Reuters UK/EU - Squid Business

Russian law against ‘child-free propaganda’ clears first hurdle in parliament

By Mark Trevelyan LONDON (Reuters) -Laws that would ban “propaganda” which discourages Russians from having children won overwhelming approval on Thursday in the first stage of their passage through parliament, part of a Kremlin drive to boost the country’s flagging birth rate. The move to outlaw content that is deemed to promote a child-free lifestyle …

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Denmark’s central bank cuts key interest rate to 2.85%, mirroring ECB

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark’s central bank cut its key policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.85% on Thursday as expected, following the European Central Bank’s decision earlier in the day to reduce euro zone rates. “The interest rate reduction is a consequence of the reduction by the European Central Bank of its main …

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UniCredit inks jobs deal with unions in corporate centre downsizing

By Valentina Za MILAN (Reuters) -Italy’s second-biggest bank UniCredit has reached an agreement with labour unions to send 1,000 staff into early retirement and replace half of them with new hires, unions said on Thursday. The move, sources have previously told Reuters, forms part of CEO Andrea Orcel’s strategy aimed at slimming down the corporate …

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Italy in talks with Westinghouse, EDF for nuclear plants, minister says

ROME (Reuters) -Italy is in talks with several companies including U.S. energy group Westinghouse and France’s EDF as potential partners for a state-backed company that will build advanced nuclear reactors in the country, Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said. “The scale of investment in nuclear power requires cooperation with several international players,” he told reporters, …

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Germany’s Merck open to more M&A for its Life Science division

(Reuters) -German science and technology group Merck is open to more acquisitions for its Life Science business after announcing in May it would buy Mirus Bio for $600 million, it said ahead of its Capital Markets day on Thursday. “Our guiding principle is and always has been, the right target, at the right time, for …

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Insurer Travelers beats profit estimate on underwriting strength, investment gains

(Reuters) – Travelers Companies’ third-quarter profit beat Wall Street expectations as higher underwriting gains and investment income more than offset steep catastrophe losses, sending shares of the insurer up nearly 7%. Individuals and businesses are spending more on insurance, allowing insurers to attract and retain clients despite higher prices for some policies such as auto …

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Soccer-Arnault, Red Bull’s proposed Paris FC takeover set to fix city’s football oddity

By Julien Pretot PARIS (Reuters) – Since Paris St Germain were taken over by Qatar Sports Investments just over a decade ago the club has become a symbol of global sports ambition and highlighted the absence of another top-tier club in the city, an oddity in European football. The Arnault family and Red Bull’s proposed …

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ABB has at least $1 billion to spend on M&A, CFO of Swiss firm says

ZURICH (Reuters) – ABB at least $1 billion to spend on deals as it looks to boost its revenues by being more active in M&A, Chief Financial Officer Timo Ihamuotila said on Thursday. The Swiss engineering firm said it would target smaller and mid-sized companies but did not rule out larger deals. “It’s fair to …

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Separated by Israel’s campaign, a Gaza family prays to reunite

By Hatem Khaled and Mahmoud Issa GAZA CITY/DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza (Reuters) – As the phone call from his tent on a stretch of beach in Gaza connected him to parents he has not seen for a year because of Israel’s military campaign, the eyes of 13-year-old Maher Abu Sakran lit up with joy. Living in …

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VW, unions in fact-finding talks as carmaker develops new strategy

By Victoria Waldersee BERLIN (Reuters) -Volkswagen unions and management are in the midst of talks unions say went from abysmal to controversial, as workers have accused the carmaker of failing to present a vision for the future despite assurances that a new strategy is underway. In an interview published online to workers in Volkswagen’s works …

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