Prague / AFP European energy heavyweight CEZ said its net profits for the first half of 2016 had fallen by 10 percent against a year ago due to a drop in energy prices. The Czech state-run power group, which ranks among Europe’s top electricity exporters, earned 13.8 billion koruna (511 million euros, $566 million) on sales of 98.9 billion …

  Paris / AFP French industrial production dropped for a second straight month in June, statistics bureau Insee said Wednesday, alarming analysts who had been looking for a modest increase. Output fell 0.8 percent in June, after dropping 0.5 percent in May, with oil refining posting the largest single decline after strikes in France’s oil industry. Connor Campbell, an analyst …

  Sydney / AFP Australia’s biggest lender Commonwealth Bank sounded a cautious note about the country’s economic outlook on Wednesday even as it posted a record Aus$9.23 billion (US$7.08 billion) in annual profit. The Commonwealth Bank’s performance is closely watched for guidance on the health of the Australian economy in the current low interest-rate environment. CBA chief executive Ian Narev …