«The end of the Transatlantic Alliance»: EU starts issuing disposable «anti-spyware» phones to workers traveling to the US
The European Commission has begun issuing disposable phones and basic laptops to some staff traveling to the United States to avoid espionage, a security measure traditionally applied only to travel to China or to war-torn Ukraine for fear of Russian tracking.
BlackRock launches Bitcoin ETP in Europe
The world’s largest investment company BlackRock has launched its first bitcoin product, the iShares Bitcoin ETP, in Europe. The fund is based in Switzerland and is listed on exchanges in Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. To launch the ETP in Europe, BlackRock partnered with Coinbase as custodian and Bank of New York Mellon as administrator.
Four EU companies are competing to replace Starlink in Ukraine, and one — is the clear leader
The EU governments are negotiating with 4 European satellite companies to provide relevant services to Ukraine instead of Starlink.
Let’s look at DeepSeek: a free ChatGPT analogue, but it answers like a Chinese communist and doesn’t protect data
DeepSeek-R1 is a new generative artificial intelligence model developed by the Chinese startup DeepSeek. It has caused a considerable stir as it is positioned as a competitor to leading models such as OpenAI o1. At the same time, DeepSeek-R1 is open source and more cost-effective than most AI models on the market. Let’s figure out […]
EU to ban resale of PlayStation and Xbox to Russians, — Financial Times
The EU plans to include game consoles in a new package of sanctions, given that Russia’s armed forces can use them to control drones and disassemble them for weapons, reports Financial Times.
Four companies received MiCA license to operate in the EU
The Dutch regulator issued four companies the long-awaited Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) license. This will allow them to operate in all 27 European Union countries.
New rules for cryptocurrencies in the EU: what will change in 2025
Starting December 30th, another component of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation officially kicked into gear, radically changing how cryptocurrencies are regulated across European Union countries. Here’s what’s new:
Apple has stopped selling the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE in Europe — due to the lack of a USB-C port
Starting today, Apple is pulling the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone SE 3 from its online store in most EU countries due to a new law requiring devices to have a USB-C port, reports Macrumors.
MiCA vs. cryptocurrencies: can USDT and other stablecoins survive in the EU?
The European cryptocurrency market is on the verge of significant changes due to the MiCA regulation, which sets strict requirements, including for stablecoins. Popular USDT and DAI risk being permanently removed from European platforms, which is causing concern among users. Will the new rules really protect consumers, or will they be a blow to…
Coinbase to drop Tether USDT and 5 other stablecoins in Europe
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase will remove six stablecoins from platforms in Europe due to the upcoming implementation of stricter regulations under the European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) law.
EU to offer grants of up to €1 billion to Chinese automakers in exchange for «secret technologies»
The EU is preparing new requirements for Chinese automakers to be eligible for local subsidies, including the following: — presence of production facilities in Europe and transfer of intellectual property «».
Polish Trump? Presidential candidate Sławomir Mentzen promises to create a national bitcoin reserve
Polish right-wing politician and presidential candidate Sławomir Mentzen from the far-right party «Confederation» (Konfederacja) has announced his intention to make Poland a world leader in the cryptocurrency sphere.
Google withdraws from political advertising in the EU due to uncertainty over new rules
Google will stop displaying political ads in the European Union. This decision was a response to new rules that will soon come into force in the EU.
«Last warning»: EU accuses Apple of illegal geo-blocking of App Store and Apple TV+
European Commission informed Apple about another potential violation of EU rules — this time in terms of geo-blocking of the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+, etc.
Apple to be fined for «anti-competitive» App Store — up to $38 billion under new EU law
Apple may soon become the first company in history to be fined for violating the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA).
EU finally approves duty on Chinese electric cars — up to 35.7% maximum (7.8% for Tesla)
The EU «has given the green light» to additional tariffs on electric cars imported from China — they come into effect today and will be in force for the next 5 years.
Apple to provide support for third-party watches and headphones for iOS in the next 6 months, — EU order
Over the next 6 months, the European Commission and Apple will analyze what needs to be done to improve the interaction of third-party devices with iOS.
Apple becomes the first company to be accused of violating the EU Digital Markets Act
Apple’s App Store policy violates the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to promote competition, regulators said in a preliminary ruling on Monday. The European Commission has also launched a new investigation into Apple’s support for alternative iOS marketplaces in Europe, including the core technology fees it charges…
Chinese manufacturers propose a 25% duty on European cars with internal combustion engines
Amid escalating trade tensions between China and the European Union, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers have proposed a 25% duty on large European vehicles with internal combustion engines. This proposal is a direct response to the recent the EU’s decision to impose tariffs of up to 38.1% on Chinese-made electric vehiclesThe EU will not…
EU imposes a 38% duty on Chinese electric cars — with special provisions for Tesla
Starting next month, Chinese electric cars imported to the EU will receive an increased tariff of up to 38.1%, in addition to the current 10%.
The EU wants to control Telegram, but the messenger lacks 4 million users for the «gatekeeper» status
The EU is investigating whether Telegram falls under a new strict content law, as it is concerned about the spread of Russian disinformation on the platform.
AltStore PAL — the first legal replacement for the App Store with iPhone apps, is launched in the EU
from Apple — a warning that «updates and purchases in this program will be managed by the» developer. The company says that these steps are reasonable security measures, but critics believe that they will cause doubts among iOS users about going outside the ecosystem, hinting that it is riskier than downloading through the App Store.
Goodbye, App Store. Apple finally allows downloading apps from third-party sites in the EU
Yesterday, Apple issued an order regarding iOS apps — developers who meet the company’s criteria (including the conditions for notarization of apps) will be able to offer their iPhone apps for direct download from websites to EU users.
