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☆ Lonely Planet’s top places to go in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Maureen Ohare | Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Get your wishlist fired up, Lonely Planet just revealed its 50 top travel destinations for the year ahead. The travel publishing empire turns 50 this year, and its bumper Best in Travel 2024 list is expanded across five categories: top countries, regions, cities, sustainable travel destinations and best-value locations. The “wild beauty” of South Africa also gets a nod, with Lonely Planet recommending visitors check out the country’s “impressive crop of ecolodges” committed to protecting Earth’s biodiversity. The underrated American Midwest is the top tip here: in cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit, “you’ll find old warehouses transformed into art studios, new eco design hotels and many Michelin-starred restaurants,” says Lonely Planet. Says Lonely Planet, “Here you’ll find the highest sea cliffs in Europe and miles of unspoilt coastal hiking trails.”Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2024India: A big country with a whole lot to love, including Gadisar lake in Rajasthan.

Persons: CNN —, Lucia, Torres del, ecolodges ”, Babanango, “, ”, you’ll, Ilan Shacham, Ireland País Vasco, Português, daniel Organizations: CNN, Lonely, Lonely Planet, Kenyan, Michelin, Getty, Mongolia India Morocco Chile Benin Mexico Uzbekistan Pakistan Croatia St, Regions, CNN Cities Nairobia, Chile Greenland, Lithuania Eco, France Egypt Ikaria, Greece Algeria Southern Lakes, Central Otago , New Zealand Locations: Mongolia, Mexico, Croatia, St, Benin, Uzbekistan, City, Nairobi, Paris, Prague, Czech, “, Patagonia, Torres del Paine, Spain, Valencia, Barcelona, South Africa, South, KwaZulu Natal, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Algeria, Northern Africa, Europe, Balkans, Slovenia, Bosnia, Hercegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Adriatic, Donegal, Ireland’s, India, Rajasthan, Mongolia India Morocco Chile Benin Mexico Uzbekistan Pakistan Croatia, Lucia Macedonia, South Australia Donegal, Ireland, Spain Southern Thailand Swahili, Tanzania Montana, USA, Austria, Kenya Paris, France Montreal, Canada Mostar, Herzegovina Philadelphia , Pennsylvania Manaus, Brazil Jakarta, Indonesia Prague, Czech Republic Izmir, Turkey Kansas City , Missouri, Spain Patagonia, Argentina, Chile, Chile Greenland Wales, Santiago Palau Hokkaido, Japan Ecuador Baltic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, South Africa Poland, USA Poland Nicaragua Danube Limes, Bulgaria Normandy, France Egypt, Greece Algeria Southern, Central Otago , New

☆ A 'festering' powder keg in Europe is lurking in the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Consequently, the Serbia-Kosovo discord, while festering, finds itself languishing in the shadow of these more immediate and globally resonant challenges." It highlights a major challenge for policymakers: providing ongoing conflicts with near-constant attention, while still monitoring other strategically significant risks. "The fact remains that the Balkan region is a powder keg, where even minor incidents can swiftly spiral into broader conflicts. History has underscored the adage that what happens in the Balkans, doesn't stay in the Balkans," the CEPA's Hartwell said. "The U.S., EU and U.K. do not have the diplomatic and military bandwidth to respond to several conflicts of strategic interest.

Persons: Stringer, Leon Hartwell, Hartwell, Banjska, doesn't, Majda Ruge Organizations: NATO, Kosovo Force, KFOR, Afp, Getty, Center for, CNBC, European Union, Anadolu Agency, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Mitrovica, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Balkans, Europe, Serbia, Kosovo, Palestine, Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Southern, Eastern Europe, Moscow, Brussels, Washington, Serbs, Kosovan, U.S, EU, Pristina, destabilising Kosovo, Yugoslavia

