The United States Government and Google have agreed that the technological giant will pay a multi-million dollar fine for failing to take appropriate measures to prevent minors from gaining access to inappropriate images and collecting their data, local media reported. The agreement, which had the support of the three Republican members and was rejected by the two Democrats of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), reflects that the Youtube video platform failed in its control mechanisms. violated the online protection laws of minors , according to The Washington Post.

The negotiations were carried out by the FTC, but the agreement has yet to be approved by the Justice Department, which usually limits itself to ratifying this type of agreement. At the moment the exact amount of the fine is unknown, but the Washington newspaper says it will be several million dollars.

YouTube collected the location, device identifiers and phone numbers

This lawsuit goes back to April last year, when a coalition of 23 child rights groups reported to the FTC that the technology giant collected personal information from children under 13 , including location, device identifiers and phone numbers, and tracked them without their consent. The lawsuit claimed that YouTube used this data to direct ads to minors through its platform and thus get economic performance.

Initially, the most famous Internet search engine defended itself against these accusations alleging that the YouTube platform is only for people over 13 years old, however the plaintiffs considered that, in reality, there are no control mechanisms to apply this policy and prevent the access of the youngest to the platform. In fact, Google even has an application dedicated exclusively to children called “YouTube Kids” (“YouTube Kids”) that launched in 2015 and is designed to show appropriate content and ads for children.

In this regard, a month ago, The Wall Street Journal said that the video platform is considering removing all children’s contents from its main portal and transfer them to that application in response to its controversial content management for children. The idea would be that all content starred by children or directed to this audience will be exclusively in the Youtube Kids application, which means that the firm owned by Alphabet (Google’s parent company) would try to avoid further confrontations with the FTC.

The company of security guards Ombuds has entered into bankruptcy after failing negotiations with banks to obtain new lines of financing.

The company, controlled by the US investment fund JZI and the Cortina family, owes the June payroll and the extra pay of July to its 8,000 employees, and throughout this week has tried to negotiate, without success, an agreement with Santander, Caixabank and Credite Agricole that allowed him to pay the delays to his workers.

Employees of Ombuds are summoned this Monday in front of the Carrefour of the El Saler shopping center in Valencia, to protest the non-payment of the June payroll and the extra pay of July, although the call is prior to the declaration of insolvency, old suspension of payments.

According to the trade union Alternativa Sindical, Ombuds has a debt of more than 40 million euros with the Tax Agency; In just two years, the company has gone from obtaining profits of more than 460,000 euros to accumulate losses of 5.9 million, adds the same source.

The external debt of Mexico reprises his performance boost at the start of 2019, within a context of concerns and doubts about the availability of resources to finance government programs President A ndrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, and its possible implications on the rating of the country’s sovereign debt, in particular, that of Pemex.

The balance of Mexico’s gross external debt rose by 9 thousand 519 million dollars in the first quarter of 2019 alone, to reach an unprecedented figure of 456 thousand 251 million, according to the latest figures published by the Bank of Mexico.

The increase in external indebtedness presents chiaroscuros, at the same time as it helps to light some yellow spots.

The main catalyst for greater debt was the purchase of foreign debt paper issued by the Mexican government in the local market with an amount of 6 thousand 715 million dollars, which increased its balance to 115 thousand 208 million in the first quarter 2019. The growth of this type of resources was 6.19 percent compared to the last three months of last year.

“Around the world, we have approximately 14 trillion bonds with a negative yield, while the real interest rate on Mexico’s 10-year debt (nominal – inflation) has fluctuated around 4 percent. Although the country faces numerous risks, its debt remains very attractive, considering that sovereign bonds maintain a degree of investment and offer high profitability in relative terms, “said from New York, exclusively for the Financial, Diego Colman, analyst of DailyFx markets of the IG financial group.

Foreign ownership, according to international standards following the Bank of Mexico, in roles such as bonds M, Cetes, Bondes UDIBONOS and D, will be taken as external debt.

The greater growth of foreign debt resulting from the appetite of foreigners for debt paper denominated in pesos, is a sign of confidence in Mexico and is more manageable since there is greater control by part of the Mexican government, although it does not stop worrying due to the volatility that this type of resources can have.

Another aspect that also concerns concerns the increase in the indebtedness of the Federal Government and of the so-called parastatals. States two entities increased their level of debt by 2 thousand 111 and 2 thousand 185 million dollars in the first quarter of this year, which showed a growth rate of 2.20 and 2.31 percent with respect to the previous quarter in each case.