During the first quarter, Ukrainians bought 75% more cars from China, most of them — Volkswagen ID.4
Chinese-made electric vehicles continue to reshape the landscape of the Ukrainian automotive and electric market — you can see for yourself by looking at the latest statistics of Ukravtoprom regarding the most popular models in the first quarter of 2014.
In Switzerland, women 60+ win climate change lawsuit — government allegedly did «not enough» to prevent warming
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the local Association of Elderly Women, claimed that the Swiss government was not doing enough to combat climate change and that this was increasing the risk of death during heat waves.
Tesla has reported a drop in electric vehicle sales for the first time in history. BYD’s sales fell by almost 1.5 times
And once again, we return to our favorite section Tesla vs BYD electric cars, and discuss the new report on Tesla’s car sales, which in the next round won a confident victory over BYD after the first knockdown in the last quarter of 2023. But there’s a caveat: for the first time in the history of Elon Musk’s company, sales have…
Not just in the EU: Microsoft to separate Teams and Office 365 for customers worldwide
Teams, which was added to Office 365 for free in 2017, later replaced Skype for Business and became popular during the pandemic in part due to video conferencing. However, in 2020, Salesforce, which offers a rival messaging app called Slack, filed an antitrust complaint against Microsoft over the merger.
Last year, the EU hourly wage reached €54 — more than a third of the nominal «minimum wage» in Ukraine
According to Eurostat in 2023, the lowest hourly wage was recorded in Bulgaria at €9.23, while Luxembourg had the highest wage at €53.9 per hour.
Opera records 164% increase in iOS — users (spoiler: DMA helped)
The Digital Marketplace Act (DMA), which came into force on March 7, provides for free choice of a given browser for EU users, among other things.
Apple, Meta and Google — are under investigation by the EU. Tech giants «suspected» of violating the new Digital Markets Act
If the suspicions are confirmed, companies face fines of up to 10% of global annual revenue or up to 20% in case of repeated violations.
Apple lost $113 billion due to «attacks» from EU and US regulators
US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the iPhone manufacturer with allegations of violation of antitrust rules, and the EU is preparing an investigation into non-compliance with the Digital Markets Law.
AI Act — is done. So what will (and what will not) change the first full-fledged Law on Artificial Intelligence in the EU?
Last week, the EU Parliament voted for the approval of the Law on Artificial Intelligence, which was first presented three years ago — in fact, the document has passed the last bureaucratic round and is now approaching official implementation.
EU takes on AliExpress — the site is accused of distributing porn and other illegal content
The European Commission has launched an official investigation into AliExpress, the international e-commerce website run by Chinese tech giant Alibaba.
The EU Parliament has approved the AI Act — «the world’s strictest» law on artificial intelligence regulation. What’s next?
After reaching political consensus in December, EU lawmakers approved by a majority vote (523 — «for») a landmark document that will regulate AI and require transparency from suppliers, reports The Verge.
Tesla vs BYD. Top 10 largest electric car manufacturers in 2023 [world ranking]
At the end of last year, the global electric vehicle market a historic event has taken place: Tesla, which has been confidently holding the lead for years , lost for the first time to the Chinese auto giant BYD. It was this event that Visual Capitalist dedicated a new infographic, so keep in one image […]
Apple to allow distribution of iOS apps in the EU on developer sites
A few days after Apple allowed iOS users in the EU to use third-party app stores, the company announced additional changes related to how developers can distribute their apps. Now, those developers who meet certain criteria will be able to allow users to download apps from their websites.
European Commission «on game» — demands explanations from Apple on blocking Epic Games developer’s account
Apple has to explain to EU regulators how its blocking decision complies with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Following the example of Apple: Google introduces new fees for app developers in the EU
Google has already allowed users to download apps outside the Play Store in accordance with the EU Digital Markets Act, but is now introducing two new commissions for this purpose.
Apple banned Epic Games developer account due to «unreliability» — EGS on iOS is still postponed
The other day, Apple released iOS 17.4 by allowing users to download apps and games from third-party app stores — Epic was also preparing its own alternative, but due to the blocking of the developer’s account, the plans are still on hold.
In two months of 2024, Ukrainians imported more than 8K EV — eight times more than the pre-war level
In the first two months of 2024, Ukrainians imported almost 60 thousand cars (58,593 units) and 14% (8,026 cars) of them — were EVs, which is almost 8 times more than in the same period in 2021 (only 1,040 «electric cars» were imported then), according to a new study OpenDataBot.
Apple releases iOS 17.4 — with permission for alternative marketplaces and third-party NFC payments in the EU
Transcriptions for podcasts and new emojis — among other updates.
EU fines Apple $2 billion for «blocking» alternative music apps
This is the third-largest fine from the EU and the first one aimed at Apple.
‘It’s gotten worse’: review site Yelp evaluated changes Google has made to comply with EU law
Google is currently testing a new search result design for flights, trains, hotels, restaurants, and groceries in the EU, which was supposed to give smaller businesses more traffic. Instead, the review site Yelp claims that the changes have had the opposite effect.
EU should modernize submarine internet cable infrastructure to meet highest security standards – European Commission
According to the European Commission’s proposal, Europe should take steps to build or modernize its submarine cable infrastructure. If necessary, state aid should be involved in this project.
EU may fine Apple $539 million after antitrust investigation into Spotify complaint
Apple may face a fine of about USD 539 million from the EU and a ban on anti-competitive practices in the App Store for music streaming services.
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