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☆ Australia's Canva expands A.I.-powered design business to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Melanie Perkins, co-founder & chief executive of Australian graphic design firm Canva, says the business is in a "uniquely strong position" as it expands to Europe. LONDON — Australian graphic design company Canva believes it is in a "uniquely strong position" to withstand industry headwinds as it embarks on a European expansion. The Sydney-based software company opened its new Europe headquarters in London last month as it competes with tech heavyweights Adobe and Microsoft to attract individual and enterprise users to its design suite. Canva, which offers both free and paid tools for designing websites, presentations and social content, had annualized revenues of $1.5 billion in the year to May. Of its 135 million global users, 16% are in Europe.

Persons: Melanie Perkins, Canva, Perkins, We've Organizations: LONDON, Adobe, Microsoft, CNBC, WPP, Unilever, Rolls Royce Locations: Europe, Sydney, London

[1/3] Artificial Intelligence words are seen in this illustration taken March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoWASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - Britain will host a global summit on artificial intelligence safety later this year and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and U.S. President Joe Biden will discuss the technology at their Thursday meeting, the UK government said. That includes China, where the government is seeking to initiate artificial intelligence regulations, according to billionaire Elon Musk who met officials during his recent trip to China. Sunak is on a trip to the United States and will meet Biden at the White House on Thursday. Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Andrea Shalal in Washington; editing by Deepa Babington and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Rishi Sunak, Joe Biden, Biden, Sunak, Elon Musk, Kanishka Singh, Andrea Shalal, Deepa Babington, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Palantir Technologies, Regulators, White, Thomson Locations: Britain, British, China, United States, Washington

☆ Inflation in Europe drops to lowest level since Russia invaded Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Inflation in Europe has fallen to its slowest pace since Russia invaded Ukraine, bolstering the case for the region’s central bank to bring interest rate hikes to an end soon. That’s the lowest rate of inflation since February 2022, when Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor, sending global energy prices soaring. The pace of food price rises eased for the second month running in May, while energy prices actually fell. Inflation has fallen sharply in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, national data published Wednesday showed. Separate data published Tuesday showed lending by banks in the euro area stagnated further in April, with loans to households barely growing at all.

Persons: Price, Christine Lagarde, ” Lagarde, ” Franziska Palmas, ”, Bert Colijn Organizations: London CNN, Russia, European Central Bank, ECB, US Federal Reserve, Bank of, Capital Economics, ING Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Moscow, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Bank of England, Palmas

But some researchers and environmental groups - supported by companies claiming to be able to help solve the problem - say airlines have done too little to handle the issue. According to such experts, research shows that non-CO2 emissions can actually be more harmful than carbon emissions. New European Union rules on emissions trading that will come into force in 2025 will force airlines to track and report their non-C02 emissions. Airlines have pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, mainly by adopting Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), scarce alternative fuels made from renewable sources - like biofuels or synthetic fuels - that are used to power aircraft. Based in Cambridge, England, SATAVIA says that by focusing so heavily on carbon emissions, the industry will be paying more money for a solution that could take years to have an impact.

Persons: Roger Teoh, SATAVIA, Adam Durant, Padraic Halpin, Tim Hepher, Aurora Ellis Organizations: International Air Transport Association, Imperial College London, New, Union, Airlines, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Istanbul, Paris, contrails, Cambridge, England

☆ Macron tells Eastern Europe - we should have listened to you over Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, May 31 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged on Wednesday that France should have paid more attention to Eastern European nations, which warned about a belligerent Russia before Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine. Macron told a security forum there should be no division between "Old Europe" and "New Europe", referring to enduring divergences between eastern and western European Union members over matters such as Russia. "Let's be grateful and say thank you to the United States. Macron said Russia had suffered clear setbacks in the war, including Finland's accession to NATO and losing legitimacy on the global stage. We can see that what was supposed to be a 'special operation' is already a geopolitical failure," Macron said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Jacques Chirac, EU's, Vladimir Putin, Let's, Donald Trump, Michel Rose, Mark Heinrich, Jon Boyle Organizations: PARIS, Eastern, European Union, Russia, NATO, Thomson Locations: France, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Slovak, Bratislava, United States, Britain, Iraq, Germany, Paris, Poland