The financial requirements of both the Federal Government and Pemex can put pressure on the result of public finances in general, which can lead to the temptation to increase resources through external indebtedness, given the strategy of not doing, for the moment, a fiscal reform and keep under control the price increases in public goods and services.

The financing policy, to be sustainable, should not be left to rest only on the pillar of austerity and the fight against corruption.

“The ideal for any government is to control the growth of the debt and consolidate its obligations. However, in a less benign economic environment for Mexico, in which tax revenues have been reduced, fiscal discipline is difficult, especially if the administration is not willing to dramatically reduce its expenditures and / or cut projects that do not have much economic sense (Dos Bocas, Santa Lucia, etc.), says specialist Diego Colman.

The outlook for public finances is clouded by higher resource requirements to finance government programs and move Pemex forward, due to low economic growth, which can contribute to keeping downward pressure on revenues and lead to a degradation of the sovereign rating of the external debt and of the main productive enterprise.

The gross external debt of Mexico accounted for 36.5 percent of the total size of the economy in the first quarter of 2019 , down from 37.7 percent late 2018. However this may be due, in large part because GDP in dollars, it was favored by the recovery of the peso, which offset to a large extent the fall of 0.2 percent in productive activity at the start of the year.

Finally, it should be noted that companies in the non-financial private sector have shown a more prudent position in terms of external debt , as this item stands at 119 billion 103 million dollars at the end of the first quarter of 2019, below its historical maximum reached 125 thousand 409 million in the last quarter of 2017.

European shares were trading between a flat quote and a slight upward bias early Monday, while Italian stocks were recovering after a series of sales driven by political nerves, while all eyes were on the meeting this week of the European Central Bank.

The Italian stock market performed better than the rest after suffering its worst day in months on Friday, as political tensions prompted speculation of early elections that would increase uncertainty for investors, but could also lead to a coalition of center-right more favorable for the market.

After ending last week with a marginal rise, in the hope that the US Federal Reserve would reduce interest rates by a more aggressive half a percentage point next week, the benchmark index of euro zone values ​​rose around 0.05% at 0732 GMT.

The main Milan index showed a similar rise but the broader pan-European index that includes London and other non-euro markets was marginally lower.

The ECB meets on Thursday, and the money markets estimate that there is more than a 50% chance that interest rates will be reduced by 10 basis points. Analysts estimate that the Fed’s decision for next week will determine whether the rebound in shares since May will continue or be paralyzed.

The results continued to flow, with the Dutch health technology company Koninklijke Philips NV rising 2.7% after having exceeded comparable sales estimates for the second quarter.

Energy values ​​remained green, following the increase in oil prices due to tensions in the Middle East.

France will know, from Monday, July 22, a new episode of heat wave that may worsen the drought in the country – seventy-three departments are already subject to water restrictions.

In an interview with the Parisian, the Minister of Agriculture, Didier Guillaume, announces a “plan of general mobilization”: a series of measures to help farmers and ranchers, the main victims of this aridity. “We need to help struggling farmers get through this difficult milestone, especially those who are struggling to feed their animals or already using the hay stocks that were to be kept for this fall and winter,” said Mr. Guillaume.

Among the main announcements of the minister, is a request for early release of a portion of European aid, to grant “a billion euros cash advance”. France will therefore ask the European Union to ensure that 70% of aid granted under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is paid in mid-October, instead of 50% usually. The mechanism of agricultural calamity, which had last year to “unlock 196 million euros in favor of farmers,” will be activated again, added Mr. Guillaume.

Other emergency aid: nine additional departments will be affected by the force majeure clause “to allow farmers to mow fallows, to be able to feed their animals, because there is simply no more grass in the pastures for them. to feed ” . These are Cantal, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Loiret, Haute-Savoie, Jura, Nièvre, Haut-Rhin and Loir-et-Cher, where must surrender Didier Guillaume on Monday.

The government also wants to establish “solidarity flows” between departments with fodder and those threatened by scarcity. The chambers of agriculture will be in charge of coordinating this solidarity, but the logistics and transport of fodder will be financed by the State.

The Bank of Mexico makes the largest sale of Cetes so far this year, via extraordinary auctions, which involves subtracting liquidity, removing money from circulation in order to avoid upward pressure on interest rates or the speculative purchase of dollars to the same one that diminishes the potential to the demand of goods and services to have a greater control over the inflation.

