(Reuters) – Indonesia’s plan to ban palm oil exports will deal a blow to the world’s top food and consumer products companies including Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Nestle. Indonesia counts for more than half of the global supply of the edible oil, w…
Macron cements French presidential frontrunner status with combative debate performance
By Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron cleared a major hurdle on the path to re-election with a combative TV debate performance against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen that convinced most viewers, a poll said, even if he wa…
Macron tells voters: Now choose the France you want
By Layli Foroudi and Elizabeth Pineau AUXERRE, France (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen made final appeals on Friday to undecided voters weighing fears of what a Le Pen presidency could bring against th…
Starbucks eyes changes to mobile app, drive-thrus, taps ex-McDonald’s exec
By Hilary Russ NEW YORK (Reuters) – Starbucks has hired a former McDonald’s executive to oversee technology as returning CEO Howard Schultz explores changes to the coffee chain’s drive-thru, mobile order-and-pay and other systems. Deb Hall Lefevre will…
EU says pay for Russian gas in euros to avoid breaching sanctions
By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS (Reuters) -EU companies may be able to work around Russia’s demand to receive gas payments in roubles without breaching sanctions if they pay in euros or dollars which are then converted into the Russian currency, the European C…
On Earth Day, climate activists call for ban on buying Russian oil
By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Climate change campaigners held a wave of protests for Earth Day on Friday, pushing demands such as an immediate halt to European imports of Russian oil and gas, and an end to building fossil fuel infrastructure. In …
ECB’s Lagarde sees strong chance of a rate hike this year
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The European Central Bank is likely to end its bond purchase scheme in early third quarter and raise rates before the end of the year, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told CNBC on Friday, outlining the bank’s exi…
Soyoil surges to record high as Indonesia bans palm oil exports
By Nigel Hunt LONDON (Reuters) -Soybean oil prices soared to a record high on Friday as Indonesia’s decision to effectively ban exports of palm oil heightened concerns about already depleted global supplies of alternative vegetable oils. The loss of sh…
AmEx profit beats estimates as card spending rebounds
By Mehnaz Yasmin and Niket Nishant (Reuters) -American Express Co on Friday topped first-quarter profit estimates as card spending rebounded from last year, dwarfing a jump in costs due to higher reward payouts. Expenses rose 34% to $9.06 billion on hi…
Bailey says BoE can pull off a soft landing for UK economy
LONDON (Reuters) – Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on Friday that the British central bank could deal with the fast rise in inflation without damaging the economy, but the path was a narrow one. Asked at an International Monetary Fund event…