EU executive body that orders Meta to restore AI access to WhatsApp, considers expanding carbon emissions trading, and negotiates tariffs with the Trump administration.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Business & Financial Times
… The European Commission uncovered bid rigging involving companies such as Siemens and Alstom in the infrastructure sectors. …
The Inconvenient Truth with Ing. Prof. Douglas Boateng: Africa will not escape the IMF through austerity alone, but through value for money disciplineJoy Online
… European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this week that the EU executive was targeting addictive and harmful design practices by social media firms in its upcoming Digital Fairness Act. …
Italy parents’ group faces Meta, TikTok in Milan court over minors’ social media useThe Chronicle
… European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen promised after meeting interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus in January that Europe would “do everything it can” to support Syria’s recovery. …
EU agrees to restore full trade ties with SyriaJoy Online
… But, I’m told, the European Commission may look at inserting more clauses into agreed deals, whereby the UK would have to pay a penalty if it turned its back on those agreements in the future.
‘Britain at the heart of Europe’: How Starmer’s plans are going down in the EUJoy Online
… After a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump said he agreed to give her until “our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels”. …
Trump gives EU ultimatum deadline to approve trade deal with USJoy Online
… The European Commission responded: “We will keep our options open to protect EU interests”. …
Trump says he will hike tariffs on EU cars to 25%Swiss voters rejected a proposal by the right-wing Swiss People's Party to limit the country's population to 10 million, with nearly 55% voting against the measure. The government, Swiss businesses, and all major parties opposed the initiative, which risked jeopardizing Switzerland's free movement agreement with the European Union.
16 hours ago · Joy Online →
Swiss voters rejected a proposal by the right-wing Swiss People's Party to limit the country's population to 10 million, with nearly 55% voting against the measure. The government, Swiss businesses, and all major parties opposed the initiative, which risked jeopardizing Switzerland's free movement agreement with the European Union.
16 hours ago · Joy Online →
The European Commission has ordered Meta to allow AI chatbots from rival firms to use WhatsApp for free while it investigates whether Meta's ban on third-party AI assistants from the WhatsApp for Business API breaches EU competition rules. Meta has reacted angrily and says it will appeal.
10 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Italy's competition authority (AGCM) has dropped its investigation into Meta over allegations of abusing its dominant position by installing an AI tool on WhatsApp, citing the European Commission's extension of its own probe to cover Italian territory.
9 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Europe's largest airlines have warned the European Commission against extending its Emissions Trading System to cover international flights, saying the expansion would raise ticket prices. The system currently covers only flights within Europe, and the Commission is considering including emissions from flights departing the EU as part of a review due next month.
9 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The US announced new tariffs of 10-12.5% on dozens of countries, accounting for almost all its imports, over concerns they are not doing enough to tackle forced labour. The 60 trading partners listed—including the UK, the EU, Canada, India and Japan—face the duties because of their failure to address the importation of goods made with forced labour.
3 June 2026 · Joy Online →
The US has announced new tariffs of 10–12.5% on 60 trading partners, including the UK, EU, China, Canada, India, and Japan, over concerns they are not doing enough to tackle forced labour. The targeted countries account for almost all US imports, and the tariffs have not yet been enforced.
3 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Scientists at KNUST's TCC-CIMET research centre are deploying quantum computing methods to validate Ghana's laterite-clay and agricultural fibre composites for certified construction, potentially opening the country's building code to locally sourced, low-carbon materials for the first time. Ghana generates an estimated 500,000 tonnes of palm-nutshell and coconut husk waste annually, with laterite deposits abundant across the country, but these materials remain absent from approved load-bearing construction specifications due to lack of reliable performance data.
1 June 2026 · Joy Online →
Wizz Air's UK managing director has advised British holidaymakers to arrive three hours before European flights home due to long queues at passport control caused by new Entry Exit System border checks. The EES requires travellers to register biometric information, and some passengers have missed return or connecting flights, though a European Commission spokesperson said the system is working well at almost all border crossings.
30 May 2026 · Joy Online →
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told Hungary's new Prime Minister Péter Magyar that the EU will unlock €16.4 billion in funding subject to his government pushing through democratic and anti-corruption reforms. The funding had been frozen under former PM Viktor Orbán's administration, and Magyar campaigned on unlocking it as a key platform for his Tisza party in last month's elections.
30 May 2026 · Joy Online →
A Russian drone struck a residential building in Galați, Romania on Friday, causing a fire and injuring two people — the first time Romanian citizens have been hurt in such an incident. Nato and EU allies condemned the attack; Romania scrambled fighter jets but had only four minutes from detection to impact.
29 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Prof. Douglas Boateng argues that Africa's repeated cycles of IMF intervention stem from poor spending discipline and procurement practices focused on lowest price rather than long-term value creation, not merely from debt or lack of resources.
20 May 2026 · Business & Financial Times →
An Italian parents' movement and families sued Meta and TikTok in Milan's business court, seeking to require stronger age-verification systems for users under 14, remove manipulative algorithms, and provide transparent information on harms of overuse. MOIGE says about 3.5 million Italian children aged 7 to 14 are illegally active on these platforms.
15 May 2026 · Joy Online →
The European Council has terminated the partial suspension of a cooperation agreement with Syria, restoring fuller trade ties after nearly 14 years of war. The move follows al-Assad's removal in December 2024 and signals the EU's commitment to re-engage with Syria and support its economic recovery.
12 May 2026 · The Chronicle →
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to rebuild Britain's relationship with Europe following poor local election results, proposing to put Britain "at the heart of Europe" through tighter links with the EU, though analysts called the speech lacking in concrete proposals.
11 May 2026 · Joy Online →
President Trump threatened "much higher" tariffs on the European Union by July 4 if the bloc does not reduce its levies on the US to zero, following a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen said the EU was making "good progress towards tariff reduction," and a previously struck trade deal faces implementation hurdles after Wednesday talks between EU lawmakers and governments ended without agreement.
8 May 2026 · Joy Online →
US President Donald Trump announced Friday he will increase tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union to 25%, citing alleged non-compliance with a trade deal, while the European Commission said it was adhering to its commitments and would consider its options to protect EU interests.
1 May 2026 · Joy Online →