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TikTok on Wednesday said it is testing a feature that would let people add “Footnotes” providing informative context to videos that might be misleading.The feature being tested in the United States, where the short-form video sharing app has some 170 million users, appears similar to Community Notes on X, formerly Twitter.Unlike X though, TikTok will continue its own fact-checking program to fight misinformation, head of operations Adam Presser said in a blog post.”Footnotes will draw on the collective knowledge of the TikTok community by allowing people to add relevant information to content on our platform,” Presser said.”It will add to our suite of measures that help people understand the reliability of content and access authoritative sources, including our content labels, search banners, our fact-checking program, and more.”Adult US users who have been on TikTok for more than six months and haven’t violated its community guidelines were invited to apply to contribute to Footnotes.Contributors will also be able to rate Footnotes left by other people.Footnotes deemed as “helpful” will be made visible on TikTok, at which point any users can vote on them as feedback regarding their merit, according to Presser.”Whether the content discusses a complex STEM-related concept, shares statistics that could misrepresent a topic, or updates about an ongoing event, there may be additional context that could help others better understand it,” Presser said.”That’s why we’re building Footnotes.”Footnotes will augment TikTok’s existing integrity measures such as labeling content that can’t be verified and partnering with fact-checking organizations such as AFP to assess the accuracy of posts on the platform.Meta early this year ended its third-party fact-checking program in the United States, with chief executive Mark Zuckerberg saying it had led to “too much censorship.”As an alternative, Zuckerberg said Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, would use “Community Notes,” similar to the Elon Musk-owned X.Community Notes is a crowd-sourced moderation tool that X has promoted as a way for users to add context to posts, but researchers have repeatedly questioned its effectiveness in combating falsehoods.Supporters of President Donald Trump, among others, have contended without proof that conservative voices were being censored or stifled under the guise of fighting misinformation, a claim professional fact-checkers vehemently reject.TikTok is adding Footnotes as its China-based parent company ByteDance faces a deadline to sell the app or have it banned in the United States.Trump has said there was a deal on the sale of TikTok, but tariffs recently imposed by Washington on Beijing derailed it.ByteDance, while confirming recently that it was in talks with the US government on finding a solution, warned that there remained “key matters” to resolve.

The uncertainty kicked up by Donald Trump’s stop-start tariff rollout will undoubtedly hit growth, the president of the World Bank said Wednesday, ahead of next week’s semi-annual meeting of global financial leaders in Washington.”Uncertainty and volatility are undoubtedly contributing to a more cautious economic and business environment,” Ajay Banga told reporters, alluding to the market turbulence unleashed by the new US administration’s tariff policy. This uncertainty would “certainly” cause slower growth than previously anticipated, he added during the virtual event. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Spring Meetings kick off on Monday, with the Bank keen to promote its agenda to drive job creation in developing and emerging market economies. But the gathering of finance ministers and central bankers will take place against a challenging international backdrop, with US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy threatening to derail economic growth in many parts of the world.Since taking office in January, the US president has imposed 25 percent levies on several sectors including, autos, steel and aluminum, as his administration seeks to redress what it says is an unfair trading relationship with the rest of the world. The White House also imposed a new “baseline” tariff of 10 percent on most countries, and announced higher import taxes on dozens of trading partners, only to then temporarily roll many of them back. China — America’s third-largest trading partner — has been hit with a barrage of new tariffs totalling 145 percent overall. Beijing, in turn, has announced retaliatory tariffs of 125 percent on US goods.- ‘The right questions’ – The United States is the top shareholder at the World Bank Group, and has historically been a key driver of policy at the Washington-based institution, which has been led by a US citizen for most of its history.Shortly before leaving office, Joe Biden’s administration committed the United States to $4 billion in new funding for the World Bank’s agency that leverages donor funds to provide loans and grants to some of the world’s poorest countries. The Trump administration has so far refused to commit to that $4 billion figure, raising questions about how much money it plans to contribute to the World Bank and other international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Speaking on Wednesday, Banga indicated that the Bank would make do with a smaller budget if the United States did not provide funding at the same level as before, but that he still hoped Washington would come around. “We’re having a constructive dialogue with the US administration,” he said. “I don’t know where it’ll end, but I’ve got no problem with the dialogue I’m having.””They’re asking the right questions, and we’re trying to give them the right answers,” he added. – Nuclear, gas financing -Donald Trump has a long public record questioning the impact of man-made climate change. Since his return to office, concerns have been raised that his administration’s view on climate change could hit the World Bank, which has committed to increasing its climate finance portfolio to 45 percent of total lending. Banga told reporters on Wednesday that, while “the words might be a problem in different people’s eyes,” the Bank’s climate actual commitments should be less controversial. “We are not taking away from education and schools and development to fund something,” he said. “What’s inside the 45 (percent) is a commitment that half of it, over time, will go to resiliency and adaptation.”Banga also suggested that the Bank could soon take another look at funding nuclear and natural gas energy projects — something that would require approval from donor countries. “There is no reason why a country in Africa should not care about affordable, accessible electricity,” he said. “And it includes gas, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, wind and nuclear where it makes sense,” he added. 

