EUROPEAN HEADLINES
FT – Shell’s GBP 47 billion swoop on BG Group fuels hopes for wave of energy deals. Move is oil sector’s most dramatic response yet to the slide in the price of crude.
WSJE – Shell-BG deal is first shot in LNG race. Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s USD 70 billion deal to buy BG Group PLC marks the most aggressive step yet in the competition to be the world’s dominant supplier of liquefied natural gas – a fuel with a fast-growing and increasingly global market.
INYT – Once again a shooting brings race to the fore . Video shows white officer in South Carolina shooting unarmed black man.
FRANCE
Le Monde – Front national: open war between Marine Le Pen and her father. The president of the FN rejected Jean-Marie Le Pen’s candidacy to the regional elections and denounced a “scorched earth strategy.”
Les Echos – A tax cut to support investment. Manuel Valls unveiled a new battery of measures to consolidate the economic recovery. The plan gives guarantees to managers and the left-wing of the PS.
GERMANY
Frankfurter Allgemeine – Tsipras: New spring in relations with Moscow. Putin speaks about economic projects; however, no relaxation of import bans for the time being.
Suddeutsche Zeitung– Tsipras complains about sanctions against Moscow. During his visit to the Kremlin, Athens’ Prime Minister warned the West against an economic war – and expects a “spring” in relations with Russia. Putin wants to loosen Greek food embargo.
ITALY
La Republica – Diaz case, the Democratic Party criticises De Gennaro: “He must quit Finmeccanica”. The controversy began following the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to condemn Italy for torture in the case of the occupation of the Diaz school in Genoa during the G8. The police chief at the time, Gianni De Gennaro, today president of Finmeccanica, is under criticism from the Democratic Party whose president, Matteo Orfini, declared: “To let De Gennaro be at the head of Finmeccanica is a shame”.
Il Sole 24 Ore – One in three public tender is irregular, over 8,000 fraudsters. According to the Italian law enforcement agency Guardia di Finanza, one in three public tenders granted in 2014 proved irregular, with a total of 8,000 fraudsters and EUR 2.6 billion.
POLAND
Gazeta – The “junk” Post Office. A private postal service PGP which won a half a million-worth contract from the Government for delivering legal documents, declared in the tender that it employs “at least” eight people at full-time. It now appears, this was a mistake.
SPAIN
El Pais – Rajoy hopes to win the election with a total of 800,000 new jobs created. The President considers that unemployment figures in November will be better than during Zapatero’s presidency.
Expansion – Takeover bid from Shell on BG to challenge Exxon. The EUR 65 billion operation is the biggest operation in the oil sector in 17 years.
UK
The Times – “Backstabber” Miliband attacked over Trident. Tories challenge Labour leader on defence as campaign turns personal.
The Guardian – Tories play the Trident card. Claims that Labour would ‘barter’ deterrent in a pact with SNP.
