– German Federal Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz.
Top Story: Could the oft-beset talks at the OECD on an international regime for digital taxation actually bear fruit? This week the signs have been positive for a potential agreement.
Podcast: The EU is deploying military drone technology to survey migrants and refugees at Europe’s external borders. How ethical are such practices? This week I speak to an MEP who has taken the lead in making this a frontline issue. Listen here.
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New 5G Action Plan. Last year, we told you that the Commission’s 2016 5G Action Plan would be reviewed in 2021. This week, we have confirmation of those intentions. Read more below,.
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The Italian Data Protection Authority has placed a ban on TikTok due to death of a 10-year-old girl who took part in a blackout challenge.
On January 21st, a 10-year-old girl was brought to the Palermo hospital, where she was pronounced brain dead. Doctors said they did everything they could. However, the girl was too far gone, and there wasn’t anything more to be done.
According to the parents, the girl took part in a self-asphyxiation TikTok challenge. This challenge resulted in her choking on a belt she had tied around her neck.
They claimed that they had no knowledge of this before the tragic event, and they learned about it only after their other daughter told them that her sister was doing something called a blackout challenge. The parents said that they thought TikTok was only used for dancing and making videos.
10-Jährige stirbt wegen Blackout Challenge auf TikTok: Italien sperrt Plattform miss.at - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miss.at Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
BRUSSELS | PARIS | ROME
The EU is leaving the door open for possible legal action against the pharmaceutical companies that have unexpectedly delayed the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, European Council chief Charles Michel has said.
“We can use all the legal means at our disposal for this,” Michel told
Europe 1. “The EU intends to enforce the contracts signed by the pharmaceutical industry,” he added.
Many leaders across the bloc have reacted strongly to the delays, while Paris is trying to come up with alternatives until vaccines’ production returns to normality. Read more.
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EU PRESIDENCY
Commission seeks to mitigate inequalities between children in distance learning. The European Commission has called on member states to invest in equipment and training to mitigate “inequalities between children” which have been highlighted by the use of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. More.
Image by Pan Xiaozhen (Unsplash | MANILA BULLETIN)
In Italy, a 10-year-old girl was found dead with her phone and according to report, the girl allegedly participated in the “blackout challenge” circulating on social media platform TikTok.
Now, Italian prosecutors have opened a probe into the accidental death of this young girl. The investigation came as Italy announced it had temporarily blocked access to TikTok for users whose age could not be proved definitively.
According to AFP report, the girl died in a Palermo hospital after being discovered last January 20, Wednesday by her five-year-old sister in the family bathroom with her cellphone which was seized by police.