BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - The EU on Friday used new regulatory powers to query Meta about ad-free subscriptions to Facebook and Instagram as well as claims some voices are suppressed online in a phenomenon known as "shadow banning". The European Commission made a request for information under the mammoth content moderation law known...

Under the agreement, AI-generated content could be given a watermark or tagged in the metadata at source, although the signatories acknowledged that "all such solutions have limitations". The pledge comes as big tech companies are under considerable pressure over fears that AI-powered applications could be misused in a pivotal election...

Brussels, Belgium - Apple's iMessage and Microsoft's Bing search engine got a reprieve from tougher EU rules curbing how tech titans do business, the European Commission said on Tuesday. From next month, the world's biggest digital firms, identified as "gatekeepers" by the EU, must comply with strict do's and don'ts under...

European Commission, the EU's executive arm, first proposed an AI law in 2021 that would regulate systems based on the level of risk they posed. For example, the greater the risk to citizens' rights or health, the greater the systems' obligations. Negotiations on the final legal text began in June,...

Brussels, Belgium - Tech giants Meta and TikTok are contesting the scope of an EU law that from March will set new rules on competition in the digital marketplace. The European Commission has designated 22 big online companies as "core platform services" to be subject to additional scrutiny and obligations under...

The changes brought a good deal of criticism, journalist Tom Warren of The Verge website posting on X: "It's the latest in a long line of dumb changes on this platform."

Benghazi, Libya - Libya's prosecutor general has ordered the arrest of four more officials, bringing to 12 the number held as part of an inquiry into this month's flood that killed thousands. Flooding caused by hurricane-strength Storm Daniel tore through eastern Libya on September 10, leaving at least 3,893 people dead...

The EU is to start releasing money to Tunisia under a pact aimed at stemming irregular migration from the country, the European Commission said. EU lawmakers, the bloc's ombudsman and migrant assistance charities have questioned whether the deal with Tunisia meets European rights standards. Tunisia is struggling with high debt...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - The European Commission is proposing to renew the use of the controversial and widely used herbicide glyphosate in the EU for 10 years in a text published on Wednesday, after a report saw no reason to block it. The European Union's 27 member states will discuss the proposal...

Meloni, who won the election last year on a vow to stop immigration, said Sunday the defense ministry would also be charged with setting up more repatriation centers "as soon as possible". The government allocated 42.5 million euros ($45.3 million) at the end of 2022 for new repatriation centers, and the...

Brussels, Belgium - The European Commission on Thursday announced an antitrust probe into Microsoft bundling its Teams communication app with its popular Office suite, on concerns it could be cutting out competitors. The investigation, to see whether the US software giant is "abusing and defending its market position" through the practice,...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM- The European Commission approved US chipmaker Broadcom's planned $61 billion takeover of cloud computing firm VMware on Wednesday, conditional on the company fulfilling certain commitments to ease competition concerns. The massive deal had raised concerns about competition, prompting probes by antitrust watchdogs in the European Union and Britain. The...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -  The European Commission boosted its 2023 economic growth outlook for the eurozone on Monday but it also raised the inflation forecast for the single currency area. The EU executive's spring forecast is more optimistic than that issued late last year, despite inflation proving "stickier than expected" in its...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - EU lawmakers this week adopted new laws boosting Europe's climate change fight, but a parallel drive to protect biodiversity in bills to be finalized before the end of next year looks to be on shakier ground. Negotiations between the European Commission, EU member states and the European Parliament...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - Environmental groups lodged a lawsuit against the European Commission on Tuesday to challenge its definition of natural gas as a "green" energy source. In addition, one other non-governmental organization, Greenpeace, sued the EU executive separately for deciding that nuclear energy was worthy of its sustainable investment label. The legal...

ByteDance's success in China's highly competitive internet sector has been largely thanks to its popular short video app Douyin.

Aid groups urged donors to step up their commitments after the UN complained of the poor level of response to a call it made in mid-February for urgent funding. The International Rescue Committee said they should at least ensure that the UN's emergency appeal for $1bn for Turkey and $397m...

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM- The European Commission proposed the Net-Zero Industry Act to scale up manufacturing of clean technologies in the EU and make sure the Union is well-equipped for the clean-energy transition, local media reports said. This initiative was announced by President Ursula von der Leyen as a part of the...

Amazon, and its software, will be forbidden from analyzing non-public third-party seller data, and will treat all sellers equally when deciding which offer to put in the best screen location. Sellers will also be allowed to choose their own delivery firm, rather than being obliged to use the service chosen by...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission agreed on reinforcing a decade-long collaboration to accelerate the achievement of universal health coverage. The letter of intent foresees an additional contribution from the European Union (EU) of US$131 million for the continuation of WHO's assistance to its...

The EU is "ready to discuss" a price cap on gas within the bloc to bring down soaring energy costs, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. Her comment, to the European Parliament, signaled a shift in tone after powerhouse EU country Germany had expressed worries that a...

In the EU's electricity market, the price is based on the last source used to meet demand -- often a gas-fired power plant -- and that is applied to all electricity operators, regardless of whether they use nuclear, hydro-power, solar or other sources.

The decision by the Luxembourg-based General Court could undo or demand modifications to the landmark decision, taken by the European Commission in 2018, which remains the EU's biggest-ever antitrust fine.

Norway, which has replaced Russia as Europe's leading supplier of natural gas, dashed the hopes of EU member states who wanted a cap on gas prices. After his phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said he was "skeptical" about a...

Moscow's invasion has seen the price of natural gas hit record levels, throwing the EU economy into deep uncertainty with all eyes on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will cut off the energy flow entirely. Before the war, 40 percent of the EU's gas imports came from Russia, with most...

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said last week that "an important document on energy security will be signed between the European Union and Azerbaijan".

The European Commission called Friday on the members of the aviation sector to join an alliance to prepare for the advent of carbon-neutral aircraft. It envisages the Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation alliance including representatives of aircraft manufacturers, airlines, airports, energy companies and fuel providers, as well as passenger and...

The meeting covered regional and international developments, especially the Palestinian cause.

The King discussed the latest regional developments and their impact on regional security, especially the Palestinian cause.

European officials were preparing a new package of sanctions Tuesday to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, but some members are jockeying to opt out of an oil embargo. Several EU officials and European diplomats in Brussels told AFP that they expected the European Commission to hand over the...

The White House had earlier said that "federal policies are not limiting the production of oil and gas."

The tech giant is being accused in Europe of stifling competition.

The Parliament has asked member states to ban Russian applications of 'golden passport' as Russian in particular benefit from these systems.

Hours before the window for lodging objections closed, EU environment and energy ministers meeting in France on Friday differed sharply on a European Commission provision that would classify nuclear and natural gas energy as ‘sustainable’. Countries in the European Union had until midnight Friday to suggest modifications.

The fact that the European Commission quietly distributed the text of this proposal to member states late on Friday, in the final hours of 2021 after the much-delayed document had been twice promised earlier in the year, highlighted the rocky road to draft it.

Brussels slapped fines totaling 344 million euros (390 million dollars) Thursday on Barclays, RBS, HSBC and Credit Suisse after finding the banks had engaged in a forex trading cartel. Traders at UBS were also found to have taken part, but the European Commission agreed to reduce the Swiss bank's fine...

Breeder Jassem Buabbas is experimenting with recipes before seeking permission from Kuwaiti authorities Some Gulf states have a tradition of eating dried and baked locusts, which can appear in plague proportions  Kuwaiti businessman Jassem Buabbas has spent years breeding “superworms” for animal feed and now hopes the creatures will find...