French President Emmanuel Macron will on Thursday meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US envoy Steve Witkoff, the Elysee palace said, as transatlantic tensions soar over the war in Ukraine. Witkoff, who recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Rubio are heading to Paris for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, the State Department said separately.US President Donald Trump’s push for a ceasefire in Ukraine has yet to bear fruit despite his pledges to end the war quickly. Russia’s strikes that have recently killed dozens of people including many many children in Ukraine’s cities of Sumy and Kryvyi Rig show how the war is taking a hefty toll despite a series of diplomatic efforts.Macron has taken the lead in seeking to forge a coordinated European response to protecting Ukraine, both during the current conflict and in its eventual aftermath after Trump shook the world by opening direct negotiations with Russia. The State Department said Rubio was travelling with Witkoff to meet European officials for talks on the goal of stopping the war triggered by Russia’s invasion in 2022.A French diplomatic source said Rubio and France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot would discuss “the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the Iranian nuclear file”.This will be Rubio’s third trip to Europe since taking office.Witkoff said on Monday, just days after his third meeting with Putin, that he himself sees a peace deal “emerging”.Talks to end the Gaza war have also stalled, with Israel saying on Wednesday it would keep blocking humanitarian aid from entering the Palestinian territory, where a relentless military offensive has turned the Palestinian territory into a “mass grave”, according to medical charity Doctors Without Borders.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said blocking aid to the besieged territory of 2.4 million people was to pressure the Palestinian militant group Hamas.The Paris talks also come after discussions between the United States and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear program were held Saturday in Oman.Another round is scheduled for April 19, also in Oman.Separately, the French defence minister, Sebastien Lecornu, will travel to Washington on Thursday.He is set to meet with Pete Hegseth, US Defense Secretary, for talks on a number of issues including Ukraine, Iran and Gaza.He was also expected to hold talks with National Intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard and Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Ukraine envoy.lb-dt-dab-ah-as/rmb

One of the architects of US President Donald Trump’s tariff blitz has advocated a shake-up of the global trade and financial systems, centred on a radical strategy to weaken the dollar.Stephen Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, outlined his idea in a 41-page essay titled “A User’s Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System”.Little known until now, the Harvard-trained economist’s paper — published in November after Trump’s election win — has garnered attention in recent weeks due to its emphasis on tariffs and a weak dollar.Some analysts say the essay provides the intellectual rationale for Trump’s trade war.- ‘Mar-a-Lago Accord’ -For Miran, tariffs and moving away from a strong dollar could have “the broadest ramifications of any policies in decades, fundamentally reshaping the global trade and financial systems”.Miran’s essay argues that a strong dollar makes US exports less competitive and imports cheaper, while handicapping American manufacturers as it discourages investing in building factories in the United States.”The deep unhappiness with the prevailing economic order is rooted in persistent overvaluation of the dollar and asymmetric trade conditions,” Miran wrote.The dollar is traditionally a safe haven currency for investors in the event of war or crisis, and it has slumped in recent days over concerns about Trump’s trade policies.It is used by used by foreign companies and governments to buy oil, aircraft and other goods at dollar-denominated prices.The strong dollar tends to make US government bonds attractive to foreign investors, giving the United States an almost unlimited capacity to borrow.Miran called for a pact similar to that of the 1985 Plaza Accord, signed in New York by the United States, Britain, France, West Germany and Japan.The landmark agreement, named after the New York hotel where it was inked, allowed for a controlled weakening of the then-overvalued dollar to reduce the US trade deficit.Miran said the new agreement could be called the “Mar-a-Lago Accord”, after Trump’s Florida resort.”President Trump views tariffs as generating negotiating leverage for making deals,” Miran wrote.”It is easier to imagine that after a series of punitive tariffs, trading partners like Europe and China become more receptive to some manner of currency accord in exchange for a reduction of tariffs.”