☆ EU to Help Western Balkans Reforms With 6 Billion Euro Package - Von Der Leyen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The European Union plans to help the countries of the Western Balkans to pursue reforms needed for integration with the wealthy bloc with 6 billion euros investment, the EU executive's president Ursula von der Leyen said in Skopje on Monday. North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina all need to seize the "window of opportunity" for the enlargement of the EU and work to align their standards to those in the bloc, von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen said the EU's new growth plan for the region would include the opening of its common market to the Western Balkan countries in areas such as free movement of goods and services, transport and energy. "These reforms will come with investment," von der Leyen said during a news conference with North Macedonia's Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski at the start of her Western Balkans tour. "We have proposed a 6 billion euro ($6.34 billion) package for Western Balkan partners," she said.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Dimitar Kovacevski, Daria Sito, Alison Williams, Ed Osmond Organizations: European Union, EU, ., North Macedonia's, Western Balkan, Brussels Locations: SARAJEVO, Balkans, Skopje, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, EU, North Macedonia

☆ EU to help Western Balkans reforms with 6 billion euro package - von der Leyen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SARAJEVO, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The European Union plans to help the countries of the Western Balkans pursue reforms needed for integration with the wealthy bloc with an investment of 6 billion euros ($6.4 billion), the EU executive's president, Ursula von der Leyen, said in Skopje on Monday. North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina all need to seize the "window of opportunity" for the enlargement of the EU and work to align their standards to those in the bloc, von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen said the EU's new growth plan for the region would include the opening of its common market to the Western Balkan countries in areas such as free movement of goods and services, transport and energy. It also urged the countries to open a common regional market, and pursue it with necessary reforms. "These reforms will come with investment," von der Leyen said during a press conference with North Macedonia Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski at the start of her Western Balkans tour.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Dimitar Kovacevski, Daria Sito, Fatos Bytyci, Alison Williams, Ed Osmond, Mark Porter Organizations: European Union, EU, ., North Macedonia, Brussels, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Balkans, Skopje, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, EU, North Macedonia, Pristina

REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Google executive Prabhakar Raghavan on Thursday detailed challenges the search and advertising giant faces from smaller rivals, describing efforts to avoid becoming "the next road kill." "I feel a keen sense not to become the next road kill," said Raghavan, a senior vice president at Google who reports to chief executive Sundar Pichai. Raghavan said Google had some 8,000 engineers and product managers working on search, with about 1,000 involved in search quality. Asked about the expression "Grandpa Google," Raghavan said "unfortunately, yes" he had heard it. "Grandpa Google will help with things like homework but when it comes to interesting things, they go elsewhere," he said.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Prabhakar Raghavan, Raghavan, Alphabet's, TikTok, Sundar Pichai, Microsoft's Bing, Google, Grandpa, Diane Bartz, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Justice Department, Yahoo, Google, Grandpa Google, Thomson Locations: Expedia.com, Instagram

☆ Opinion: A path to peace in Middle East is possible. Here’s how
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Opinion Miriam Sapiro | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

She has served at the National Security Council, at the State Department as a negotiator for the Bosnia Peace Accords, and as Deputy US Trade Representative. A similarly firm hand — and robust US leadership — will also be necessary for any peace deal to be forged in the Middle East. Similarly, Hamas’ current leadership would certainly not be welcome at the table should Mideast peace talks resume. That should compel them to help increase isolation of Hamas as well as play an active and useful role in future peace talks. With the key players thinking strategically and acting tactically — as eventually happened in Bosnia — peace in the Middle East may have a chance.

