Shreyashi Sanyal

EU coal consumption and production fell to an all-time low last year, with coal burn nearly halving from 2018 as the solid fuel's role in EU power generation continues to fade progressively.

European shares rose for the first time in three sessions on Monday, bouncing from a Wall Street-led rout in technology stocks in the previous week as investors focused on economic green shoots and COVID-19 vaccine developments.

European shares bounced back on Wednesday, on the eve of the European Central Bank's policy meeting, as AstraZeneca reversed declines after a report that it may resume its COVID-19 vaccine trial next week.

European shares reversed earlier losses to close higher on Friday, led by ASML and L'Oreal, although a dip in Volkswagen weighed on Germany's main index.

European stocks were subdued on Friday, but marked their longest weekly winning streak since November 2019 as hopes of a rapid recovery in economic growth offset doubts over the euro zone's COVID-19 vaccination programme.

European shares retreated after three straight sessions of gains on Wednesday, as investors paused to take stock of the outcome of Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

Kazakhstan has approved plans to increase its coal-fired power generation through projects estimated at around 7.5 trillion tenge ($15.5bn) through to 2030, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.