- Replenish government coffers -To lower the value of the US currency, Miran said US partners could sell dollars in their possession.Another proposal would be to swap the Treasury bonds held by creditors — usually borrowed over a few years — for 100-year debt.As a result, the US would not have to repay them regularly, and would limit the potential rise in interest rates caused by fears over such a financial upheaval on the markets, Miran said.He also suggested imposing a “user fee” on foreign official holders of Treasury securities, as a way to replenish government coffers. Countries that cooperate could see their tariffs lowered and could continue to rely on the US military umbrella, he said.- ‘De facto default’ -Vicky Redwood, senior economic adviser at UK-based Capital Economics, said forcing US lenders to swap bonds would amount to a “de facto default on US debt”.Charging a user fee on Treasury repayments abroad seemed “highly unrealistic”, experts at Swiss bank Pictet said in a note, and “could be interpreted as breach of contract, or akin to a default”.For Eric Monnet, professor at the Paris School of Economics, it all depends on the content of the contract. “If the US manages to get (other) countries to agree, legally it can be done without default,” he said at a recent conference.- A risky plan -Economists have largely been very critical of Miran’s ideas.”If the US really does want to reduce its trade deficit, there are better ways to do it,” Redwood said.She also pointed to the risk of soaring US borrowing rates, which have taken off in recent days, a sign of growing concern about US economic policy.The potential “Mar-a-Lago Accord is misguided from both a theoretical and practical perspective”, Pictet experts wrote in their note, questioning Miran’s thinking on the origins of the dollar’s overvaluation.Adam Slater, an economist at British firm Oxford Economics, told AFP that in order to significantly narrow the trade deficit, the dollar would likely have to depreciate by more than 20 percent.

Democratic US Senator Chris Van Hollen flew to El Salvador on Wednesday to press for the release of a US resident mistakenly deported to the Central American country.Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains imprisoned in a notorious jail for terrorists in his native country despite a US federal judge’s order, backed by the Supreme Court, for his return to the United States.Van Hollen said in a video post before taking off that he wanted to show President Donald  Trump’s administration and El Salvador that Abrego Garcia’s supporters would not let up in the campaign for his return.”I hope to meet with representatives of the government. I hope to have the chance to actually see Kilmar and see what his condition is,” said Van Hollen, who represents Maryland, Abrego Garcia’s home state.A legal US resident, Abrego Garcia was protected by a 2019 court order determining that he could not be deported to El Salvador, but he was sent there around a month ago.The Trump administration has admitted its mistake, and has been ordered by the Supreme Court to “facilitate” his return.But the administration — pressed on what action it was taking to remedy its error in lower court hearings — has not announced any efforts toward Abrego Garcia’s return.El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said during a White House visit on Monday he had no intention of releasing Abrego Garcia, while Trump told reporters he did not have the authority to intervene.Trump’s critics have warned that his defiance of the Supreme Court has placed the country on the cusp of a constitutional crisis.”This is about due process. This is about rule of law,” Van Hollen said.”What bullies do is they begin by picking on the most vulnerable. But if we get rid of the rule of law and due process in the United States, it’s a short road from there to tyranny.”The White House claims that it is complying with the courts and that Abrego Garcia is a gang member. He denies the accusation and has never been charged in either country.District Judge Paula Xinis said the case against him amounted to “nothing more than his Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie, and a vague, uncorroborated allegation from a confidential informant” of his gang membership.West Virginia Republican congresswoman Riley Moore posted on X Tuesday that he had also traveled to El Salvador to see the prison where immigrants deported by the Trump administration are being held.He declared himself supportive of Trump’s actions, however.Van Hollen’s fellow Democratic Senator Cory Booker, of New Jersey, is also mulling a trip to the country but has not yet made an announcement on timing and his didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.Two Democrats in the House of Representatives — Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida and Robert Garcia of California — are also planning to visit, according to US media.

