Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - The ongoing downturn in euro zone manufacturing activity deepened in April due to crumbling demand despite factories cutting prices, pushing firms to reduce headcount again, a survey showed on Thursday.

HCOB's final euro zone manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, fell to 45.7 in April from March's 46.1, below the 50 mark denoting growth in activity for a 22nd month. However, it was just ahead of a... (continue reading...)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Air France and Brussels Airlines are among 20 airlines being investigated by the European Union for potentially misleading greenwashing practices, the airlines told Reuters, confirming a report by Belgian broadcaster RTBF.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; editing by Jason Neely)

(Reuters) - European shares opened on a sombre note on Thursday as investors returned after a mid-week holiday to parse a slew of big-ticket earnings and the Federal Reserve signalling a delay in interest rate cuts.

The pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.2% by 0715 GMT, after logging its first monthly decline this year in April.

Investors were back after the Labour day holiday on Wednesday, a day that saw the Fed signal rates would stay... (continue reading...)

By Dawn Chmielewski and David Shepardson

(Reuters) - Universal Music Group and TikTok said on Thursday that they had reached a new licensing agreement that will restore the label's songs and artists to the social media platform.

TikTok began removing Universal's content from its app after their licensing deal expired in January and the two sides failed to reach agreement on royalty payments to artists and songwriters, protections from... (continue reading...)

By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Leika Kihara

TOKYO (Reuters) - The yen surged against the dollar on what traders suspect was another round of intervention by Japanese authorities to stem the currency's sharp declines.

While authorities have not confirmed whether they stepped in, below are some hints on Tokyo's new intervention tactics:

WHY DID THEY STEP IN?

The yen fell below the key 160-to-the-dollar line after Bank... (continue reading...)