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New rules on product safety bought online and offline for greater consumer safety

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European Parliament
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product safety online and offline
© Roberto Cortese - Unsplash

The new rules on product safety aim to ensure that all kinds of products in the EU, whether sold online or in traditional shops, comply with the highest requirements.

On Thursday, the Internal Market Committee adopted its position on the EU’s updated rules on product safety of non-food consumer products with 41 in favour, one against and two abstentions. MEPs adopted changes to enhance the safety of products sold in the EU and future-proof the existing legal framework. MEPs also clarified obligations for economic operators and online marketplaces and strengthened product safety requirements.

Clearer rules for operators and safety of products

All economic operators, such as manufacturers, importers and distributers, would have to comply with the updated general safety obligations to place products on the EU market. If those economic operators are not established in the EU, they would have to designate a responsible person in the EU as a contact point for authorities.

If they fail to comply, penalties can reach up to 4% of their annual turnover.

MEPs also strengthened provisions on safety requirements for products to take into account possible specific risks to the most vulnerable consumers such as children, the elderly and persons with disabilities. Products should be safe for all users, including women, whose safety should also always be considered when products are designed. Technological aspects, like cyber interference, but also the effects that digitally connected products can have on children’s mental health need to be considered.

Removal of dangerous goods

According to the adopted text and in line with the recently agreed Digital Services Act, online marketplaces would have to establish single contact points to communicate swiftly with surveillance authorities and consumers. Authorities can oblige online marketplaces to remove and disable access to illegal listings of dangerous products. After being notified, online marketplaces would have one day to act. They would conduct random checks to identify the dangerous products.

MEPs also want the rapid alert system for dangerous products (“Safety Gate” portal) to be modernised to allow online marketplaces to detect unsafe products more easily. The portal should become more intuitive and information should be easily accessible for users, including persons with disabilities.

Efficient recall procedures and access to information

In case a dangerous product needs to be recalled or there is a safety warning, economic operators and online marketplaces would be required to inform consumers and widely disseminate the information online. Consumers would be informed of their right to repair, replacement or refund.

MEPs also added a provision to make sure that information on products’ safety is available in easily understandable language and accessible to persons with disabilities.

Quote

The rapporteur Dita Charanzová (Renew, CZ) said: “Today, we take a crucial step towards making sure all products are safe in Europe, by giving consumers more rights and businesses, including online marketplaces, more responsibilities. And importantly, we do so in a way that protects small businesses without limiting consumer choice. Our “Safety Net” will be more effective and new obligations will target sectors where action is most needed. I look forward to a quick adoption under the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.”

Next steps

Once the Council adopts its negotiating mandate, interinstitutional talks between Parliament and member states can start. Once an agreement is reached, it will have to be endorsed by Parliament and Council before its publication and entry into force.

The grim story of eugenics: What does it show?

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Newsdesk
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Sir Francis Galton, FRS FRAI, was an English Victorian era: statistician, sociologist, psychologist, anthropologist, tropical explorer, geographer, inventor, meteorologist, psychometrician and a proponent of social Darwinism, eugenics and scientific racism

Learn more about the troubling theory of human improvement

The term “eugenics” refers to a set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the perceived genetic quality of the human population.

Although most often associated with the Nazi regime of the 1930s and 1940s, the history of eugenics is far more comprehensive than that, both in time and geographically.

The basic idea of ​​eugenics is that the human race can be genetically improved by excluding those groups that are considered lower and encouraging those groups that are considered higher.

While the term was most commonly used under the Nazi regime of the 1930s and 1940s, the concept of eugenics actually dates far back.

Browse our gallery and find out more about eugenics:

Ancient Greece: There is evidence of attempts to control human populations dating back to the ancient Greeks. Around 400 BC, Plato actually proposed selective breeding in humans.

Modern eugenics: The modern history of eugenics began in the late 19th century, when the discovery of evolution and genetics sparked a new scientific movement dedicated to the cause. The movement first appeared in the United Kingdom, where it was named by British scientist Francis Galton. The word “eugenics” comes from the Greek “eugenes”, which means “well born”.

From the United Kingdom, the movement spread to many countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia and many European countries. With the spread of the movement, people began to wonder which genetic traits were desirable and which were not. The problem was that the desired genetic traits were largely determined by the prejudices that existed in the country at the time. Whole groups of people, including immigrants and people with disabilities, were considered “unfit” for reproduction based on their genetic traits.

Many countries have taken steps to control reproduction among “undesirable groups”, such as restricting immigration and banning interracial alliances. Perhaps the most horrific example of eugenics in action is the Nazi regime in Germany, which systematically eliminated millions of Jews and other minorities. The enormous scale and brutality of the Nazi regime made it an extraordinary event in the history of eugenics.

However, Nazi eugenic policy did not differ from the policies pursued by other governments around the world in the mid-20th century. Many countries have introduced formal eugenics policies, of which sterilization has often been a key element. Sweden, Canada and Japan, for example, have forcibly sterilized thousands of people. Sterilization of individuals with “undesirable” characteristics was particularly common in the United States. Between 1907 and 1979, more than 60,000 people in the United States were sterilized under eugenics policies, and 32 states passed laws to sterilize “mentally defective” individuals.

A person has often been defined as “mentally defective” based on superficial mental health diagnoses and intelligence tests. Moreover, the tests used to determine an individual’s mental capacity were often linguistically and culturally biased against the immigrant population. The situation in California, USA was particularly severe between 1920 and 1945 – many more Latin American women were sterilized than other women.

After the atrocities of World War II, many countries began to ban their eugenics policies, although some countries continued to use forced sterilization for decades. The countries that have slowly given up forced sterilization are Sweden and the United States, and laws in California were not repealed until 1979.

Although the general influence of eugenics has been blunted since the mid-20th century, many countries continue to carry out illegal forced sterilizations. In addition, since the 1980s and 1990s, there have been fears that eugenics may return with a vengeance thanks to new technologies. The development of assisted reproductive technology procedures, including cytoplasmic transfer, which was first performed in 1996, has raised concerns about a new, more powerful form of eugenics.

Illustration: Francis Galton

Resorts are empty, hotels are closed: it became known how sanctions affected tourism in Europe

By
Petar Gramatikov
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Europe – and in particular, its resorts – suffered significantly more from the sanctions imposed against Russia than tourism in Russia. The fact is that many “Russian” resorts in Europe were left virtually without tourists, according to tourprom.ru. Some countries where Russians traditionally vacationed, as well as where a lot of real estate was bought, are threatened by a simply disastrous tourist season this summer. Interestingly, this assessment of the situation is voiced by Turkish experts.

Thus, the assessment of the “reflection of anti-Russian sanctions” on European tourism was described in detail by a Turkish tourism expert, a representative of the Antalya resort, Recep Yavuz. “Russia, which used to send 45 million tourists around the world and generate $36 billion in added value, has the ability to flip the balance. We see this now, when due to sanctions, not a single plane has taken off from Russia or landed in any area of ​​Europe since February. The damage this has caused to the EU countries cannot be underestimated,” he said.

According to him, the income from tourism in European countries has already collapsed, since Russia has been closed by air sanctions since February – and only new losses are expected in the season. Russian tourists were preferred in many resorts and made an important economic contribution. “European countries that relied on the Russians fell into the trap of the embargo they imposed,” says a Turkish expert.

Among the affected countries, he names the following countries:

• Cyprus and Greece – according to Turkish experts, these countries can be called the most affected by the absence of Russian tourists due to the embargo.

• The 350,000 Russian tourists who have summer villas in Bulgaria have no chance of coming to the country.

• Montenegro is one of the countries where Russian “dachas” are concentrated, but tens of thousands of houses will be left empty because of the Russians who cannot come to the country. Yacht tourism will also suffer.

• In Italy, which started 2022 with a target of 37 million tourists, the share of Russians is 2.5%. Italy struggles to find tourists who shop and stay in high end places like Milan. Previously, about 1 million Russian tourists traveled only to Rome. The economic losses caused by Russian tourists who were unable to come due to the embargo this year are expected to amount to 150 million euros, again in Rome alone.

• The “Russian” resort of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic also remained empty this year. “The fact that wealthy Russian tourists came to the region before the pandemic and spent an average of 3 weeks in the hot springs was the most important source of income in the region. It’s been going on for about 30 years now, and it’s completely over with sanctions and stuff. In the absence of Russian tourists, who were of great importance not only for the resorts, but also for the merchants of the city, the city is practically deserted. By the end of May, just a few rooms are loaded in hotels, the shops are empty and closed, ”says the Turkish expert.

