Page 54 - European Union

Meta asked to clarify measures against child sexual abuse by Dec 22

The request for information was done under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), new tech rules requiring Big Tech to do more to police illegal and harmful content on their platforms

EU antitrust regulators accuse five car battery makers of running cartel

The five manufacturers are Banner, Clarios, Exide, Elettra and Rombat. They make 12-volt lead batteries which are currently used to start most combustion engine cars

EU pledges 10 million euros to support Afghanistan's healthcare system

The long-lasting cooperation between the EU and WHO has contributed to stronger and more resilient health care in Afghanistan, it said

India, European Union sign MoU on semiconductor research and innovation

India and the European Union have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on semiconductors that covers cooperation in areas such as research and innovation, talent development, partnerships and exchange of market information, the External Affairs Ministry said Friday. The MoU was signed ahead of the IndiaEU Trade and Technology Council that was held in the virtual format on Friday. The Trade and Technology Council meeting was co-chaired on the Indian side by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw. Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Vice-President Vera Jourova chaired the meeting from the European side. The Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during the latter's visit to India in April 2022. The inaugural ministerial meeting of TTC was held in Bruss

Amazon set to win EU's nod for its $1.4 billion iRobot acquisition: Report

The European Commission, which acts as the EU's competition watchdog, warned Amazon in July that the deal could reduce competition in robot vacuum cleaners

Broadcom closes VMware deal after 18-month saga ending in China: Report

VMware will now become the centerpiece of Tan's software operations

EU lawmakers reject 50% chemical pesticide usage cut by 2030 proposal

European Union lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a plan to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030 and to ban all pesticide use in areas such public parks, playgrounds and schools. After a series of amendments watered down the proposal of the EU's executive Commission, the bill was rejected in a 299 to 207 vote, with 121 abstentions. It buried the bill for good and any new proposal would need to start from scratch after June elections for members of the European Parliament. This is a bitter blow for the protection of the environment and public health. To put it bluntly, the majority of MEPs put the profits of big agri over the health of our children and the planet, said Sarah Wiener, a Green lawmaker who was rapporteur for the proposal. There is not going to be a new sustainable use of pesticides regulation, Wiener said. The European Commission said last year that current rules limiting the use of pesticides were too weak and had not been applied consistently across the

Britain proposes antitrust overhaul after Microsoft-Activision case

Following Brexit, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has a bigger say over mega-mergers such as Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of the "Call of Duty" maker

Rich nations 'likely' met $100 billion climate finance goal in 2022

While that figure pales in comparison to the trillions of dollars that are needed to help developing nations decarbonize their economies and adapt to a warming world, it is still a symbolic milestone

IBM, EU pull ads from Musk's X as concerns about antisemitism fuel backlash

Advertisers are fleeing social media platform X over concerns about their ads showing up next to pro-Nazi content and hate speech on the site in general, with billionaire owner Elon Musk inflaming tensions with his own tweets endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory. IBM said this week that it stopped advertising on X after a report said its ads were appearing alongside material praising Nazis a fresh setback as the platform formerly known as Twitter tries to win back big brands and their ad dollars, X's main source of revenue. The liberal advocacy group Media Matters said in a report on Thursday that ads from Apple, Oracle, NBCUniversal's Bravo network and Comcast also were placed next to antisemitic material on X. IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation," the company said in a terse statement. Apple, Oracle, NBCUniversal and Comcast didn't respond

EU provides EUR 2 mn to Nepal in humanitarian aid to support quake victims

The European Union has provided a EUR 2 million aid package to Nepal to support the victims of the earthquake which rattled the remote mountain areas in the Himalayan nation earlier this month. On November 3, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake jolted western Nepal's Jajarkot and Rukum districts, killing 153 people and injuring over 260 others. Days later, on November 7, three tremors of over magnitude 4 hit Jajarkot, injuring at least 16 people. The quakes damaged around 8,000 buildings, both public and private. The grant assistance provided by the EU is equivalent to around Nepalese Rs 290 million. It will help provide shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, and health care, among other services, to support the earthquake-affected people in the Jajarkot and Rukum districts of Nepal, a press release issued by the EU Representative Office in Nepal said. In addition, EUR 200,000 has been allocated to the Nepal Red Cross Society via the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the ...

TikTok, Meta challenge Europe's new rules that crack down on digital giants

TikTok and Facebook owner Meta are filing legal challenges against new European Union rules designed to counter the dominance of digital giants and make online competition fairer by giving consumers more choice. TikTok said in a blog post Thursday that it's appealing being classified as an online "gatekeeper" by the Digital Markets Act, arguing that it's playing the role of a new competitor in social media that is taking on entrenched players. Meta said a day earlier that it disagrees with the 27-nation bloc's decision to include its Marketplace and Messenger as gateway services under the new rules, adding that it is seeking "clarification on specific points of law." The Digital Markets Act will take effect by March, with a list of dos and don'ts for big tech companies aimed at giving users more choices and threatening big penalties if they don't comply. Labeling TikTok a gatekeeper undermines the DMA's goal by protecting actual gatekeepers from newer competitors like TikTok, the .