Persons: Miriam Sapiro, Miriam Sapiro Sard, Biden’s, Bosnians, —, ’, Madeleine Albright, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Organizations: Center for Strategic, International Studies, National Security Council, State Department, Accords, US Trade Representative, CNN CNN, Hamas, US, UN, Bosnian, Bosnian Serbs, —, Belgrade, West Bank, Bosnia Contact, EU, United Arab, CNN, Twitter, Palestinian, European Union, Bank, Authority Locations: Bosnia, Israel, Balkans, Yugoslavia, Bosnian, Washington, Dayton , Ohio, — Serbia, Croatia, Dayton, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, United States, Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, America, Iran, Oslo Accords, Ramallah

☆ Bosnia FA sanctioned by UEFA over crowd trouble
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO:Soccer Football - Euro 2028 & Euro 2032 Hosts Announcement - Nyon, Switzerland - October 10, 2023 The UEFA logo is pictured at the headquarters ahead of the announcement REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 25 (Reuters) - UEFA has sanctioned the Bosnian Football Association (NFSBIH) for crowd disturbances at their recent Euro 2024 qualifying games, European soccer's governing body said on Wednesday. UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body fined Bosnia 20,000 euros ($21,000) and ordered the partial closure of their stadium for their next home match for the discriminatory behaviour of their supporters during the game against Portugal. They have also been fined 26,000 euros for the blocking of public passageways, throwing of objects and invasion of the pitch at the match on Oct. 16. Bosnia have also been fined 20,000 euros and received a ban on selling tickets to supporters for their next competitive away game for the lighting and throwing of fireworks during the match in Liechtenstein on Oct. 13. ($1 = 0.9459 euros)Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Trevor Stynes, Ed Osmond Organizations: Football, UEFA, Bosnian Football Association, UEFA's, Bosnia, Portugal, Thomson Locations: Nyon, Switzerland, Bosnia, Liechtenstein

The Justice Department has called witnesses who testified about Google's payments, billions of dollars annually, to smartphone makers and wireless companies to make Google search the default on devices, and win more users. Others testified how search dominance led to clout in online advertising, including the ability to quietly raise ad prices. He also testified about how Google used machine learning tools that it developed to improve its search. Nayak's discussions of improving search appeared to downplay the role that search query volume played, implicitly disagreeing with Microsoft (MSFT.O) CEO Satya Nadella's arguments that his company needed more search queries to improve its Bing search engine but was being blocked by Google. Nayak also testified that Google compared its results to answers from Microsoft's search engine Bing, and found Bing to be lower quality.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Pandu Nayak, Satya Nadella's, Amit Mehta, Nayak, Bing, Diane Bartz, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, WASHINGTON, Google, The, Thomson

☆ Pfizer, BioNTech shares fall on lower COVID product sales forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 16 (Reuters) - Shares of Pfizer (PFE.N) and German partner BioNTech (22UAy.DE) fell on Monday after the U.S. drugmaker slashed the sales forecast for its COVID vaccine and therapy last week, and some analysts said the reduction was bigger than expectations. The COVID sales forecast cut was bigger than expected, Wells Fargo analyst Mohit Bansal said, adding that Wall Street's COVID sales estimates for the next few years may come down. Shares in BioNTech, which is also developing cancer treatments, were down 6.7% at a two-month low in Frankfurt. Its U.S.-listed shares fell 6.8% in premarket trading, while Pfizer's shares fell 2%. The news also dragged down shares of rival COVID vaccine maker Moderna (MRNA.O) by 4.7%.

Persons: Dado, BioNTech, drugmaker, Wells, Mohit Bansal, Ludwig Burger, Rachel More, Miranda Murray, Jason Neely, Shounak Organizations: COVID, Institute for Health, Food, REUTERS, Pfizer, U.S, Its U.S, Moderna, Manas Mishra, Thomson Locations: Zenica, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Wells Fargo, BioNTech, Frankfurt, Its, Bengaluru

Vaccine makers are depending on the U.S. market as many countries have more limited yearly campaigns for giving updated shots. For BioNTech, Moderna, and Novavax (NVAX.O), COVID vaccines remain their only approved products. Shares of Pfizer were up nearly 5%, however, buoyed by a $3.5 billion cost-cutting plan the drugmaker announced late on Friday alongside its new COVID sales outlook. Moderna, in a statement on Monday, maintained its current revenue forecast of $6 billion to $8 billion for its COVID vaccine for 2023. Jefferies analyst Michael Yee said Pfizer's new COVID outlook implies lower vaccine sales for Moderna than it had forecast.

