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The European Union is cracking down on Chinese platforms Shein and Temu over safety breaches.
The EU justice commissioner has raised alarm over the dangers posed by goods sold on Chinese shopping platforms Shein and Temu, warning of shocking safety failures as a Europe-wide investigation continues.
Commissioner Michael McGrath cited dangerous items including baby soothers with small beads that pose a choking risk, children's raincoats containing toxic chemicals, sunglasses without UV filters, and youngster's shorts with unsafe drawstrings. Cosmetics were also found containing Lilial, a chemical banned in the EU since 2022 over risks to fertility and fetal development.
More than 12 million low-value packages enter the EU each day from online sellers based outside the bloc.
McGrath said these platforms are bypassing European product laws and undermining local businesses.
“I am determined that we step up enforcement,” he said. “It’s not only about protecting consumers but ensuring a level playing field for EU businesses.”
The commissioner is awaiting results from an EU-wide secret shopper operation to support enforcement actions. In 2024, the Safety Gate rapid alert system recorded more than 4,000 alerts, with cosmetics topping the list, followed by toys and electrical appliances.
EU officials are now considering the removal of the 150 euro duty-free threshold and the introduction of a handling fee for each package to help fund customs checks and discourage non-compliant shipments.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could destroy Iran’s infrastructure “in two days,” while Tehran warned the U.S. would face growing economic costs from the conflict. The remarks came as Hezbollah reported new attacks on Israeli forces despite an extended Lebanon ceasefire.
At least eight people have died and 32 others were injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday (16 May), triggering a fire that quickly spread through the vehicle.
Jeffrey D. Sachs, an economist, public policy analyst, Columbia University professor, and UN advisor, said Azerbaijan and the wider South Caucasus could become one of the world’s key strategic connectors in an emerging multipolar order.
At least four people have been killed in a major Ukrainian drone attack on Russian territory, including the Moscow region, which authorities say faced its largest aerial assault in more than a year.
China has launched the world’s first experiment to study how artificial human embryos develop in space, marking a major step in understanding whether humans could one day reproduce beyond Earth.
Every day, an elderly woman in China’s Shandong province looks forward to a video call from her son. He asks about her health, tells her he has been busy with work, and promises he will come home once he has saved enough money. She tells him she misses him. He tells her to take care of herself.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), warning that the situation poses a significant risk of cross-border spread in Central Africa.
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