• Spain also suffered, with 1.3 million Russian tourists. “The Spaniards, who once flew Russian flags saying ‘Don’t come again!’, are now looking for Russian tourists with lanterns,” says Mr. Yavuz.

The Havana Effect: Why there will be a second-hand car boom in the EU after 2035

By
Gaston de Persigny
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On the basis of a decision of the European Parliament from 2035 on the territory of the EU will stop the sale of cars with internal combustion engines. Their place will be taken by electric cars and other environmentally friendly vehicles. However, driving petrol and diesel cars will not be banned.

According to analysts, this could cause “the Havana effect, where instead of new and expensive cars, people will start buying second-hand cars en masse.

Freedom Island

Anyone who has been to Cuba or is interested in traveling knows that in this country the roads are mostly retro cars, which are sometimes 70 years old. Especially many of these cars are in the resorts and the capital of Havana.

The American classics of the 50s and 60s of the last century look authentic and give the island of Freedom a kind of charm. People seem to be in the past thanks to a time machine. Cubans, however, ride retro cars not from a very good life. The embargo on car imports imposed on the country is to blame. The Cubans never learned to make their own cars.

Something similar could happen in Europe. Car owners are used to their petrol vehicles. They have their advantages and are cheaper than electric cars. If the latter do not become cheaper and the mileage is not increased with one charge, it is likely that many EU citizens will use the available equipment to the last. It is possible that from 2035 there will be a boom in second-hand cars in the EU.

Before the locomotive

By the way, European countries do not intend to wait for a unified solution and have started approving national programs for the transition to environmentally friendly modes of transport.

Surprisingly, the residents of the northern countries, where the operation of electric vehicles is complicated by heavy rainfall, snowfall and severe cold, are most in favor of reducing harmful emissions.

For example, cars with petrol or diesel engines will not be sold in Norway from 2025. Currently, the share of electric cars has exceeded 65%. Britain, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium are planning a “green transition” in 2030.

France intends to take this step no later than 2040. But if uniform EU rules are adopted, the process will have to be speeded up.

Manufacturers do not mind

It can be assumed that car manufacturers will resist the innovations until the end, will sabotage the decisions and will lobby for the extension of the term for sales of cars with internal combustion engines.

But to everyone’s surprise, the companies are ready for the changes, despite the huge funds they will have to invest in the construction and re-equipment of the production.

After all, everyone will work under the same conditions. Manufacturers have long understood where the wind blows. For example, General Motors, Volvo, Jaguar and Ford already have strategies for abandoning classic engines as well as switching to electric ones.

Volkswagen and Mercedes announced something similar. Chinese and Japanese manufacturers also have the necessary technology. However, it is sad that serious competencies in the production of fossil fuel engines will be lost.

The technology of production of gasoline engines has developed a lot in its time and has even become almost an art.

However, not everyone is ready for change.

Meanwhile, not all EU member states support a complete abandonment of internal combustion engines. In the first place, this affects poor countries. The Czech Republic, where Skoda is produced, is strongly opposed.

Currently, the models of the brand are in great demand, but the company does not have large resources for the re-equipment of production. In Germany – the automotive capital of the world – also rages serious passions.

Expensive models with powerful engines are the locomotive and the pride of the industry. Will Mercedes, Porsche, BMW keep their character in the transition to electric motors?

Politician Hans Gizeke says the EU should expect a “Havana effect”. However, the Green Party, which came to power, believes that changes are needed. “The sooner we succeed in the transition to Europe and get rid of dependence on expensive fossil fuels, the better we will feel in the face of global competition,” said Katharina Drege, head of the Greens in the German Bundestag.

Terrifying archaeological find discovered in Northern Israel

By
Petar Gramatikov
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0

Archaeological excavations at an ancient cemetery in Beit Shearim in the north of the country have unearthed an unusual tomb with a threatening warning written in Greek.

The Israel Antiquities Authority, in collaboration with the Zinman Institute of Archeology at the University of Haifa, discovered an 1,800-year-old find at the Beit Shearim excavation site.

It is reported by Maariv.

On the headstone in blood red: “Jacob Hagar swore to curse whoever opened this tomb so that no one would open it. For 60 years.”

Adi Ehrlich, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa, said it appears that the deceased intended to make sure that his resting place was eternal. She said: “This was to prevent others from opening up his grave at a later stage, which happens quite often, in order to reuse graves after a long time.”