Persons: Dado, BioNTech, Albert Bourla, Bourla, Mani Foroohar, Foroohar, Jefferies, Michael Yee, Ludwig Burger, Rachel More, Michael Erman, Bhanvi Satija, Manas, Jonathan Oatis, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: COVID, Institute for Health, Food, REUTERS, Pfizer, Moderna, Manas Mishra, Thomson Locations: Zenica, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Frankfurt, Novavax, U.S, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Opinion: Where the war goes from here
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. The war plays out on everyone’s screens, forcing people to confront cruelty and killing and to fear what comes next. “Hamas’ mission is, by definition, to end Israel, not to seek to establish a self-governed Palestinian state that peacefully coexists alongside the Jewish state. “An Israeli normalization deal with Saudi Arabia — the location of the two holiest sites in Islam — would be hugely symbolic and have real security benefits for Israel,” wrote Peter Bergen. “After all, almost exactly half a century ago, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, two Arab states, Egypt and Syria, attacked Israel.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Jonathan Glover, Frida Ghitis, “, Ghitis, Amy Klein, goer Gal Katz, Gal Katz, that’s, ’ ” Katz, ” “, Yulie Ben Ami, ” Ben Ami, Stephanie Griffith, ’, … ”, Israel, Janine Zacharia, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Ilan Troen's, Deborah, Shlomi Mathias, Ilan Troen S, Ilan Troen, Symon Petliura’s banditim, Troen, Deborah Mathias, Yahya Hassouna, Omar Ghraieb, Carrie Cordero, ” Cordero, Islam —, Peter Bergen, Jason Greenblatt, Trump, Fatah, Rachel Fish, ’ ” Fish, Kara Alaimo, McCarthy Drew Sheneman, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, Julian Zelizer, Jordan, John Boehner, James Antle III, McCarthy’s gavel, John Avlon, Clay Jones, Sallie Krawcheck, Sado, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Joe Biden, “ Kennedy, ” Bergen, Kennedy, Jack Ohman, Jill Filipovic, Gavin Newsom’s, Sarah Gundle, Bob Saget’s, isn’t, Sara Stewart, Julia Ormond’s, Keldy Ortiz, Dr, Lara Freidenfelds, … Simone Biles Simone Biles, Yves Herman, Simone Biles, Amy Bass, ” Bass, “ Biles, Biles Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Ben, Gurion University, Brandeis University, Getty, “ Hamas, Foreign Intelligence, Israel, Twitter, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Harvard University, Higher, Republicans, House Republicans, GOP, Federal Reserve, RFK Jr, Democratic, White, Republican, Biden, Trump, Democrat, Agency Locations: British, Rwanda, Bosnia, Israel, Gaza, New York, America, “, Kippur, Kibbutz Holit, Derazhne, Rovno, Rivne, Poland, Ukraine, Europe, Gaza City, AFP, Palestinian, Saudi Arabia, Israeli, Islam, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Victoria Sado, Antwerp, Tokyo, Belgium

Signage is seen at the Federal Trade Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. In the United States, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has also fought the deal, and has an argument scheduled before an appeals court on Dec. 6. The agency said on Friday that it remained focused on that appeal. "The FTC continues to believe this deal is a threat to competition." Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Victoria Graham, Diane Bartz, Susan Fenton Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Activision, Ubisoft, Ubisoft Entertainment, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Britain, United States

[1/2] The Kroger supermarket chain's headquarters is shown in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., June 28, 2018. Bonta said the decision has not been made, but added: "Right now there's not a lot of reason not to sue." In September, the companies announced a plan to sell more than 400 grocery stores to C&S Wholesale Grocers in an effort to get regulatory approval for the deal. A Kroger spokesperson said only non-unionized retailers, like Walmart and Amazon, will benefit if the merger is blocked. Research from the University of Southern California in 2021 found one in three neighborhoods in 30 populous U.S. cities had inadequate access to needed pharmacy services.

