Vestager, the Dane who is Google's bane

BRUSSELS - If the critics of Silicon Valley needed a leader, many would turn to Denmark's Margrethe Vestager, the European Union's top antitrust regulator.

Around the world, authorities and governments now look to the elegant Dane who in June slapped Google with a record $2.9 billion fine for illegally favoring its shopping service in search results.

Google hit back on Monday, filing an appeal at the EU court, embittering ties between Europe and Silicon Valley even further.