@schizoidman@lemmy.zip

cross-posted from : lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/75822925

In a leaked document, the Irish Presidency proposes to EU Member States that the interest of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta and SpaceX to make profits should take precedence over the fundamental right to data protection. Use of personal data “in the context of AI” should automatically be lawful. There seems to be wide informal agreement by many Member States. In particular, Big Tech would be able to use all personal data collected over the past decades with virtually no restrictions, as long as this happens “in the context” of AI. Schrems: “Under these proposals, the profits of AI companies would trump European’s fundamental right to privacy. This is nothing but a digital expropriation of Europeans.” All this is happening despite the key figures of AI corporations actively warn about the enormous risks associated with their own products.

#EuropeanUnion #AI #BigTech #privacy #digitalRights

According to Dataforce numbers reported by Automotive News, the overall market grew to 835,409 units while Chinese vehicles accounted for 11.7 percent of registrations.

German chemicals giant Evonik plans to cut another 3,200 jobs as part of a wider restructuring programme, the company said on Tuesday, as the sector continues to struggle with sluggish demand, US tariffs and high energy prices.

The German Chemical Industry (VDI) recently lowered its production forecast for 2026 to a decline of 1.5%, in what it has described as the sector’s worst crisis since World War II.

Among other divisions, Evonik plans to discontinue its polyester business, which generated annual turnover of around €150 million ($171.8 million).

Evonik sees a good chance for growth in Asia and the United States, with the company saying it is currently examining investments in the regions.

Andy Burnham once kept Palantir out of Greater Manchester. His first test as prime minister is whether to cut the company’s £330 million NHS contract—and risk a rupture with Big Tech and Washington.

Palantir currently holds contracts worth around £670m in the public sector, including major deals in health, defence, and policing. The largest—a £330m contract to manage healthcare data on the NHS Federated Data Platform

Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos said on Tuesday it was suspending operations at three chemical plants ​in Hull, UK, blaming high European gas ‌prices that have made production too expensive.

The three plants employ almost 4,000 people and makes chemicals used in medicines, clothing, cosmetics, detergents, building ​materials and explosives, the company said.

EU sanctions against almost 3,000 individuals and entities linked to Vladimir Putin’s Russia could lapse at the end of Tuesday after Latvia blocked a proposed compromise involving two Russian oligarchs, diplomats said.

The dispute was triggered by France’s demand that the EU lift travel bans and asset freezes imposed on Alisher Usmanov, a Russian-Uzbek tycoon, on what Paris described as “national security” grounds. Diplomats said the request was linked to a potential prisoner exchange involving two French nationals, including a man accused of spying in Azerbaijan.

Under a new proposal, Europol is set to receive unprecedented access to personal data related to current and potential cross-border investigations. It’s part of a wider plan to expand the use of AI in policing.

Europol is not currently allowed to search for and store personal data without, according to the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), “indications” that the data is relevant. But in May 2026, former Europol officials revealed to investigative journalists that the agency has been running “shadow systems” for years. These parallel systems sit outside the agency’s mainframe, allowing them to avoid data protection and IT design requirements.

The plans would also expand Europol’s role in dealing with the private sector. The agency would become the central “hub” for private actors to share information and receive funding for digital policing tools development. Such tools include tech for subverting encryption, for instance, or for scaling up automated profiling.

At the core VW brand, an agreement was reached at the end of 2024 to reduce overcapacity at German sites, lower labour costs and bring development costs down to a competitive level.

Schäfer said around 16,300 redundancies have been finalized in Germany, with a total of just under 28,800 agreed upon by 2030, close to the target of 35,000. He called the developments “good progress,” but warned that the measures are insufficient.

The French defense contractor Thales has introduced HexaForce

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won the state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

While the UK bucked the trend, results on the continent continued a slide that began in 2018. In France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, the proportion of 15-year-olds lacking basic functional literacy and maths skills rose to nearly one in three.

cross-posted from : lemmy.world/post/52073222

Turns out a lot of “competition” is the same company under different names, and it shows up in the price data too.

cross-posted from : lemmy.zip/post/71670397

BYD will need three vehicle assembly plants and one battery factory in Europe over the longer term to pursue its growth plans and comply with EU regulations, the Chinese automaker’s special adviser for Europe said.

cross-posted from : discuss.tchncs.de/post/67615881

France has been urging the EU to lift sanctions on Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov

EU diplomats said France had joined Slovakia in calling ​for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Usmanov after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

China overtook Germany to become Poland’s biggest source of imports for the first time in July, according to new data from the central bank. It ends a period of around 35 years in which Germany had consistently held top spot.

The rising star of Europe’s fascist and neo-Nazi right served seven years after being convicted of leading a criminal organisation and has vowed to bypass a ban on his participation in the next elections.

Akel member of the European Parliament Giorgos Georgiou on Tuesday demanded an end to what he described as “double standards” being taken by the European Union on Israel, compared to its stance on Russia, saying that the country is committing “genocide”.

Online games sites, AI chatbots and companions as well as social media platforms will soon have to carry out age verification when a user opens a new account, according to documents obtained by Euractiv.

“The EU remains fully committed to its One China Policy. Within this policy, the EU recognises the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole government of China,” a Commission spokesperson said in an written statement.

German companies increased investment in China by a third in the first half ​of 2026 while sharply reducing investment in the ‌United States, according to a study by the German Economic Institute (IW) seen by Reuters on Sunday.