Like it or not, the warning seems to have worked, as at the time of this writing archaeologists have decided to honor the will of the dead. “We have blocked off the cave for now to guard the tomb, but no excavations are currently planned,” Ehrlich said.

It is also the first address to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 65 years, and experts believe it has existed since the late Roman or early Byzantine period.

Photo: Sergei Alon/Pen News

Robot barmaid Dunyasha, a pack of soda in space… Who welcomes SPIEF 2022 guests at stands

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Newsdesk
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The attention of the guests of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) was attracted by the robot barmaid Dunyasha, the revived pack of soda and melancholy narwhals, reports medialeaks.ru. At the booths, visitors were greeted by a cashier in the guise of a Stepford wife, a package of abrasive that mixed the powder and flew into space, and huge underwater animals.

On June 15, the 25th SPIEF-2022 Economic Forum opened in St. Petersburg, which will bring together representatives of 127 states. Egypt was the guest country, and the main theme of the three-day event was the motto “New World – New Opportunities” by the organizers.

RBC journalists who attended the opening of the SPIEF drew attention to the stand with ice cream, which is sold by the robot barmaid Dunyasha. The video shows that the “cashier” was created as a bright blonde with uniforms, in a pink dress and large beads – her outfit resembles a mixture of the images of the “Stepford Wives” and saleswomen in the USSR in the 50s of the XX century.

Robot Dunyasha

Blinking occasionally, the barmaid gave compliments to the guest and told interesting facts about St. Petersburg.

Nice to meet you, you look great. My name is Dunyasha, what is your name? For such a sweet girl, I have the most fantastic ice cream and fabulously aromatic coffee.

The video with Dunyasha went viral in Runet, and some users drew attention to the chest of the robot. It is known that the prototype of Dunyasha was “Mrs. Perm-2014” Diana Gabdullina.

Also in social networks drew attention to the stand of the Bashkir soda company. Representatives of the company installed a screen on which there was an image of a live pack of soda. At first, the packaging stubbornly mixed white powder in a bowl and invited her to come closer.

Interactive Soda Pack

Then the soda left the city and, meditating, flew first to the mountains, and then into space.

The video from the Gazpromneft booth shows that the guests were “greeted” by a stern walrus and narwhals melancholy swimming under the water.

Also, guests and participants of the event can visit the stand of Donbass, go to the Egyptian pavilion and treat themselves to dishes from the menu of Mediterranean, Russian and Pan-Asian cuisine worth 4,500 rubles per set.

Earlier, Medialeaks told how the robot Fedor became a daredevil in the eyes of Runet users and jokingly criticized the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin.

In another article by Medialeaks, you can read how the Russians tried to talk to the voice assistant “Alisa” and find out her opinion about the Russian special operation in Ukraine.

Vucic: Serbia will be without Russian oil from November, only Bulgaria will have electricity in the winter

By
News desk
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Serbian President Alexander Vucic has announced that our western neighbor has been without Russian oil since November. According to him, Belgrade is preparing for a severe winter and is providing everything necessary, but a dozen new problems are emerging every day, Radio and Television Serbia (RTS) reported.

He added that there will be no electricity in the region, and Bulgaria will certainly have only because of the nuclear power plant.

“We have to provide fuel oil, NIS (the state oil company) does not have enough fuel oil, so we import 20,000 tons, so you estimate that we need 120,000 tons for the whole winter,” said the head of state.

According to him, fuel oil is nowhere to be found and should be imported in barges from Romania.

“Everyone wants their apartment to be warm so they can wear shorts and a T-shirt. Nobody wants to wear a sweater in the winter in the apartment, but nobody asks how we will fill up enough gas, how we will provide 2.7 million cubic meters of gas per day only for the gas plants in Novi Sad, Pancevo and Zrenyanin. As of November 1, we no longer have the right to import Russian oil, according to the current sanctions and who knows what sanctions will be imposed by then, “Vucic explained.

“Currently we can dig 62,000 tons, and in the winter we need 95,000 to 100,000 tons, we will dig maybe 75,000 or 80,000 tons, and where to import coal, how will we transport it, what is the quality”, added the Serbian president.

He added that there will be no electricity in the region, and Bulgaria will certainly have only because of the nuclear power plant.

Photo: Alexander Vucic / Reuters

Greece offers modest aid to Ukraine on one condition

By
News desk
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Greek PM Mitsotakis says Athens military aid to Ukraine will be modest

Athens is ready to provide Kyiv with military aid, but it will be modest due to limited resources. Thus, the Greek authorities are ready to deliver 20 to 30 armored vehicles under one condition, said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in an interview with ERT, quoted by Lenta.ru.

According to him, in order for Athens to decide on such deliveries, it is necessary to replace the relevant equipment with more modern one – for now we are talking about the exchange of armored vehicles from Germany, Lenta.ru writes.

 “Do we want Greece to be a sad exception to European policy [to help Kyiv]? I don’t think so, despite the problems with an aggressive neighbor, “Mitsotakis said, referring to disputes with Turkey over the status of the Aegean border islands. The crux of the dispute is that during the Lausanne Peace Treaty of 1923 and the Paris Agreements of 1947, Greece undertook not to arm the islands off the Turkish coast, but has violated those agreements in recent years. Athens attributes this to the fact that the Turkish side has increased its naval presence in the Aegean Sea, which poses a threat to its security.

As Greek government spokesman Ioannis Economou said earlier, Athens could send BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles to Kyiv. In return, Greece will receive Marder armored vehicles from Germany.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense presented the world’s most protected armored personnel carrier “Eitan”

By
Newsdesk
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0

The new armored personnel carrier impresses with its spaciousness, as well as a record speed of 90 km / h, and the armored personnel carrier is also endowed with high maneuverability.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense presented the world’s most secure armored personnel carrier “Eitan” of Israeli production, created on the basis of the technology of the Merkava tank.

This is reported by the telegram channel Media Archive.

According to the information, it can accommodate up to 12 fighters, has a speed of about 90 km / h, has high off-road maneuverability and is able to participate in multi-day combat operations.

Cursor wrote earlier that the Israel Innovation Authority will hold a special demonstration of new drone technology. Innovation Authority will demonstrate new technology for unmanned mailboxes delivering boxes to a distribution center.

The cursor previously wrote that Israel introduced a new BLR-2 robotic combat vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with a BLR-2 type platform, a 30mm autonomous turret developed by the Directorate of Tanks and APCs, Elbit’s Iron Fist active protection system, a fire control and flight control system, a robotic autonomous kit, as well as warning systems.

Our website also wrote that Israel presented a new fire detection system in Paris. IAI presented at an exhibition in Paris a new system for detecting firing points on the battlefield. It’s called OTHELLO-P. It is equipped with artificial intelligence that processes data with new, more efficient SWIR electro-optical and acoustic sensors.

A defective but genuine 100-dollar bill was found in Belarus. How much can it cost?

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Newsdesk
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0

Forensic experts checked an unusual $100 bill, which was found to have a lot of defects. It turned out that the bill is genuine. Probably, among collectors, she could make a splash.

Initially, an employee of the capital’s bank had doubts about the authenticity of the 100-dollar bill. The cash ticket was handed over to the department for the Leninsky district of the Oktyabrsky inter-district department of the State Committee for Forensic Examinations.

It turned out that this is a genuine bill of the US Federal Reserve System of the 1996 series, despite the presence of a marriage.

“Initially, doubts about the authenticity were caused by the inconsistency of some of the banknote security elements, namely, a different location of the watermark and security thread, the partial absence of security thread luminescence and the presence of ink bleeding in some images,” the official press release says.

As forensic experts have established, the marriage is associated with violations of the technological process that were made in the workplace.

What will happen next with this banknote?

The chain is usually like this. The bank, which doubted the authenticity of the dollars, calls the investigative team. Technical examination of documents is assigned. Using a microscope, the expert at his workplace compares the questionable banknote with reference samples and establishes its authenticity.

– The further fate of the cash ticket will be determined by law enforcement agencies. Perhaps he will return to the bank that decided to verify its authenticity, – said Anna Baryshnikova, representative of the UGKSE in Minsk.

The State Committee noted that, in general, genuine banknotes with manufacturing defects rarely get to forensic examinations.

How much can this banknote be sold for?

We asked what Sergey thinks about the value of this banknote, who showed readers his collection of banknotes from hundreds of countries.

– This bill can be sold dearly, especially if you attach a document from the forensic experts, which lists all the flaws. I think its price is at least 1000 rubles, at least I would not give it cheaper. Much, of course, depends on the number of people interested in buying. This banknote should create a stir in the sale, – the collector is convinced.

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