The World Briefly

July 16, 2024

Feeling the Blues

European Union

European Union regulators have charged Elon Musk’s social media platform X – formerly Twitter – with breaching the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA) by charging for its blue checkmark system without verifying users, allegations that could lead to large fines and major operational changes for...

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The World Briefly

June 25, 2024

Person of Interest

European Union

European Union prosecutors on Monday launched an investigation against a former president of the European Investment Bank (EIB) over allegations of corruption, a case observers described as the most high-profile by the bloc’s prosecutor’s office, the Financial Times reported. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) announced...

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The World Briefly

June 13, 2024

Shifting Gears

European Union

The European Union raised tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) imported from China in a move aimed at protecting the bloc’s automotive industry from unfair competition – but in so doing drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing that could potentially escalate into a trade war, CNN...

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The World Briefly

June 10, 2024

Loud and Clear

European Union

Far-right parties made major gains in the European Union’s parliamentary elections Sunday, dealing an especially humiliating defeat to French President Emmanuel Macron, who reacted by calling new elections in France for later this month, the Wall Street Journal reported. The early returns showed the National Rally garnering...

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Need to Know

June 06, 2024

Rightward Ho

European Union

Expect right-wing parties to win big when 400 million voters in 27 countries elect new members of the European Parliament from June 6 through June 9, the Guardian said. After a tough five years since the last election thanks to Brexit, the pandemic, the war in...

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The World Briefly

May 23, 2024

A Profitable Sanction

European Union

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday formally approved a novel plan to use interest accrued from frozen Russian assets in the bloc to support Ukraine’s defense, a decision that Kyiv said was welcome but insufficient, Reuters reported. Ministers from the EU’s 27 nations rubberstamped an agreement...

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The World Briefly

May 01, 2024

The Right to Repair

European Union

The European Parliament passed a bill this month that will give consumers in the bloc the right to have their old products repaired by manufacturers even after the expiration of the warranty, a move aimed at reducing waste and making goods last longer, Al Jazeera...

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The World Briefly

April 24, 2024

Cutting the Chains

European Union

The European Parliament approved a new law on Tuesday that would ban products made by forced labor from the European Union market, a measure aimed mainly at China but also other countries accused of engaging in the practice, Euronews reported. With an overwhelming majority of 555...

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The World Briefly

April 11, 2024

Of Hollow Victories

European Union

The European Union’s top court on Wednesday handed two Russian oligarchs a rare win in a case over Western sanctions imposed on them by the bloc following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Associated Press reported. The EU General Court ruled in favor of Mikhail Fridman and...

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The World Briefly

March 26, 2024

Warm Climate, Cold Feet

European Union

Decision-makers in the European Union (EU) on Monday voted to indefinitely postpone a climate action plan aimed at preserving biodiversity in the bloc, a move that follows weeks of farmers’ protests across the continent, the Associated Press reported. The Council of the European Union, made up...

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Need to Know

March 13, 2024

Being There

European Union

Saxon State Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor, and Transport Martin Dulig recently said that Germany’s new immigration law would attract skilled Indian immigrants who would help Germany plug its labor shortages. As the Hindu reported, Saxony currently needs four million skilled workers, particularly mechanical engineers...

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Need to Know

February 16, 2024

Seeding Fury

European Union

In Italy, a sign on the front of a tractor flying the Italian tricolor in Turin in early February read, “Agriculture is dying!” as Euractiv wrote. To the north, in Germany, around 30,000 farmers and 5,000 tractors descended on Berlin, protesting the end of fuel...

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The World Briefly

February 08, 2024

Warning: Speed Bumps

European Union

The European Union unveiled a plan this week to slash climate-changing emissions by 90 percent by 2040 and achieve “net zero” carbon neutrality by 2050, despite mounting opposition and protests from farmers and right-leaning parties skeptical of regulations relating to climate change, the Washington Post...

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The World Briefly

December 21, 2023

A Door Half-Closed

European Union

The European Union reached a “historic” migration deal Wednesday that will overhaul the way it handles those seeking to migrate to the bloc, a move that ends years of political deadlock among EU countries while also seeking to curb the rising popularity of far-right parties,...

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The World Briefly

December 12, 2023

A Dash of Fear

European Union

The European Union warned that the war in Gaza has increased the threat of terror attacks over the holiday season, a statement that comes following a recent deadly attack near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the New York Times reported. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson...

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The World Briefly

December 11, 2023

Order, Order

European Union

Lawmakers in the European Union agreed to new rules aimed at regulating artificial intelligence, one of the world’s first comprehensive attempts to control its use amid concerns about the global impact of the rapidly evolving technology, the New York Times reported. The AI Act will set...

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Need to Know

November 15, 2023

Shattering Glass, Splintering Peace

European Union

Eighty-five years ago, the Jewish cemetery in Vienna was one of the main targets of Kristallnacht – a Nazi pogrom against Jewish businesses, homes and synagogues in Germany and Austria. And so it was again, reported CNN. On Nov. 1, an arson attack left parts of the...

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Need to Know

November 08, 2023

Importing a War

European Union

Police in Europe recently arrested alleged terrorists for supposedly planning attacks in connection with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Germany recently, police nabbed folks who had been previously convicted on terror charges, reported the...

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The World Briefly

September 28, 2023

Taking Heat

European Union

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) began a landmark trial Wednesday that will force 33 countries to defend themselves against allegations that they did not take proper action against climate change, Euronews reported. The case centers on a lawsuit filed three years ago by six...

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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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