The central institute carried out this Wednesday an extraordinary auction of Cetes for terms of 182, 259 and 336 days, placing all of the up to 40 billion pesos offered. While the demand for these instruments was reported in 66 thousand 442 million pesos in Cetes, according to data from the Bank of Mexico.

The relation between those offered in Cetes by the central institute and those demanded by the participants in the extraordinary auction was 1.66 times, although it showed marked contrasts between the terms.

“Despite the more dovish bias in the Bank of Mexico minutes published last week, the operation showed a modestly weaker demand to our expectations with a total coverage ratio of 1.66 times” according to those expressed in a document by the analysts of Banorte.

Where a greater appetite was observed was within a year, when the relationship between supply and demand was 2.04 times.

The yields were located at 8.20, 8.16 and 8.05 percent in the terms of Cetes auctioned at 182, 259 and 336 days, respectively.

So far in July, it is the second time that this mechanism has been used to reduce liquidity, in the midst of both external and internal tensions, for an amount that involved a withdrawal of money from the market for 75 billion pesos. greater so far this year.

Through the sale of debt paper, in this case of short term, such as the Cetes, the central institute seeks to balance the surplus of liquidity , of money, to avoid that they derive in pressures of rise in the interest rates in the secondary market or that in some of them the exchange market is oriented to the purchase of dollars.

By withdrawing money from circulation through the sale of Cetes, in this case, it also helps to moderate the demand for goods and services, which gives us the possibility of better control over inflation.

Purchase and sale operations of securities are one of the main instruments that the Bank of Mexico has to manage liquidity in both a short and long-term horizon, either withdrawing money or injecting it into the market.

The European Commission announced on Wednesday the opening of an in-depth investigation to the American multinational Amazon to clarify if there have been monopolistic abuses in the use of commercial data of those who sell their products through the online platform.

The formal file opened by Brussels will serve to clarify whether Amazon violated European rules on competition, for example in the way in which it used sensitive data from third parties obtained through its ‘marketplace’ (or points of sale) or the treatment of the data of the winners of the ‘Buy Box’ of the platform.

They will also examine in detail the impact on this selection of Amazon’s use of sensitive information about the sales points of the vendors included in the list.

The ‘Buy Box’ appears visibly on the Amazon site and allows customers to add items from a specific merchant directly to their shopping cart, so gaining this advantage is essential for sellers, since in the end the Most sales go through this transaction.

“Online sales have increased the possibilities of choice for users and lower prices, we must ensure that large platforms do not eliminate these advantages with anti-competitive behavior,” said Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

Therefore, explained Vestager, has taken the decision to “examine in detail the commercial practices” of Amazon and its dual role played by the platform, as a retailer and as a point of sale.

The community rules do not establish closed deadlines for the conclusion of the investigation, of which the Community Executive has informed not only Amazon but other competitors and if it concludes that the platform violated European standards could result in a multi-million dollar fine.

The agri-food group Dcoop, heir to the old Hojiblanca, which produces 15% of Spain’s olive oil, fears that the current low-price crisis may become a structural problem , for which it claims to encourage consumption and better regulation of the sector. Its president, Antonio Luque, has indicated, in an interview with Efe, that there is “much to be done” in the coming years to “order” the oil market, which is experiencing a crisis of low prices after a record harvest of 1,800,000 tons in Spain.

According to Dcoop, the production of olive oil can increase by 500,000 tons in five years , which threatens to turn the current problem into a structural one. This cooperative, which is the world’s largest producer of olive oil, is committed to regulate the sector and encourage consumption to achieve a balanced price for farmers and consumers.

Among the causes of the current situation, Luque points out the atomization of supply, since most of the 1,800 existing oil mills are not grouped . “There is an important percentage in which the farmer sells the oil when he decides”, which “distorts” the market, explains the president of Dcoop. In his opinion, it has gone from a demand market, in which an oil truck was sold without problems, to another supply, which lowers prices, because “there are operators who take advantage of that situation.”

Price balance

Luque is committed to finding a “balance” in prices so that they are acceptable both for producers – to ensure the viability of the product – and for consumers – so that consumption does not decline. When the protests began due to the oil crisis, the price had dropped to 1.70 euros per kilo, which had “passed the red light in an important way,” says Luque. Now he is recovering and at the end of the year he can be on average between 2 and 2.5 euros, he predicts.

The sector “has to work so that the price of olive oil can be between 2.5 and 3 euros per kilo in origin, ” says Luque. “If the oil were at a structural value of 3.5 or 4 euros, as some say it should be worth, thousands of hectares of olive trees would be put in” not only in Spain, but also in other countries, with what “we could – has warned- to die of success, “he adds.

