French ban on iPhone 12 may snowball across Europe
Apple’s three-year-old iPhone 12 has run into trouble, dampening the spirit of its latest iPhone 15 launch. France’s radiation watchdog has concluded that the model’s specific absorption rate (SAR) is higher than legally allowed and breached European exposure limits. Paris decided to ban the sale of the iPhone 12, which has raised concerns about further bans across Europe.
Germany’s federal telecommunication regulator BNetzA said that the work in France could act as a guide for Europe as a whole and that it would examine the issue. Belgium reached out to the regulators, to analyse the potential danger of the product and review all Apple smartphones. The Dutch digital watchdog also said it was looking into the matter. Italy’s industry ministry, however, said it was monitoring the situation but not taking any action for now.
AI leaders call for balanced regulation in US Senate
CEOs, and decision-makers in the artificial intelligence (AI) companies urged for balanced regulations on the technology to support innovation and place guardrails. They were talking in a private US senate meeting on regulating emerging technology. Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia President Jensen Huang, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and X head Elon Musk were among the invitees. This is believed to guide policy makers to place safety nets. Industry leaders were reportedly called for regulation without trampling the industry. Zuckerberg said there are two defining issues for AI—safety and access. “If you believe this generation of AI tools is a meaningful step forward, then it’s important not to undervalue the potential upside.” Contradicting from most AI bosses, Musk emphasised the need for a central authority to enforce AI safety. He called for a referee. The regulator would ensure that firms take actions that are safe and in the interest of public, he said.
Will Chinese EV dominance in the European market end?
The European Commission is considering tariffs against Chinese electric vehicle makers alleging dumping of state-subsidised vehicles. The European Commission launched an investigation into Chinese electric vehicle (EV) imports. The Commission accused the Chinese players of dumping cheap electric cars backed by government subsidies creating a burden to the local manufacturing.
“Global markets are now flooded with cheaper electric cars,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “And their price is kept artificially low by huge state subsidies.” EU import of EVs from China has risen to 8% and is expected to reach 15% in two years, as per the European Commission. Cars made in China are 20% cheaper than EU-made vehicles. The EU also wants to reduce its reliance on China. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU objected to the investigation, saying that China’s competitive advantage was not due to subsidies and that the bloc should look at Chinese EVs objectively.