Europe

PARIS - The suspect detained over the killing of three Kurdish people in Paris told investigators of his "hatred of foreigners", the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday. The 69-year-old man was arrested on Friday after shooting dead two men and a woman at a Kurdish cultural centre and nearby Kurdish cafe in the 10th district of Paris. The killings stunned a community preparing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the unresolved murder of three activists and prompted protests that led to clashes with police. The suspect said during questioning that a burglary at his home in 2016 had triggered a "hatred of foreigners that became totally pathological", prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement. The man described himself as depressive and having suicidal tendencies, recounting that he had planned to kill himself with a last bullet after his attack, the prosecutor said. A search at the home of the suspect's parents, where he lived, did not find evidence of any link to extremist ideology,...

BRUSSELS - The European Investment Bank, the lending arm of the European Union, is proposing a funding structure previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic to help rebuild Ukraine with up to 100 billion euros ($104.3 billion) of investment, according to a document seen by . The EU-Ukraine Gateway Trust Fund (E-U GTF) would seek to have an initial 20 billion euros in contributions from EU countries and the EU budget in the form of grants, loans and guarantees. The guarantees in particular would have a multiplier effect, leading to infrastructure projects totalling some 100 billion euros, the document said, about half of Ukraine's more immediate needs. The EIB's proposal is set to be unveiled on Monday, the first day of the international Ukraine Recovery Conference in Switzerland that aims to provide resources to Ukraine and aid a post-war recovery. The EIB is proposing a fund that would work like that used in the COVID-19 pandemic to guarantee financing for small and medium sized com...

New regulations will put the EU ahead of the rest of the world and provide additional clarity and security.

LONDON - Britain will bring forward legislation on Monday that complies with the law to fix the Northern Ireland protocol that governs trade following Brexit, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said on Sunday. "The legislation that we will outline tomorrow is within the law; what we are going to do is lawful and it is correct," he told Sky News.   (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Catherine Evans)...

Having falsely claimed there would be no border in the Irish sea, the government is looking to inflict another blow to its international reputation by renegotiating the protocol.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine intensifies, foreign leaders clash over their strategies in approaching Putin.

As inflation and energy costs soar, members of the EU parliament must decide between key climate change policies.

LONDON (Bywire News) - Meta has drawn comparisons between EU antitrust regulators and a fishing trawler, as it appeals against investigations into Meta’s data and online marketplace. Meta says they have handed over millions of documents to the European Commission as part of an investigation launched in 2019. Their inquiry was initially launched to examine Meta’s Facebook Marketplace, social networking and online classified ads. Despite continuing to comply, Meta has raised their concerns over how relevant the requested documents are and the reasoning provided by the EU watchdog.  The company has been on the receiving end of heavy scrutiny due to the use of 2,500 search phrases which contained "big question", "for free" and "not good for us" in an attempt to decipher the documents provided. Should they fail to comply with the regulator’s demands, Meta faces the prospect of an $8.6 million penalty. However, Meta has been increasingly vocal in its criticism of the investigations.  Follow...

LONDON (Bywire News) - The Emissions Trading Scheme authority has revealed that participants of the ETS have given up allowances equating to over 99% of emissions in 2021, the year the operation launched.  On Wednesday evening, the ETS authority said that since May 1, a total of 107,858,729 allowances had been provided to cover the total emissions for 2021 consisting of 107,862,714 tonnes of CO2 equivalents. It went on to say that all those participating must surrender allowances equal to their recorded emissions for the 2021 scheme year by April 30. According to an overseeing body, the less than 1% of people who fail to comply with the surrender regulations will face a fine. Since Jan 1 2021, the UK ETS has been fully operational, as a substitute for Britain's involvement in the European Union's ETS. Its first phase ends in 2030. (Reporting by Nora Buli in Oslo; Editing by Edmund Blair and Klaudia Fior)...

LONDON (Bywire News) - On Tuesday, Brandon Lewis Britain's Northern Ireland minister said that a trade war between Britain and the EU would not benefit anyone involved and is unnecessary. The EU has warned that it will take legal action should London take any unilateral action over the so-called Northern Ireland protocol, triggering a trade war.  When questioned by Times Radio, whether he was willing to risk a possible trade war during a cost of living crisis, Lewis said, "We don't think there is any need or any benefit for anybody in a trade war, this about resolving some technical issues with the protocol." (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan, editing by William James and Klaudia Fior)...

