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☆ Antarctica heat wave sends temperatures 50 degrees above normal
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This is the second significant heat wave Antarctica has endured in the last two years. That unprecedented heat wave was made worse by climate change, according to a 2023 study published in Geophysical Research Letters. Climate change contributed 3.6 degrees of warming to the heat wave and could worsen similar heat waves by 9 to 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, the study found. Climate Change Institute, University of Maine Climate Change Institute, University of Maine Slide left to see temperatures observed during this heat wave and right to see what normal temperatures should be. But other research in the last few years has demonstrated that melting in East Antarctica, where this heat wave is happening, is becoming equally troubling.

Persons: David Mikolajczyk, Mikolajczyk, ” Thomas Bracegirdle, University of Maine Bracegirdle, ” Bracegirdle, it’s, Ted Scambos, Bracegirdle, Amy Butler, Butler, ” Organizations: CNN, East Antarctica –, Antarctic Meteorological Research, Data Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Antarctic, Reds, Institute, University of Maine, Research, University of Colorado, Northern Hemisphere, Southern, NOAA’s Chemical Sciences, Change Institute, East Antarctica, National Academy of Sciences, “ Locations: Antarctica, East Antarctica, Bismarck, North Dakota, University of Colorado Boulder, Northern, East, Scambos, West Antarctica

☆ The planet saw its hottest day on record
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Angela Fritz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Sunday was the hottest day in recorded history, according to preliminary data from a climate tracking agency monitoring temperatures since the mid-1900s. It’s the second consecutive year average global temperatures have crashed through shocking climate records and will not be the last, as planet-warming fossil fuel pollution drives temperatures to shocking new highs. July 21 clocked in at 17.09 degrees Celsius, or 62.76 Fahrenheit, and was the hottest day on Earth since at least 1940, according to the preliminary data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Around a hundred cities across the US are experiencing their hottest start to summer on record, and swaths of southern Europe have been grappling with triple-digit temperatures. Global climate records are typically broken by tiny fractions of a degree, as was the case with this one: Sunday’s temperature was just 0.01 degrees Celsius above 2023’s record.

Persons: Sunday’s, ”, Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus, ” Buontempo, El Organizations: CNN Locations: Europe, Antarctica

☆ EU moves high-level meetings out of Budapest to protest Orbán’s Ukraine war stance
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Caitlin Danaher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I can say that all member states, with one single exception, were very much critical about this behavior,” he added. “European Union policy is not a pro-war policy. Borrell’s decision comes after European Council President Charles Michel firmly hit back at Orbán’s claim that the EU has led a “pro-war policy” in a letter published last week. “Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim exercising its legitimate right to self-defense. Russia is leading a war of aggression in blatant violation of international law, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with the UN Charter,” Michel wrote.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, ” Borrell, “, ’, ” Borrel, Putin, Borrell’s, Charles Michel, ” Michel, Orbán, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Orban, Ursula von der Leyen, ” Orban, Niamh Kennedy, James Frater, Amy Cassidy, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Union, European, EU, UN, Ukraine “, CNN Locations: Budapest, Brussels, Hungary, Ukraine, Hungary’s, Hungarian, Russia, Moscow, Beijing, Florida

☆ Von der Leyen Secures Second E.U. Term, but It’s a New World Out There
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Matina Stevis-Gridneff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis and a major war in Europe, not many feel nostalgia for the past five years. Ursula von der Leyen soon might. On Thursday, Ms. von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, secured European Parliament approval to lead the European Union’s executive branch for a second five-year term. With the war in Ukraine in its third year and the prospect of a second Trump administration looming, the world is becoming a very different place from the one Ms. von der Leyen has helped the European Union navigate since 2019. A German conservative politician, Ms. von der Leyen was confirmed after a decisive approval vote at the Parliament on Thursday.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, messier, Trump Organizations: European Commission, European Union Locations: Europe, European, Ukraine, E.U

☆ E.U. Court Rebukes Bloc’s Executive Arm Over Covid Vaccine Contract Secrecy
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Jenny Gross | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The decision by the General Court in Luxembourg gives new momentum to critics of Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, who led the bloc’s response to the pandemic. It came just ahead of what is expected to be a tight vote on Thursday that will determine if she will serve another term as the European Union’s top official. The European Union has refused to disclose the terms of the contracts it secured for Covid-19 vaccines, publishing redacted purchasing agreements. Green members of the European Parliament and private individuals had sued the commission, the bloc’s executive arm, seeking to gain access to the contracts and terms it negotiated with vaccine manufacturers. The court also said that the commission should have disclosed conflicts of interests by members of the team who negotiated the purchase of the vaccines.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, “ Organizations: European Commission, European Union, Covid, Green Locations: Luxembourg

☆ Pushing Quick End to Ukraine War, Orban Plays Trump’s Messenger to E.U.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Matina Stevis-Gridneff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After meeting with Donald J. Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home on Thursday, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary wrote to a top E.U. official to say that Mr. Trump had told him he was planning a swift push for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Mr. Trump’s view, the letter explained, was that the war had to end, and that he had specific plans to broker this outcome quickly, even before being inaugurated, if he were elected. It did not offer details about how Mr. Trump would end the intractable war, now in its third year, other than to indicate that he would reduce American financial support for Ukraine. Mr. Orban is closely aligned with Mr. Trump and is the fiercest critic-from-within of the European Union’s staunch backing of Ukraine.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Viktor Orban, Hungary, Trump’s, Orban Organizations: The New York Times, Mr Locations: Russia, Ukraine

Mr. Trump has been a vocal supporter of Mr. Orban’s, and the meeting comes after a series of others by the Hungarian leader this month, including one with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, that caught many by surprise. Hungary took over the European Union’s rotating presidency at the start of July with the promise to “make Europe great again” — echoing the “Make America Great Again” slogan of Mr. Trump, whom Mr. Orban has endorsed for the U.S. presidency. Mr. Trump, who has a history of praising authoritarian leaders, often cites Mr. Orban’s support on the campaign trail. The two men met in March at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida, where Mr. Trump lauded Mr. Orban as a “boss” because he did not brook political dissent. presidency is largely a clerical position, Mr. Orban has engaged in a flurry of meetings with world leaders since taking over the position.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Donald J, Trump, Orban’s, Vladimir V, Putin, ”, Mr, Orban Organizations: Trump, NATO, U.S, Mr Locations: Hungary, Florida, Washington, Hungarian, Russia, Europe, Mar

☆ China examining if EU is putting up ‘trade barriers’ as tensions intensify
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Earlier this year, the EU launched investigations into China’s state support for its wind turbine and solar panel suppliers. Now, China will investigate if the bloc’s probes violate the two sides’ economic treaty and if they have hurt the country’s trade with the 27 EU member states. The announcement comes just days after the provisional additional duties on imports of Chinese-made EVs into the EU came into effect. Beijing has spoken out strongly against the EU tariffs, saying it will make “all necessary moves” to safeguard China’s interests. According to Wednesday’s announcement, MOFCOM is launching its latest investigation in response to a June request by an industry group in China.

Persons: MOFCOM Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China’s Ministry of Commerce, EU Locations: Hong Kong, EU, China, Beijing

☆ Israeli Airstrike Near a Gaza School Building Kills at Least 25: Latest News
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Liam Stack | Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Top NewsAn Israeli airstrike near a school building being used as a shelter by displaced Palestinians killed at least 25 people and injured more than 50 on Tuesday outside of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, the Gaza Ministry of Health said. The strike hit the entrance of Al Awda School in the town of Abassan, on the eastern outskirts of Khan Younis, according to the health ministry. Credit... Haitham Imad/EPA, via Shutterstock Image A Palestinian man carrying an injured child to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis on Tuesday. Last month, an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza killed dozens of people at a U.N. school complex that thousands of displaced Palestinians were using as a shelter. Palestinian officials said the strike killed civilians, including many women and children.

