France orders Tesla to end ‘deceptive practices'
France orders Tesla to end 'deceptive practices'
PARIS: French anti-fraud authorities said on Tuesday they have ordered US electric car giant Tesla's local subsidiary to stop 'deceptive commercial practices' after an investigation found several violations harmful to consumers and contrary to law. The fraud prevention and consumer protection agency (DGCCRF) said its agents investigated Tesla's French subsidiary between 2023 and 2024 after reports were filed on a consumer complaint platform. The probe revealed 'deceptive commercial practices regarding the fully autonomous driving capabilities of Tesla vehicles, the availability of certain options and vehicle trade-in offers', it said.
The agency also cited delays in refunding cancelled orders, a lack of information on the location of deliveries and incomplete sales contracts, among other violations. Tesla was given four months to comply with regulations. It faces a daily fine of 50,000 euros ($58,000) if it fails to stop deceptive commercial practices over the fully autonomous driving option of certain Tesla models. Tesla did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. Tesla sales have tanked in Europe in recent months owing to an ageing fleet of cars, rising competition and consumer distaste for Elon Musk's role in US President Donald Trump's administration. — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Arab Times
Nestle to remove artificial dyes from US foods by 2026
NEW YORK, June 26, (AP): Nestle said Wednesday it will eliminate artificial colors from its US food and beverages by the middle of 2026. It's the latest big food company making that pledge. Last week, Kraft Heinz and General Mills said they would remove artificial dyes from their US products by 2027. General Mills also said it plans to remove artificial dyes from its US cereals and from all foods served in K-12 schools by the middle of 2026. The move has broad support. About two-thirds of Americans favor restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or dyes, according to an AP-NORC poll. Both California and West Virginia have recently banned artificial dyes in foods served in schools. On Sunday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed a bill requiring foods made with artificial dyes or additives to contain a new safety label starting in 2027. The label would say they contain ingredients "not recommended for human consumption' in Australia, Canada, the European Union or the UK. The federal government is also stepping up its scrutiny of artificial colors. In January, days before President Donald Trump took office, the US regulators banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation's food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk. In April, Trump's Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency would take steps to eliminate synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, largely by relying on voluntary efforts from the food industry. Nestle has pledged to remove artificial dyes before. Early in 2015, the company said it would remove artificial flavors and colors from its products by the end of that year. But the promise didn't hold. Nestle said Wednesday it's been removing synthetic dyes from its products over the last decade, and 90% of its US portfolio doesn't contain them. Among those that do is Nesquik Banana Strawberry milk, which is made with Red 3. Nestle said Wednesday it wants to evolve with its U.S. customers' changing nutritional needs and preferences. "Serving and delighting people is at the heart of everything we do and every decision that we make,' Nestle's U.S. CEO Marty Thompson said in a statement.
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
NATO agrees defense spending hike
Trump hails 'victory' • Alliance members restate commitment to mutual defense THE HAGUE: NATO leaders on Wednesday backed the big increase in defense spending that US President Donald Trump had demanded, and restated their commitment to defend each other from attack after a brief summit in the Netherlands. While Trump got what he wanted at the annual meeting, tailor-made for him, his NATO allies will be relieved that he committed to the fundamental principle of collective defense after less clear-cut language on Tuesday. Trump told a press conference that 'we had a great victory here', adding that he hoped that the additional funds would be spent on military hardware made in the US. Trump threatens to punish Spain However, he threatened to punish Spain after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared it could meet its commitments to NATO while spending much less than the new target of 5 percent of GDP. 'I think it's terrible. You know, they (Spain) are doing very well ... And that economy could be blown right out of the water when something bad happens,' Trump said, adding that Spain would get a tougher trade deal from the US than other European Union countries. In a five-point statement, NATO endorsed the higher defense spending goal - a response not only to Trump but also to Europeans' fears that Russia poses a growing threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The 32 allies' brief communique added: 'We reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defense as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty – that an attack on one is an attack on all.' Asked to clarify his own stance on Article 5 after recent ambiguous comments, Trump said: 'I stand with it. That's why I'm here. If I didn't stand with it, I wouldn't be here.' Macron brings up trade tensions Trump had long demanded in no uncertain terms that other countries step up their spending to reduce NATO's heavy reliance on the US. Despite an appearance of general agreement, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue of the steep import tariffs threatened by Trump, and the damage they may do to transatlantic trade, as a barrier to increased defense spending. 'We can't say we are going to spend more and then, at the heart of NATO, launch a trade war,' Macron said, calling it 'an aberration'. He said he had raised it several times with Trump. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who hosted the summit in his home city of The Hague, said NATO would emerge as a 'stronger, fairer and more lethal' alliance. The former Dutch prime minister said Trump deserved 'all the praise' for getting NATO members to agree on raising defense spending. Asked by a reporter if he had deployed excessive flattery to keep Trump onside during the summit, Rutte said the two men were friends and judgment of his approach was a matter of taste. New NATO spending The new spending target - to be achieved over the next 10 years - is a jump worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the current goal of 2 percent of GDP, although it will be measured differently. Countries pledged to spend 3.5 percent of GDP on core defense - such as troops and weapons - and 1.5 percent on broader defense-related measures such as cyber security, protecting pipelines and adapting roads and bridges to handle heavy military vehicles. The additional spending will be a tall order for European nations, many of which have strained finances. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had to settle for attending the pre-summit dinner on Tuesday evening rather than the main meeting on Wednesday, although he met Trump separately after the conference ended. The Kremlin has accused NATO of being on a path of rampant militarization and portraying Russia as a 'fiend of hell' in order to justify its big increase in defense spending. — Reuters
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Arab Times
World shares mixed as markets take breather after recent wild ride
BANGKOK, June 26, (AP): World shares were mixed on Thursday and the US dollar weakened as investors caught their breath following recent bouts of volatility. Traders were turning to US updates on durable goods orders, jobs and consumer spending and what say about how President Donald Trump's higher tariffs are affecting the economy, analysts said. Germany's DAX surged 0.7% to 23,661.67. In Paris, the CAC 40 edged 0.1% higher to 7,565.46. Britain's FTSE 100 also gained 0.1% to 8,729.71. The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.3% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2%. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 barely budged, closing just 0.8% below its all-time high set in February. The Dow dipped 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 climbed 1.7% to 39,584.58 as attention shifted to a July 9 deadline for trade agreements to help stave off higher US tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Japan's lead trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, was due to visit Washington for another round of talks, with 25% US import duties on Japanese vehicles a main point of contention. Chinese markets were mixed. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 0.6% to 24,325.40, while the Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.2% to 3,448.45. In South Korea, the Kospi dropped 0.9% to 3,079.56 as traders sold shares to lock in recent gains. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1% to 8,550.80. Taiwan's Taiex gained 0.3% and the SET in Bangkok also gained 0.2%. In the oil market, which has been the center of much of this week's action, crude prices have stabilized after plunging by roughly $10 per barrel earlier this week. Benchmark US crude lost 10 cents early Thursday to $64.82 per barrel, though it still remains below where it was before the fighting between Israel and Iran broke out nearly two weeks ago. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 5 cents to $66.38 per barrel. A fragile ceasefire between the two countries appears to be holding, at least for the moment. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady, and the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.27% from 4.30% late Tuesday.