LONDON (Bywire News) - Left wing, Irish republican party Sinn Féin — whose main objective is the reunification of Ireland and an end to British jurisdiction in the North of Ireland — pulled off a remarkable win in the recent Northern Ireland Assembly election. While commentators and those on the right attempt to bamboozle Brits by pontificating about the intricacies of where the losses and gains fell, no one can deny the only important takeaway from the election. A nationalist party is now the largest party in the six counties, and they attained that control through a system that was created to deliberately keep power in the hands of unionists.  This is a seismic moment for the island of Ireland, and the future of the UK union. But will Westminster bother to sit up and take notice? Considering those in charge right now have all the cognisance of a pile of abandoned ventriloquist dolls, I fear they will opt for the usual bluff and bluster which will only speed up the nationalist’s caus...

A document shows the EU is considering allowing renewable projects in certain ‘go-to’ zones a faster approval process.

With attention turning to June’s legislative election Emmanuel Macron could find himself forced into a difficult alliance.

PARIS (Bywire News) - On Tuesday, an official for Marine Le Pen's political party said that the French far-right leader plans to defend her seat in the parliamentary election taking place in June, after losing to President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. Speaking to CNEWS television, National Rally (RN) deputy president Louis Aliot said that Le Pen will stand for election on June 12 and 19. He added that Le Pen currently represents the main opposition to Macron, "She will at any rate be a candidate in the parliamentary elections." He went on to say the party hopes to gain a minimum of 15 seats, allowing them to form a group within parliament.  (Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Klaudia Fior)...

By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS - European Union countries will this week debate a possible deal to share out the costs of buying gas to fill storage and build a supply buffer ahead of next winter, according to a draft document seen by . EU countries are negotiating proposed rules that would require them to fill their gas storage to at least 90% of capacity by Nov. 1 each year from 2023 and 80% this year - an attempt to reduce the leverage of Russia, which supplies around 40% of EU gas. The proposal had worried some states with gas storage, including Hungary, Austria and the Netherlands, which feared their companies would be forced to buy large volumes of gas at near-record prices, while those in countries with little or no storage would not. Diplomats from EU countries will this week discuss a compromise deal, which if approved could lead to negotiations with European Parliament on the final rules. The draft proposal would keep the 90% target, but only apply it to storage sites that serve th...

PARIS - President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen squared off in a debate on Wednesday evening, four days ahead of the April 24 presidential runoff vote. [L2N2WI0UR] Here are some key quotes from Macron and and Le Pen as they launched their final bid to convince undecided French voters. COST OF LIVING Le Pen: "I've seen the people suffer, I've seen them worry, worry about a downgrading in their quality of life, about a kind of precariousness that they feels is widespread. "I would like to tell them that another that another choice is possible, based on respect, based on common sense." "All you do is hand out cheques ... my priority is to give French people their money back." Macron: "I don’t want people listening to us to think their salaries will rise by 10%" "I’ve studied your programme. There isn’t even the word unemployment."   (Editing by Richard Lough)...

A letter from cryptocurrency leaders represents a desire for a more coordinated approach to influencing official policy making.

EU’s sanctions were criticised as the western response fails to match the scale of the evils uncovered in Bucha.

AMSTERDAM (Bywire News) - On Friday, the European Council President Charles Michel said that the EU was looking into launching a solidarity fund for Ukraine, which would provide humanitarian aid and attend to the immediate needs of citizens. In a tweet, Michel said, "The Fund would give liquidity for continued support to authorities and in the longer term serve as backbone for reconstruction of a free and democratic Ukraine once hostilities stop." He added that contributors would be able to donate through an international donors conference. According to an EU official, the matter would be further discussed next week at a summit of EU leaders. He went on to say that presidents had spoken about Ukraine's need to access international economic support to help them pay for basic essentials and military equipment.  Since the invasion, Ukraine has been cut off from international financial markets. The new fund could supply liquidity which would help government services going as said by the o...

President Joe Biden banned Russian oil and other energy imports to the United States, piling pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to halt the assault on Ukraine, and more global brands including McDonald's, Starbucks and Coca-Cola stopped sales in Russia.