Latest News
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Sweden buys navy frigates for more than $4 billion from France
The first delivery is expected to take place in 2030, at a cost of approximately 40 billion Swedish crowns (4.25 billion dollars). Ulf Kristersson, the Prime Minister of Sweden, said at a press conference that the purchase of the French Defence and Intervention model (FDI) will be the biggest investment in Sweden's military since the 1980s. Sweden is rushing to strengthen its military following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the Nordic nation's subsequent membership in NATO. The new frigates represent a significant increase of maritime defence capability. Minister Pal Jonson, the Swedish Defence Minister, said that several weapons developed in Sweden?including those by Saab? could be used by these vessels. Jonson stated that each vessel is expected to cost between 10 billion Swedish crowns depending on the exact weapon systems onboard, and the first delivery should take place by 2030. The right-wing Ukrainian government, which is one of Ukraine's strongest supporters in Europe, said that it expected to achieve the NATO target of 3,5% of GDP for military expenditures in 2030. This was several years before the deadline set by NATO. The government previously stated that the new frigates would be the largest surface warfare ships in Sweden's Navy and that they were expected to have a?lifespan? of around 40 years. Naval beat out a joint bid from Britain's Babcock & Saab, as well a bid from Spain's Navantia. The frigates play a crucial role in Sweden's air defense and protecting the Baltic Sea. Sweden also has five Visby-class Corvettes, and is upgrading its submarine fleet. $1 = 9.4037 Swedish Crowns (reporting and editing by Terje Solsvik, EssiLehto, and Niklas pollard).
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New York Times Business News - May 19,
These are the most popular?articles on the New?York?Times?business pages. The New York Times has not'verified' these stories, and cannot vouch for their accuracy. U.S. president Donald Trump's government created on Monday a fund of nearly $1.8 billion to compensate victims who were "weaponized" by political forces. This was to settle the lawsuit Trump filed against his government over alleged mismanagement of his tax records. After a wage agreement was reached with the New York Governor Kathy Hochul, 3,500 workers at the Long Island Rail Road in New York will end their strike. This is the first strike for'more than three decades' that had caused disruption on the U.S. busiest commuter route. U.S. energy companies?NextEra Energy & Dominion Energy announced on Monday a merger plan in a $66.8 Billion deal. This will create one of the world's largest utilities, while expanding data centers that are energy-intensive to support artificial intelligence. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that TrumpRx.gov will now include generic drugs. This includes widely used drugs like cholesterol medication atorvastatin, and diabetes drug metformin. (Compiled by Bengaluru Newsroom)
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French and Benelux stocks: Factors to watch
Here are some company news and stories from France and Benelux that could impact the markets or individual stocks in these regions. The ADP Group Traffic for April was down to 29,1 million passengers. BANIJAY GROUP Banijay Group reported first-quarter adjusted EBITDA of 196.6 millions euros. SANOFI: French pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced on Monday that a clinical trial had shown its 'rare disease therapy' was superior to standard care for?raising the levels of a protein key in patients with genetic lung disease. SOCIETE GENERALE A French financial regulator fined Societe Generale?20 million euros for failing to provide crucial information to its retail customers. VINCI Vinci announced that it had acquired the Modern Group of?Companies based in Canada. Pan-European market data: European Equities speed guide................... FTSE Eurotop 300 index.............................. DJ ?STOXX index...................................... Top 10 STOXX sectors........................... Top 10 ?EUROSTOXX ?sectors...................... Top 10 Eurotop 300 sectors..................... Top 25 European pct gainers....................... Top 25 ?European pct losers........................ Main stock markets: Dow ?Jones............... Wall Street report ..... Nikkei 225............. Tokyo report............ FTSE 100 ............... London - Report ........... Xetra DAX............. Frankfurt items......... CAC-40................. ?Paris items............ World Indices..................................... Survey of World Bourse Outlook ......... European Asset Allocation........................ News in a glance Top News ............. Equities.............. Main Oil Report ........... Main currency report .....