EU moves closer to imposing new set of sanctions on Russia for Ukraine war

The European Union's executive said on Wednesday it proposed to the member states a new package of sanctions targeting the Kremlin and its associates, seeking to tighten previous measures approved since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine as well as adding dozens of economic operators. The proposal sets in motion final talks between the 27 member states to reach the necessary unanimity on the issue and officials have said they hope to have the 12th package operational by the end of the year. Even though Wednesday's statement did not go into details, preparatory talks centred on imposing export restrictions on Russia's lucrative diamond industry. The proposals for listings include actors from the Russian military, defense and IT sectors, as well as other important economic operators, the EU Commission statement said. It said that the latest package would target more than 120 individuals and entities. Because the EU needs to get everyone on board, the outcome is not fully set yet.

Schengen visa to go online, no need for in-person appearance at consulate

The latest move will render in-person appearance at the consulates redundant. In principle, in-person appearance will only be necessary for first-time applicants, people whose biometric data are no lo

European Union struggles to produce, send ammunition promised to Ukraine

European Union nations acknowledged on Tuesday that they risk failing to provide Ukraine with the ammunition they pledged to help Kyiv stave off the Russian invasion and win back its territory. Early this year, EU leaders promised to provide 1 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine's front line by spring next year in what would have amounted to a serious ramp-up of production. But the 27-nation bloc, for over half a century steeped in a peace, not war message and sheltering under a US military umbrella, is finding it tough to come up with the goods. The 1 million will not be reached, you have to assume that, said German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, ahead of a meeting of EU defence and foreign affairs ministers in Brussels. Estonia's defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, said it was crucial to ramp up supply of the ammunition. Look at Russia. They are producing today more than ever. They are getting shells from North Korea. Europe cannot say that ... Russia and North Korea can deliv

EU nations condemn Hamas for use of hospitals, civilians as 'human shields'

The 27 European Union nations have jointly condemned Hamas for what they described as the use of hospitals and civilians as human shields in the war against Israel. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that at the same time the bloc asked Israel for maximum restraint and targeting in order to avoid human casualties. At a meeting of the bloc's foreign affairs ministers, Borrell brandished a statement he issued on behalf of the 27 nations as a show of unity following weeks of often contrasting statements on how the group should address the Israel-Hamas war. You know how difficult it has been the last times, after the vote in the United Nations, where countries were voted in different ways, to present a completely united approach, Borrell said. Only hours after EU leaders professed unity over the Israel-Hamas war on October 28, the member states were totally split in a vote on a General Assembly resolution calling for humanitarian truces in Gaza leading to a cessation

European Union strikes landmark deal to protect and restore nature

"This law is a global first," said committee chair Pascal Canfin before the deal. "That's why there is concern that it could lead to a stress on food security."

iPhone maker to file challenge over Digital Markets Act in EU court

EU had designated 22 services of major tech firms as "gatekeepers" of online services, requiring them to inter-operate their messaging apps with rivals and let users decide which apps to pre-install

Hungary asks EU to take action against Bulgaria transit tax on Russian gas

Hungary has asked the European Union's executive to open a legal procedure against Bulgaria over a tax it recently imposed on Russian natural gas passing through its territory, a government minister said on Friday. Bulgaria believes the tax, which it levied in October, will reduce the privileged position of Russia's state-owned energy company Gazprom in southeastern Europe and deter Russian influence in the region. But the tax has angered Bulgaria's neighbour Serbia, as well as fellow EU member Hungary, which are heavily dependent on Russian gas coming mostly via Turkey and Bulgaria through the TurkStream pipeline. In a Facebook video, Hungary's minister for EU affairs, Janos Boka, said he had sent a letter to the European Commission urging it to launch an infringement procedure against Bulgaria, the first potential step the bloc can use to ensure its laws are upheld by member states. Boka complained that Bulgaria had imposed the tax without consulting first with Hungary, and that

EU's major plan aimed at fighting climate change to go to final votes

European Union institutions and conservationists on Friday gave a conditional and guarded welcome to a major plan to better protect nature and fight climate change in the 27-nation bloc. The plan is a key part of the EU's vaunted European Green Deal that seeks to establish the world's most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets and make the bloc the global point of reference on all climate issues. Yet it has had an extremely rough ride through the EU's complicated approval process and only a watered down version will now proceed to final votes. Late Thursday's breakthrough agreement between parliament and EU member states should have normally been the end of the approval process. But given the controversy the plan had previously stirred, the final votes - normally a rubberstamp process - could still throw up some hurdles. The plan has lost some of its progressive edge during negotiations over the summer because of fierce opposition in the EU's legislature, particularly from the