The US Justice Department is suing Maine for allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday, the latest step in the government’s showdown with the northeastern state.US President Donald Trump clashed with the state’s governor on the topic in February, after earlier issuing an executive order barring transgender competitors from women’s sports.The Republican’s administration moved to cut Maine’s federal funding for public schools over the issue last week.”Today, the Department of Justice is announcing a civil lawsuit against the Maine Department of Education. The state of Maine is discriminating against women by failing to protect women in women’s sports,” Bondi told a news conference.Bondi accused Maine of violating Title IX, the landmark civil rights law that forbids discrimination on the basis of gender in educational facilities that receive federal support.Maine’s Democratic governor Janet Mills hit back in a statement called Wednesday’s move “the latest, expected salvo in an unprecedented campaign to pressure the State of Maine.””This matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, as has been claimed, it is about states’ rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will,” Mills added.- ‘See you in court’ -Trump had a heated exchange with Mills in February when the president raised his executive order targeting trans athletes while making televised remarks to a gathering of governors at the White House.”Two weeks ago I signed an executive order banning men from playing in women’s sports. Many Democrats are fighting me on that, I hope you continue because you’ll never win another race,” he said.”Are you not going to comply with it?” he asked Mills.”I’m complying with state and federal laws,” she responded.”Well, we are the federal law… You better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t,” the president said.”See you in court,” she responded.Trump’s order allows US government agencies to deny funds to schools that allow transgender athletes to compete on women’s teams.Republicans hammered Democrats on transgender issues — especially when it came to youth and sports — ahead of the 2024 election, capitalizing on a broader culture war over LGBTQ rights.Since his return to office earlier this year, Trump has demonized any recognition of gender diversity, attacking transgender people — a small minority of the population — and gender-affirming care for minors in both his rhetoric and in executive orders.Trump has said he will also push the International Olympic Committee to change its rules on transgender athletes before the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis.After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the World Health Organization’s headquarters finally sealed the deal at around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) Wednesday.”Tonight marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.Five years after the emergence of Covid-19, which killed millions of people, devastated economies and upturned health systems, a sense of urgency hung over the talks, with new threats lurking — including H5N1 bird flu, measles, mpox and Ebola.The final stretch of the talks also took place under the shadow of cuts to US foreign aid spending and threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals.- ‘It’s adopted’ -Right until the last minute, disagreement lingered over a few thorny issues.Negotiators stumbled over the agreement’s Article 11, which deals with transferring technology for pandemic health products towards developing nations.During the Covid-19 pandemic, poorer states accused rich nations of hoarding vaccines and tests.Countries with large pharmaceutical industries have strenuously opposed the idea of mandatory tech transfers, insisting they must be voluntary.But it appeared the obstacle could be overcome by adding that any transfer needed to be “mutually agreed”.The core of the agreement is a proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System (PABS), aimed at allowing the swift sharing of pathogen data with pharmaceutical companies, enabling them to quickly start working on pandemic-fighting products.In the end, the 32-page agreement was entirely highlighted in green, indicating all of it had been fully approved by WHO member states.”It’s adopted,” negotiations co-chair Anne-Claire Amprou announced, to thunderous applause.”In drafting this historic agreement, the countries of the world have demonstrated their shared commitment to preventing and protecting everyone, everywhere, from future pandemic threats.”The finalised text will now be presented for sign-off at the WHO’s annual assembly next month.- ‘Excellent news’ -Congratulations quickly poured in.”Excellent news from Geneva,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said on X.”We have learnt the lessons of COVID. To beat a pandemic, you need tests, treatments and vaccines. And you equally need solidarity and global cooperation.”The EU had led the charge arguing for flexibility and voluntary measures in the text.The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), which participated in the talks, had also taken that stance.Looking ahead towards implementation, the leading pharma lobby said intellectual property and legal certainty would be essential for encouraging investment in high-risk research and development in the next crisis.”The pandemic agreement is a starting point,” insisted IFPMA chief David Reddy.Developing countries and NGOs also hailed the agreement, while acknowledging that not all of their ambitions were met.”While the process may not have yielded all the outcomes we aspired for, it has opened an important avenue for future collaboration,” Tanzania’s representative told the gathering, speaking on behalf of dozens of African countries.