Inside these posts: European Commission

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China’s rare earths export cut raises trade concerns

China has raised fresh international trade concerns after slashing export quotas on rare earths minerals, used in the manufacture of high-tech devices, risking action from the United States at the World Trade Organization.

China, which produces about 97 percent of the global supply of rare earth minerals, cut its export quotas by 35 percent for the first half of 2011 versus a year ago, saying it wanted to preserve ample reserves, but warned against basing its total 2011 export quota on the first half figures. Get the full story »

EU fines cartel for fixing prices on LCD panels

The European Union’s competition watchdog says it is fining five Taiwanese and South Korean electronics companies $856 million for fixing prices on LCD panels between 2001 and 2006. Get the full story »

Ireland bailout not a done deal, EU says

A bailout package for Ireland is still under discussion and it isn’t clear whether it will be OKd Sunday, a spokesman for the European Commission said Friday.

“It’s not decided … We are not there yet … We’re making good progress,” Amadeu Altafaj Tardio, spokesman for Economic and Monetary Affairs, told journalists.

An EU source told Dow Jones Newswires earlier Friday that European Union finance ministers will hold a teleconference Sunday to discuss the economic situation in Europe. The call is likely to involve finance ministers from all 27 EU member states, the person said.

EU pushes back deadline on sale of Sara Lee unit

European Union competition regulators have set a new deadline of Oct. 22 to decide whether to clear Unilever’s $1.3 billion purchase of Sara Lee Corp.’s body care business, the European Commission said on Friday. Get the full story »

EU launches 2 antitrust probes against IBM

European Union competition regulators launched two antitrust probes Monday against International Business Machines Corp., suspecting it of abusing its dominant position on the mainframe computer market.

One investigation followed complaints by emulator software vendors T3 and Turbo Hercules against IBM’s practices and focuses on the U.S. computer giant’s alleged tying of mainframe hardware to its mainframe operating system. Get the full story »