SAMUEL PETREQUIN

Petrequin is covering European news and sports.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, speaks with European Commissioner for An Economy that Works for People Valdis Dombrovskis, left, during the tripartite social summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Wednesday, March 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

The EU will impose tariffs on Russian grain, fearing Moscow will use exports as a weapon of war

The European Commission wants to prevent Russia from using agriculture products as a tool to wreak havoc on the EU market and will impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus.

A woman walks under European Union flags placed in one of the main streets in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Thursday, March 21, 2024. European Union leaders meeting in Brussels are expected to give a greenlight to Bosnia and Herzegovina to open membership talks once certain conditions are met. (AP Photo/Eldar Emric)

EU leaders agree on opening membership talks with Bosnia, but with many strings attached

European Union leaders have agreed in principle to open membership negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, even though the Western Balkan country must still do a lot of work before talks can begin.

FILE - A French and a European flags are reflected in the shop window of a McDonald's restaurant in Lille, northern France, Thursday, June 16, 2022 . McDonald’s will become the title sponsor of the French soccer league from July for the next three seasons, the league said on Thursday, March 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)

Big Mac attack: McDonald’s to become the Grand Fromage in French football

McDonald’s will become the title sponsor of the French soccer league from July for the next three seasons.

Farmers gather Tuesday, March 12, 2024 outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. For several months, farmers throughout Europe have been mobilizing to address local, national, and European concerns (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

The EU’s new import deal would support Ukraine while protecting the bloc’s farmers

European Union lawmakers have agreed to renew Ukraine’s import rates, which have been in place since shortly after Russia invaded while adding protective measures for agricultural products such as grain and honey to address the concerns of farmers across the 27-nation bloc.

FILE - Haas driver Nikita Mazepin of Russia arrives to the Losail International Circuit in Losail, Qatar, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021 ahead of the Qatar Formula One Grand Prix. The General Court of the European Union says ex-Formula One driver Nikita Mazepin should be removed from the EU lists of persons subjected to restrictive measures for their role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Mazepin was added to the list of people sanctioned by the 27-nation bloc two years ago in the wake of Russia’s invasion because of his father’s connections to the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

EU general court says former F1 driver Nikita Mazepin should be removed from sanctions list

The General Court of the European Union says ex-Formula One driver Nikita Mazepin should be removed from the EU lists of persons subjected to restrictive measures for their role in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten is stepping down as creative director at the end of June

Belgian fashion designer Dries Van Noten says he will step down from his namesake brand at the end of June.

Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, left, shakes hands with his coach Pep Guardio after leaving the pitch during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester City, at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, March 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

De Bruyne left out by Belgium for friendlies because of groin injury

Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has been left out of the Belgium squad for friendlies against Ireland and England so he’s fit for Manchester City.

In this grab made from video, a model wearing Belgium's jersey poses with actors impersonating characters from Tintin during the unveiling of the new Belgium soccer national team jersey, in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, March 14, 2024. (SNTV via AP)

Blue jersey, brown shorts, white socks: Belgium’s new kit a tribute to comic book legend Tintin

The Belgian soccer federation has unveiled new home and away kits for its male and female national teams.

Belgian defense minister says a platoon will be dismantled because of serious violence, harassment

A platoon of about 30 soldiers belonging to Belgium’s armed forces will be dismantled after serious cases of violence and harassment surfaced last year.

European Union flag flutters next to the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina in front of the Council of Ministers building in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. The European Union's executive arm will recommend that member countries open accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday, despite lingering ethnic divisions in the Western Balkan country. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

European Union members should open talks with Bosnia on joining, the EU’s executive branch says

The European Union’s executive arm says it will recommend that member countries open accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina.

FILE - A 1988 polychrome resin sculpture of the comic character Tintin and his dog snowy from the 1941 "The Crab with the Golden Claws" album drawn by Belgian creator Herge is displayed at the Artcurial auction house in Paris, on Jan. 13, 2021. The Belgium international players taking part in the Euro soccer tournament this summer could well resemble a world-famous reporter. According to leaks on various specialized websites, the Belgium Euro 2024 away kit is a tribute to Tintin. The Belgian federation is set to unveil the new kit on Thursday March 14, 2024 during a press conference at the Hergé Museum. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

Belgium’s Euro 2024 alternate jersey is leaked. Is it a tribute to comic-strip hero Tintin?

