Apple has announced a change in its user policies, which has to do with the possibility of replacing Siri in the European Union with other assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant.

In this regard, the company has said that users in Europe will be allowed to use another voice assistant instead of Siri, a measure that will allow Apple to comply with the new European Digital Markets Act, “which requires large technology companies to be more open and provide more options to users.”

The change in regulations forces the technology company to abandon its closed and “fully controlled” internal system.

It has been said that the “possibility of using different voice assistants could affect the integration of services like Apple Music, HomeKit, or iCloud, which are designed to work with Siri.” Furthermore, Apple could also “lose some control over how users interact with their devices, although the company continues to maintain high standards of security and user experience.”

M.Pino

Source: impactonoticias

(Reference image source: omid armin on Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on X/Twitter and Instagram

La entrada Apple will allow EU users to replace Siri with Alexa or Google Assistant apareció primero en Bitfinance.

The European Union’s work on developing its own version of ChatGPT could become a reality in mid-2026. The project, open source and multilingual, has a budget of 37.4 million euros, financed with European funds.

The European Commission announced this initiative, called OpenEuroLLM, in which 20 organizations participate, including “universities and research centers, companies and computing centers.”

Although the project is expected to last three years, the first version of this European language model is expected to be ready by mid-2026 “and another at the end of the initiative’s lifespan, in 2028.”

Taking into account that it will be open source, it is understood that any person or company will be able to use the EU version of ChatGPT and run it for their own purposes.

“The data to train the model will be obtained from two firms that generate specific data collections to train artificial intelligence (AI), High Performance Language Technologies (HPLT) and CoommonCrawl. In addition, it is expected that other sources will be added and that the database will be enriched, especially to perfect the languages ​​in which the available resources are scarcer.”

OpenEuroLLM will be native in all European languages. “In addition, the intention of the European model is to be able to preserve the linguistics, nuances and diversity of each language.”

M.Pino

Source: eleconomista

(Reference image source: ALEXANDRE LALLEMAND on Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on X/Twitter and Instagram

La entrada The European Union is working on its own version of ChatGPT apareció primero en Bitfinance.

European governments have met all the requirements for the formal ratification of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, as announced in a statement on Monday.

In the case of Peru and Colombia, “the agreement has been applied provisionally since 2013” ​​and since 2017 with Ecuador, “but its definitive ratification will allow its application to be completed and ensure greater legal security for all parties involved.”

With this procedure completed, the parties will be able to “fully apply from November all the provisions of an agreement that has already been applied provisionally for eleven years.”

This Multiparty Trade Agreement with the three nations of the Andean Community promoted the opening of markets between both regions in the commercial and investment sphere, which includes “services, intellectual property, public procurement and the protection of Human Rights.” Areas such as cooperation in the sectors of competitiveness, innovation, modernization of production, trade facilitation and technology transfer and sustainable development are contemplated.

The European Union has a crucial role as the third trading partner in these countries, ratified by community data from 2023, when total trade was 33 billion euros.

With the ratification of the FTA, better conditions are expected to emerge in areas such as tariff regulation, “competition, transparency and intellectual property rights.”

In the statement, the European Council advocated for “a more stable and predictable environment for companies with a bilateral dispute resolution mechanism and a mediation system for non-tariff barriers.”

The agreement includes cooperation in the sectors of competitiveness, innovation, modernization of production, trade facilitation and technology transfer and sustainable development.

M. Pino

Source: americaeconomia

(Reference image source: Bernd 📷 Dittrich in Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada European Union ratifies FTA with Colombia, Peru and Ecuador apareció primero en Bitfinance.

With the issuance of digital passports, the European Union not only seeks to do the process simpler, but to allow transit between borders to be faster.

The European Commission states that digital travel documents “will be free, voluntary and less annoying, and will offer a more fluid and safe experience for travelers” of the EU Schengen space.

People who leave or enter in this space “can digitally store their travel credentials, according to the plans presented by the European Commission.”

In this sense, from the organization they have assured that the giving them collected in the chip of a passport or identity document can be transferred to a smartphone with the aim of expediting the border crossing.

Vera Jourová, vice president of the Commission and responsible for values ​​and transparency, estimates that the digitalization of the passport and other documents will allow “a more fluid and safe travel experience.”

The European agency emphasizes that having the information about travel plans and the documents previously digitized and saved in an electronic device will allow them to present them to the authorities in advance. This will result in a time reduction for the border crossing process invested in the verification of the information.