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Adani Group stocks rise after US drops fraud charges against Gautam Adani
Shares of the 'Adani Group' companies rose between 0.13 and 2.32 percent on Tuesday after the Trump Administration dismissed criminal?fraud allegations against billionaire Gautam Adani. This lifted a major?legal burden from the conglomerate. Adani Enterprises settled allegations of Iran sanctions violations related to the importation of liquefied petroleum gas. Adani Enterprises shares rose by 1.67% before the open of trading and then gained another 2.06% to close at 2,475.30 Rupees. U.S. prosecutors accused Gautam Adani, and his associates in November of last year that they had agreed to pay $265,000,000 to Indian officials as bribes for approvals?for solar energy projects?and misled U.S. Investors about the group's anticorruption practices. The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Monday that Adani Enterprises agreed to pay $275 Million to resolve alleged sanctions related to liquefied gas imports from Iran. The company has stopped importing LPG into India, and created a compliance role to ensure that Treasury guidelines are followed. Sources familiar with the issue say that Adani's lawyer, who is also the personal attorney of U.S. president Donald Trump, stated last month that the group had planned to invest $10 Billion in the United States but could not do so while the cases were unresolved. Since the 2023 report by Hindenburg Research, a short seller, alleged stock manipulation as well as improper use of tax havens offshore. Adani Group denies?wrongdoing' on a repeated basis. Adani Energy Solutions and Adani Ports both gained 0.61 percent as of 9:23 am IST. (Reporting and editing by Rashmi aich in Bengaluru, Surbhi Misra)
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Australia purchases more jet fuel and urea from Brunei, China
The 'Australian Government' said that it had secured three shipments of jet-fuel from China, and additional urea for agricultural use from Brunei. This is to boost fuel and fertiliser stocks amid the disruptions caused by Iran War. After discussions between Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the government announced that more than 600,000. barrels of jet fuel, or approximately 100 million litres would be arriving in early June. Beijing has been limiting fuel exports to protect the domestic supply since March after the Strait of Hormuz was closed, disrupting crude and fuel flow. The government of Australia said that it also purchased 38,500 metric tonnes of urea in Brunei, to "support farmers and agriculture sectors". The fuel and fertiliser security centre, worth A$7.5 billion ($5.36billion), was able to secure both shipments. The facility was created to assist Australia's agricultural and transport industries deal with supply pressures through financial assistance in the form of loans, equity, guarantee, insurance, and price support. Albanese, in a press release, said that the additional?600,000.00 barrels of jet-fuel will keep Australia moving and will provide?certainty? to our farmers. The additional 'jet fuel' represents about 1% of Australia’s annual consumption. Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated that Australia worked?with other countries in the region to respond to the shock to the global economic system and ensure the continual flow of essential fuels. Since the Middle East conflict started at the end February, Australia has been experiencing localised fuel shortages. Reporting by Christine Chen, Sydney; Editing Clarence Fernandez, Jamie Freed
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FAA claims it did not address warning signals prior to fatal collision
The Federal Aviation Administration's head will tell Congress Tuesday that the agency did not act on warnings before the fatal January 2025 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter, which killed 67 near Reagan Washington National Airport. The National Transportation Safety Board reported in January that a series systemic failures of the Federal Aviation Administration caused a mid-air collision which was the most deadly U.S. aviation disaster for more than 20 years. "Our airspace systems were sending warning signals before that tragic evening." In a written?testimony, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told a U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee that the problem was not lack of data but a failure to?translate this data into action. "That's the gap we urgently close." Bedford said that the FAA has taken a number of steps to improve safety. In March, they suspended the use of visual separations between helicopters and airplanes at major airports. In March, the FAA issued new rules citing two recent incidents including a near-miss involving an American Airlines plane and a police helicopter near San Antonio's airport. He said that a strategic, sweeping reorganization is underway at the FAA. "This includes streamlining of leadership roles and eliminating silos that hinder transparency and information sharing." The NTSB found that the FAA allowed helicopters to travel close to airports without safeguards separating them from planes and failed to review data or act on recommendations for moving helicopter traffic away. Since 2021, 15,200 air separation accidents have occurred near Reagan Airport between commercial planes and helicopters. This includes?85 close calls. The FAA implemented restrictions on helicopter traffic at Reagan Airport after the?collision of 2025. Other airports, including Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Washington Dulles, were also affected. The FAA also reduced plane arrivals at Reagan.
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Data from traders and LSEG show that oil exports from Russia’s western ports rose in the first half of May despite drone strikes.
