EU
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) - The European Union on Wednesday announced a probe into China's medical devices market, prompting an immediate accusation from Beijing that the bloc was engaging in "protectionism". Brussels suspects China is favouring its own suppliers for the procurement of medical devices. The EU's official administrative journal, announcing the probe, set out ways that could be happening, including through a "Buy China" policy. The EU also has concerns that China may have restricted imports and imposed conditions "leading to abnormally low bids that cannot be sustained by profit-...
AFP
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) - The EU on Monday hit Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Meta with the first ever probes under a mammoth digital law, which could lead to big fines against the US giants. Among six firms named as market "gatekeepers" under the EU's landmark Digital Markets Act -- along with Amazon, TikTok owner ByteDance and Microsoft -- the companies have been obliged to comply with the new law since March 7. "We are not convinced that the solutions by Alphabet, Apple and Meta respect their obligations for a fairer and more open digital space for European citizens and businesses," sai...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - Apple reversed course on Friday and will allow Epic Games to develop a competing European app store for iPhones after a feud between the two companies tested a new law governing big tech on the continent. "Following conversations with Epic, they have committed to follow the rules, including our DMA policies," an Apple spokesperson said in an email to AFP. "As a result, Epic Sweden AB has been permitted to re-sign the developer agreement and accepted into the Apple Developer Program," the spokesperson added. Apple was referring to the Digital Markets Act, a landmark European ...
AFP
Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) - The EU on Monday hit Apple with a more than 1.8-billion-euro fine ($1.9 billion) for violating the bloc's laws by preventing European users from accessing information about alternative, cheaper music streaming services. The iPhone maker immediately vowed to appeal the first ever antitrust fine slapped on Apple by Brussels, the culmination of a case triggered by a complaint by Swedish streaming giant Spotify. The European Commission found that "Apple applied restrictions on app developers preventing them from informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music sub...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - The US Senate will vote next week on a border security package that would unlock vital aid for Ukraine, Democrats announced Thursday, as President Joe Biden hailed a $54 billion package approved by the war-torn nation's European allies. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader of the upper chamber of Congress, said an initial vote on the bipartisan bill would take place on Wednesday at the latest -- although its prospects for being signed into law look vanishingly small. "Addressing these challenges is not easy. But we cannot simply shirk from our responsibilities just because ...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - US President Joe Biden's administration is "firmly committed" to seeking more budget support for Ukraine, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told key EU officials Wednesday, despite Congress remaining in gridlock. "Failure to act would hand a victory to (Russian President Vladimir Putin) and have unthinkable consequences not only for Ukraine, but also for our collective security," Yellen said. Speaking at the start of a Washington meeting with EU executive vice presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis, she added that Congress must act quickly to reach a deal. "We ca...
AFP
Berlin (AFP) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed Wednesday to rally European partners to cobble together support for Ukraine "so huge" that it would weigh on Russian President Vladimir Putin's calculations. The pledge by the German leader, once criticised for dragging his feet on arming Kyiv, came with fears growing that support from Ukraine's biggest weapons supplier, the United States, could fall away. "We will do everything to ensure that the joint contribution from Europe is so huge that Ukraine can build on it and that Putin would not be able to count on our support waning at some point...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - Amazon on Monday said it was dropping its plans to buy the iRobot vacuum maker after the EU's antitrust authority objected to the plan over competition concerns. The news sent shares in iRobot into a tailspin, and the device maker followed the announcement of the failed deal with a restructuring plan that would see 350 jobs, or 30 percent of the company, laid off and the departure of its CEO. "We're disappointed that Amazon's acquisition of iRobot could not proceed," said David Zapolsky, Amazon SVP and General Counsel. The EU in July opened an antitrust investigation into Am...
AFP
Washington (AFP) - The Hubble Space Telescope has observed the smallest planet outside our solar system to contain water vapor in its atmosphere, a "landmark discovery" that brings astronomy a step closer to characterizing Earth-like worlds. At around twice Earth's diameter, planet GJ 9827d orbits a red dwarf star 97 light-years away in the constellation Pisces, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) said in statements on Thursday. The team behind the finding are examining two scenarios: either the planet is a "mini-Neptune" with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere laced with water, or it's a warmer ...
AFP
Brussels (AFP) - The EU announced "formal infringement proceedings" against Elon Musk's platform X on Monday, under a law designed to combat disinformation and hate after identifying suspect posts related to Hamas's October 7 attack in Israel. The action against the company formerly known as Twitter is the first against a major online platform since Brussels implemented the Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping piece of European Union legislation that strengthens online companies' responsibility for content moderation. "Today's opening of formal proceedings against X makes it clear that, with...
AFP
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