digital Services Act, a sweeping law that took effect last year with the aim of cleaning up social media platforms. The commission is the 27-nation bloc's executive arm and top enforcer of digital regulations. TikTok Lite lets users "earn great rewards," according to its app store listing. The app, which launched this month in France and Spain, is