Persons: Lisa Baertlein, Rob Bonta, Bonta, Lina Khan, Diane Bartz, Leslie Adler, Bill Berkrot, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Kroger, REUTERS, Rights, Albertsons, S Wholesale Grocers, Walmart, U.S, Water Watch, Federal Trade, FTC, University of Southern, Thomson Locations: Cincinnati , Ohio, U.S, California, America, Food, Washington, University of Southern California

A woman holds her smart phone which displays the Google home page, in this picture illustration taken February 24, 2016. Google's James Kolotouros, who negotiated search distribution agreements with Android device makers and carriers, testified the agreements gave Google search exclusivity, and Google monitored compliance with them. Advertisers are not told their LTV, and Google uses "tunings" to adjust the price of ads, he said. Google's vice president and general manager of ads, Jerry Dischler, acknowledged that Google earned more than $100 billion in 2020 from search ads. Apple's (AAPL.O) senior vice president of services Eddie Cue praised Google's search and acknowledged under questioning that the smartphone maker had meetings with Microsoft and DuckDuckGo, which uses Bing searches, but found them inadequate.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Google's James Kolotouros, Adam Juda, Joshua Lowcock, Jerry Dischler, Satya Nadella, Eddie Cue, Bing, John Schmidtlein, Google's, Diane Bartz, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Google, Department, GOOGLE, Verizon, Samsung, LTV, UM Worldwide, Microsoft, Apple, Nokia, Bing, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON

☆ I've seen the worst horrors of Ukraine, Bosnia, and ISIS. I never thought I'd see them come to Israel, my home.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Itai Anghel is a veteran war correspondent with the Israeli current affairs show 'Uvda.' In my time as a war correspondent, I've covered so many atrocities and genocides: Bosnia, Bucha in Ukraine, and ISIS. Itai Anghel of @Uvda_tweet, a veteran war correspondent, was the first journalist to visit kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel after Saturday's attacks. pic.twitter.com/ZQOldmEKs4 — Joshua Zitser (@mrjoshz) October 12, 2023Yesterday, I visited a kibbutz, Nir Oz. AdvertisementAdvertisementAround a quarter of the people of Nir Oz were assassinated, kidnapped, or injured in a very severe way.

Persons: Nir Oz, —, Itai Anghel, It's, I've, ZQOldmEKs4, Joshua Zitser, Bloodstains Organizations: ISIS, Service Locations: Ukraine, Bosnia, Bucha, Israel

A woman holds her smart phone which displays the Google home page, in this picture illustration taken February 24, 2016. Google's vice president and general manager of ads, Jerry Dischler, acknowledged that Google earned more than $100 billion in 2020 from search ads. GOOGLE'S DEFENSE NO. GOOGLE'S DEFENSE NO. GOOGLE DEFENSE NO.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Sundar Pichai, Kevin Murphy, Apple, Joshua Lowcock, Jerry Dischler, Eddie Cue, Bing, John Schmidtlein, Google's, Jennifer Fitzpatrick, Diane Bartz, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Google, Justice Department, Verizon, Samsung, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Microsoft, UM Worldwide, Nokia, Bing, GOOGLE, Core Systems, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON

The battle against junk fees is part of President Joe Biden's administration's effort to ease strains on voter pocketbooks as an election year approaches. Taking on "junk fees" gives Biden and his allies fodder to show they are helping people tackle costs as many Americans are dissatisfied with his economic stewardship. The administration has previously proposed a rule to require airlines to disclose fees upfront. The agency estimated the fees cost consumers tens of billions of dollars annually on items such as hotel resort fees. "These junk fees function as an invisible tax that quietly inflates prices across the economy," FTC Chair Lina Khan told reporters on a conference call.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Biden, Joe Biden's, Lina Khan, Diane Bartz, Jeff Mason, Douglas Gillison, Richard Chang Organizations: U.S, Fire Prevention, Eisenhower, White, REUTERS, Companies United, Democrat, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Consumer Financial, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Companies United States, America