☆ Centre-right lawmakers quit EU talks on nature law
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, May 31 (Reuters) - The biggest lawmaker group in the European Parliament on Wednesday walked out of negotiations on a landmark EU law to protect nature, dealing another blow to the contested proposal. French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested a pause on new EU environment legislation, while Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo questioned whether the nature law is needed. Meanwhile, the European People's Party - EU Parliament's largest lawmaker group - has called to reject it. The nature law needs approval from both EU countries and the EU Parliament, which is scheduled to vote on it in July. So far, EU countries have not attempted to block the proposal outright, but are negotiating amendments.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Alexander De Croo, Christine Schneider, Jutta Paulus, Kate Abnett, Sriraj Organizations: Wednesday, European Commission, Belgian, European People's Party, EU Parliament's, EPP, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels

☆ EU Parliament delays renewable energy vote after late backlash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, May 22 (Reuters) - The European Parliament has delayed a planned vote to approve new EU renewable energy targets, after France and other countries lodged last-minute opposition to the law last week, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. The vote in the Parliament's energy committee had been due to take place on Tuesday. The European Union is attempting to finalise a key pillar of its climate agenda - a law containing a binding goal for the EU to get 42.5% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Parliament had been due to hold a first vote on Tuesday, followed by a final vote in July. The EU Parliament and EU countries' approval of the law was supposed to be a formality, after negotiators from both sides agreed what was supposed to be a final deal earlier this year.

☆ Meta hit with record $1.3 bln fine over data transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fine, imposed by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), came after Meta continued to transfer data beyond a 2020 EU court ruling that invalidated an EU-U.S. data transfer pact. It tops the previous record EU privacy fine of 746 million euros handed by Luxembourg to Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) in 2021. "Without the ability to transfer data across borders, the internet risks being carved up into national and regional silos," Meta said. Europe's top court, the European Court of Justice, threw out the two previous pacts over concerns about U.S. surveillance. Unless U.S. surveillance laws gets fixed, Meta will likely have to keep EU data in the EU," he said in a statement.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, who advises President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, also urged allies not to fear that a tougher sanctions clampdown could drive some countries closer to Russia, describing such a worry as overblown. He was speaking in an interview from Kyiv as world leaders meet to discuss new sanctions measures and how to prevent Russia and companies in third countries from circumventing sanctions imposed after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year. “We are grateful for all the support we have received from our allies and we have seen some positive signals on the latest sanctions packages under consideration," Vlasiuk said. Tinkoff and Rosselkhozbank have already been excluded from the SWIFT global payments system, but other banks have been subjected to full blocking sanctions. “Russian banks who provide financial services to Russian soldiers fighting an unlawful war of aggression on Ukrainian soil should face the toughest possible sanctions from our allies," Vlasiuk said.

☆ The Latest Rift Among Ukraine’s Allies Is Whether to Send F-16s
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lara Jakes | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A fresh push by Britain and the Netherlands to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter planes has exposed the latest fault line among Western allies who have wrangled repeatedly over sending powerful weapons of war, once again pitting a reluctant United States against some of its closest European partners. Several European allies are prepared to give their F-16s to Ukraine. But the Biden administration, which must approve any transfers of the American-made planes, remains unconvinced that Ukraine needs the expensive jets, which are a staple of many modern military arsenals. So deep is Washington’s skepticism that Kyiv’s pilots are currently not even allowed to train on the F-16s that are owned by European states, according to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity to frankly discuss the sensitive diplomatic issue. American reluctance to allow training would severely limit a proposed new European coalition to help Ukraine obtain and fly F-16s — whether in the current conflict or to protect against any future aggressions by Moscow after the West turns its focus from the 15-month war.

☆ Alphabet CEO to meet EU industry chief Breton, EU deputy chief May 24
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, May 12 (Reuters) - Alphabet (GOOGL.O) Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai will meet European Commission deputy chief Vera Jourova and EU industry chief Thierry Breton in Brussels on May 24, according to the European Commission's agenda on Friday. Breton is in charge of digital rules that will require Alphabet's Google and other tech giants to allow business users to access data generated on its platform, among other obligations. A list of don'ts include a ban on treating their services and products more favourably than rivals. Another set of new EU tech rules requires Google and other tech giants to do more to tackle illegal online content on their platforms. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ GC Agenda: May 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Practical Law The Journal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Clawback Listing StandardsPublic companies should be aware that proposed NYSE and Nasdaq clawback listing standards may be in place earlier than expected. Organizations may use biometric data in a variety of ways, including when:tracking employee time; restricting access to physical and digital assets; monitoring consumer shopping behavior; and integrating biometric data into consumer products and services. Consider whether the organization’s current policies and procedures meet applicable biometric data handling requirements, including notice, consent, retention, storage, and security obligations. Review applicable laws and obligations when contracting with service providers that handle biometric data and continuously monitor their performance. In February 2023, the NYSE and Nasdaq filed proposed new listing standards, which contemplated that they could become effective as early as April 27, 2023.

