Western Europe

A newspaper advertisement published on Wednesday showed that Travel Food Services, a restaurant operator at airports, had set a price range of 1,045 to 1,100 rupees as its initial public offering. This follows the blockbuster IPO by HDB Financial Services. Travel Food Services' price range values it at 144.8 billion rupies ($1.69 billion), at the top end. The company plans to raise 20 billion rupies ($233.49m) through a three-day stock sale starting July 7. Kapur Family Trust will be the only shareholder to divest its shares. The Trust did not disclose if it would divest its entire shareholding. Travel Food...

The failure of an electrical substation component that was not properly maintained caused the fire at Heathrow Airport in March, according to Britain's National Energy System Operator. Ofgem, Britain's energy regulator, said that it had launched a formal enforcement investigation into National Grid Electricity Transmission in response to the findings of the report. The Heathrow airport closure on March 21, the busiest in Europe, cost airlines tens and millions of pounds. It also left thousands of passengers stranded. The incident also raised concerns about the resilience and stability of Britain's transport infrastructure. The National Energy System Operator's report stated that...

Here are some company news and stories that could impact the markets in France and Benelux or even individual stocks. ADP Airport Operator ADP has confirmed its targets for 2025. Ageas, a Belgian insurer, has acquired Saga Underwriting Business. Bloomberg reports that AIRBUS, a French aircraft manufacturer, has delivered 60 aircrafts to date. ARGAN Commercial landlord Argan has confirmed its financial targets for 2025. COLAS Bouygues subsidiary Colas won a contract for the renovation of a road in Alaska. FRANCE/POLITICS - French Prime Minister Francoise Bayrou has survived a no-confidence vote in the French parliament, Tuesday. The far-right National Rally...

A power cable failure on high-speed trains between Madrid and Andalusia left passengers stranded overnight and into Tuesday morning. In Madrid and other southern Spanish cities, including Seville, world leaders were attending a United Nations Conference on Development Financing. Around 20 trains had been blocked or could not depart on Monday night, while another 10 were cancelled on Tuesday morning. A spokesperson for the state-owned railway infrastructure provider ADIF confirmed that traffic between Yeles and La Sagra was suspended at 8:30 pm (0630 GMT), after a catenary wire malfunctioned. He said that the cause of the malfunction is unknown and...

The air traffic controller in Italy, Enav, said that flights in northwestern Italy were delayed by two hours on Saturday because of a malfunctioning radar transmission system in Milan. In a Sunday statement, the company announced that new departures and entry into the airspace covered under the system would be halted between 8:20 pm and 10:20 pm (1820-2020 GMT). The capacity was gradually restored, returning to normal at midnight. Enav activated a satellite emergency system to ensure safe management of existing flights in the air during the incident. Then, new air traffic was halted in accordance with international safety standards....

Heathrow Airport in Britain raised its revenue expectations for the year on Friday, following better than expected demand for long-haul flight demand amid a rebounding leisure market. In 2025, the airport, which is Europe's busiest hub, will generate revenues of 4,96 billion pounds (3,61 billion pounds) - a significant increase over previous estimates of 3,57 billion pounds. The easing of inflation and rising living costs has stimulated an increase in travel demand. However, the geopolitical and economical uncertainties in the Middle East as well as the United States continue to make the market challenging for leisure providers. Heathrow has said...

European prosecutors have discovered a criminal conspiracy involving fake documentation of Chinese imports into Europe via the Greek port of Piraeus. This scheme defrauded the authorities of approximately 700 million euros (820 million dollars) in lost VAT and customs revenue. In a Thursday statement, the European Public Prosecutor's Office said that the investigation was conducted by 14 EU member countries, and included raids in Greece and Spain as well as France and Bulgaria. During more than 100 searches of offices and other locations, on Wednesday, ten suspects including two customs agents were arrested. In the Port of Piraeus law enforcement...

The British outsourcing company Serco announced on Thursday that its North American market will drive organic growth during the first half 2025. This is due to a large volume of contracts in defence won last year. Serco, a company that provides government with services in the areas of security, immigration and health, and defence, has been positioned to profit from geopolitical tensions as countries increase their defence budgets and strengthen their security and military services. Serco has grown its defense business to around 40% of the total revenue, following the acquisition of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Training and Satellite Ground Network...