Persons: Khan Younis, Josep Borrell Fontelles, ”, Haitham Imad, Nasser, Bashar Taleb, Israel, ” Ephrat Livni Organizations: Gaza Ministry, Health, Al Awda School, UNRWA, United Nations, Jerusalem, Nasser Hospital, ., Agence France, Palestine TV, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Presse, Reuters, New York Times Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Abassan, Khan, Israel, Nuseirat, Gaza City, Palestine

☆ French election: What happened and what comes next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

While a surge in support for the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition foiled Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, French politics is now more disordered than it was before the vote. The NFP won 182 seats in the National Assembly, making it the largest group in the 577-seat parliament. And the RN and its allies, despite leading the first round, won 143 seats. Does that mean the NFP “won” the election? Now, it is the largest bloc in the French parliament and could provide France with its next prime minister.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Le, “, NFP “, Jordan Bardella, Le Pen, ”, ” Bardella, Kevin Coombs, Macron, Publique, – Jean, Luc Mélenchon, Raphael Glucksmann, Emmanuel Dunand, Éduoard Philippe, France’s, Brigitte Macron, Mohammed Badra, Gabriel Attal’s, France Unbowed, Mario Draghi, Benito Mussolini Organizations: CNN, Front, NFP, National Assembly, Ensemble, “, Reuters, Socialists, Getty Locations: Vichy, France, Paris, AFP, Le Touquet, –, Italy

☆ Persistent heat wave in the US shatters new records, causes deaths in the West and grips the East
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Many areas in Northern California surpassed 110 degrees, with the city of Redding topping out at a record 119 degrees. Due to the high temperatures, emergency medical helicopters were unable to respond, as the aircraft cannot generally fly safely over 120 degrees, officials said. Death Valley has reached or exceeded 125 degrees every day since July 4. “Death Valley during the summer has always been a bucket list thing for me. Well, high temperatures across (western Nevada and northeastern California) won’t get below 100 degrees until next weekend,” the service posted online.

Persons: —, Bryan Jackson, ”, Mike Reynolds, Chris Kinsel, Kinsel, it’s, I’ve, Natasha Ivory, “, ” Ivory, Fox5 Vegas, “ I’m, ” Jill Workman Anderson, “ Young, won’t, Tracy Housley, let’s, ” Housley, “ Let’s, Copernicus, Carlo Buontempo, Robert Shackelford, Rachel Ramirez, Angela Dewan Organizations: Los Angeles, Weather, West and, West and Pacific Northwest, Death, National Weather Service, Vegas, Atlantic Locations: Los, U.S, Death, West, West and Pacific, Northern California, Redding, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Mount Charleston, Vegas, Oregon, Salem, East Coast, Baltimore, Lake Tahoe, Reno , Nevada, , California, Death Valley, Manchester, England, Maricopa County, Phoenix, Paris

☆ Viktor Orban Meets Vladimir Putin, Dismaying E.U.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Anton Troianovski | Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary met with President Vladimir V. Putin at the Kremlin on Friday, a rare trip to Russia by a Western leader and one that quickly stirred consternation in the European Union. Mr. Orban made the trip three days after visiting President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. And it was the same week that Hungary took over the European Union’s rotating presidency, prompting other European leaders to quickly declare that Mr. Orban was not representing them in Moscow. Mr. Putin and Mr. Orban met for more than two hours, but there were no signs that the talks had done anything to influence Mr. Putin. The Hungarian leader appeared to acknowledge as much, telling reporters afterward that the positions of Kyiv and Moscow “are very far apart.”

Persons: Viktor Orban, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Orban, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zoltan Kovacs, ” Organizations: European Union Locations: Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Moscow, Hungarian, Moscow “

☆ US employers want more part-time workers. Here’s what that means
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“So far, the labor market has adjusted slowly, and the unemployment rate has only edged up. The industries that were most likely to advertise part-time work as of May were beauty and wellness; personal care and home health; retail; food preparation and service; and sports, Indeed said. During the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009, part-time work rose sharply, according to research from the San Francisco Fed. “There was this rise in part-time work when the economy and the labor market were doing well coming out of the pandemic,” Culbertson told CNN. The US Labor Department releases June figures gauging the state of the labor market, including monthly job growth, wage gains and the unemployment rate.

Persons: Mary Daly, ” Daly, Daniel Culbertson, ” Culbertson, Alicia Wallace, Friday’s, Jerome Powell, John Williams Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, Washington CNN — Companies, Labor Department, Federal Reserve, San Francisco Fed, Commonwealth Club World Affairs of, CNN, Commerce Department, Commerce, P Global, Institute for Supply Management, European Central Bank, US Labor Department, Constellation Brands, Constellation Brands . New York Fed, US Commerce Department, New York Fed Locations: Washington, Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, Constellation Brands .

