By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) -British consumers increased borrowing by the most in three years over February and March, according to data that would typically be a sign of solid demand but might now reflect how the cost-of-living squeeze is forcing s…
Russia fights for control of Ukraine’s Mariupol stronghold
By Natalia Zinets and Francesco Guarascio KYIV/BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Russian forces battled on Wednesday for control of the last stronghold in Ukraine’s besieged city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said, and the European Union proposed tough new sancti…
LetterOne says it won’t take Wintershall Dea’s Russian assets from BASF
By Ludwig Burger FRANKFURT (Reuters) -LetterOne will not take on Russian assets of Wintershall Dea and has not held talks with co-investor BASF on such a transaction, a spokesperson for the investment group said. A person familiar with the matter told …
French left agrees rare coalition deal to take on Macron
By Elizabeth Pineau, Michel Rose and Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Socialist Party and the hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) agreed in principle on Wednesday to run together in June parliamentary elections and try to deprive newly re-ele…
HSBC launches $1 billion planned share buyback
LONDON (Reuters) -HSBC has kicked off its planned $1 billion share buyback on Wednesday, as it seeks to redeploy excess capital and reward shareholders. The London-listed global lender has appointed Merrill Lynch International to conduct the process, w…
UK pub group Wetherspoon aims to ‘break-even’ for profits this year
(Reuters) – British pub group J D Wetherspoon said on Wednesday it expects to “break-even” for profits in the current financial year as economies reopened, although it warned of rising cost pressures related to labour, energy, and inflation. The London…
Britain says Russia deploys 22 battalion tactical groups near Izium
(Reuters) – Russia has deployed 22 battalion tactical groups near Ukraine’s eastern city of Izium in an effort to advance along the northern axis of the Donbas region, Britain said on Wednesday. In an update on Twitter, British military intelligence sa…
Equinor posts record Q1 profit as gas price soars
OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s Equinor posted record pretax profits for the first quarter on Wednesday as the war in Ukraine triggered an energy supply crunch that sent the price of natural gas soaring to all-time highs. Adjusted earnings before tax rose to…
Beijing steps up COVID curbs as virus spreads in China
BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Beijing shut scores of metro stations and bus routes and extended COVID-19 curbs on many public venues on Wednesday, focusing efforts to avoid the fate of Shanghai, where millions have been under strict lockdown for more th…
Oil jumps $5 a barrel as EU nears ban on Russian oil
By David Gaffen NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil prices jumped on Wednesday, as the European Union, the world’s largest trading bloc, spelled out plans to phase out imports of Russian oil, raising concerns about further market tightness as those nations hunt fo…