With this, the authorities may focus on more worrying aspects, “such as immigrant traffickers.” This digital document is expected to enter into force in 2030.

The digital passport in the region still expects approval by the EU Council and the legislators of the European Parliament. His discussion coincides with the discussion phase for the introduction of “a new independent system control system and exits of the EU Schengen space” that could enter into force in November.

On this new system it is known that travelers not belonging to the EC member countries must undergo a scan when entering the “Schengen space, the passport -free interior area that covers most of the most Norwegian EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, but excludes Ireland and Chipre.”

M.Pino

Source: euronews

(Reference image source: Guillaume Périgois in Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada Digital Passport in the EU will facilitate border control apareció primero en Bitfinance.

With the purpose of regulating aspects related to the health, breeding, shelter, reproduction, sale or adoption of dogs and cats in the European Union, the ambassadors of the member countries reached an agreement this Wednesday on the first law on the welfare of these animals.

Later, they will have to negotiate with the European Parliament the final version of said law, which will establish specific and minimum standards in the area for the first time.

The Council issued a statement explaining “that the European Commission’s legislative proposal aims to increase the welfare of dogs and cats from breeders, sales establishments and shelters, while also aiming to improve consumer protection, ensure fair competition and combat illegal trade.”

They have clarified that this proposal “does not affect individual pet owners. However, anyone wanting to place a cat or dog on the EU market will have to ensure that it is microchipped for traceability purposes.”

As the requirements of the legislative proposal are minimum standards, Member States can maintain or introduce stricter rules.

Some of the aspects that will be provided for in this law are:

-The regulation of breeding, with frequency limits and minimum and maximum age.

–Prohibition of breeding practices, such as inbreeding (breeding between parents and children; siblings and half-siblings; grandparents and grandchildren), although it is clarified that inbreeding can be used to preserve local breeds with a limited genetic pool.

–Prohibition of painful mutilations, such as ear or tail cutting and claw removal, unless it is a medical indication.

–Daily access to open spaces for dogs over twelve weeks old, or walks every day.

–Operators and establishments will have to ensure that all dogs and cats have a microchip implanted and are registered in a national database before being sold or donated.

-The caretakers of these animals must have “an adequate understanding of their behavior and needs.”

-Social awareness when selling or donating dogs and cats about responsible ownership by pet establishment owners.

-Operators cannot abandon dogs or cats.

-The breeding of hybrids (the result of crossing with a wild species) is prohibited.

-After two cesarean sections, cats and dogs will not be used for reproduction, to preserve their health and well-being.

–Dogs and cats with extreme traits should be excluded from breeding, to avoid passing these traits on to future generations if there is a high risk of detrimental effects to their well-being or that of their offspring.

–Imports will be subject to the same standards or their equivalents.

M.Pino

Source: swissinfo

(Main reference image source: Guillaume Périgois in Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada EU signs agreement on first dog and cat welfare law apareció primero en Bitfinance.

Latin America already has its new ambassadors and chargé d’affaires of the European Union, who were appointed this Tuesday by Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy.

The official appointed Jekaterina Dorodnova, current advisor for the Western Balkans at the offices of the European External Action Service (EEAS), as ambassador to Ecuador. In Bolivia, Jaume Segura Socias was appointed, who is currently the EU representative in Honduras.

“The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs also appointed Antonia Calvo Puerta as chargé d’affaires in Venezuela, where she will arrive from the headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels, after having previously served as European ambassador in Costa Rica.”

In Honduras, Borrell appointed Gonzalo Fournier as the new EU ambassador. In the case of Chile, the new ambassador will be Claudia Gintersdorfer, an official who will also arrive from the EEAS headquarters in the community capital.

Mexico also has a new ambassador, after the appointment of Francisco André, current Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal.

For his part, the new EU official representative in Peru is Jonathan Hatwell, current head of the Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean department at the EEAS.

It is important to mention other appointments, such as that of “Belén Martínez Carbonell as EU ambassador to the UN, at the Geneva headquarters; Diego Mellado Pascua as the new EU ambassador in Algeria; Diego Escalona Paturel as ambassador to the Central African Republic; and Joaquín Tasso Vilallonga as ambassador to Mauritania.”

Likewise, Martin Selmyr – former chief of staff of the former president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and secretary general of the Commission – will be the new EU ambassador to the Holy See, to the Order of Malta and to the UN Organizations.

M.Pino

Source: bancaynegocios

(Reference image source: @JosepBorrellF, X)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada EU appointed new ambassadors in Latin America apareció primero en Bitfinance.