- ‘More equity’ -As intense talks in corridors and closed rooms drew towards an end late Tuesday, Tedros told reporters he thought a deal would bring “more equity”.While taking measures against pandemics could be costly, “the cost of inaction is much bigger”, he insisted.”Virus is the worst enemy. (It) could be worse than a war.”The United States, which has thrown the global health system into crisis by slashing foreign aid spending, was absent.US President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal from the United Nations’ health agency and from the pandemic agreement talks after taking office in January.The US absence, and Trump’s threat to slap steep tariffs on pharmaceutical products, still hung over the talks, making manufacturers and governments more jittery.But in the end, countries reached consensus.- ‘Real work begins now’ -Many saw the approval of the text as a victory for global cooperation.”At a time when multilateralism is under threat, WHO member states have joined together to say that we will defeat the next pandemic threat in the only way possible: by working together,” said New Zealand’s former prime minister Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.As the congratulatory speeches continued on towards daybreak, Eswatini’s representative cautioned that “whilst we celebrate this moment, we need not rest on our laurels”.”The real work begins now.”

US President Donald Trump’s aggressive but fast-changing trade policy has foisted difficult questions on carmakers that they have not yet been forced to answer.While Trump has retreated from some of his most onerous tariffs, carmakers are on the hook for 25 percent levies on auto imports that went into effect on April 3.But so far, the effects of that levy have been muffled because carmakers are still selling vehicles from inventory. Auto companies and industry watchers expect this dynamic to persist for at least a few more weeks.But if the tariffs stay in place — a big if given Trump’s tendency to reverse course — automakers will need to decide how much of the hit to absorb and how much to pass on.”No one in this entire value chain can just absorb it,” Kjell Gruner, president of Volkswagen Group of America, said Tuesday.”We can’t say, ‘Oh the customers need to swallow it.’ That price increase would be too high,” Gruner told an industry conference. “We can’t also say the dealers need to. Nor can we.”A priority is clear communication to customers, said Gruner, adding that pricing changes would not be made overnight.Tariff talk dominated Tuesday’s Automotive Forum held just ahead of the annual New York International Auto Show.Since returning to the White House in January, Trump’s myriad tariff announcements have been at the center of his administration’s economic policy.Trump reversed course last Wednesday on the most onerous of his “reciprocal” tariffs for every country except China following upheaval in financial markets.But other tariffs have stayed in place, such as a 25 percent levy on steel and aluminum imports, which affects automakers, along with the direct levy on automobile imports. On Monday, Trump opened the door to walking back his 25 percent tariff on all auto imports, saying he was “looking at something to help some of the car companies.”One of Trump’s aims with tariffs is to boost US manufacturing. But industry experts note that automobile capital investments are multi-year commitments that require confidence in a stable commercial environment — something undermined by constant changes in policy.Patrick Manzi, chief economist at the National Automobile Dealers Association, opened Tuesday’s proceedings with a downcast outlook on the economy.”I expect to see consumers holding off on big-ticket items,” said Manzi, who has raised his odds for a US recession to 60 percent.- Aggressive pricing -Automakers emphasized their commitment to US investments, with Volvo touting its ramping of production at a South Carolina factory and Nissan pointing to a recent decision to maintain a second shift at a Tennessee assembly plant as the companies seek to boost US output.Hyundai North America chief Randy Parker pointed to the South Korean conglomerate’s announcement of a $21 billion new steel plant in Louisiana announced last month at a White House event with Trump.Parker, who quipped that US tariff policy might have changed since he last checked his phone, described the company’s strategy as “quite simple.””Our plan is to sell cars period,” he said. “Sell like hell.”Hyundai has promised to hold prices steady in the short run, joining other brands like Nissan and Ford that have announced consumer-friendly pricing actions amid the tariffs.These moves contributed to a surge in US auto sales in March as shoppers fast-forwarded purchases to get ahead of tariffs. These trends have continued thus far into April, said Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at JD Power. King does not expect the US car market to see a significant hit from tariffs until the third quarter.But by the fourth quarter, King expects auto prices to be up around five percent due to the tariffs, resulting in about an eight percent drop in US auto sales.These figures are based on the current economic outlook. “If we were to have a recession, it would be obviously a bigger gap,” King said.