☆ Fact checking the CNN presidential debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +69 min

CNN —President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off during CNN’s presidential debate in Atlanta Thursday night. From CNN’s Daniel DaleFormer President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden debate at CNN's Atlanta studios on June 27, 2024. From CNN’s Daniel Dale and Ella NilsenFormer President Donald Trump, left, and President Joe Biden take part in the CNN presidential debate on Thursday, June 27. From CNN’s Alicia WallaceFormer President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden debate at CNN's Atlanta studios on June 27, 2024. Kpler found that China imported about 511,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude in December 2020, Trump’s last full month in office.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump “, “, ” Trump, ”, Trump, ” John Kelly, servicemembers, Kelly, Jim Sciutto, Daniel Dale, Kaanita Iyer, Roe, Wade, That’s, Wade ”, Kimberly Mutcherson, “ Donald Trump’s, Maya Manian, Trump’s, Mary Ziegler, Davis, Ziegler, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Roe should’ve, ’, Will Lanzoni, ” Biden, corpsman —, Hamid Karzai, CNN’s Haley Britzky, didn’t, Priscilla Alvarez, George Floyd, Tim Walz, Walz, Paul –, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand, Daniel Dale FACT, European Union won’t, Ella Nilsen, Jill Biden, Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, Adam Rose, CNN US Sen, Marco Rubio, CNN Trump, Austin Steele, CNN Biden, Tristen Rouse, CNN Tapper, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, CNN MJ Lee, Mandel Ngan, Megan Varner, Reuters Kennedy, Burk Stringfellow, Iran “, Mike Pompeo, ” Pompeo, Tami Luhby Trump, CNN’s KFILE, weren’t, Hillary Clinton, affirmatively, it’s, what’s, –, Alicia Wallace, Obama, CNN’s Ella Nilsen, you’re, Biden’s, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s, Viktor Shokin, Shokin, CNN’s Marshall Cohen, “ It’s, Rick Muskat, CNN.So, Morgan, Katie Lobosco, Alvin Bragg’s, Bragg, Jack Smith, Smith, General Merrick Garland, Garland, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, I’ve, there’s, Iran haven’t, ” Matt Smith, Ali Vaez, Kpler, Gary Engelhardt, Jason Richwine, ” Richwine, Tami Luhby, Confederate, Robert E, Lee, marchthat, “ I’m, Elle Reeve, Ralph Northam, Jen Christensen, ” Trump’s, Ronald Reagan’s, Barack Obama, George W, ‘, ’ ” Trump, CNN’s Jen Christensen, Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi, “ Nancy Pelosi, …, Alexandra Pelosi, Aaron Bennett, Cherry, Christopher Miller, Miller, Charis Kubrin, CNN’s Catherine Shoichet, ” Kubrin’s, Graham Ousey, College of William & Mary, Erwan, George Washington, Marshall Cohen, ” Howard Gleckman, Gleckman, Emmanuel Saez, Gabriel Zucman “, Howard Gleckman, ” Gleckman Organizations: CNN, Trump, Homeland Security, SSRS, Marquette Law School, NBC, Gallup, ” Rutgers Law, American University, university’s Health, University of California, Atlanta, US Navy, Border Patrol, Border Patrol Council, National Guard, Minneapolis Former, Minnesota Democratic Gov, Minnesota National Guard, Guard, EU, European Union, US, European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association, CNN US, Biden, House, CNN Biden's, CNN Biden, White House, Getty, Reuters, State, Medicare, Black, of Labor Statistics, Republican, Burisma Holdings, International Monetary Fund, Republicans, House Republicans, US International Trade Commission, US Customs, Deer Stags, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Justice Department, DOJ, DC, federal, Department, Democrat, Americas, Crisis, Social Security, Social, General Internal Medicine, “, Syracuse University, Center for Immigration Studies, Electoral, White, Nazi, US Centers for Disease Control, Former Virginia Gov, United, China Former, China, Hamas, ISIS, Trump’s, Democratic, Congressional, Capitol, Colorado Supreme Court, US Food, Guttmacher Institute, California Democrat, Capitol Police Board, Senate, District of Columbia National Guard, College of William &, NATO, Atlantic Treaty Organization, George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Transatlantic, Urban, Brookings Tax, Urban Institute, ”, Tax, Center Locations: Atlanta, France, Afghanistan, Kabul, Jordan, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Yakushima Island, Japan, Minneapolis, Portland, Minnesota , Minneapolis, St, EU, Georgia, CNN's, Washington ,, AFP, Lebanon, Israel, what’s, Paris, China, India, Russia, United States, Ukrainian, Ukraine, lockstep, American, Manhattan, New York , Georgia, Florida, Washington, New York, York’s, Mexico, Kpler, Malaysia, Charlottesville, Charlottesville , Virginia, White, Virginia, Northam, East, “, New York City, Saudi, al Qaeda, Texas, Colorado, California, Trump, Irvine, Germany, Berkeley

