Reuters UK/EU

Factbox-How British retailers fared over cost-of-living crisis Christmas

LONDON (Reuters) – British consumer spending over the Christmas period has so far held up better-than-expected, providing some relief to retailers who had feared an escalating cost-of-living crisis would hit the key holiday sales period. Only a small number of retailers have so far reported their Christmas sales. Some of the country’s biggest names, including …

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TotalEnergies: willing to help small French businesses cope with high energy bills

PARIS (Reuters) – TotalEnergies on Friday announced it was prepared to review power contracts signed between its local French supplier arm and small businesses after President Emmanuel Macron urged energy companies to do more to help clients in the face of rising inflation. “TotalEnergies Electricity and Gaz France will publish on Monday an update to …

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Macron warns of more healthcare woes as he flags reforms

PARIS (Reuters) – The struggles of France’s health system will probably get worse before things improve, President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged on Friday, as he pledged to improve working conditions and hire more medical assistants for administrative tasks. France, like many other European countries, is facing a shortage of healthcare staff, particularly in rural areas, with …

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EU financial services chief favours banning sales inducements on investment products

By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) – A European Union ban on inducements for recommending sales of financial products could cut costs for retail customers by more than a third, the bloc’s financial services chief Mairead McGuinness has said. Inducements, already banned in Britain and the Netherlands, refer to payments, such as in the form of …

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Germany wants to deliver around 40 Marder vehicles to Ukraine in Q1

BERLIN/BREVIK, Norway (Reuters) – Germany said on Friday it wants to deliver around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine before the end of March, and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said Berlin could ultimately send its entire functioning fleet of the weapons. Germany announced on Thursday it would provide Marders to Ukraine, ramping up military …

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Three percent in England and Wales identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual -census

LONDON (Reuters) – Around 3% of people in England and Wales aged 16 or over identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to 2021 census data released on Friday. The census in 2021 was the first in Britain to ask about people’s sexual orientation, and the results are broadly in line with previous, smaller-scale surveys. …

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