With President Donald Trump more unpredictable than ever and transatlantic ties reaching new lows, calls are growing louder for Europe to declare independence from US tech.From Microsoft to Meta, Apple to Uber, cloud computing to AI, much of the day-to-day technology used by Europeans is American.The risks that brings were hotly debated before Trump returned to power, but now Europe is getting serious — pushing to favour European firms in public contracts and backing European versions of well-known US services.As Europe faces Trump’s tariffs, and threatens to tax US tech unless the two sides clinch a deal averting all-out trade war, there is a growing sense of urgency.Tech sovereignty has been front and centre for weeks: the European Union unveiled its strategy to compete in the global artificial intelligence race and is talking about its own payment system to rival Mastercard.”We have to build up our own capacities when it comes to technologies,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen has said, identifying three critical sectors: AI, quantum and semiconductors.A key concern is that if ties worsen, Washington could potentially weaponise US digital dominance against Europe — with Trump’s administration already taking aim at the bloc’s tech rules.That is giving fresh impetus to demands by industry, experts and EU lawmakers for Europe to bolster its infrastructure and cut reliance on a small group of US firms.”Relying exclusively on non-European technologies exposes us to strategic and economic risks,” said EU lawmaker Stephanie Yon-Courtin, who focuses on digital issues, pointing to US limits on semiconductor exports as one example.- ‘Buy European’ push -The data paints a stark picture.Around two-thirds of Europe’s cloud market is in the hands of US titans Amazon, Microsoft and Google, while the share of European cloud providers has been in steady decline, falling to 13 percent in 2022.Twenty-three percent of the bloc’s total high-tech imports in 2023 came from the United States, second only to China — in everything from aerospace and pharmaceutical tech to smartphones and chips.Although the idea of a European social media platform to rival Facebook or X is given short shrift, officials believe that in the crucial AI field, the race is far from over.To boost European AI firms, the EU has called for a “European preference for critical sectors and technologies” in public procurement.”Incentives to buy European are important,” Benjamin Revcolevschi, chief executive of French cloud provider OVHcloud, told AFP, welcoming the broader made-in-Europe push.Alison James, European government relations lead at electronics industry association IPC, summed it up: “We need to have what we need for our key industries and our critical industries to be able to make our stuff.”There are calls for greater independence from US financial technology as well, with European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde advocating a “European offer” to rival American (Mastercard, Visa and Paypal) and Chinese payment systems (Alipay).Heeding the call, EU capitals have discussed creating a “truly European payment system”.Industry insiders are also aware building tech sovereignty requires massive investment, at a moment when the EU is pouring money into defence.In an initiative called EuroStack, digital policy experts said creating a European tech ecosystem with layers including AI would cost 300 billion euros ($340 billion) by 2035.US trade group Chamber of Progress puts it much higher, at over five trillion euros.- Different values -US Vice President JD Vance has taken aim at tech regulation in denouncing Europe’s social and economic model — accusing it of stifling innovation and unfairly hampering US firms, many of whom have aligned with Trump’s administration.But for many, the bloc’s values-based rules are another reason to fight for tech independence.After repeated abuses by US Big Tech, the EU created major laws regulating the online world including the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA).Much to the chagrin of US digital giants, the EU in 2018 introduced strict rules to protect European users’ data, and last year ushered in the world’s broadest safeguards on AI.In practice, supporters say the DMA encourages users to discover European platforms — for instance giving users a choice of browser, rather than the default from Apple or Google.Bruce Lawson of Norwegian web browser Vivaldi said there was “a significant and gratifying increase in downloads in Europe”, thanks in large part to the DMA.Lawson insists it’s not about being anti-American.”It’s about weaning ourselves off the dependency on infrastructure that have very different values about data protection,” Lawson said.Pointing at rules in Europe that “don’t necessarily exist in the United States”, he said users simply “prefer to have their data processed by a European company”. 

