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It was a week when penguins, bonds, the new German coalition, Louisiana soybeans, fossil fuels, the EU’s Digital Markets Act, France’s creaking politics and American bourbon all became one news story. POLITICO explains what got us all yippy. Apr 11 11 mins read

He added that it’s now up to Virkkunen, who hails from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), to wrap up EU investigations and crack down on U.S. tech behemoths through the DSA. “We want to see the same approach from … Virkkunen, when it comes to the Digital Services Act, and the conclusion of the investigation into breaches by X, TikTok and Meta of the rules that protect our citizens online,” Saliba said. Ribera and Virkkunen jointly oversee DMA enforcement, while Virkkunen has sole responsibility for DSA enforcement. Brussels has opened content-moderation probes into companies such as X, Meta, and…

Campaigns of this type often pop up around major news events, when hackers elicit curiosity and emotional reactions to try to lure unsuspecting users to fraudulent websites.  “Cybercriminals thrive on chaos and curiosity,” said Rafa Lopez, a security engineer at Check Point. “Whenever a major news event occurs, we see a sharp rise in scams designed to exploit public interest.” Researchers have called this “cyber threat opportunism,” a phenomenon that spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Google identified 18 million malware and phishing Gmail messages per day related to the pandemic.  Instagram’s parent company Meta and TikTok did not immediately…

It was a week when penguins, bonds, the new German coalition, Louisiana soybeans, fossil fuels, the EU’s Digital Markets Act, France’s creaking politics and American bourbon all became one news story. POLITICO explains what got us all yippy. Apr 11 11 mins read

Ukraine has struggled to make itself heard in international talks about its own future, initially being frozen out by Russia and the U.S. Kyiv is more involved now, but is under huge pressure from Washington and Moscow to make galling concessions regarding its land and mineral wealth. American Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that Ukraine will have to agree to give up territory or the U.S. will walk away from mediating negotiations, adding that the conflict needs to be frozen on the current front lines. The Americans have proposed recognizing Crimea — which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 — as…

According to the ministry, the MPs targeted had made “hostile statements and unfounded accusations” against Moscow. “Being targeted by this thuggish, criminal regime is a compliment,” Labour MP Blair McDougall, among those sanctioned, told POLITICO. “That amongst the reasons is that I have been rude to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin shows how brittle and pathetic his regime is. This won’t stop British MPs from speaking up for the people of Ukraine.” Labour MP Phil Brickell said Putin “has another thing coming” if he thinks the ban will silence them. Liberal Democrat defense spokesperson Helen Maguire, also on the list, said…

The university outlined a set of guidelines and best practices for academics and students traveling to the U.S., highlighting increased border controls, shifting attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community and the possibility of arrest for researchers who have publicly criticized the Trump administration. UGent also advised researchers working on projects in partnership with U.S. institutions —particularly on “topics the U.S. government considers sensitive (climate change, transgender rights, diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programs)” — to store their data on internal servers. “This way you avoid that the data can be deleted if it is on a U.S. server,” the university said.…

Lombard said a new partnership with Washington should also be based on reciprocal investment, the rule of law and sustainability. President Donald Trump slapped tariffs on all imports into the U.S. earlier this month before backtracking amid financial turmoil, suspending the highest tariffs proposed for 90 days to create an opening to negotiate a trade deal. Lombard said he hoped the EU and U.S. could avert the trade war with “a win-win” solution, but also stressed the EU was working “on a targeted and measured response, in case we cannot reach a deal rapidly.” The olive branch comes after French…

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron has denied reports that he is considering the possibility of calling snap elections later this year.In a post on X on Wednesday afternoon, the Élysée Palace denied the suggestion — first reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday — that a vote could be held as soon as the autumn. “The Presidency of the Republic denies this, as it already did prior to the publication of the article,” the official Elysée account wrote on X in reference to the Bloomberg story.However, the message did not directly address Bloomberg’s claim that Macron and his inner circle…

The Volvo Group said on Wednesday that its net profit fell to SEK 9.89bn (€910 million) in the first three months of 2025, from a little more than SEK 14bn (€1.29bn) in the previous year. The drop was driven by a 7% decline in the group’s net sales, amounting to SEK 121.8bn (€11.15bn) in the same period. Volvo Group, which manufactures trucks, buses, construction equipment and engines, reported that its vehicle sales decreased by 9% and service sales declined by 1%. Meanwhile, the operating margin was 10.9%.The company’s earnings per share amounted to SEK 4.86 (44 euro cent). Truck deliveries were down by…