The Italian telecommunications company said the fixed-network assets, or NetCo, will cover both the domestic and international wholesale businesses and be focused on further accelerating the fibre network deployment.


Persimmon 1H Revenue Fell on Lower Completions; Sees Profit Beating Views

Persimmon PLC said Thursday that revenue for the first half fell on lower house completions, but it expects profit to beat expectations and its forward sales position rose.

The U.K. house builder said that first-half revenue was 1.69 billion pounds ($2.02 billion) for the period compared with GBP1.84 billion a year prior.


Entain Downgrades 2022 Online Net Gaming Revenue, Backs 2023 Positive Ebitda Views

Entain PLC said Thursday that it expects online net gaming revenue to be flat year-on-year given that the macroeconomic environment is moderating customers' spending.

The betting-and-gambling group previously expected a 2022 online net gaming revenue growth of mid-to-high single digit.


British Airways Slashes More Than 10,000 Flights Amid Industry Staffing Shortages

British Airways is scrapping another 10,300 flights from its summer schedule as airlines contend with a resurgence in travel demand that has overwhelmed operators.

The airline's cancellations have been mounting, starting with an initial 8,000 return flights scrapped at the start of the summer season. On Tuesday British Airways said it was canceling more than 1,000 more. Including the 10,300 announced on Wednesday, the carrier has now reduced its flying schedule by about 30,000 flights, representing some 13% of its originally planned capacity.


France's Macron Confronts Divided Parliament With Plan to Raise Retirement Age

PARIS-The government of French President Emmanuel Macron struck a defiant tone Wednesday, saying it planned to press ahead with a contentious overhaul of the country's pension system despite recently losing its majority in parliament.

Mr. Macron's newly appointed prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, began her first address before France's highly polarized National Assembly with conciliatory notes and an appeal for unity.


Russian and Ukrainian Forces Prepare for Next Phase of Battle for Donbas

Russia's invading army shelled the positions of Ukrainian defenders along the front line as both sides girded for the next battles for control of Ukraine's east.

After capturing the city of Lysychansk over the weekend, Russian forces are turning their sights to parts of the Donetsk region that remain under Ukrainian control, including the cities of Slovyansk and Bakhmut.


GLOBAL NEWS

India's Central Bank Takes Steps to Stem Rupee's Slide

India's central bank has relaxed debt-market rules for foreign portfolio investors and allowed commercial banks to raise interest rates on nonresidents' foreign-currency deposits in a bid to support the rupee and boost forex reserves.

"The Reserve Bank [of India] has been closely and continuously monitoring the liquidity conditions in the forex market and has stepped in as needed in all its segments to alleviate [U.S.] dollar tightness with the objective of ensuring orderly market functioning," it said late Wednesday.


Australia Posts Record Trade Surplus for May

SYDNEY-Australia's seasonally adjusted trade surplus rose to a record 15.97 billion Australian dollars (US$10.83 billion) in May, supported by a big jump in the value of exports over the month.

The value of exports jumped 9.5% on month to A$58.40 billion, driven by higher prices for coal, coke and briquettes, and other mineral fuels, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said Thursday.


Inflation Fears Drove Larger Fed Rate Increase in June

WASHINGTON-Federal Reserve officials agreed at their meeting last month they would have to raise interest rates faster and to levels high enough to slow economic growth because of the worsening inflation picture.

Officials voted to raise their benchmark rate by 0.75 percentage point in June, the largest increase since 1994, and several officials have indicated since then that they are prepared to support another such increase at their meeting later this month.


Heads of FBI, MI5 Issue Joint Warning on Chinese Spying

LONDON-The heads of the FBI and Britain's domestic security service issued sharply worded warnings to business leaders about the threats posed by Chinese espionage, especially spying aimed at stealing Western technology companies' intellectual property.

In a rare joint appearance on Wednesday at the headquarters of MI5, Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Ken McCallum, director-general of MI5, urged executives not to underestimate the scale and sophistication of Beijing's campaign.


China Escalates Efforts to Influence U.S. State and Local Leaders, Officials Warn

WASHINGTON-U.S. counterintelligence officials are stepping up a campaign to warn state and local government leaders and business executives about what they see as China's increasing use of overt and covert means to influence policy-making.

A notice released Wednesday by the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center cites an aggressive, escalated campaign by China to lobby and otherwise influence state, local, tribal and business leaders as tensions with Washington rise.


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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

07-07-22 0546ET