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(AWP Alliance News) - Brussels on Wednesday announced the temporary relaxing of state aid rules to allow EU countries to pour money into sectors badly hit by soaring energy costs. Oil and gas prices surged in the wake of the US-Israeli war against Iran that began in February. Now the EU executive said it would allow member states to let public cash flow into particularly hard-hit sectors like farming. 'The impact on our citizens and companies demands immediate answers. They need to be proportionate, they need to be effective,' EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said during a press conference in Brussels. She added the EU was responding to member states' call for 'stronger support for energy-intensive industries' and 'simple and flexible rules' for sectors that rely on imported fuels while 'preserving a coordinated European approach'. For example, EU countries can now give companies in farming, fishing and transport money to cover part of the price increases for fuel or fertilisers based on actual consumption. The European Commission also provided a simplified option for the same sectors, under which EU states can hand out up to EUR50,000 to beneficiaries without the need for detailed proof of their fuel consumption. Brussels hopes its measures will help small farmers with their fuel and fertiliser costs while giving room for more aid for diesel prices to transport firms. The looser rules will be in place until December 31, 2026, but the commission said it would keep the measures under review in light of developments in the Middle East and the general economic situation. Several EU states, including France, Germany and Italy, have already announced measures to help households and businesses with higher energy costs. source: AFP Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

(AWP Alliance News) - Stuttgart, Germany-based carmaker Mercedes-Benz Group AG said Wednesday it had signed contracts in April with Paris-based bank BNP Paribas SA to sell its leasing subsidiary Athlon for an undisclosed price. The completion of the transaction is subject to receiving all necessary regulatory approvals and is expected in the second half of 2026, the Stuttgart-based group said in its interim report for the first quarter. Asked about the purchase price, the company provided no information. Mercedes bought Athlon in 2016 from Dutch lender Rabobank for EUR1.1 billion. It wanted to integrate the company into its own fleet management. BNP Paribas already has a foothold in the leasing business with its subsidiary Arval. Athlon offers so-called full-service leasing for businesses, coordinating and handling various aspects. All services required around leasing, such as managing fuel cards, repairs, damage and servicing, are included in one package and one regular payment. Mercedes shares rose 1.1% to EUR49.57 each on Wednesday afternoon in Frankfurt, while BNP Paribas shares were down 0.8% at EUR90.77 each in Paris. source: dpa Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

(AWP Alliance News) - Fidelity Special Values PLC on Wednesday said it 'continued to perform well' in its first half, and proclaimed confidence in the longer-term outlook despite 'increased volatility' and 'increasing uncertainty' across markets. The all-cap UK-focused investment firm's net asset value per share was 451.83 pence as at February 28, up from 392.26p at August 31. For the six months ended February 28, Fidelity Special reported an NAV total return of plus 17.1%, compared with an 18.9% return from its benchmark, the FTSE All-Share Index. 'Your Company has continued to perform well in the period under review...despite the fact that the performance of the UK equity market has continued to be driven principally by the largest companies,' said Chair Claire Boyle, 'with mid-sized and smaller companies, which make up the greater part of your company's portfolio, lagging behind.' She added that 'in brief, the contributors to returns have included banks and defence stocks, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, and not owning some highly valued larger companies such as Diageo and London Stock Exchange Group, which have performed poorly.' Fidelity Special declared a 3.49p per share interim dividend, up 3.9% from its 3.36p payout the year before. 'Fidelity Special Values has a strong and consistent dividend history, with the board having maintained or grown the dividend in each of the past 16 years,' Boyle noted. She continued: 'Recent developments in global trade policy and the war between the US, Israel and Iran have further elevated ongoing geopolitical tensions and contributed to increased volatility in commodity markets and supply chains, increasing uncertainty around the global economy, and the trajectory of inflation and interest rates on both sides of the Atlantic. 'However, your company has weathered many storms across more than thirty years, and we remain confident that [Portfolio Managers Alex Wright and Jonathan Winton's] patient and contrarian approach to identifying unloved and undervalued companies, and their rigorous bottom-up investment process, will continue to deliver attractive performance over the long-term notwithstanding any shorter-term pressures for shareholders.' Fidelity Special Values shares were 0.7% higher at 426.00p each on Wednesday in London. By Emma Curzon, Alliance News reporter Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.