Page 41 - U Countries News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

The European Union unveiled plans Wednesday to revamp Europe’s ID check-free travel area after national coronavirus restrictions placed new strains on tourism, travel and business throughout the bloc over the last year. The travel zone, known as the “Schengen area,” is made up of 26 countries: 22 EU nations plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Panicked by Italy’s coronavirus outbreak in February last year, some Schengen countries imposed border restrictions without consulting their neighbors to try to keep the disease out.

The head of Belarusian national airline Belavia on Saturday condemned as "despicable" the decision by numerous EU countries to impose airspace restrictions on the carrier following the forced landing of a passenger jet in Minsk. Most of Belarus's neighbours and many other European nations have banned Belavia flights amid outrage over Sunday's forced landing of a Ryanair jet en route to Lithuania from Greece and the arrest of a dissident journalist on board.

Less than two months before Slovenia takes over the EU's rotating presidency, conservative Prime Minister Janez Jansa is battling fires at home and abroad -- including an impeachment motion.

TikTok has a month to respond to concerns raised by European consumer protection agencies earlier this year, EU lawmakers said today. The Commission has launched what it described as "a formal dialogue" with the video sharing platform over its commercial practices and policy. Areas of specific concern include hidden marketing, aggressive advertising techniques targeted at children and certain contractual terms in TikTok's policies that could be considered misleading and confusing for consumers, per the Commission.

The European Union and India agreed Saturday to restart negotiations on a bilateral free trade deal, eight years after their first attempt failed and as both sides seek alternatives to China. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke via videoconference to EU leaders attending a summit in Portugal. The two sides announced what they called “a pivotal moment" in their relations by agreeing to resume talks they gave up on in 2013 and to collaborate on a wide range of other issues.