Libya deported more than 600 men from Niger last month as North African countries — financed by the European Union to tackle migration — have ramped up expulsions of sub-Saharan Africans.

© Mahmud Turkia/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Angry scenes over speaking time arrangements in the Dáil with rows delaying the expected confirmation of Martin’s role by the president

Tusk, a historian by training, also urged Europe to increase its defence spending:

Some people think it’s extravagant or wrong to warn that we should spend up to 5% of GDP on our security. … But this is a time when Europe cannot afford to save on security.

We spend 5% not on our own security, but also on the security of the whole of Europe. … If Europe is to survive, it needs to be armed.

Do not ask what America can do for Europe and its security; ask what ourselves we can do for our security.

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

💾

© Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Difficult choices between alignment with Europe and the US are coming at the prime minister fast. He risks losing control of the debate

When all eyes at Westminster are fixed on Washington, it is easy to forget how little attention is paid back in return.

Unlike Mexico and Canada, Britain doesn’t have a long border with the US. It doesn’t rival America’s superpower primacy on the planet, unlike China. And it doesn’t export more goods across the Atlantic than it imports – a trait Donald Trump despises about the European Union.

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

💾

© Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

Artisanal shellfish farmers face ruinous losses but money meant to help is going to the powerful fishing industry, say critics

Early on a warm September morning in southern Italy, Giovanni Nicandro sets out from the port of Taranto in his small boat. Summoning his courage, the mussel farmer inspects his year’s work – only to find them all dead, a sight that almost brings him to tears.

“We have many problems,” he says. “The problems start as soon as we open our eyes in the morning.” The loss is total – not only for Nicandro but also for Taranto’s 400 other mussel farmers, after a combination of pollution and rising sea temperatures devastated their harvest.

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Naomi Mihara/Devex

💾

© Photograph: Naomi Mihara/Devex

The European Union is "reassessing" its investigations into big U.S. tech companies like Apple, Meta, and Google, claims Financial Times, though a spokesperson from the European Commission has denied that such a review is taking place.


Tech CEOs like Apple's Tim Cook and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg have been cozying up to president-elect Donald Trump as he prepares to take office, and Financial Times suggests that probes launched under the Digital Markets Act could be scaled back. A senior EU diplomat told the site that "So much is up in the air right now," while other officials said that regulators are holding for "political direction" to make final decisions in cases involving Apple, Google, and Meta.

A spokesperson for the European Commission told Financial Times that there is "no such review taking place," but that the EC has "upcoming meetings to assess the general readiness of an investigation." None of the cases are "ready at a technical level," but the EC remains "fully committed to the effective enforcement of its rules."

The European Commission launched an investigation into Apple's compliance with the Digital Markets Act last year, and determined that it was not in compliance. A November report suggested that the European Commission is gearing up to fine Apple for failing to implement changes allowing developers to steer users to cheaper prices outside of the App Store.

Apple overhauled its ‌App Store‌ rules in Europe in 2024, and made several changes to satisfy regulators. European developers are able to distribute apps outside of the ‌App Store‌, and there are new fee structures and policies in place.

The EU in 2024 fined Apple $2 billion for anticompetitive behavior against third-party music services, and if Apple is fined over DMA non-compliance, the fee could be higher. Under the DMA, the European Union is able to fine Apple up to 10 percent of its global annual sales.

Back in October, Trump claimed that Cook called him to complain about penalties from the European Union. At the time, Trump said that he is "not going to let them take advantage of our companies."

With Margrethe Vestager and Thierry Breton having stepped down from the European Commission, priorities could change. The EC's chief spokesperson said that there could be a "political reality" that "puts pressure on the technical work." The EC "will be looking and assessing on the basis of concrete measures and actions from the new administration."
This article, "EU Not Reassessing Apple and Google Antitrust Investigations, But New Administration Could Shift Priorities" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Border walls and fences around European countries have grown by 75% in just 10 years and EU leaders have increasingly been open to making deals with autocrats, creating a virtual border across the Mediterranean to stop migrants arriving on their shores.

The Guardian's senior global development reporter Mark Townsend looks back at a decade in which Europe has become a fortress, militarising its borders and moving away from the commitment to human rights on which it was founded

Continue reading...

💾

© Photograph: Guardian Design

💾

© Photograph: Guardian Design