☆ Next EU chief will need cash more than trade wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

What she sidestepped was how to find more cash and convince member states to pay up. Von der Leyen, or her successor, will have to figure out how to pay for enlargement. Von der Leyen tapped into trade frustrations with her pledge to investigate and possibly punish Chinese subsidies for car and battery makers. During her first term, von der Leyen succeeded in connecting the EU with bond investors via the 800 billion euro NextGenerationEU borrowing programme. A second term will require even more finesse to convince EU member states to raise money not just from markets, but from themselves.

Persons: Ursula von der, European Union won’t, der, von der Leyen’s, Greens –, der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Thierry Breton, Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg, Von der, Carlo Bastasin, Von der Leyen, von der Leyen, sceptics, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel’s, Jens Stoltenberg’s, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, European Union, Bank, EU, European Commission, Socialists, Greens, NATO, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Brookings, handouts, Organisation for Economic Co, Transport, Environment, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Ukraine, Moldova, Western, Brussels, Germany, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Turkey, Georgia, Spain, Poland, United States, China, Ireland, Netherlands, EU, EU’s, Hungary

Deal negotiations between Exxon and Pioneer are advanced but have not yet led to an agreement, Reuters reported on Thursday. These transactions were eventually allowed to be completed, and the regulator has not sued to thwart an oil and gas production deal since 2000. The lawyers and experts interviewed said the FTC would face an uphill struggle in challenging Exxon's attempted acquisition of Pioneer. "The modern U.S. experience is that oil and gas deals of any notable size get a close look. It sued to block the merger and only agreed to drop its objections after BP offered to divest oil production acreage in Alaska.

Persons: Joe Biden, Janet Yellen, Leah Millis, producer's, Lina Khan, Andre Barlow, Doyle, Barlow, Mazard PLLC, Sheldon Whitehouse, William Kovacic, George Washington, consultancies Wood MacKenzie, David Kass, Diane Bartz, David French, Mike Stone, Greg Roumeliotis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Treasury, White, REUTERS, Exxon Mobil, Natural Resources, Exxon, Pioneer, Reuters, Federal Trade Commission, Democratic, George, Companies, Activision, FTC, Atlantic, BP, RBC Capital Markets, Chevron, PDC Energy, University of Maryland, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Atlantic Richfield, Alaska, West Texas, New Mexico, Rystad, Denver, Julesburg, Washington ,, Atlanta

A redacted transcript unsealed late on Wednesday showed DuckDuckGo had struck a deal with Apple in 2014 to be shown as an option on Apple devices. Soon after, DuckDuckGo began pressing Apple to be made the default choice for users who wanted to work in privacy mode, which limited data collected on the user. DuckDuckGo has about 2.5% of the search market, he testified. In those meetings, Weinberg said, Apple executives would bring up the concern that its distribution agreements with Google may bar the change. The Justice Department has said that Google, which has some 90% of the search market, pays some $10 billion annually to Apple, other smartphone makers and others to be the default search.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, DuckDuckGo, Gabriel Weinberg, Weinberg, Apple, Apple's John Giannandrea, Bing, Giannandrea, Diane Bartz, Richard Chang, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Apple, Google, Thomson

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - A former executive at Samsung Electronics' venture capital arm who proposed that mobile app developer Branch Metrics' software offering be expanded in Samsung smartphones faced pushback due to pressure from Google, he said on Thursday in a landmark antitrust trial against the Alphabet (GOOGL.O) unit. Patrick Chang, who worked at Samsung Next to invest in innovative companies, had urged the parent company (005930.KS) to expand the offerings of Branch, which can search within apps, to its Android smartphones. Chang testified that Samsung also faced pushback from wireless carries, like AT&T, which sell Android phones. In its questioning, the Justice Department showed an August 2020 email by Samsung executive David Eun, who complained that "Google is clearly buying its way to squelch competitors." Chang testified during the fourth week of a more than two-month trial in which the U.S. Justice Department is seeking to show that Google abused its monopoly of search and some search advertising.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Patrick Chang, Alexander Austin, Branch, Austin, Chang, David Eun, Diane Bartz, Richard Chang Organizations: Google, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Samsung Electronics, Samsung, Samsung Next, Metrics, Justice Department, U.S . Justice Department, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France

