- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- 'Little Gregory' murder haunts France 40 years on
- Tariffs, tax cuts, energy: What is in Trump's economic plan?
- Amazon wants to be everything to everyone
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
Eight EU countries oppose bloc's car emissions limits
Eight EU member states including France, Italy and Poland urged Brussels to scrap its planned vehicle emissions limits, warning they risked hurting investment in a document seen by AFP Monday.
The EU proposed changes late last year, known as the "Euro 7" standards, to reduce air pollution from new vehicles sold in Europe with limits to pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide.
The caps were set to enter into force in July 2025.
"We oppose any new exhaust emission rules (including new testing requirements or new emission limits) for cars and vans," the countries -- Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania and Slovakia -- wrote.
"These new rules would divert the industry's investments from achieving the net-zero transition pathway," they added in a letter sent to member states.
France and Italy have large auto industries, but not as big as Germany's.
The EU agreed on a planned phaseout of sales of new fossil fuel cars by 2035 earlier this year as it pushes for 100 percent electric vehicles.
The ban on internal combustion engines is key to the EU's ambitious plans to become a "climate neutral" economy by 2050, with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Air pollution linked to road transport is responsible for 70,000 deaths each year, according to the EU.
The draft calls for a reduction in the emission of NOx, the nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide that cause smog and acid rain, by 35 percent from cars and 56 percent from trucks and buses compared to previous rules.
The automotive industry opposes tougher petrol and diesel vehicle standards, insisting they will have very little positive environmental impact since the industry is moving towards electric cars.
The sector employs 13 million people in Europe.
Environmental activists say the EU's limits are not enough to tackle air pollution, accusing Brussels of acquiescing to pressure from the auto lobby.
The 27 member states must find a common position despite their differences before they can begin what will likely be tense negotiations with the European Parliament.
Italian Business Minister Adolfo Urso called on the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, on Monday to be "reasonable and pragmatic".
Germany, the EU's biggest car manufacturer, did not sign the text but has previously expressed concern about tougher standards for its businesses.
The German coalition government of greens, social democrats and liberals, has struggled to find common ground on the issue.
A.Zimmermann--CPN