23 dead as Pakistan’s Punjab faces historic floods, two million affected
At least 23 people have died in the past 24 hours in Punjab province, Pakistan, after heavy monsoon rains triggered severe flooding, officials said....
Brussels, February 17, 2025 – WhatsApp may soon face further regulatory scrutiny in the European Union after its open channels for news sources and public figures surpassed 46.8 million monthly users in the region during the latter half of 2024.
This milestone pushes the platform over the 45-million user threshold that classifies it as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
Under the DSA, entities designated as VLOPs are subject to a range of enhanced regulatory requirements. These include stringent standards for transparent advertising, robust content moderation protocols, annual independent audits, and mandatory data sharing with EU authorities. Additionally, platforms must actively assess and mitigate risks associated with harmful or illegal content.
WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, is already designated as a VLOP alongside other major tech firms such as ByteDance, Amazon, and Google. The European Commission now faces the decision of whether to extend this designation to WhatsApp’s open channels—a move that could impose further obligations on the widely used messaging service.
This development is part of the EU’s broader initiative to reinforce digital accountability among large online platforms, aiming to safeguard public interests and ensure a safer online environment. As the Commission deliberates, stakeholders and users alike will be watching closely to see how any new regulations might impact WhatsApp’s operations within the EU.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
The world’s seven largest technology companies – Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Nvidia and Tesla – collectively reported a net profit of $143 billion in the second quarter, representing a 27.6% increase year-on-year, according to their financial statements.
Billionaire Elon Musk filed a motion on Thursday seeking to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which accused him of waiting too long in 2022 to disclose a significant stake in social media platform Twitter, later renamed X.
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 pickup trucks across the U.S. after a dashboard instrument display failure was found that may prevent drivers from seeing critical information such as vehicle speed and warning lights.
U.S. chipmaker Nvidia posted revenue of $46.7 billion for the second quarter of fiscal 2026, up 56% from the same period last year and surpassing market expectations, the company announced Wednesday.
The artificial intelligence (AI) boom that has fuelled markets in recent years faces a key test on Wednesday, when industry bellwether Nvidia Corp reports its second-quarter earnings.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment