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BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission will now start working on making common energy purchases in order to allow the European Union to get a better grip on its energy supplies and on tackling energy prices, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. “We’ve seen some countries going towards other countries to negotiate their own contracts, that, and I told colleagues, it’s not the best way as we are pushing prices up,” Macron told a news conference after an EU summit in Brussels. “As we need to go towards a European diversification, it’s much more pertinent that the discussions for…

Qatar World Cup organisers on Wednesday unveiled fan accommodation for the event that ranges from a steel bed in a studio at $84 a night to luxury villas costing nearly $1,000 and luxury cruise ship suites. Visitors to the Gulf state will also have to buy a match ticket before they can get official accommodation and to register for a special pass to get access to stadiums and fan zones, Qatari officials said. Organisers of the football extravaganza, that runs from November 21 to December 18, have sought to reassure 1.2 million visitors expected from around the world that there are enough rooms…

By Gavin Jones and Belén Carreño ROME (Reuters) – The European Union’s southern countries called on Friday for the bloc to adopt common energy policies in the face of surging prices and the need to reduce dependency on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. “We want to push the European Commission and the other member states to take incisive measures in a sector that is decisive for our future,” Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told reporters. He was speaking after a meeting with the leaders of Spain, Portugal and Greece which Draghi said had focused mainly on energy. With European energ…