The Brazilian courts are seeking to overturn the competition rules that prevent global shipping groups from taking part in the first round bidding for a new major container terminal to be built at Latin America's biggest port. This is due to happen later this year. According to a document obtained by, the Danish shipping company Maersk sued Brazil's marine transportation authority (Antaq) and its general manager on Monday in Sao Paulo. The lawsuit demanded "procedural corrections to ensure a fair procedure" for the assignment of the Tecon 10 Terminal at the Port of Santos. The Brazilian federal audit court, TCU,...

UK's Warehouse REIT has accepted a 485.2-million-pound ($661-million) takeover bid from Tritax Big Box REIT. This is a departure from the previous agreement with Blackstone, which was reached in early June. Tritax's offer of cash and stock values Warehouse at approximately 114.2 pence per Share as of June 24, the same day the agreement was announced. The offer also includes up to 1.6 pence in quarterly dividends per Warehouse share. Blackstone offered 110.6 pence for each Warehouse share or approximately 470 million pounds. The offer also included a 1.6-penny dividend per share. Warehouse Chair Neil Kirton stated in a press...

Verizon Business announced on Wednesday that it has been awarded a contract for the construction of multiple private 5G networks in Thames Freeport, Britain's largest shipping and logistic center. In partnership with Nokia Finland, Verizon will deploy private 5G network across multiple industrial sites, including Ford's largest London Manufacturing Facility and major ports, along the River Thames Estuary. Private 5G networks offer dedicated connectivity, which avoids congestion and speed variations on public networks that are shared by many users. This enables advanced industrial applications such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). The adoption of 5G in European ports has not yet reached...

The operations at the two busiest airports on the planet, Doha and Dubai, slowed down to a crawl Tuesday. Thousands of passengers faced long delays and cancellations due to the temporary closure of the airspace the day before. Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait closed their airspace on Monday night after Iran struck a U.S. base in Doha, the capital of Qatar. This forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights or reroute them, creating a queue of passengers stranded. Dubai airports in the United Arab Emirates temporarily halted their operations. U.S. president Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached between...

Bookrunners reported on Tuesday that a company controlled by Advent International, a private equity firm, had offered institutional investors an approximately 3.5% stake in the parcel locker firm InPost. AI Prime & Cy S.C.A., a company owned by Advent. InPost offered 17.5 millions shares through an accelerated placement at 13.25 euros per share. This represents a discount by 6% from Monday's closing prices of 14.1 euro in Amsterdam. The bookrunner stated that once the placement is completed, AI Prime will hold a stake of around 6,5% in InPost. In September 2024, the company sold a 4% stake to InPost at...

His investment firm EP Group announced on Friday that Daniel Kretinsky, a Czech billionaire, will be the new chairman of Royal Mail in Britain. The EP Group, led by Kretinsky, completed its 4.90 billion pound (3.57 billion pound) acquisition of Royal Mail parent company International Distribution Services earlier this month. The British government was also given a 1 pound "golden share", as part of this deal, by the new owner of an old postal company. Royal Mail will continue to pay UK tax and retain its British headquarters with the "golden share". Royal Mail was privatised by the state in...

Wall Street rose on Monday, as the prospect of the U.S. Federal Reserve reducing interest rates by as early as July offset concerns that Iran could disrupt crude transportation in the Middle East. All three major U.S. indexes ended the day higher. The consumer discretionary sector led the gains, with Tesla providing a strong boost. "The rally was a little surprising," said Jay Hatfield. He is the CEO and portfolio manager of InfraCap, a New York-based company. In a sense, the U.S. attacks have ended the uncertainty about whether or not the U.S. would attack. Hatfield said, "The market is...

Wall Street gained on Monday, as fears of Iran retaliating against U.S. Airstrikes and escalating the Middle East war were offset by the prospect that the U.S. Federal Reserve would cut interest rates in July. All three major U.S. indexes rose modestly as a result of a broad rally. The consumer discretionary sector led the gains, with Tesla providing a strong boost. "The rally was a little surprising," said Jay Hatfield. He is the CEO and portfolio manager of InfraCap, a New York-based company. In a sense, the U.S. attacks has ended the uncertainty about whether or not the U.S....

