Bloomberg Volkswagen AG broke ground on a new battery plant in Germany on Thursday, saying the factory marks the first step in an effort that will generate more than 20 billion euros ($20.4 billion) in revenue annually by the end of the decade. The Salzgitter venture is one of six battery plants VW has planned for Europe. PowerCo, the …

  Bloomberg The French government will nationalize its financially struggling nuclear giant Electricite de France SA to help it ride out Europe’s worst energy crisis in a generation and invest in new atomic plants. “The climate emergency requires strong, radical decisions,” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said during a policy speech in parliament in Paris. “We need to have full control …

  Bloomberg Natural gas in Europe headed for the longest stretch of daily gains in more than nine months as persistent fears of deeper supply cuts by Moscow spread through the market. Benchmark futures, which have doubled their value over the past month, surged as much as 9% for a seventh day of increases. The crisis has also sent power …

Bloomberg British Airways is nearing a possible agreement on pay with check-in staff that could head off a strike and prevent further disruption after the carrier scrapped thousands of flights amid a staffing crunch. Talks with the Unite union have progressed and a deal is close, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named …

Bloomberg Germany’s richest man is now the largest shareholder in Deutsche Lufthansa AG after reinvesting a chunk of a fortune he made in logistics into Europe’s biggest airline. Klaus-Michael Kuehne raised his stake in Lufthansa to 15.01% from 10.01%, according to a filing, overtaking the German government as the carrier’s biggest shareholder. The state has been selling down its interest …

  Bloomberg J Sainsbury Plc held its profit forecast for the full year even as it warned that rising inflation means pressure on household budgets will intensify. Britain’s second-largest supermarket chain stuck to its forecast for the full year of underlying profit before tax of £630 million ($764 million) to £690 million. The grocer’s comparable sales, excluding fuel, fell 4% …

  Bloomberg Hong Kong’s new leader John Lee suspended a system that banned airlines from flying routes if they carried passengers infected with Covid, raising hopes he’ll ease onerous travel curbs that have damaged the city’s status as a financial hub. Starting from Thursday, the so-called circuit breaker mechanism will end until further notice, the government said in a statement. …

  Bloomberg United Airlines Holdings Inc blamed the US Federal Aviation Administration and the nation’s air traffic control system for exacerbating the issues plaguing the industry, saying the agency has been overwhelmed by the volume of flights. The FAA rejected that criticism in a sharply worded rejoinder. The carrier estimated that more than 50% of its delay minutes and 75% …

  Bloomberg India’s central bank mounted a fresh defense of the beleaguered rupee, announcing a raft of measures to boost foreign-exchange inflows, that analysts said may not immediately result in large capital flows. The steps include doubling borrowing limits for companies from overseas to $1.5 billion during a financial year, temporarily removing any interest-rate ceiling for banks to attract deposits …

  Bloomberg NatWest Group Plc will give more than 22,000 staff an average pay rise of around £1,000 ($1,199) from September to help them cope with the cost-of-living crisis. Staff earning less than £32,000 will get a 4% salary rise, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. NatWest said it had discussed the move with Unite and the …