According to data from traders and LSEG, the increase in oil exports and transit through Russia's western port ports was around?150,000 barrels per daily (bpd), a?9% rise, compared with April. The ongoing drone attacks on Russian refineries force Moscow to increase crude oil exports. However, traders warn that the spare capacity of the Transneft system is close to its limit. Estimates show that between May 1-15, the average exports and transit volumes of Urals and KEBCO, as well as Siberian Light, via Primorsk and Ust-Luga, were?about 2,35-2.4 million barrels per day. This is up from 2.2?million barrels per day in April. Exports are expected to remain high in May, according to market participants. This is assuming that there are no new disruptions at ports or pipelines. One industry source said, "There's still spare crude in?the?system. Companies want to ship it, and demand is strong." Novorossiisk was the main driver of the increase in early May?loadings. It handled cargoes carried over from April, totaling around 1,000,000 metric tons during the first 10 days. The first half of the month saw a rise in loadings to 0.7 million bpd, up from 0.5 million in April. After a drone attack last month, the port temporarily halted loading tankers. Traders reported that loading rates had slowed down after operations were resumed. Primorsk kept shipments at a little over 1.1m bpd while loadings in?UstLuga remained?at 0.6m bpd. According to official data and social media reports, drone attacks on Russia's infrastructure for energy have increased. The number of "refineries" targeted has doubled since the beginning of the year. Urals crude is still in high demand in Asia due to the limited shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been linked to the conflict in Iran. The premiums for Indian crude oil have dropped to $2 to $3 per barrel, compared to Brent. This is down from $6 to $7 in May-loading cargoes. However, Russian crude remains at a high price. (Reporting and Editing by Diti pujara)
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US moves to curb Ebola risks, saying immediate risk to the public is low
U.S. officials announced Monday'steps to reduce the risk of Ebola spreading in the United States,' amid international?concerns about a new outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, they also assured Americans that the risk is low. CDC officials will monitor and screen 'travelers' who left or visited the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan in the last 21 days. According to the CDC, this order is only in effect for 30 day and does not affect U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals or lawful permanent residents. The CDC stated that the risk of Bundibugyo disease being introduced into the United States was increased by the virus incubation period. This can last up to 21-days, allowing 'infected' individuals to travel abroad while asymptomatic, and thus unlikely to be detected using routine symptom-based screening methods. The U.S. government will also "ramp up" contact tracing capacity, laboratory testing capability and hospital readiness across the country, it added. The CDC statement 'comes at a time when medical personnel are rushing to 'the frontlines of outbreak in eastern DRC, after the World Health Organization proclaimed it a 'public?health emergency due to concerns that the?disease might spread after two cases have been confirmed in Uganda. (Reporting and editing by Katharine Nichols, Michelle Nichols, and Susan Heavey)
What is the Power of Siberia 2 Natural Gas Pipeline to China?
The Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit China this week, and he will 'hold discussions with President Xi Jinping. A Kremlin aide stated on Monday that a detailed discussion of the proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline would be held. China, 'the world's largest oil and gas consumer, is a major buyer of Russian products.
Here are some facts regarding the proposed pipeline:
What is the POWER OF SIBERIA II? Power of Siberia 2 is a planned 2,600 km (1,616 miles) system that will transport 50 billion cubic meters (bcm), or 50 billion cubic feet per year of gas to China via Mongolia. This gas will come from the Arctic Gas Fields of Yamal. The Power of Siberia 2 pipeline would be a complement to the existing Power of Siberia 1 pipe that brought 38 bcm of Russian gas to China in 2017. During the September meeting between Putin and?Xi the two sides agreed that the Power of Siberia pipeline would be increased to 44 bcm a yearly capacity.
Gazprom of Russia, the company that will build Power of Siberia 2 in Russia, began a feasibility report on the project in 2020 and announced in September 2025 a legally-binding 30-year supply agreement.
Power of Siberia 2 is stalled because of disagreements about price. In a meeting in September, Putin said that the price of the gas would be determined by a formula similar to those used for Russian shipments into Europe.
This project is of particular importance to Russia, as sanctions imposed following its invasion of Ukraine have cut off most of its European clients.
WHAT HAS CHINA COMMENTED?
China has not made many public comments about the pipeline. China didn't release a statement when Gazprom announced its memorandum in September last year. Last November, the head of China National Petroleum Corp's research unit said that it would take at least 8-10 years to build a project like this.
In March, China announced that in its 15th 5-year plan it would advance the "early stage" work on the Power of 'Siberia 2
What is China's existing gas pipeline import network?
China's natural-gas imports via pipelines are steadily increasing, and will reach 59.4 millions tons by 2025, accounting for 19% of the country's domestic consumption. Five pipelines already exist that bring?natural-gas from Central Asia, Russia, and Myanmar.
Three pipelines enter China in the Xinjiang area, which supply more than 40 bcm natural gas per year. They start in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The 793 km?Myanmar - China Gas Pipeline started operating in 2013, and was designed to transport 12 bcm per year.
Russia and China also are building another pipeline, with a 10 bcm capacity to transport gas from the Russian Pacific Island of Sakhalin.
(source: Reuters)