The World Briefly

September 25, 2023

The Green Facades

European Union

The European Union will ban companies from falsely using “climate neutral” and environmentally friendly labels in their products, as part of an effort to crack down on “greenwashing” while boosting consumer protection, Euractiv reported. The draft law was proposed last year by the European Commission following...

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The World Briefly

September 07, 2023

Passing the Hot Potato

European Union

A European Union court rejected a landmark case brought by a Syrian family who alleged it was unlawfully deported by the bloc’s Frontex border agency, a ruling that deals a major blow to asylum seekers and their advocates, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. The case centers...

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Need to Know

August 09, 2023

There, and Back Again

European Union

Tunisia recovered more than 900 bodies of migrants who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea from the beginning of the year through July 20, according to Interior Minister Kamel Feki. The North African country this year has been handling a record number of migrants from throughout Africa...

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The World Briefly

July 13, 2023

Close Call

European Union

The European Union’s parliament backed a major plan to protect nature and fight climate change following a tight vote Wednesday and strong opposition from the legislature’s conservative bloc, the Associated Press reported. The vote came after weeks of intense lobbying against the legislation, a key part...

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Need to Know

June 30, 2023

AI, Meet Europe

European Union

The European Parliament recently overwhelmingly passed the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act. While the legislation must overcome more hurdles to become a law, it’s an example of European lawmakers charging forward with regulations to control technology that thinkers like British physicist Stephen Hawking have warned...

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The World Briefly

June 15, 2023

Clash of the Titans

European Union

The European Union ordered Google to sell part of its advertising business after bloc regulators accused the tech giant of abusing its dominance in digital ads to undercut rivals, the Guardian reported Wednesday. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, issued the order following a two-year...

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The World Briefly

May 23, 2023

A Meta Strike

European Union

European regulators fined Facebook’s owner, Meta, a record $1.3 billion on Monday for sending users’ information to the United States, the latest clash between the European Union and American tech giants amid negotiations for a new trans-Atlantic data deal, the Wall Street Journal reported. Ireland’s Data...

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The World Briefly

May 05, 2023

Gotcha

European Union

Authorities launched a major operation against Italy’s most feared mafia organization in eight European countries this week, a move that has been called a “severe blow” to the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate, the Telegraph reported. Police in Italy, Germany, France, and other countries raided addresses associated with...

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The World Briefly

April 21, 2023

Building Walls

European Union

The European Parliament approved new measures on Thursday that aim to accelerate the deportation of migrants who entered Europe illegally and prevent them from traveling to other European Union countries, Politico reported. The new measures propose a more stringent registration system and call on countries to...

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The World Briefly

April 19, 2023

Following the Money

European Union

Slovakia became the third European Union country to ban food imports from Ukraine on Tuesday, a decision that follows complaints from farmers claiming that a glut of Ukrainian grain is causing them economic hardship even as countries in the Middle East and Africa remain desperate...

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Need to Know

January 10, 2023

Buying Power

European Union

Belgian authorities have arrested a vice president of the European Parliament and jailed her, detained almost a dozen others and raided parliamentarians’ apartments and offices, seizing $1.6 million in cash. All this is part of a major scandal known as “Qatargate” that has erupted in the...

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The World Briefly

December 16, 2022

Green Walls

European Union

European Union policymakers have agreed to impose a border tax on imports of highly polluting products with a heavy carbon footprint, a deal that seeks to protect the bloc’s own climate ambitions while pressuring polluting nations to become greener, the Washington Post reported. The agreement –...

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The World Briefly

December 09, 2022

The Right to be Forgotten

European Union

The EU’s top court ruled Thursday that citizens of the bloc can order Google to delete search results about themselves if they prove the information is “manifestly inaccurate,” Politico reported. The case began when two investment managers asked Google to remove the results of a search...

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The World Briefly

November 09, 2022

Clash of the Titans

European Union

The European Union’s top court overturned a 2015 tax ruling against carmaker Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday, dealing a significant blow to the bloc’s regulators as they crack down on multinational corporations – especially American ones trying to avoid paying taxes, the Wall Street Journal reported. The...

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The World Briefly

November 01, 2022

Farewell, Little Engine

European Union

The European Union reached a deal this week to in effect ban the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles from 2035 in an effort to speed up the switch to electric cars and combat climate change, Reuters reported. Specifically, the bloc agreed that car manufacturers must...

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The World Briefly

October 18, 2022

Banned…Sort Of

European Union

The European Union’s top court ruled that companies in the bloc can ban the visible wearing of religious symbols, including headscarves, but noted that employers will need to justify any restrictions, Reuters reported. The case concerns a Muslim woman who had applied for a six-week traineeship...

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Need to Know

October 14, 2022

Redefining the Mainstream

European Union

A decade ago, right-wing populism in Europe was still viewed as an outlier, a political philosophy that might take root in Eastern Europe or Russia because of their histories, but not wealthy Western European powers where the free market and robust social safety nets were...

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The World Briefly

October 05, 2022

Untangling Cables

European Union

The European Parliament approved new rules Tuesday that will introduce a common charger for small electronic devices in the European Union, a move proponents say will reduce waste in the bloc, Politico reported. Under the new bill, USB type-C charging ports will become standard for portable...

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The World Briefly

September 15, 2022

Follow The Money

European Union

European Union lawmakers voted in favor of a bill that would ban the sale of agricultural products linked to the destruction of forests, a move welcomed by many environmental groups, the Associated Press reported. Under the proposed law, companies and producers will need to ensure that...

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The World Briefly

July 20, 2022

The Club

AlbaniaEuropean UnionNorth Macedonia

The European Union officially began talks on EU membership with North Macedonia and Albania Tuesday, a move that brings the two Balkan nations closer to joining the 27-nation bloc, Politico reported. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the opening of talks and praised the...

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