We must maintain a balance because “we can not continue to increase our olive oil production to save year after year, ” argues Luque, who defends both the mechanisms of market regulation and storage aid in the face of crop fluctuations and boost consumption.

According to the president of Dcoop, at the end of September “some 700,000 tons of this crop are going to be left over, oil that” will be needed “next year, in which between 1.1 and 1.3 million tons are expected , so “it would be a pity to have to sell” the product and that in 2020 it will cost “an excessively high price to the consumer”.

The strategy of the agro-food cooperative Dcoop, which accounts for around 15% of the production of olive oil in Spain, is to boost consumption to sell more, especially in other countries, such as the United States, France, Germany, England, Brazil, Russia, China and Japan. For the existing plantations, in the world is going to happen in the coming years of a production of 3 million tons of olive oil to 4 million, so “we need that increase in consumption”, has advanced.

Dcoop produces an average of 225,000 tons of olive oil each year – this harvest has reached 275,000 – of which half are exported. “If there was not a project like Dcoop’s, the price situation at origin would have been much more complicated than it is,” Luque emphasized.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange fell today in the face of doubts that they are planning about the soundness of the business results of Japanese companies for the April-June quarter,

The benchmark Nikkei index , which includes the 225 most representative securities on the market, fell 50.2 points today, 0.23%, to 21,416.79.

The Topix , a broader index that groups the firms with the highest capitalization, lost 7.59 points, 0.49%, to 1,556.37 whole.

The food, agriculture, fishing and real estate sectors led the losses.

The victory of the ruling formation of the Japanese Conservative Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, in the elections to renew part of the Upper Chamber paved the way for the VAT hike to be applied in October, which would go from the current 8% to 10%, planned by the Executive.

The measure fears the impact may have for many companies in Japan, which together with the fall of Wall Street on Friday and doubts about the results that the great values ​​of the Nikkei published in the coming days, made the selective back slightly.

Retailers were among the main losers given the damage they can face with the October tax hike.

In this way, the operator of 24-hour stores and supermarkets Seven & i Holdings lost 1.3%, while the cosmetic manufacturer Shiseido fell 1.9%.

Beverage giant Asahi Group Holdings dropped 8.9% on information that it will buy the Australian brewer Carlton & United Breweries for about 11 billion dollars (about 9.9 billion euros) from Anheuser-Busch InBev.

The trading volume rose to 1.63 trillion yen today (some 13,453 million euros), down from 1.92 trillion yen (15,847 million euros) on the previous day.

After a crisis meeting chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May and consultations with its European allies, the UK is scheduled to announce on Monday its response to Iran’s arrest of the British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The ship was seized under false pretenses and illegal and the Iranians should release him immediately with his crew,” the spokesman of the leader told reporters.

“We are not seeking a confrontation with Iran, but to seize a ship that is doing legitimate business by internationally recognized shipping is unacceptable,” he said, adding that the operation fueled escalating tensions. in the Gulf.

For his part, the spokesman of the Iranian government, Ali Rabii, said Monday that the seizure of the tanker “was a legal measure” necessary to “ensure regional security.”

This crisis comes in a very delicate political context for the British, since Theresa May, who failed to implement the Brexit, will leave office Wednesday.

The head of the Conservative government chaired since 0930 GMT an interministerial crisis meeting at Downing Street, during which will be addressed including the issue of “maintaining the safety of navigation in the Gulf.”

Candidate for the succession of May, the head of the British diplomacy Jeremy Hunt should inform Parliament on Monday of the “measures” that the United Kingdom intends to take.

Hunt held talks on Sunday with his French and German counterparts, with whom he agreed that “the safe passage of ships into the Strait of Hormuz is a top priority for European countries,” according to the Foreign Office.

Asked by the BBC on asset freezes, Finance Minister Philip Hammond said: “We already have a wide range of sanctions against Iran, especially financial sanctions, so it’s not clear that there are other immediate things we can do, but of course we are looking at all the options. ”

Owned by a Swedish shipowner, the tanker Stena Impero was boarded Friday by the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, on the grounds that he did not respect the “international maritime code”, a version challenged by the British.

The vessel and its 23 crew members are held off the port of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

His arrest took place a few hours after the decision of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar, the British territory located in the extreme south of Spain, to extend for 30 days the detention of an Iranian tanker, the Grace 1. This tanker, suspected of wanting to deliver crude to Syria – which Tehran denies – in violation of European sanctions, was seized on July 4 by British forces.