Some Bellgium soccer players in the European Championship this summer could resemble a world famous reporter.

FILE - The Olympic rings are set up at Trocadero plaza that overlooks the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Sept. 14, 2017. Track and field athletes from Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Portugal will be tested more often ahead of this year's Paris Olympics because of sub-standard anti-doping programs at home, the sport’s investigators said Monday March 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

Major French union threatens strikes during Olympics. Hospital workers could walk off the job

A major French union is warning of possible strikes in the public sector, including at hospitals, during the Paris Olympics.

FILE - Royal Antwerp's Toby Alderweireld, centre, fights for the ball during the Champions League Group H soccer match between Barcelona and Royal Antwerp at the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. Toby Alderweireld is the new face of a campaign against online hate speech promoted by Belgian soccer authorities. The former Belgium international was targeted by messages including threats against his family following a Belgian league match last year. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)

Toby Alderweireld fronts Belgian soccer’s campaign against hate speech online after surge in abuse

Toby Alderweireld is the new face of Belgian soccer’s campaign against online hate speech. The former Belgium international was targeted by messages including threats against his family following a Belgian league match last year.

Lens' Kevin Danso celebrates with team mates after scoring his side's third goal during the French League One soccer match between Lyon and Lens at the Groupama stadium, outside Lyon, France, Sunday, March 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Reports: McDonald’s close to becoming French soccer league title sponsor for next three seasons

The French soccer league is reportedly close to signing a big sponsorship deal with McDonald’s for the next three seasons.

FILE - France's Kylian Mbappe, center, celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the final match between France and Croatia at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, July 15, 2018. Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain he will leave the club at the end of the season, it was reported on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

A soccer star and a savvy businessman: Mbappé leads Messi and Ronaldo in registered trademarks

The fight between Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the honorific title of “best player in the world” is a tight one.

FILE - France's Kevin Staut on horse Beau de Laubry Z gestures, during the 37th International Show Jumping Grand Prix of Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Former equestrian Olympic gold medallist Kevin Staut was cleared Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, by a French court of assaulting his former partner during a brawl in a hotel room, his lawyer told The Associated Press. (Bernd Wei'brod/dpa via AP, File)

Olympic equestrian champ cleared of violence in domestic dispute case

Former Olympic equestrian champion Kevin Staut has been cleared by a French court of assaulting his former partner, his lawyer has told the Associated Press.

Ukrainian soldiers prepare a self-propelled artillery vehicle Gvozdika to fire towards the Russian positions on the frontline in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Roman Chop via AP)

EU agrees on new sanctions against Russia days before the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine

European Union countries have agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia. The decision on Wednesday coincides with the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion and comes days after the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Ivory Coast's head coach Jean-Louis Gasset is seen during the African Cup of Nations Group A soccer match between Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Gasset becomes new Marseille coach following Gattuso’s firing

Jean-Louis Gasset is Marseille’s new coach. Less than a month after getting fired by Ivory Coast, Gasset has been appointed as the replacement for Gennaro Gattuso.

FILE - Marseille's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures to his players during the Europa League League play-off first leg soccer match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Olympique Marseille at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, on Feb. 15, 2024. Gattuso has been fired by the French league club, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday Feb. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)

French league club Marseille fires coach Gennaro Gattuso, AP source says

Marseille coach Gennaro Gattuso has been fired by the French league club, a person with direct knowledge of the decision has told The Associated Press.

FILE - PSG's Kylian Mbappe looks on during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain he will leave the club at the end of the season, it was reported on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

Kylian Mbappe has told PSG he will leave at the end of the season, AP sources say

Kylian Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain he will leave the club at the end of the season. Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the France international informed PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi he would not stay at the club when his contract expires.

