NewsBreak Original

The Lightning cable's reign of terror is finally over. According to rampant rumors, Apple will ditch its proprietary charger and adopt USB-C for the upcoming iPhone 15 line. This marks a tectonic shift for Apple, closing the book on a decade of Lightning cables. But it could also spark a accessories Armageddon as billions of old chargers face obsolescence overnight. Apple is essentially being forced into this move by an EU mandate requiring small electronics to use USB-C by 2024. But it's still a shocking reversal after years of the company defending Lightning as superior. "This is the end of an era," said longtime Apple analyst Mark Sullivan. "Lightning has had a good run, but global standardization wins out in the end." The shift will streamline charging across devices and brands. But it deals a financial blow to Apple, nixing billions in lucrative licensing fees and sales of 1st-party Lightning accessories. For consumers, it means shelling out yet again for new cables. And with closets already crammed with obsolete Apple chargers, e-waste piles could rapidly climb. "It's progress through chaos," Sullivan said. "A necessary growing pain to advance universal standards." So ready those credit cards and brace for impact. The Apple charger revolution is nigh! Will thisSpec help or hurt consumers? As the Lightning era fades, share your thoughts on Apple's seismic shift.

The European Union (EU) has cleared the way for Chinese social media platform TikTok to face significant fines for violating children's privacy. The EU Data Protection Board announced its opinion on the investigation launched in 2021 by the Data Protection Authority of Ireland, where the platform is headquartered, into TikTok's failure to comply with an order to protect the data of users aged 13-17. By finding the Irish Data Protection Authority right in its binding decision, the Board enabled TikTok to be fined.

Starting in 2024, American travelers to Europe will face a new hurdle: obtaining advance permission and paying a small fee. Technically, this document, called ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) is not a visa, but it is similar in some ways.

The EU has agreed to a raw materials agreement with Chile. The country has copper and lithium deposits. The European Union (EU) and Chile want to conclude an agreement on the supply of raw materials. The main focus is on Chilean lithium, to which the EU wants to secure access.

This article was written by AI. Disclaimer: This article includes an affiliate link. The economies of the 20 countries using the euro as their currency experienced a slight recession at the beginning of the year. However, the overall European economy managed to avoid a downturn.

In the midst of growing tensions in the Balkans, Russia has placed blame on Kosovo, the United States (US), and the European Union (EU) for the deteriorating situation. Russia expressed deep concern as clashes erupted between Kosovo police and protesters opposing an ethnic Albanian mayor. On Friday, May 26, 2023, the US and its allies reprimanded Kosovo, with Washington stating that the use of force to install a mayor in the Serbian ethnic region undermines efforts to improve strained relations with neighboring Serbia.

Electric car charging stationPhoto byStefan Schweihofer via Pixabay. The Parliament of the European Union has formally approved a law this week that will effectively ban the sale of any new gas or diesel cars in the members states of the European Union starting in 2035. The new law is an attempt to speed up the transition to electric vehicles that climate change might be better mitigated.

When it comes to food production, the United States and Europe have different regulations and approaches, which can result in differences in the types and levels of chemicals used in food products. A lot of foods in America include substances that have been connected to various illnesses. Although these foods are still common in the United States, many other nations have made the decision to avoid them and completely forbid them.

A knowledgeable source has revealed that Brussels is in discussions with Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech (22UAy.DE) about the potential of decreasing the up to 500 million COVID-19 vaccine doses the EU has agreed to buy this year in exchange for a higher price.

According to a letter that was sent by a coalition of European patient and consumer organizations and that was accessed by Reuters on Tuesday, the European Union's pharmaceuticals authority needs to do more to address the scarcity of certain antibiotics that are extensively used in the territory.

Berlin-based Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced on Monday that his country will ask the German government for permission to supply Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine. This move appears to move Poland closer to fulfilling a long-standing request from Ukraine's political and military leaders. Germany, the producing country, must approve the sale of Leopard tanks to non-NATO nations.

The European Union has reportedly threatened Twitter with sanctions after the social media giant suspended several journalists this week after owner Elon Musk said they shared information from another suspended account that tracked his air travel, Mediaite reports.

In a mega tax case involving 30 million Euros, the European Union's highest court has sided with Chrysler Fiat, overturning a prior decision. Credit: Aldo Pavan (Getty Images) As confirmed by ABC News, the Court of Justice today ruled that the automaker does not have to pay the nation of Luxembourg up to 30 million Euros in back taxes. The court's decision was based on the fact that the European Commission -- the EU's executive branch -- "failed to take into account the typical tax laws in Luxembourg when it was determining whether the automaker got a tax advantage."

Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of GermanySteffen Prößdorf. Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz has recently drawn renewed attention to the potential expansion of the European Union in his comments to a gathering of European social democrats, outlining his rational that such an expansion would allow Europe to pull more weight in global affairs. This might also mean greater security for some states from aggression outside their borders, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have stated that they will not be accepting Russians into their countries so long as Russia remains at war with Ukraine. Under this travel ban, any Russians wishing to travel to the Baltic states, whether as tourists or for the purposes of business, culture, or sports, would not be allowed entry even if they possessed valid visas for the European Union’s checks-free Schengen Area. That being said, each state has announced that these border closures were “not an outright entry ban and commonly agreed legitimate exceptions will remain in force for dissidents, humanitarian cases,” as well as in some instances of Russian diplomatic missions or familial links. Poland has since joined them in imposing these new restrictions. These moves come after more than a million Russian citizens have entered the European Union since the start of the conflict.

In response to President Putin’s heavy-handed threats to reduce the Russian gas supply to Europe leading into the cold winter months, the governments of the European Union have reached a deal to ration natural gas this winter to protect themselves and their citizens.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that the flow of Russian natural gas to European buyers has gone down due to the West's own actions, and that further decreases in supply might continue. This latest statement by President Putin has increased concerns throughout the European Union that a cut off of the gas supply would lead to political and economic havoc across Europe in the coming winter months. As such, the European Union has begun the process of creating emergency plans to reduce their overall gas demands in the coming months, with the hope that greater cuts now will allow for building up reserves for the cold winter months should Russia follow through in cutting off deliveries.

While the Ukraine War continues in Eastern Europe, and the West continues to help Ukraine resist Russia’s invasion and atrocities, those in the EU have some cause for celebration as accession negotiations to integrate North Macedonia and Albania have begun. As of last Tuesday, negotiations on the accession process began in Brussels, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen telling reporters that the people of both Albania and North Macedonia deserve it, and that all of the European Union stands to gain when both are eventually welcomed in as full members. That being said, the road to accession has not been easy for either state.