☆ Fact Check-Fake cover of The New European depicting UK’s Sunak, Ukraine’s Zelenskiy and the Dalai Lama shared online
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of a fake cover of The New European (TNE) news outlet showing a cartoon with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is circulating online. The fabricated cover of an April Special Issue, 337, shows a cartoon of Sunak looking down at Zelenskiy, who is sitting on the Dalai Lama’s knee. Furthermore, the Issue 337 found in the archive shows a photo of Sunak and a different story headline by another writer (here ). The cartoon cover is not authentic, according to the magazine. The cover of Issue 337 can be found in online archive of The New European.

☆ A Meal in Which Bread Was the Starter, the Main and the Dessert
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Gisela Williams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since the Middle Ages, the perception of a blanched loaf as more exclusive than a darker one, though the latter is typically more nourishing, has been hard to shake. The invention of the iron roller mill in 19th-century Hungary made the process of beating all color, and nutrition, out of wheat easier and white bread cheaper. Still, the devaluing of whole grains continued, explained the Berlin-based American baker Laurel Kratochvila, 39, recently. “The 20th century was a very bad time for bread,” she said. “Be very wary of the perfect white loaf,” Kratochvila said, arching one eyebrow.

☆ Opinion: No, nuclear power isn’t the ‘big bazooka’ climate fix you might think
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Opinion Paul Hockenos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Berlin CNN —Germany’s exit from nuclear power on April 15 doesn’t single it out as a quirky anomaly or black sheep in a world otherwise enthusiastically embracing nuclear energy. Since a highpoint in the early 2000s, the number of operational nuclear reactors worldwide has fallen – from 438 to 411, according to this year’s World Nuclear Industry Status Report. While at the same time, renewable energy generation – clean tech like solar, wind, bioenergy and geothermal – has expanded by more than 30-fold. In fact, when matched up against renewables as a source of energy that doesn’t emit carbon, nuclear power falls egregiously short. Nuclear power may look like an attractive, big bazooka fix to rising emissions.

☆ EU Parliament backs overhaul of Europe's biggest climate policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Europe's carbon market forces power plants and factories to buy CO2 permits when they pollute. It has slashed those sectors' emissions by 43% since 2005, but is facing a revamp to hit more ambitious EU climate change targets. Under the upgrade, factories will lose the free CO2 permits they currently receive by 2034, and shipping emissions will be added to the CO2 market from 2024. EU carbon permits were trading at around 94 euros per tonne on Tuesday, having nearly quadrupled in value since the start of 2020. Lawmakers also backed plans to launch a new EU carbon market covering emissions from fuels used in cars and buildings in 2027, plus a 86.7 billion-euro EU fund to support consumers affected by the costs.

☆ Women’s soccer is having a moment — except in the boardroom
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Norway’s Karen Espelund was “appointed” not “elected” to the position due to her role as chair of the Women’s Football Committee, UEFA told CNN Sport over email. Norwegian Football Association President Lise Klaveness told CNN that the popularity of soccer isn't mirrored in female representation at UEFA. We tend to forget that because we compare it to the phenomenon of men’s football,” Klaveness says. The prize money for this year’s women’s World Cup, which kicks off on July 20, will increase by 300% to $150 million, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced last month. “They don’t really know: What are the differences between men’s and women’s football?

☆ Europe’s Largest Nuclear Reactor Launches as Continent Splits Over Atomic Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Olkiluoto island, off Finland’s west coast, houses three nuclear reactors. Finland has started regular electricity output at Europe’s largest nuclear reactor, a move that contrasts with developments in other European countries, where opposition to nuclear power is stronger. The long-delayed Olkiluoto 3 reactor is the first new European nuclear-power facility to open in 16 years. Alongside two other nuclear reactors on the Olkiluoto island off Finland’s west coast, the new 1.6-gigawatt reactor will eventually produce nearly one-third of the country’s electricity.