At a malnutrition treatment centre in Afghanistan’s capital, the cries of children have given way to a heavy silence, as patients are turned away and medical staff laid off due to US aid cuts. Entirely funded by Washington, the project had to shut down when the United States — until recently the largest aid donor in Afghanistan — froze all foreign assistance.The many children who would have come to the centre won’t be treated now, said Cobi Rietveld, country director for the non-governmental organisation Action Against Hunger (ACF), which manages the clinic in the west of Kabul.”If they don’t get treatment, there’s an extreme high risk of dying,” she told AFP. Without new funding, the stuffed animals, toys and baby bottles were put away and the pharmacy locked when the last patient left in March. “When malnourished patients come to our clinic, it’s a big challenge for our staff to explain the situation to them and to tell them that they need to go elsewhere for proper treatment,” said chief doctor Farid Ahmad Barakzai. After four decades of war and crises, Afghanistan faces the second-largest humanitarian crisis in the world, behind war-torn Sudan, according to the UN. – ‘So many shocks’ -On average, 65 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with complications were treated at the clinic every month. They stay there for several days with their mothers not only to be fed but to prevent them from spiralling into illness. “Every infection a child can get, a malnourished child will get as well, with an increased risk of dying,” said Rietveld. It’s “painful” for the staff, finishing their last days of work, Rietveld added, because “they have to send them somewhere else where they don’t have the same specialized treatment”. Child malnutrition in Afghanistan, where 45 percent of the population is under 14 years old, is one of the most significant challenges because it affects entire generations in the long term.Some 3.5 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition and the country has one of the highest rates of stunting in the world, according to the UN.Adults are also affected: 15 million Afghans are currently food insecure, including 3.1 million who are already on the brink of famine. Last week, the World Food Programme said the United States had ended funding for its work in Afghanistan, having gone back on cuts to other countries. “This is a country that’s been through so many shocks,” the World Health Organization representative in Afghanistan, Edwin Ceniza Salvador, told AFP.”So with a fragile system, even basic care of screening, those are even not there,” he said, underscoring that “of course the most vulnerable are the most affected”.- ‘Only place we could work’ -The funding crisis has also led to numerous layoffs in the humanitarian sector, in a country where the unemployment rate reached 12.2 percent in 2024, according to the World Bank. Since the US cuts, ACF has had to lay off around 150 of its 900 staff. “I have crying people in my office,” said Rietveld. “We listen, we offer support, but we can’t get them a job.” Hit hardest by the layoffs were women, who made up the majority of the 40 staff at ACF’s child nutrition centre and who face severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban authorities since their return to power in 2021.They can no longer work in many sectors and are not allowed to study beyond primary school, unless they enrol in a religious school, leading the UN to label the system as “gender apartheid”.”For many of us, the only place we could work was in this health centre,” said 27-year-old nurse Wazhma Noorzai. “Now, we are losing even that.” To recover after the loss of US funding, which made up 30 percent of the ACF’s local budget, the organisation is “in the process of writing proposals” and “discussing with donors”, Rietveld said.”But I don’t think other donors can cover the gap.”