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China questions, begins probe of European Union subsidies for dairy industry exports - Voice of America - VOA News
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BRUSSELS (AP) In the wake of the elections for EU Parliament, European Union leaders have agreed on the officials who will be the face of the worlds biggest trading bloc on the global stage in the coming years for issues ranging from anti-trust investigations to foreign policy.
The three nominees will hold key positions at the EUs powerful executive branch the European Commission and the forum where the 27 member countries are represented, the European Council, with the final nominee being the blocs top diplomat.
The Associated Press takes a look at who they are, and what they do.
The 65-year-old German politician has been endorsed for a second term as head of the powerful European Commission. Her bid got a shot in the arm earlier this month as the center-right European Peoples Party (EPP), which includes von der Leyens Christian Democratic Union, remained the largest group at the EU Parliament.
Von der Leyen has been praised for her leading role during the COVID-19 crisis, when the EU bought vaccines collectively for its citizens. But she also found herself at the receiving end of sharp criticism for the opacity of the negotiations with vaccine makers.
Von der Leyen has also embodied the EUs plans to become climate neutral by 2050, but her commitment to the Green Deal policies has been questioned in the buildup to the European elections as the EU seemed cautious not to antagonize farmers who argued that EU environmental and climate laws were driving them toward bankruptcy.
Under the EU treaties, the head of the European Commission sets the EU executive arms policy agenda, represents the commission in European Council meetings, G7 and G20 summits, summits with non-EU countries and major debates in the European Parliament and the Council. The European Commission leads trade negotiations and polices competition.
Von der Leyens second term now needs to be approved by European lawmakers in a vote likely to take place in July. In 2019, von der Leyen won a narrow majority (383 votes in favor, 327 against, 22 abstentions) to become the first woman to head the institution.
The former prime minister of Portugal is replacing Charles Michel. The 62-year-old socialist has been chosen for a 2 1/2 year term, which is renewable once.
The Socialists came in second place in the EU elections and the result has helped his case, although he had been considered for the position for months. Costas choice was controversial because of his governments involvement in a widespread corruption probe that forced him to resign as prime minister in November last year. Costa denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
The European Council brings together the EU member states. Its president is responsible for chairing summits and finding consensus within the European Council.
Known as a crafty political negotiator, Costa will also represent the EU at international summits alongside Von der Leyen. His predecessor, Charles Michel, had a tense relationship with the head of the commission.
The Estonian prime minister is a staunch supporter of Ukraine. With her nomination as the EUs top diplomat, she will be holding the highest EU position ever awarded to an Estonian. She was chosen as a successor for Josep Borrell despite the liberal group she belongs to losing ground in the European elections, slipping down to fourth place behind the far-right ECR.
Like von der Leyen, Kallas must also be confirmed by the EU Parliament.
Kallas, a 47-year-old lawyer, has been one of the most vocal European backers of Ukraine and a fierce critic of Russia within the European Union and NATO. Among other things, she has pressed NATO to provide a more thorough defense plan for the three Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that all border Russia.
Kallas, who has led the small Baltic nation bordering Russia as its first female head of government since January 2021, was at some point interested in becoming the next secretary general of NATO. Its finally the outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte who will hold the position.
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AP writers Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.
BRUSSELS (AP) In the wake of the elections for EU Parliament, European Union leaders have agreed on the officials who will be the face of the worlds biggest trading bloc on the global stage in the coming years for issues ranging from anti-trust investigations to foreign policy.
The three nominees will hold key positions at the EUs powerful executive branch the European Commission and the forum where the 27 member countries are represented, the European Council, with the final nominee being the blocs top diplomat.
The Associated Press takes a look at who they are, and what they do.
The 65-year-old German politician has been endorsed for a second term as head of the powerful European Commission. Her bid got a shot in the arm earlier this month as the center-right European Peoples Party (EPP), which includes von der Leyens Christian Democratic Union, remained the largest group at the EU Parliament.
Von der Leyen has been praised for her leading role during the COVID-19 crisis, when the EU bought vaccines collectively for its citizens. But she also found herself at the receiving end of sharp criticism for the opacity of the negotiations with vaccine makers.
Von der Leyen has also embodied the EUs plans to become climate neutral by 2050, but her commitment to the Green Deal policies has been questioned in the buildup to the European elections as the EU seemed cautious not to antagonize farmers who argued that EU environmental and climate laws were driving them toward bankruptcy.
Under the EU treaties, the head of the European Commission sets the EU executive arms policy agenda, represents the commission in European Council meetings, G7 and G20 summits, summits with non-EU countries and major debates in the European Parliament and the Council. The European Commission leads trade negotiations and polices competition.
Von der Leyens second term now needs to be approved by European lawmakers in a vote likely to take place in July. In 2019, von der Leyen won a narrow majority (383 votes in favor, 327 against, 22 abstentions) to become the first woman to head the institution.
The former prime minister of Portugal is replacing Charles Michel. The 62-year-old socialist has been chosen for a 2 1/2 year term, which is renewable once.
The Socialists came in second place in the EU elections and the result has helped his case, although he had been considered for the position for months. Costas choice was controversial because of his governments involvement in a widespread corruption probe that forced him to resign as prime minister in November last year. Costa denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
The European Council brings together the EU member states. Its president is responsible for chairing summits and finding consensus within the European Council.
Known as a crafty political negotiator, Costa will also represent the EU at international summits alongside Von der Leyen. His predecessor, Charles Michel, had a tense relationship with the head of the commission.
The Estonian prime minister is a staunch supporter of Ukraine. With her nomination as the EUs top diplomat, she will be holding the highest EU position ever awarded to an Estonian. She was chosen as a successor for Josep Borrell despite the liberal group she belongs to losing ground in the European elections, slipping down to fourth place behind the far-right ECR.
