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☆ Spain slaps $187 million fine on Ryanair, EasyJet and others for 'abusive' cabin luggage fees
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-22 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Spain's Ministry of Consumer Rights on Friday slapped a $179 million euro ($186 million) fine on five low-budget airlines for "abusive practices" including charging additional cabin luggage fees. Spanish low-cost airline Vueling was ordered to pay 39.2 million euros and EasyJet was fined 29 million euros. Scandinavia's second-largest airline Norwegian and Spanish airline Volotea each received penalties in excess of 1 million euros. The five airlines should discontinue their practice of requiring additional payment for cabin luggage and reserving a seat near a dependent traveler, the ministry said. "We completely disagree with the decision of the Spanish Consumer Ministry and find the proposed sanctions outrageous," an EasyJet statement said, stressing it considers its cabin luggage policy to be aligned with all applicable laws.

Persons: Vueling, EasyJet, Javier Gandara, Michael O'Leary Organizations: Ministry of Consumer Rights, Ryanair, Spanish, Spain's Association of Airlines, CNBC, Ministry of Consumer, ALA, Spain's Consumer Affairs Ministry, Governments, Spanish Consumer Ministry, Boeing, International Air Transport Association Locations: Spain, Europe

☆ India's rice export ban could send decade-high prices spiking even further
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

India banned the exports of non-basmati white rice with immediate effect late Thursday, the latest in the government's effort to rein in high food prices. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs said the ban would help ensure "adequate availability" of non-basmati white rice in India, as well as "allay the rise in prices in the domestic market." India is the world's leading rice exporter, accounting for more than 40% of the global rice trade, as well as the second-largest producer after China. Analysts told CNBC this week's ban could send already elevated prices shooting even higher, compounding effects from the country's September ban on shipments of broken rice. Barre said Bangladesh and Nepal would be hardest hit by the ban, as both countries are top export destinations.

Persons: Eve Barre Organizations: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Analysts, CNBC, Coface Locations: India, China, ASEAN, Barre, Bangladesh, Nepal

☆ India joins EU in mandating USB-C charging port on smartphones, as Americans still have to deal with 3 different types of ports and cables
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

India will require mobile devices sold in the country to have the USB-C charging port by March 2025. The government will find two types of charging ports for mobile devices and wearable electronics. It's following the European Union which will require USB-C charging ports by December 28, 2024. But the company confirmed that it will make iPhones with a USB-C port to comply with EU laws. Samsung is next, with 30% of the market share in the same quarter, and Lenovo is third with 9% of the market share.

☆ India's wheat stocks to fall further but sufficient, government says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Wheat stocks in India's government warehouses will fall by about 13% by early next month from current levels but will be sufficient for welfare schemes of the country, the ministry of consumer affairs and food said on Thursday. Wheat stocks in government warehouses for December fell to the lowest in six years, as prices jumped to a record high on rising demand and falling inventories. The statement comes as wheat prices in the country have seen a surge due to a drop in yields. Wheat reserves in state stores fell to 19 million tonnes on Dec. 1 from 37.85 million tonnes a year ago, government data showed. The last time stocks for December were this low was in 2016, when droughts in the previous two years had hit wheat output.

NEW DELHI/BENGALURU, Nov 21 (Reuters) - India launched a crack down on Monday against fake reviews and unverified ratings in a bid to make online interaction and e-commerce more authentic and less misleading for users. Some companies have been criticised by consumers and various industry experts for downplaying negative reviews, or accepting fake ratings, making the vetting process difficult for buyers. The Department of Consumer Affairs set up a committee in June to develop a framework on checking fake and deceptive reviews in e-commerce, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said. Online companies say they have internal checks in place to combat fake reviews, but currently failure to do so is not a compliance breach. If the guidelines become mandatory, companies could face action for unfair trade practice, for suppressing negative reviews or for enabling planting of fake reviews, Taparia said.

☆ India's electronics industry moves towards uniform charging ports for smartphones
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Electronics industry stakeholders in India have agreed to a phased roll-out of USB-C type uniform charging ports for devices including smartphones and laptops, the Indian government said on Wednesday. A different charging port may be adopted for phones lacking the more advanced features of a smartphone, such as being able to use the web to download applications, the ministry said. A group will also be formed to examine the feasibility of a uniform charging port for wearable devices like earphones and smart watches, the government said. The statement did not name any companies that attended the meeting or agreed to the proposal of a phased roll-out. The government would conduct a study to assess the environmental impact of switching to a uniform charging port, it said.

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