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☆ Petrobras awaits government OK to drill at mouth of Amazon River
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, April 29 (Reuters) - Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA) said on Saturday that it is awaiting the government's stance on its request to drill a well at the mouth of the Amazon River Basin, following a technical recommendation by the country's environmental agency to reject the proposal. "We're technically ready, waiting for the official position on our drilling campaign in the region," he added. But a technical report from Brazil's environmental agency Ibama has advised against the request, citing discrepancies in environmental studies, inadequate measures for communicating with indigenous communities, and insufficiencies in Petrobras' plan to safeguard the region's wildlife. The technical report will serve as the basis for the environmental agency's ultimate determination on whether or not to authorize activities in the area. Reporting by Marta Nogueira, Writing by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Missile maker MBDA signs 1.9 billion pound deal with Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 28 (Reuters) - The UK arm of European missile maker MBDA on Friday agreed a 1.9 billion pound ($2.37 billion) deal with Poland to provide it with a British-designed air defence system, the British government said. "I am delighted that the UK and Poland’s deep and historic defence ties take another step forward with the signing of the largest ever UK defence export deal with Poland," British defence minister Ben Wallace said in a statement. The missile deal will see Britain deliver 22 Polish air defence batteries with British Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles (CAMMs) and launchers. The government said the contract would support more than 500 jobs at MBDA UK. The government said the British-designed CAMMs developed by MBDA UK are already deployed to Poland with the British Army to protect its airspace following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

“And we kind of thought that they were going to take us.”They waited, well into the early hours of the morning – before finally getting an email from the US State Department. However, the US State Department has advised that American citizens in Sudan “should have no expectation of a US government-coordinated evacuation at this time” due to the security situation and the closure of the airport in Khartoum. “It is imperative that US citizens in Sudan make their own arrangements to stay safe in these difficult circumstances,” said State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel at a news briefing last Friday. The French Embassy in Sudan was carrying out a separate evacuation for French citizens, and foreigners of other nationalities were welcome. Welker also argued that Americans in Sudan are largely there for humanitarian and educational reasons – and that the US should help retrieve all those who want to leave.

☆ Euro zone economy ekes out 0.1% growth in first quarter, misses expectations as Germany stagnates
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The print came in below analyst expectations, with a Reuters poll of economists previously forecasting quarterly growth of 0.2%. The economy expanded by 1.3% on an annual basis, just missing an outlook of 1.4%. Earlier this month, statistics agency Eurostat had revised down its fourth-quarter 2022 gross domestic product estimate for the euro zone from 0.1% quarterly growth to zero, following 0.4% expansion in the third quarter. The slight first-quarter growth signal comes as economic performance contends with persistently high inflation. Irish GDP was a notable weak spot, declining by 2.7% on the previous quarter, while Portugal's economy grew by 1.6%.

Persons: Arne Dedert, Carsten Brzeski, Destatis, Emmanuel Macron's Organizations: Getty, Eurostat, ING, European Central Bank, Deutsche Bank, ECB Locations: Frankfurt, Ukraine, Germany, Europe

☆ Atos' cybersecurity unit drives sales ahead of split
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Mathieu Rosemain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Home to assets deemed strategic by the French government, Atos is striving to regain investor confidence after several setbacks, heavy losses and sharp stock swings precipitated by governance instability. Eviden groups Atos' most coveted assets such as cybersecurity division BDS and supercomputers, fuelling speculation about interest from other players in the cybersecurity field, such as Thales (TCFP.PA). First-quarter revenue was up 2.8% from a year earlier to 2.81 billion euros ($3.11 billion), beating the analyst consensus provided by the company. Atos said its much-expected shareholder meeting would take place on June 28, amid strong criticism from some investors of board chairman Bertrand Meunier. ($1 = 0.9047 euros)Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Sudip Kar-GuptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France to mobilise wildfire-fighting forces one month early
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Lucien Libert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] French rescuers from the Securite Civile force attend the presentation of the 2023 plan to fight against wildfires, at Nimes-Garons airbase, France, April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Christian HartmannNIMES, France, April 27 (Reuters) - France will have wildfire-fighting troops and their water-carrying aircraft ready on June 1, one month earlier than usual, to adapt to fires starting earlier than in the past due to climate change, a senior official said. "It's one month earlier than in the past," he said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said earlier this month, amid France's first major blaze this year at the border with Spain, that the country was headed for "an extremely difficult summer 2023, possibly as difficult as summer 2022." Reporting by Lucien Libert; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Eliminated Slater handed wildcard to continue on WSL Championship Tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 11-times world champion will be able to surf and earn ranking points at the remaining events in 2023 and for the first half of the 2024 tour, the WSL said. "Slater's ranking points will also give him the opportunity to compete for provisional qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024," the WSL said. Slater was knocked out by Australian Liam O'Brien early in the Margaret River Pro last week, which left him below the mid-season cut line. Some surfing media criticised the wildcard decision, saying it was motivated by commercial considerations and made a mockery of the WSL's ranking system. France's Johanne Defay was also awarded a wildcard to continue on the Women's Championship Tour after falling well outside the mid-season cut.

☆ French company Safran keeps 2023 outlook as Q1 sales rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - France's Safran (SAF.PA) kept its 2023 financial outlook unchanged as it reported sharp growth in quarterly revenues, buoyed by a swift recovery in air traffic demand. Safran, which provides engines for Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) narrow-body jets through its CFM International joint venture with General Electric (GE.N), said first-quarter revenues rose 24.7% on an organic basis to 5.266 billion euros ($5.78 billion). Core propulsion revenues rose by 34.9%, on an organic basis, to 2.714 billion euros, the company said on Wednesday. Safran reaffirmed its 2023 full-year financial outlook, namely for revenues of at least 23 billion euros, recurring operating income of around 3 billion euros and a free cash flow of at least 2.5 billion euros. The engine industry and other parts of the aerospace supply chain have, however, been hit by labour and parts shortages.

☆ China says its newest aircraft carrier will be able to launch 'new-type aircraft'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jack Lau | South China Morning Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Chinese navy currently operates two aircraft carriers. Neither carrier features the Fujian's signature catapult system, which allows planes to launch more frequently and carry more fuel and munitions. Despite plans for the navy to gain the ability to operate globally, the CCTV report only referred to operations in domestic waters when saying that China would build more aircraft carriers. "But due to China's vast oceans, the demand cannot be met with only three aircraft carriers — the Liaoning, Shandong and Fujian. Therefore, new aircraft carriers are bound to be built in the future."

☆ Fake volunteers hope to disrupt Paris Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Layli Foroudi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - An anti-Olympics collective is aiming to disrupt next year's Paris Games by recruiting fake volunteers. Saccage and other critics of the Paris Olympics say the event will negatively impact the environment and benefit big businesses and elites, rather than locals. Paris 2024 organisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment but have said in the past that they would organise "popular and spectacular Games" that will bring in millions of visitors. The Olympics organisers are looking to recruit 45,000 volunteers. Paris organisers said they would take the time to ensure the "sincerity" of candidates and that volunteers would have a background check.

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol are expected to agree on Wednesday to deepen collaboration meant to deter nuclear escalation by North Korea amid heightened anxiety about its growing arsenal of missiles and bombs, U.S. officials said. The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name. The officials stressed that no U.S. nuclear weapons would be returned to the peninsula, and South Korea would continue not to have control over the U.S. nuclear arsenal. South Korea will also reaffirm its commitment to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and its non-nuclear status, they said. It is only the second state visit Biden has hosted since he took office two years ago - the first such guest was France's president.

Order intake at the company that makes a range of military and civilian hardware doubled to 17.02 billion crowns ($1.66 billion) from 8.1 billion, while its order backlog increased to 132.66 billion crowns from 128 billion crowns. Chief executive Micael Johansson said countries are increasing stocks to improve their own resilience, as well as to support Ukraine, which had translated into a strong order intake. Demand has been particularly strong in the surveillance and dynamics businesses, which include sensors, deterrents, support weapons and missiles, he said. Analysts at Citi said it was a strong start to the year for Saab, with sales, operating profit and orders beating consensus. Shares in Saab were up around 4.5% as the market opened, but reversed course later and at 0806 GMT were down 1.5%Operating profit for the maker of the Gripen fighter jet was 928 million Swedish crowns ($90.16 million) in the quarter, compared with 654 million crowns a year earlier.