An illuminated Google logo is seen inside an office building in Zurich, Switzerland December 5, 2018. The Justice Department has accused Google of manipulating online auctions - a multibillion dollar industry dominated by Google - with these formulas to favor its own bottom line. Dahlquist asked Juda if they had introduced changes to ad sales in a way that raised the cost-per-click by a consumer that advertisers pay. But Wendy Waszmer, a lawyer for Google, asked Juda on Wednesday afternoon on if there were ways that his ads quality team could raise prices unilaterally. Google's advertising business has been criticized by advertisers and website publishers for a lack of transparency, with both accusing Google of siphoning off too much revenue.

Persons: Arnd, Adam Juda, David Dahlquist, Juda, Dahlquist, Wendy Waszmer, Diane Bartz, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S . Justice Department, The, Google, Justice, European Union, LTV, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Washington, United States

☆ EU accession: List of countries to join the bloc
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

CANDIDATE COUNTRY STATUSTURKEY (candidate since 1999). While still officially a candidate country, Turkey's accession talks with the EU have long been frozen, largely over human rights and governance concerns. It was given the green light for accession talks in 2020 after changing its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia to satisfy Greek sensitivities. The small Balkan country applied for EU membership in 2008. Since 2016, the EU has had a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Kosovo that serves as a basis for its accession path.

Persons: Viktor Yanukovych, Jan Strupczewski, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Union, EU, NORTH, European Commission, Commission, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Granada, TURKEY, NORTH MACEDONIA, Macedonia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, MONTENEGRO, SERBIA, ALBANIA, EU, Albania, MOLDOVA, Moldova, UKRAINE, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, BOSNIA, HERZEGOVINA, Bosnia, GEORGIA, Georgia, Tbilisi, KOSOVO, Brussels, Kosovo, Serbia

☆ Toxic smoke from Croatia depot fire spreads in region, may spell ecological risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Residents near the outskirts of Osijek where the fire began were urged to remain indoors and keep windows shut as clouds of thick, black smoke enshrouded the area. Schools were closed and there were unconfirmed reports the smoke was moving towards Bosnia in the south. Ivan Anušić, governor of the Osijek-Baranja region, accused the owners of the depot, Drava International, which makes plastics, of neglect and violations of law. "This has created an ecological disaster which will hit the whole region, and some neighbouring (regions) as well." [1/5]A firefighter stands near the fire at Drava International factory near Osijek, Croatia, October 4, 2023.

Persons: Ivan Anušić, Anusic, Antonio Bronic, Dragan Vulin, Zeljko, Daria Sito, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Residents, Drava, REUTERS, Reuters Television, Thomson Locations: OSIJEK, Croatia, Croatian, Osijek, Bosnia, Baranja, Drava's

☆ Secret spots on Croatia’s famous Dalmatian coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Mary Novakovich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —To many, the southern Dalmatian coast is Croatia. The Adriatic coast is undeniably beautiful, with the forbidding Dinaric Alps as a dramatic backdrop to the heavily indented coastline and dozens of islands scattered about. Until 2022, reaching it from the north meant crossing into Bosnia, whose 12.4 miles of coastline sits below the Neretva delta, before giving way once more to Croatia’s southern Dalmatian coast. Elaphiti islandsWander along Dubrovnik’s old port and in seconds you’ll be offered a day trip to the Elaphiti islands, north of the city. Cavtat, about 15 miles south of Dubrovnik, has been steadily growing in popularity as an alternative to the city.

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