☆ Volkswagen calls for delay in implementation of new EU emissions standards to 2026
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Volkswagen AG FollowBERLIN, April 13 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) called on Thursday for the implementation of new EU emissions standards to be pushed to at least autumn of 2026, slightly over a year later than planned, with the aim of all new cars meeting the standards by autumn 2027. Still, the Commission argues the measures are needed as soon as possible to cut harmful emissions while combustion engine cars remain on the road. Other aspects of the regulation like limitations on the tiny particulates from braking and tyre wear should be delayed, Volkswagen said, without providing a date. "Several years of lead time are needed," the statement said, pointing to a lack of suppliers or industrialised production of tyres meeting the new requirements. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Editing by Friederike Heine and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Irish regulator has month to make order on EU-US Facebook data transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBLIN, April 13 (Reuters) - Ireland's data regulator has one month to make an order on blocking Facebook's transatlantic data flows, European Union regulators said on Thursday. EU regulators led by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) Helen Dixon have been finalising a ban on the legal tool used by Facebook to transfer European user data because of concerns U.S. intelligence agencies could access the information. Dixon, who is lead regulator for Facebook parent Meta (META.O) because its European headquarters are in Ireland, last month said the ban could be in place by mid-May. While the statement did not say what the decision was, Dixon has said other regulators had not disputed her order to ban the data transfer mechanism. Officials have said a new EU-U.S. data protection framework, which aims to offer EU citizens the same level of data protection as under European law, may be ready by July.

☆ Putin berates US and EU ambassadors at Kremlin ceremony
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 5 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday told the new U.S. and EU ambassadors in blunt language that their countries were responsible for a dramatic deterioration in relations since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine last year. The ambassadors were among 17 who formally presented their diplomatic credentials to Putin at a televised ceremony in the Kremlin. Putin told new U.S. ambassador Lynne Tracy that U.S. support for a revolution in Ukraine in 2014 had led to the current situation where Russia and Ukraine were in conflict. Putin took a similar line with the new EU ambassador, Roland Galharague, who took up his position in September, telling him that "the European Union initiated a geopolitical confrontation with Russia". Russia says it was forced to intervene in Ukraine to stem Western interference that was becoming a threat to its security.

☆ Putin berates US and EU envoys, top official says US aid fuelling Ukraine war's 'hot phase'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The ambassadors were among 17 who presented their diplomatic credentials to Putin at a televised ceremony in the Kremlin. Putin told new U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy that U.S. support for a revolution in Ukraine in 2014 had led to the current situation where Russia and Ukraine were in conflict. Putin took a similar line with the new EU ambassador, Roland Galharague, telling him "the European Union initiated a geopolitical confrontation with Russia". In his opening remarks, Putin said Russia was open to constructive partnership with every country and would not isolate itself.

☆ Foreign-Subsidy Reporting Rules Could Have a Chilling Effect on EU Investment, Say Industry Groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Proposed new EU rules could mean that many multinational companies will have to track a range of interactions with foreign governments. BRUSSELS—Industry groups representing major multinational companies are urging changes to the European Union’s new rules for reporting foreign subsidies, saying they could effect investment in the bloc. Thirteen business associations said in a joint statement published Tuesday that they support the EU’s efforts to deal with distortive foreign subsidies. But they said multinational companies may not be able to comply with the rules as they were drafted because of the need for many of them to create “elaborate internal compliance mechanisms” that don’t currently exist.

☆ New EU debt rules have way to avoid past mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Rebecca Christie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

BRUSSELS, April 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The European Union’s new set of fiscal rules need to answer two simple questions: will they help the bloc’s economy grow? The fiscal rules are at the crossroads of the EU’s monetary union and budgetary sovereignty. Past rounds of budget rules have carried the threat of top-level sanctions but the enforcers could not follow through. EU countries need to encourage scale-up financing and allow more cross-border cooperation. New rules need to put the future ahead of philosophy to have a chance to work.

☆ Oppenheimer says a rally is coming for renewable stocks, gives its top picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Renewable energy stocks are setting up for a rally, according to Oppenheimer. He expects U.S. demand to continue to track to 10% growth in 2023, with potential for upside as the IRA 's credits are clarified. Meanwhile, the company guided $700 million to $740 million in revenue for the first quarter, versus the $685.2 million expected. The stock has about 28% upside, according to Rusch's $383 price target. Lastly, Sunrun's stock is set for a big rally, according to the analyst.

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