MILAN, April 26 (Reuters) - Italian unlisted cooperative banking group ICCREA is awaiting by the end of May offers for its insurance business which it values at up to 950 million euros ($1.05 billion) in total, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday. ICCREA bought out its partner Cattolica, an Italian insurer now owned by bigger peer Generali (GASI.MI), after their accord expired at the end of last year and was not renewed, the three sources said. Cattolica and ICCREA had agreed in 2019 to extend until the end of 2022 their partnership under a deal that saw Cattolica raise to 70% its ownership of their insurance joint-ventures BCC Vita and BCC Assicurazioni. Now in possession of 100% of its insurance business, ICCREA is working with adviser KPMG to select new partners for both its life- and non-life divisions, the sources said. ICCREA Director General Mauro Pastore said in February the bank expected to select one or more partners for its insurance business by the end of the year.

☆ Short-sellers raise their stakes against these 2 European banks by billions since the SVB crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Short-sellers significantly increased their bets against European banks Santander and ING amidst a turbulent month for the global banking sector. Madrid-headquartered Santander's stock saw the biggest surge in short interest among European banks since Mar. The table below shows 10 European banks with the largest increase in shorts between Mar. Meanwhile, France's BNP Paribas had attracted the largest short interest in dollar value among European banks, followed by Santander and ING. The below table lists the 10 European bank stocks with the largest short interest as of Apr.

☆ China walks back ambassador's claim that ex-Soviet states aren't real countries, a position that played strongly into Putin's hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's foreign ministry walked back ambassador's comments dismissing ex-Soviet states' sovereignty. Other former Soviet Union countries include Ukraine and Moldova, as well as Central Asian countries that Russia has retained closer ties to. And Lu's comments seemed to suggest that China's foreign policy was inching closer to that of Russia. The Baltic countries have already questioned China's efforts to play peacemaker in Ukraine, and Lu's comments appear to have made them even more concerned. Estonia's foreign minister said Lu's comments were "false and a misinterpretation of history," and Latvia's foreign minister called them "completely unacceptable."

Companies European Central Bank FollowLONDON, April 24 (Reuters) - France's central bank governor François Villeroy de Galhau has pushed back against criticism of central banks' increasing involvement in the fight against climate change, calling the issue a "must have" focus. "Central banks' core mandate worldwide is price stability, and climate change already affects the level of prices and activity," Villeroy stressed. The debate about how much influence central banks can have in tackling climate issues has become increasingly divisive this year. Villeroy, however, who has long been a firm advocate of doing more, urged central banks and others to come up with better models of how climate change is likely to alter economies. It is also aiming to release short-term climate change scenarios by the end of 2024, which should show more adverse developments, incorporate tougher "shocks" and directly explore the potential impacts of climate change on inflation.

[1/2] Hywind Tampen floating wind farm structures are being assembled at the Wergeland Base in Gulen, Norway, June 7, 2022. But by 2035, the LCOE for floating wind is expected to fall to about 60 euros/MWh. It plans to set a specific target for floating wind this year. Britain aims to have 5 GW of floating wind installed by 2030 but a report by the UK Floating Wind Offshore Wind Taskforce, said 34 GW could be installed by 2040 if ports were upgraded. "South Korea will be commercial the quickest," said Cole at Corio Generation, which has 1.5 GW of floating wind under development there.

LUXEMBOURG, April 24 (Reuters) - Recent remarks by China's ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states such as Ukraine are totally unacceptable, several EU foreign ministers said before a meeting on Monday. "It is totally unacceptable", Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said ahead of the Luxembourg meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers. It was unclear when Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassador to the EU, gave the interview to the Chinese news outlet The Paper. But its publication came hard on the heels of the remarks by China's ambassador to France. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he disagreed with Lu's comments, while Luxembourg's foreign minister Jean Asselborn called Lu's remarks a "blunder" and said efforts were being made to calm things down.

☆ Latest status on foreign states' Sudan evacuation efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Several evacuation efforts appear to be via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which is directly located about 650 km (400 miles) northeast of Khartoum, but is about 800 km (500 miles) by road. SAUDI ARABIA AND KUWAITSaudi Arabia on Saturday pulled 91 Saudis and about 66 people from other countries out from Port Sudan by naval ship to Jeddah, across the Red Sea. QATARSudan's army accused the RSF of attacking and looting a Qatari embassy convoy heading to Port Sudan. OTHER COUNTRIESJordan said it had begun evacuating about 300 of its nationals from Port Sudan on Saturday. Sweden has given the government permission to deploy forces to help evacuate embassy staff and families.

