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The European Union announced new sanctions on Friday against four people and two entities that it said were "responsible for serious human rights abuses against Palestinians."The abuses include "torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" and "the violation of right to property and to private and family life of Palestinians in the West Bank,"  the Council of the EU said in a statement.The listed entities are Lehava, the Jewish extremist group known for campaigns against Jewish-Arab relationships, and what a statement referred to as "Hilltop Youth,"...

By Philip Blenkinsop and Nette NoestlingerBRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union leaders agreed to reforms on nine fronts on Thursday to revitalise the bloc's economy and help it catch the United States and China in the global tech race, but still exposed differences on freeing up the money required to do so.Leaders first heard from former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, tasked with assessing the shortfalls of the EU single market, who has warned this is the bloc's last opportunity to act.Letta's report said the rise of geopolitical tensions and protectionism threatened...

(Bloomberg) -- The European Union is moving toward approval of Ukraine’s reform plan in May, which would unlock an additional €1.9 billion ($2 billion) as part of a total €15.9 billion that the bloc has planned in financial aid for Kyiv for this year. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is examining the plan but no major issues have been raised and member states could proceed to their approval as early as next month, a person familiar with the matter said. The green light of the Ukraine plan would...