Nuclear plants should stay open, EU says
Brussels — The EU is set to caution its members not to shut nuclear plants early, a draft document shows, as Europe shores up power supplies to cope with the impact of the Iran war.
The European Commission is due to publish a package of measures to offset surging energy prices on Wednesday. A draft of the plans would cut electricity taxes and scale up clean technologies.
A revised draft sets out various measures for governments to provide “immediate relief”.
They should “avoid premature retirement of generation assets, such as existing nuclear facilities that can continue to deliver reliable, low-cost and low-emission electricity”, it said, adding that this can help curb the call on fossil fuels in heating and industry. Reuters
India probes AB InBev in cartel case shift
New Delhi — India’s antitrust agency has made AB InBev a target of a cartel investigation after the world’s leading brewer co-operated for four years as a witness, leading to a court battle in which AB InBev has obtained a temporary injunction, according to two sources and documents.
Since 2022, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has been investigating 42 alcohol retailers in Telangana, India’s largest beer-consuming state, for allegedly forming a cartel to exclude AB InBev’s rivals, leading to a surge in market share for the Belgium-based maker of beers, including Budweiser and Corona.
As part of the case, AB InBev was raided in 2024, but no other details have been previously made public in line with CCI’s rules on its investigation of alleged cartels.
AB InBev’s status in the case was changed from a third party to “party under investigation” in November 2025, which was illegal as “no prior notice, hearing, or reasoned order preceded this drastic alteration”, the company said in a court filing. Reuters
Dutch activists sue Shell to halt new oil projects
Amsterdam — A Dutch climate activist group launched a new court case against Shell on Tuesday in the Netherlands, demanding that the British energy major immediately end its investments in new oil and gas projects.
Like a number of its peers seeking to capitalise on soaring profits from oil and gas sales after the outbreak of the Ukraine war, Shell has scaled back its renewable energy operations and weakened emissions targets.
It told investors last year it was targeting a 4%-5% annual increase in liquefied natural gas sales over the next five years and planned to sustain “material” oil output beyond 2030.
“Shell must stop bringing new oil and gas fields into production. This is necessary to protect us from Shell’s climate-disrupting activities,” Friends of the Earth Netherlands said in the summons it filed against Shell.
Shell, in a response, said the case is “unreasonable, unrealistic and fundamentally misplaced”. Reuters
Niger and Mali accuse neighbours of backing terrorism
Diamniadio, Senegal — The foreign ministers of Niger and Mali have accused neighbouring countries of sponsoring terrorism but said they are willing to co-operate on some matters with the West African regional bloc Ecowas, from which they formally split last year.
The accusations underscore regional rifts in West Africa that can complicate efforts to curb jihadist violence across the Sahel, a semi-arid belt of land stretching across Africa.
Mali, Niger and neighbouring Burkina Faso have been battling jihadist insurgencies for more than a decade. All three countries are led by military governments that seized power in coups and then broke away from Ecowas to form their own bloc, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). Reuters
Engie seeks US refund as Trump stalls wind projects
Paris — French utility Engie is in talks with the Trump administration about a possible refund for its US offshore wind project leases amid the president’s opposition to the technology, CEO Catherine MacGregor said on Tuesday.
Engie has paused three offshore wind projects in development and booked impairments for its joint venture Ocean Winds since Trump returned to the White House last year.
“We’ll see about these terms; an agreement is possible depending on the discussions,” MacGregor said at a press breakfast. French oil major TotalEnergies has already redirected nearly $1bn from offshore wind leases to US oil and natural gas production. Reuters