☆ Opinion | The E.U. Is Revealing Its True Identity. Europeans Don’t Like It.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Christopher Caldwell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In European Parliament elections this month, voters in most of the European Union’s 27 countries rallied to parties that hold the union in contempt. Analysts have leaped to the conclusion that the European Union must have done something wrong. In Germany, where a hard-right party anchored in the formerly Communist East got more votes than any of the three governing parties, voters cited highhanded energy policies. But the European Union’s governing machinery in Brussels is never where voters’ hearts and hopes are. The union is looking more and more like one of those 19th- and 20th-century projects to universalize the un-universalizable, like Esperanto.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron Organizations: European Union, Communist Locations: France, Germany, Communist East, Brussels, Esperanto

☆ Facing E.V. Tariffs, China Threatens Pork Imports From Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China on Monday threatened to impose tariffs on pork imports from Europe, in what appeared to be retaliation for the European Union’s decision last week to impose preliminary tariffs on electric cars imported from China. China’s Ministry of Commerce announced that it had opened an investigation into whether pork from the European Union was being dumped in China at unfairly low prices. The case could result in tariffs on dozens of products, from pork chops to pickled pig intestines. The European Union had no immediate comment on the Chinese action. By choosing pork imports as the apparent payback for the electric vehicle tariffs, China is turning to a playbook it followed during its last major trade fight with the European Union over a decade ago.

Organizations: China’s Ministry of Commerce, European, China Animal Agriculture Association, European Union Locations: China, Europe, European Union

☆ America’s top central banker says the job market is back to normal. Is that true?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —America’s top central banker recently said the job market now looks the way it did before the Covid-19 pandemic drastically upended society. Before the Bell spoke with Julia Pollak, chief economist at jobs site ZipRecruiter, about her views of the job market. Before the Bell: Do you agree with Chair Powell’s view that today’s job market is back to a pre-pandemic normal? Why is the job market slower now? The number of job openings is higher than it was by around 15% or so, but online job postings are actually lower by ZipRecruiter’s count.

Persons: Washington CNN —, “, Jerome Powell, Powell, it’s, Bell, Julia Pollak, they’re, They’re, Olesya Dmitracova, Emmanuel Macron, Read, Patrick Harker, Lisa Cook, Tom Barkin, Susan Collins, Adriana Kugler, Lorie Logan, Alberto Musalem, Goolsbee Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, Washington CNN, Fed, Labor, EU, National, New York Fed, Manufacturing Index, Reserve Bank of Australia, US Commerce Department, Federal Reserve, National Association of Home Builders, Accenture, Kroger, Darden, Bank of England, US Labor Department, Philadelphia Fed, Richmond Fed, Global, National Association of Realtors Locations: Washington, France, Wells Fargo

☆ Markets fear the French far right could trigger a financial crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