☆ French tech company Woodoo raises $31 million, led by Chris Sacca's Lowercarbon Capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Sudip Kar-Gupta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 23 (Reuters) - French start-up technology company Woodoo said it had raised $31 million, led by Lowercarbon Capital, which is a fund co-founded by ex-Google executive and early Twitter investor Chris Sacca. The fund-raising for Woodoo highlights the growing importance of companies involved in recycling raw materials to protect the environment, as well as growth in France's tech sector. Last year President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted a surge in the number of French tech 'unicorns' or start-ups by 2030. Paris has traditionally lagged New York, California and also London as a technology and finance hub, but the French technology sector has recently notched up several high-profile fundraising rounds for some companies. Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France to uphold electricity price caps until early 2025, finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 21 (Reuters) - France's cap on electricity price hikes will stay in place beyond 2023 and likely be phased out over a two-year period, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday, arguing power prices haven't "normalised" yet. "Electricity prices haven't returned to normal, so we will take a little more time to withdraw the price cap. I give us another two years until early 2025," Le Maire told broadcaster LCI in an interview. Le Maire, however, said the government will likely end similar household price caps for natural gas at the end of 2023, because gas prices have lowered significantly in recent months after spiking in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In addition to a 15% price hike limitation on energy tariffs, the government has also pressured retailers to guarantee affordable food prices.

☆ French trade minister: Attracting investment into country despite pension protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFrench trade minister: Attracting investment into country despite pension protestsFrance's Trade Minister Olivier Becht exclusively tells CNBC the country remains an attractive investment destination, despite continued demonstrations after the government forced through its controversial pension reform.

☆ French police cleared to use drones for crowd monitoring
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] French gendarmes stand in position during a demonstration in front of the Paris City Hall after French government's pension reform received the Constitutional Council's green light and can now be signed into law and enter into force swiftly, in Paris, France, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane MahePARIS, April 21 (Reuters) - French police is allowed from Friday to use drones equipped with cameras for a wide range of tasks including crowd monitoring and border control, following the publication of a decree in the Official Journal on Thursday. This comes just over a year before the Paris 2024 Olympics and at a time when opposition to President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform has triggered huge protests that at times turned violent. The drones can also be used for the prevention of terrorist acts, the regulation of transport flows, border surveillance, and rescuing people, the decree said. The decree details and implements in practice a security law voted by parliament last year.

☆ Protesters storm Paris Euronext building in anger over pension law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Noemie Olive | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - A group of protesters briefly invaded offices of stockmarket operator Euronext in Paris' La Defense business district on Thursday, saying big companies must pay up to finance pensions, as part of wider protests against a rise in the retirement age. Waving union flags, the group of a few hundred protesters occupied Euronext's lobby, engulfed in red smoke from flares, and chanted words popular with pension protesters: "We are here, we are here, even if Macron does not want it we are here." At the weekend, Macron signed into law the rise in the retirement age which means citizens must work two years longer, to 64, before receiving their state pension. "We'll continue until the (pension law's) withdrawal," protesters shouted in La Defense's central square, standing by a banner that read: "No to the pension reform". Macron himself faced protests on Thursday during his second public outing since signing the bill into law.

☆ Mercedes includes buyback option as Russian assets sale given official approval
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Tatyana MakeyevaApril 19 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) has agreed on a buyback option for its Russian assets, the sale of which has now been granted official approval, the German carmaker said on Wednesday, bringing its exit from Russia one step closer. Deals to leave Russia by Western companies from so-called unfriendly countries - those that imposed sanctions against Russia - need approval from a government commission. Mercedes said it intended to withdraw from the market and that the sale of shares in its subsidiaries to Avtodom had now been granted approval. "The completion of the transaction is now particularly subject to the implementation of the contractual agreements," Mercedes said in a statement. "We have agreed an option with the buyer, according to which we could buy back the shares in companies if the sanctions are lifted again."

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