Bloomberg When Italian rapper Fedez flew to Sicily to marry fashion star Chiara Ferragni, bankrupt Alitalia provided a special plane, complete with tailor-made tickets, a dedicated departure gate and onboard gadgets. The company’s largesse sparked protests in parliament and online — as well as demands from the government for an explanation. Alitalia said the flight, from Milan’s Linate airport to …

ABU DHABI / WAM Search for Common Ground (Search) in collaboration with Hedayah, the International Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), has released the first ever complete CVE Training Curriculum. Financed by the European Union’s Strengthening Resilience to Violent Extremism (STRIVE) Global programme, the initiative is aimed to raise awareness on collaborative CVE approaches among governments and civil …

ABU DHABI / WAM More than 200 of the respected energy experts, pioneers and decision makers from around the globe have now been lined up to lead the discussions at the 24th World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi. To be held from September 9 to 12 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), the event will mark the first time …

Bloomberg Oil jumped to the highest in a week as an industry report showing a continued draw-down in US crude inventories tightened a supply outlook that’s being threatened by rising tension in the Middle East. Futures in New York rose as much as 2.7 percent on Wednesday, as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled that policy makers may cut interest …

Bloomberg A dispute between the founders of Asia’s biggest budget airline deepened after one accused the other of dubious governance practices, roiling the company’s shares and raising concerns that the feud will drag on. Billionaire Rakesh Gangwal informed IndiGo’s operator, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, that he flagged some of his governance concerns about co-founder Rahul Bhatia to the Securities and Exchange …

Bloomberg Cancellation of plans for a third runway at London’s Heathrow airport could cost the UK economy more than 300,000 jobs, an industry study warned as would- be prime minister Boris Johnson said he’d review the project. As many as 120,000 posts would be put at risk by any erosion of Britain’s competitiveness in air transport, while a further 200,000 …

Bloomberg Levi Strauss & Co fell in late trading as profit in its second quarter as a public company tumbled from a year earlier. The denim maker said on its conference call that adjusted diluted earnings slipped 21 percent from the prior year to 17 cents. When including $29 million of expenses associated with its IPO, second-quarter profit was 7 …

Bloomberg Airbus SE booked a slew of jetliner deals from last month’s Paris Air Show, dragging the company out of one of the thinnest sales periods in its recent history. Toulouse, France-based Airbus signed contracts for 145 planes in June, taking the first-half total into positive territory at 88, as cancellations had previously outweighed new sales. The results outpaced arch-rival …

Bloomberg Air France condemned the French government’s plan for a new tax on flights, saying the levy would hurt the airline’s ability to invest in less polluting planes and aggravate already high costs of operating in the country. “This new tax would significantly penalise Air France’s competitiveness,” the French arm of Air France-KLM said in a statement, estimating the extra …

Bloomberg US stocks rose towards all-time highs and Treasuries climbed with gold as comments by Jerome Powell cemented market bets for a rate cut this month. Equities that had slumped since the strong jobs report rallied back to intraday records after the Fed chairman signalled a willingness to lower rates, citing a slowing global economy and trade issues. Gains faded …