Like von der Leyen, Kallas must also be confirmed by the EU Parliament.
Kallas, a 47-year-old lawyer, has been one of the most vocal European backers of Ukraine and a fierce critic of Russia within the European Union and NATO. Among other things, she has pressed NATO to provide a more thorough defense plan for the three Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that all border Russia.
Kallas, who has led the small Baltic nation bordering Russia as its first female head of government since January 2021, was at some point interested in becoming the next secretary general of NATO. Its finally the outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte who will hold the position.
___
AP writers Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.
Apple today said that European customers will not get access to the Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring, and SharePlay Screen Sharing features that are coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac this September due to regulatory issues related to the Digital Markets Act.
In a statement to Financial Times, Apple said that there will be a delay as it works to figure out how to make the new functionality compatible with the European Union's competition rules.
Due to the regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act, we do not believe that we will be able to roll out three of these [new] features -- iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence -- to our EU users this year.
Apple Intelligence includes a wide range of additions that overhaul everything from Siri to apps, while iPhone Mirroring is a feature that allows the iPhone to be controlled on a connected Mac. SharePlay Screen Sharing lets users take control of another person's screen while using the SharePlay feature, with the aim of providing assistance.
Some of the Siri-related Apple Intelligence capabilities will not be launching until 2025, but Genmoji, Image Playground, Writing Tools, and many new in-app capabilities are set to be available starting in September, and these are what iPhone, iPad, and Mac users in the European Union will miss out on. It is not clear how long it will take Apple to expand this features to the EU, nor what changes Apple might have to make to introduce them under the DMA.
Apple's warning comes as the European Commission prepares to make a ruling on whether prior changes to allow for app marketplaces meet the terms of the DMA. Regulators have said that there are "very serious" issues with Apple's implementation, likely related to the Core Technology Fee that Apple is charging.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple today released new firmware update for several products, including the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2, the first-generation AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max, the second and third-generation AirPods, the Beats Fit Pro, and the PowerBeats Pro. The second-generation AirPods Pro models, the PowerBeats Pro, and the Beats Fit Pro now have firmware version 6F8, up from 6F7,...
Apple today released the second betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 to developers, and the software adds support for new features that Apple is working on, plus it tweaks some of the interface changes that have been made in the updates. Apple will refine iOS 18 over the course of the next few months, with multiple changes and refinements expected from now until September. We've highlighted...
Apple is rumored to be planning a revamp of the Apple Watch for the device's tenth anniversary, and 91mobiles claims to have sourced CAD renders of what could be the "Apple Watch X" or Apple Watch Series 10 from industry insiders. The site claims that the renders are of a "larger" model featuring a 2-inch display. The current Apple Watch Series 9 has a 1.7-inch display, while the Apple Watch ...
Apple's upcoming iOS 18 software update is packed with features for supported iPhones, but it also promises to make your AirPods Pro experience better with a handful of sophisticated new capabilities that draw from machine learning improvements and AI enhancements. The following five AirPods Pro features are expected to arrive later this year, when iOS 18 is released to the general public in ...
With the second beta of iOS 18 that came out yesterday, Apple added an RCS toggle, but RCS messaging was not working at that time. RCS support appears to now be rolling out, based on reports from iOS 18 users. Some testers who have iOS 18 installed have confirmed that they are able to send RCS messages to Android users, with RCS features available. Texts that are RCS-based instead of...
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Apple Intelligence Features Not Coming to European Union at Launch Due to DMA - MacRumors
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN, LORNE COOK and ELLA JOYNER
BRUSSELS (AP) European Union leaders were poised to approve Ursula von der Leyen, Antnio Costa and Kaja Kallas as the heads of the 27-nation blocs top institutions for the coming years, tasking them with shaping policy for the worlds biggest trading bloc.
After the three mainstream political groups in the European Parliament reached an agreement earlier this week, the trio were expected to be approved at a two-day summit starting Thursday in Brussels, despite criticism from the far right.
Under the deal reached by negotiators from the conservatives, social democrats and liberals, von der Leyen, a conservative, will be proposed for a second term as European Commission president. Costa, a former Portuguese socialist prime minister, will be nominated to succeed European Council President Charles Michel, while Kallas, the Estonian prime minister known for her tough line on Russia, will be proposed as the blocs top diplomat to replace Josep Borrell.
While Michel's appointment is decided by EU leaders, both von der Leyen and Kallas will also need to be approved by lawmakers.
The European Parliament election held June 6-9 saw the EU's legislature shift to the right and dealt major blows to mainstream governing parties in France and Germany. But the three mainstream groups managed to keep a majority of seats and didn't take into consideration the rise of the far-right group of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose political group in the European Parliament is now the third-largest.
Under the EUs treaties, the leaders choice of candidates should reflect the results of the election, sharing the posts among the winners. At their previous meeting earlier this month, leaders failed to agree on the blocs top jobs.
Meloni criticized the deal on the eve of the summit, saying it didn't take into account the will of EU citizens "who are calling for a more concrete, less ideological Europe.
Under the EUs complicated division of powers, the leaders get to nominate the next president of the European Commission, which is responsible for drawing up EU policy on everything from the climate to the colossal shared budget.
Over the last five years, von der Leyen led a huge drive to secure billions of COVID-19 vaccine doses during the pandemic, set up an economic recovery fund and drummed up support for Ukraine after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, including by backing Kyivs future EU membership.
The European Council presidents job is to broker deals between the EU's member states, while the top diplomat represents the bloc on the world stage.
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European Union leaders set to endorse Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas for the bloc's top jobs | Daily Independent - Daily Independent