By Sabine Siebold and Andrew Gray Brussels (Reuters) – NATO must work harder to set common standards for weapons and ammunitions, its chief said on Wednesday, as the alliance tries to boost defence production amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive likely to deplete Western military stocks even further. Announcing a Defence Production Action Plan designed to “rapidly…
By Arathy Somasekhar HOUSTON(Reuters) – Oil prices fell 1.5% on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve projected more interest rate hikes this year, worrying markets about demand just hours after government data showed an unexpected, large build in U.S. crude oil stocks. Brent crude futures settled $1.09, or 1.5%, lower at $73.20 a barrel, while…
By Ismail Shakil OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada’s budgetary watchdog estimated on Wednesday that a deal offering Volkswagen production tax credits to build a battery gigafactory in the country will cost taxpayers about C$2.4 billion ($1.8 billion) more than announced. The forecast comes as the government tries to sweeten a subsidy deal for Jeep maker Stellantis, which…
By Mimosa Spencer PARIS (Reuters) – The final shape of LVMH’s likely Olympics sponsorship rests on Antoine Arnault, one of LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault’s five children and heirs, in a high-profile deal that could test the 46-year old’s marketing prowess. All of Bernard Arnault’s five children hold important positions in LVMH, with each…
By Michel Rose (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said he will meet with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday, the second time in just over a month, to promote France as a possible site for one of the electric vehicle (EV) maker’s factories as well as to discuss tech regulation. France has been courting…
BERLIN (Reuters) -Volkswagen’s passenger car brand will implement savings and cost-cutting measures amounting to 10 billion euros ($10.83 billion) by 2026 to hit a return on sales target of 6.5%, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz posted on LinkedIn earlier on Wednesday that the company would improve production efficiency across the…
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada, which has been renegotiating its support for a Stellantis-LGES electric vehicle battery plant, is confident that the investment is good for the country and “is coming,” Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Wednesday, hinting that a new deal may have been reached. “We’re very confident in the value of the Stellantis…
By Emilio Parodi and Giulio Piovaccari MILAN (Reuters) -Italy bade farewell to four-times prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday at a funeral befitting the business tycoon’s colourful life, with mourners bellowing football chants and politicians arguing over a day of national mourning. Crowds waving the flags of the AC Milan soccer club Berlusconi used to…
By Shreyashi Sanyal and Bansari Mayur Kamdar (Reuters) – European shares rose on Wednesday, supported by banks and miners, ahead of a broadly priced-in pause in interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed 0.4% higher. Banks, which tend to benefit from higher rates, rose 1.1%. Italy and Spain’s…
By Mathieu Rosemain, Chiara Elisei and Laura Lenkiewicz PARIS (Reuters) -Jean-Charles Naouri is set to lose his 30-year grip on debt-laden Casino unless he can come up with cash to see off rival bids for the French retailer, investment bankers and analysts said. French tycoon Xavier Niel and Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky are involved in…
