On Tuesday, the European Union approve RWE’s acquisition of fellow German energy company EON’s renewable and nuclear generation assets as part of a major asset swap. The European Commission’s competition authorities said the proposed transaction will see RWE acquire a 16.7% minority share in EON, as well as the bulk of its nuclear and renewable generation assets raised no concerns. European Union officials looked at how the transaction would affect the generation and wholesale supply of electricity, particularly in Germany. The probe concluded that the acquisition would increase RWE’s 20% market share. The commission found that the transaction would raise no competition concerns. EON’s acquisition of RWE’s distribution and retail business is still being reviewed by the commission. The Council of Europe rights group urged France to halt the use of rubber bullet launchers, which are blamed for dozens of injuries to anti-government protesters. France is one of the few countries that still uses defense ball launchers. These launchers are shoot 40-millimeter rubber projectiles, they are considered non-lethal. The Council of Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mjatovic urged french authorities to suspend the use of the rubber bullet launchers. Mjatovic also urged the government to review its regulations, to ensure they respect law enforcement’s primary task of protecting “citizens and their human rights.” Severe injuries to dozens of protesters, including several who have been partially blinded after being struck in the eye with rubber bullets. European and Arab leaders met last Sunday for the first summit in Sham el-Sheik, in a bid to bolster cooperation. EU countries view the summit as a way to protect their traditional diplomatic, economic, and security interests, while Russia and China move to fill vacuum left by the United States. The summit in the southern Sinai desert was heavily guarded by Egyptian security forces who are fighting a brutal insurgency to the north. Most of the leaders of the 22-member Arab League attended, except for the Sudan’s Omar al- Bashir. Absent from the EU were the leaders for France, Spain, Latvia, and Lithuania. Parents, health professionals, and advocacy groups met in Paris for the first time last Tuesday, as part of a new committee to discuss the mysteriously high rates of congenital birth defects in three areas of France. The French Health Ministry formed the committee earlier in February, in response to growing alarm after increased numbers of newborns with a rare defect know as upper limb reduction. This occurs when a part of the entire arm of a baby does not completely form in utero. The potential causes of the condition so far remain a mystery. A report in September on the unusually high rates of upper limb reduction in the easter Rhones-Alpes region between 2009 and 2017. At least seven babies were born with the defect during this period in the tiny rural area of Ain. In Morbinar, four women were reported to have given birth to babies with upper limb reduction defects between 2011 and 2013, while three cases had been identified in Nantes between 2007 and 2008. Several hypotheses have been made as to a possible cause for the defects in all three regions. The use of pesticides at nearby farms, but nothing has been proven yet.