For alleged non-compliance with the Antitrust Law, four companies in the technology sector have been under investigation by the European Union since Monday.

Meta, Alphabet, Amazon and Apple apparently are not complying with the rules of the new Digital Services Law. For this reason, the European Union is investigating the actions of these platforms.

As you may remember, the Digital Markets Law came into effect on March 7. Regarding the case of the companies investigated, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton noted that they have held “conversations with the gatekeepers for months to help them adapt, and we can already see changes in the market.” But he added that they are not convinced that these companies “meet their obligations to make a fairer and more open digital space possible for citizens and companies.”

If the investigations progress and responsibilities are determined within twelve months, large fines could be established, equivalent to 10 or 20 % of the turnover of Meta, Alphabet, Amazon and Apple.

M.Pino

Source: confilegal

(Reference image source: Guillaume Périgois en Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada EU investigates compliance with Antitrust Law in Meta, Apple, Amazon and Alphabet apareció primero en Bitfinance.

The presidential elections in Venezuela, to be held on July 28, will gladly receive observers from the European Union (EU), the UN and the Carter Center, in view of the invitation made to them by the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Elvis Amoroso, last Thursday, March 7.

According to the official, the invitation for this electoral process was also sent to the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (Celac), the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the BRICS, the Inter-American Union of Electoral Bodies and the African Union, among others.

However, Amoroso emphasized that the invited organizations may be observers during the July 28 elections “as long as they comply with the legal regulations” and that they were “taken into consideration based on the provisions of the Barbados Agreement, signed in October 2023 between the government of Nicolás Maduro and the Unitary Platform, and the Great Agreement of Caracas, signed last February in the National Assembly.”

M.Pino

Source: hispanopost

(Reference image source: archive)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada CNE invited representatives of the EU, the UN and the Carter Center as observers of the July 28 elections apareció primero en Bitfinance.

The European Commission has asked European Union (EU) countries to extend for a further year the voluntary 15 % reduction in gas consumption agreed two years ago at the onset of the energy crisis. According to the institution in a statement, this measure was scheduled to expire on March 31.

Brussels urges Member States to continue to take voluntary measures to maintain a collective reduction in gas demand of 15 %, compared to the average consumption recorded between April 2017 and March 2022. The recommendation, which must be approved by EU partners, will be discussed at the next meeting of EU 27 Energy Ministers, scheduled for Monday 4 March.

On gas demand, Brussels acknowledges that the energy situation in the EU has improved since the beginning of the crisis. Despite this, it believes that there is still a need to save energy due to the persistence of geopolitical tensions, the constraint of global gas markets and the decision to reduce Russia’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Continuous gas savings will help to maintain and improve market stability, as well as facilitate the filling of gas storage during spring and summer. It will also support the EU’s decarbonisation efforts, the EU executive argues.

Brussels estimates that the bloc has managed to reduce its gas demand by 18 % between August 2022 and December 2023, representing a saving of 101 billion cubic meters and exceeding the 15 % target agreed in the summer of 2022.

In addition to reducing gas demand, Member States committed to reach 90 % of gas storage capacity by 1 November 2023. The EU already achieved this target in August last year, and by November it was already at 99% capacity.

K. Tovar

Source: Euronews

(Reference image: Arthur Lambillotte, Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada The European Commission asked to extend the reduction of gas consumption apareció primero en Bitfinance.

In its autumn report, the European Commission cuts expectations for growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the euro area for 2023, placing them at 0.6 %, marking a decrease of 0.2 percentage points compared to the summer forecasts.

Simultaneously, the entity has revised upward the inflation outlook for next year. According to the report, inflation in the eurozone is expected to reach 3.2 % in 2023, exceeding previous projections published during the European summer by 0.3 percentage points.

Although the report highlights a downward trend in inflation, the Commission points out an upward adjustment, raising the initial estimate from 2.9 % to 3.2 %. For this year, the Commission maintains its forecast of inflation of 5.6 %.

Furthermore, it highlights that the moderation recorded in 2022, mainly attributed to the decline in energy prices, now extends across various consumption categories, beyond energy and food.

K. Tovar

Source: Bancaynegocios

(Referential image source: Guillaume Périgois, Unsplash)

Visit our news channel on Google News and follow us to get accurate, interesting information and stay up to date with everything. You can also see our daily content on Twitter and Instagram

La entrada The EU changed its expectations regarding GDP growth apareció primero en Bitfinance.