Sometimes the pain of China limiting exports is so severe that it can be crippling. This can cause a huge outcry to occur almost instantly. Sometimes the pain is felt immediately, while other times it can take longer. China's late-last-year restrictions on the critical mineral antimony have caused major headaches for lead-acid battery makers around the world. Their customers are also affected by these high costs, as they have to pay more. Steve Christensen is the executive director of the Responsible Battery Coalition in America, which includes battery manufacturer Clarios, Honda, and FedEx. He mentioned the importance of batteries in...

U.S. importers rely on customs brokers more and more to keep up with the ever-changing policies of President Donald Trump. The industry said that the booming demand for assistance in processing foreign products has increased the cost of these services, which adds another cost to tariffs. Customs brokerages, which were until recently an unrecognized branch of the import industry, now handle all the paperwork required to process shipments, calculate tariff bills, and calculate the paperwork. Brokers interviewed by said they were raising their fees. Major logistics companies like Memphis, Tennessee based FedEx, and Germany based DHL have also added staff...

These are some of the most important stories in selected Canadian newspapers. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these stories. THE GLOBE AND MAIL ** Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will announce the biggest increase in defence expenditures since the Second World War. This would allow Canada to reach NATO's target of 2% military spending this fiscal year. The Canadian clothing retailer Oak and Fort was granted court protection against its creditors. It blames its financial crisis on an ill-conceived expansion of its store and U.S. Tariffs. ** The union representing DHL...

Isaac Del Toro, of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, continued his excellent form in the Giro d'Italia by winning stage 17 on Wednesday with a perfectly timed sprint. The Mexican's stage win was his first of the race and allowed him to extend his overall lead. The 155 km route from San Michele all'Adige in Italy to Bormio on Tuesday was not as punishing, but it featured two tough climbs -- Passo del Tonale (passo del mortirolo) and Passo del Tonale -- totalling 3,800 metres. Del Toro, the youngest man in the field at the end of this final ascent,...

Isaac Del Toro, of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, continued his excellent form in the Giro d'Italia by winning stage 17 on Wednesday with a perfectly timed sprint. The Mexican's stage win helped him extend his overall lead. The 155 km route from San Michele all'Adige in Italy to Bormio on Tuesday was not as difficult, but it featured two tough climbs: Passo del Tonale (with 3,800 metres elevation) and Passo del Mortirolo (3,800 metres). Del Toro, the youngest man in the field at the final ascent, was able to break away from rival Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost and...

The British regulator Ofcom announced on Friday that it will investigate whether Royal Mail's service obligations for 2024/25 have been met. Royal Mail, the postal watchdog that oversees services, said that only 76.5% first-class mail was delivered in one working day and 92.2% second-class mail within three days. These are both well below the standards set by the watchdog. Royal Mail Chief Operating Officer Alistair Cochrane stated in a press release that "we are actively modernising Royal Mail and while this effort is beginning to yield results, we still know there is more to be done." Royal Mail was fined...

These are some of the most important stories in selected Canadian newspapers. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for the accuracy of these stories. THE GLOBE AND MAIL Canada Post has been notified by its union that it will be laying off 55,000 workers this week. TotalEnergies of France signed a contract to purchase liquefied gas from the proposed Ksi Lisims facility in British Columbia. However, the Nisga'a Nation's project must wait for the outcome of the pipeline associated with the project whose costs are estimated to have risen by billions. ** On Tuesday, the finance...

DHL Express is a division within Germany's Deutsche Post. It has announced that it will suspend all global business-to consumer shipments of over $800 in value to individual customers in the United States as of April 21. This is due to changes made by U.S. Customs regulations which have increased clearance time. The notice posted on the website of the company was not dated but metadata indicated that it was created on Saturday. DHL attributed the stoppage to new U.S. Customs rules that require formal entry processing for all shipments over $800. Prior to April 5, the minimum was $2,500....