A police tape cordones off the scene of a shooting in Brussels, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. The grim picture of violent crime related to drugs is becoming increasingly visible in Europe's capital city. Drug dealers have recently fought in the heart Brussels for several days, leaving in their wake one dead and others injured. (AP Photo/Sylvain Plazy)

Cocaine City? Gang wars on the rise as drug dealers fight for territory in EU capital Brussels

SAINT-GILLES, Belgium (AP) — Cocaine and crack keep flowing. Shootings among rival gangs rage close to the very heart of Brussels.

PSG's team players celebrate after Randal Kolo Muani scored his side's third goal during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lille at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Paris city hall, mayor launch legal action after PSG fans targeted her with sexist insults

Paris city hall is taking legal action after sections of Paris Saint-Germain fans targeted mayor Anne Hidalgo with sexist insults and homophobic chants during a French league match amid a bitter feud over the club’s future at its home stadium.

PSG's Kylian Mbappe sits on the bench during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lille at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

PSG takes on Real Sociedad in the Champions League last 16. Another failure could see Mbappé leave

Kylian Mbappé's future at Paris Saint-Germain remains unclear. As the saga surrounding his possible transfer to Real Madrid continues, PSG enters the most crucial phase of its season with the knockout stage of the Champions League.

FILE - Real Madrid's President Florentino Perez gives a speech at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, June 13, 2019. Spain was the only European Union member to refuse to sign a joint statement on sports released by France on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 because the government in Madrid saw it as a premature attack on the Super League. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Spain only EU member to not sign French statement on sports. Madrid sees it as anti-Super League

Spain is the only European Union member to refuse to sign a joint statement on sports released by France because the government in Madrid sees it as being a premature attack on the Super League.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech to present his New Year's wishes to elite athletes ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, at France's National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP) in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (Stephane De Sakutin/Pool Photo via AP)

France leads charge to defend EU sporting model after Super League plans received boost

France is siding with UEFA against closed breakaway soccer leagues. On the eve of the UEFA Congress to be held in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin expressed “their shared vision in favor of the European sporting model, based on open competitions, the prin

FILE - President of the Paris Organising Committee of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games President Tony Estanguet during an interview at the headquarters of the Paris Olympic organizers in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, France, Tuesday, June 27, 2023. The Paris Games' organizing committee expressed surprise Tuesday Feb.6, 2024 at a report that the French National Financial Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into the remuneration conditions of its president. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

Paris Olympics organizers ‘surprised’ by reports of investigation into president’s pay

Paris Olympics organizers say they are surprised that the pay of their president is reportedly being investigated by the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office.

This undated handout shows Martin Perin in action at the Steengoed Arena in Maaseik, Belgium. Belgian volleyball international Martin Perin is in stable condition after he collapsed with a heart issue during a match for the second time, his club told The Associated Press. The 21-year-old libero has an implantable defibrillator in his body since suffering cardiac arrest in October 2022 during a volleyball game. (Volleybalclub GREENYARD Maaseik vzw/Marc Mercelis via AP)

Belgian volleyball player stable after collapsing with heart issue during match for the second time

Belgian volleyball international Martin Perin is in stable condition after he collapsed with a heart issue during a match for the second time, his club told The Associated Press.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, right, talks to Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. European Union leaders meet in Brussels for a one day summit to discuss the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, including support for Ukraine. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

European Union overcomes threat of Hungary veto to seal $54 billion aid package for Ukraine

Leaders of the 27 European Union countries have sealed a deal to provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in support for its war-ravaged economy after Hungary dropped weeks of threats to veto the measure.

Rescuers work at the scene of a building damaged by Russian rocket attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

Hungary opposes billions in new EU aid for Ukraine. A new summit will try to change that

European Union leaders at a summit on Thursday will focus on the one member state blocking a 50-billion-euro ($54 billion) war support package for Ukraine: Hungary, the country in the bloc with the closest ties to Russia.

Police officers demonstrate with flags turning the olympic rings as handcuffs during a demonstration Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Paris. Police officers held a protest action in Paris as police unions said officers who will be working during the Paris Olympics have no guarantee that they'll be able to take vacation during summer and get a compensation package. A massive security operation is planned for the Games, with tens of thousands of police and soldiers deployed. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

French police asked for extra pay during Paris Olympics. They will get bonuses of up to $2,000

Police officers deployed during the Paris Olympics will receive bonuses of up to 1,900 euros. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced the decision.