President Emmanuel Macron called the snap elections Sunday after his party lost to the far right in a vote for EU lawmakers, a shock move that rattled markets for French stocks and government bonds. There has been widespread speculation since then that the National Rally, the party of far-right doyenne Marine Le Pen, is poised to become the most powerful force in parliament, unseating Macron’s centrist bloc. The risk of something similar happening in France is real, according to the country’s finance minister, Bruno Le Maire. “This comes down to the (parties’) plans that are on the table, whether we can, yes or no, finance this debt,” Le Maire said. The National Rally has promised to raise public spending and slash VAT on electricity and fuel.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Pen, ”, Truss, Bruno Le Maire, Le Maire, “, ” Le Maire, ’ jitters, Ludovic Marin, La Tribune Dimanche, Frank Gill, Moody’s, ” Joseph Ataman, Mark Thompson Organizations: London CNN —, EU, National, ‘, AAA, Getty Images Stock, haven’t, CNN, BFMTV, La Tribune, National Rally, European Central Bank, ECB Locations: France, ‘ France, French, Portugal, Europe, Italy, AFP, Paris, London

☆ European Union Hits E.V.s From China With Extra Tariffs Up to 38%
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The European Union said on Wednesday that it would impose additional tariffs of up to 38 percent on electric vehicles imported from China into the bloc, in what E.U. The move, a month after President Biden quadrupled U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to 100 percent, opens another front in escalating trade tensions with China amid growing fears about a glut of Chinese green tech goods flooding global markets. The actions by the European Union and the United States also reflect the challenges that traditional automakers in Europe and the United States face from up-and-coming Chinese companies founded with a focus on electric vehicles and much lower cost bases than their rivals in the West. But unlike U.S. carmakers, several of their European counterparts are deeply entwined in the Chinese market, and their cars produced there will also be subject to the higher tariffs. They have criticized the European Union’s move to increase duties from 10 percent, fearing retaliation from China, as well as an increase in prices across the market and a drop in demand for battery-powered cars.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Union, European Union Locations: China, United States, Europe

☆ Far right surges in European Parliament elections but center still holds
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Far-right parties are predicted to win a record number of seats in the European Parliament, a result that, if confirmed, would deliver a stinging rebuke to Brussels’ political mainstream and add uncertainty to Europe’s future direction. Most of the far-right gains were concentrated in countries that elect large numbers of seats: France, Italy and Germany. Alternative for Germany (AfD) party co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla cheer the exit poll in Berlin, Germany, June 9, 2024. Annegret Hilse/ReutersWhile the far-right surge may further complicate Brussels’ bid for unity, the far-right parties themselves remain relatively divided. Several other far-right parties are among the non-aligned (NI) group, predicted to secure 45 seats.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, –, ”, Europe’s centrists, Le, Emmanuel Macron, Jordan Bardella, ” Macron, Brigitte Macron, Stephane Lemouton, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, shored, ” von der Leyen, Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla, Annegret Hilse, Maximilian Krah, Roberta Metsola Organizations: CNN, European People’s Party, EPP, Macron’s Renaissance Party, Socialists, Social Democrats, Christian Democrats Party, CDU, EU, Forces, Reuters, Nazi, SS, Brussels Locations: Brussels, France, Italy, Germany, France’s, Europe, Britain, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Berlin

☆ Climate change: Planet endures 12 straight months of unprecedented heat
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The planet just marked a “shocking” new milestone, enduring 12 consecutive months of unprecedented heat, according to new data from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate monitoring service. Unless planet-warming fossil fuel pollution is slashed, “this string of hottest months will be remembered as comparatively cold,” he said. “We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell.”As temperatures surge, global climate commitments are “hanging by a thread,” he warned. The average global temperature over the past 12 months was 1.63 degrees above these pre-industrial levels. But unprecedented heat has already left a trail of death and destruction across the planet this spring.

Persons: Copernicus, Carlo Buontempo, General António Guterres, Guterres, ”, Richard Allan, Ben Clarke, Raj K Raj, Diego Vara, ” Gutteres, ” Guterres, El Niño, Buontempo Organizations: CNN, United Nations, University of Reading, United Arab, Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, Hindustan Times, Reuters, El, World Meteorological Organization, WMO Locations: New York, Russian, Paris, India, Asia, Mexico, United States, Brazil, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, New Delhi, Cavalhada, Porto Alegre

☆ Uptick in European inflation clouds outlook for interest rate cuts
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Inflation in Europe has ticked up for the first time in five months, casting doubt on the possibility of a steady stream of interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank over the next few months. The European Central Bank began hiking rates in July 2022 to curb runaway inflation sparked by the reopening of the world’s economies following the pandemic as well as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “May’s increases (in inflation) won’t stop the ECB from cutting interest rates next week. All 82 economists polled by Reuters ahead of Friday’s inflation data expected the ECB to cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point next week. Over two-thirds, 55 of 82, expected two more cuts this year, in September and December.

