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App feature could be suspended unless child safety concerns addressed, in first use of sweeping new digital powersThe EU has said it will ban a new service launched by TikTok in Europe that it believes could be “as addictive as cigarettes” unless the company offers “compelling” fresh evidence that children are safeguarded.If the ban goes ahead, it would be the first time the EU...

Live, rolling coverage of business, economics and financial markets as Disney faces criticism over alleged leaking of shareholder vote resultsEurozone inflation fell unexpectedly in March, adding to the case for an interest rate cut by the European Central Bank.Consumer prices rose by 2.4% in the year to March, down from the 2.6% rate in February, according to statistics office Eurostat. That was below the...

Exclusive: Syndicate agreed to lend up to €640m to Allwyn in 2020, two years before contract awardedThe company behind the national lottery was borrowing millions from Kremlin-owned banks when it won the UK’s largest public-sector contract, the Guardian can reveal.Russia’s two largest lenders, VTB and Sberbank, were part of a syndicate that agreed to lend up to €640m (£545m) to Allwyn in 2020, two...

Bulgaria’s ‘eternal optimist’ in favour with European finance ministers after first five-year stint encompassing Covid and UkraineThe head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, will run for a second five-year term after being nominated by a string of European countries to lead the global lender.The Bulgarian economist and champion of policies to tackle the climate crisis will be given the support of her...

Prime minister will reportedly meet CEO of semiconductor equipment maker ASML, which has warned against anti-migrant stanceThe Dutch government is scrambling to ensure that the country’s largest company, the semiconductor equipment maker ASML, does not move operations or expand abroad after the tech firm voiced concerns over the country’s hardening stance on migrants.On Wednesday, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that the Dutch government...

Exclusive: Data shows costs have contributed to value of meat exports falling by 17% since 2019Food businesses sending products to the EU have had to fork out an extra £170m in export costs because of Brexit red tape, with the changes described as being “catastrophic” for some exporters.Data shared with the Guardian shows that in the three years since leaving the single market, exporters...

European Commission investigates Spotify complaint that tech giant blocked users from cheaper subscriptions outside app storeApple is reportedly facing a €500m fine from the EU over restrictions on access to music streaming services, in what would be a landmark blow to the US tech company.The European Commission is investigating whether the US company blocked music streamers from telling users about cheaper ways to subscribe...

Foreign secretary says there are legal, moral and political justifications for using assets of $350bnBritain is ramping up pressure on western governments to use $350bn (£275bn) of frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine’s war-shattered economy, with David Cameron insisting there were legal, moral and political justifications for action.The foreign secretary said the countries that were backing Ukraine had economies that when combined were...

Rolling coverage of the opening day of the World Economic Forum in DavosGeopolitical tensions and AI dominate start of World Economic ForumUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has met business chiefs at a session for “CEOs for Ukraine”, here at the World Economic Forum, before his speech this afternoon.He was seated alongside Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President, who will also address WEF today: Continue...

Customers can collect their parcels and try on items in one trip during trial at La Poste branchesIt is an increasingly common irritant of modern life. You order an item of clothing online; you wait with anticipation for it to arrive, and five minutes after it has arrived you’re packaging it up because it doesn’t fit.For shoppers in France, however, the national post office...

Swedish music stars profit from blockbuster year for Mamma Mia! production company Littlestar ServicesAbba stars Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus have shared in a dividend of nearly £1m after a surge in profits at the production company behind the Mamma Mia! stage musical and film adaptations.The Swedish music legends received the payout after a blockbuster year for Littlestar Services, the licensing and production company...

As railway staff, lorry drivers, farmers and others threaten to strike, we examine the challenges the country facesRailway staff, lorry drivers and farmers are among those threatening strike action across Germany from Monday in nationwide protests over grievances ranging from pay and conditions to cuts in agricultural subsidies and higher road tolls.Long Europe’s powerhouse, Germany is struggling with a potent mix of short-term and...