Persons: “, Jack Allen, Reynolds, Claus Vistesen, ” Organizations: London CNN, European Central Bank, Reuters, ECB, Capital Economics, Pantheon Locations: Europe, Ukraine

☆ Americans are expected to splurge on travel this summer — again
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Analysts are expecting the Memorial Day weekend to usher in yet another summer of strong consumer spending on travel and other leisure activities. “We haven’t seen Memorial Day weekend travel numbers like these in almost 20 years,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president at AAA Travel, said in a release. Spending this summer will likely be a little softer than last year’s, they said, but still strong. The bank’s consumer travel survey showed that 72% of people said they’re planning to travel, with 36% saying they’ve already planned their trip. Even among respondents making less than $75,000 a year, more than 60% said they’re planning to travel this summer.

Persons: ” Paula Twidale, Royal Caribbean’s, ” David Tinsley, they’ve, Joelle, aren’t, Dogecoin, Shiba Inu “, Atsuko Sato, ”, Sato, ” Kabosu, Kabosu, Shiba, Loretta Mester, Neel Kashkari, Lisa Cook, Robin, John Williams, Raphael Bostic, Lorie Logan Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, Washington CNN —, Transportation Security Administration, AAA, AAA Travel, Bank of America Institute, Bank of America, Japan, Europe, New York Fed, Public Policy Research, Mizuho Financial, Federal, Global, Index, Board, HP, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Abercrombie, Fitch, Eagle Outfitters, Costco, Dell, Dollar, Hormel, US Commerce Department, US Labor Department, National Association of Realtors, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Atlanta Fed Locations: Washington, Caribbean, South Korea, Switzerland, Colombia, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, Domestically , California, Florida, California, “, Sakura, CAVA, Chewy, Burlington, Birkenstock, Nordstrom, Kohl’s

☆ EU AI act: Meta, Amazon execs say Europe’s new AI law could harm innovation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Tom Foster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The first-of-its-kind law is poised to reshape how firms and other organizations in Europe use AI for everything from health care decisions to policing. For Meta’s (META) AI chief, Yann LeCun, “the big question” about the new law is “should research and development in AI be regulated?”“There are clauses in the EU AI act and various other places that do regulate research and development. I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he told CNN’s Anna Stewart at the Paris event. LeCun, widely known as one of the “godfathers of AI,” disagrees with concerns that AI could soon surpass human intelligence. “We need to make sure that innovation continues to happen and that the innovation doesn’t just come outside Europe.

Persons: Yann LeCun, ”, CNN’s Anna Stewart, “, Werner Vogels, Stewart, Vogels, “ Let’s Organizations: London CNN, Meta, CNN, EU, overregulating Locations: Paris, Europe, EU, underinvesting

☆ Far-Right E.U. Lawmakers Remove Germany’s AfD Party Before Elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A far-right group in the European Union’s Parliament announced on Thursday that it had ousted the Alternative for Germany party from its coalition, dealing a severe blow to a key alliance just two weeks before E.U. In a statement on its official X account, the Identity and Democracy Group wrote that it had decided to exclude Alternative for Germany, or AfD, because of comments made by Maximilian Krah, the AfD’s lead candidate in the upcoming elections. In an interview last week, Mr. Krah appeared to minimize the crimes carried out by the SS, the Nazi paramilitary force that killed millions of people during the Holocaust. “One million soldiers wore the SS uniform,” Mr. Krah said to La Repubblica and The Financial Times in a joint interview. You have to establish individual guilt.”In its statement, Identity and Democracy wrote that it “no longer wants to be associated with the incidents involving Maximilian Krah, head of the AfD list for the European elections.”

Persons: Maximilian Krah, Krah, Mr, ” Organizations: Union’s, Democracy Group, SS, Nazi, Repubblica, Financial Times, Waffen, Democracy Locations: Germany

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