Category: 3. Business

The culture secretary has cleared Axel Springer’s £575m takeover of the Telegraph, paving the way for the end of almost three years of uncertainty over the ownership of the titles.

Lisa Nandy said that she does not believe there are grounds to intervene and refer the deal to the media regulator, Ofcom, for an in-depth regulatory investigation.

The culture secretary has the power to call in mergers for further scrutiny on public interest grounds, as well as the new foreign state influence regime.

“I am currently not minded to intervene in this merger under either regime on the basis of the evidence available to me at this time,” she said. “This is without prejudice to my ability to intervene in this merger within the applicable statutory time limits, if new or additional information comes to my attention.”

While the deal remains subject to regulatory approvals in Ireland and Austria, Axel Springer said that the expected all-clear in the UK means it expects to complete the deal by the end of June.

“We are pleased to have received UK government approval to proceed with this acquisition,” said Mathias Döpfner, the chief executive of Axel Springer. “After a long period of uncertainty, we can confirm that we will invest significantly in the Telegraph’s editorial excellence and international growth.”

The Telegraph titles will add to Axel Springer’s media portfolio, which includes Europe’s biggest newspaper, Bild, Politico and Business Insider.

Döpfner, who was trumped by a blockbuster £665m offer for the Telegraph by the Barclay brothers in 2004, tabled the offer for the titles last month in a move that scuppered a rival deal from the owner of the Daily Mail at the 11th hour.

He has promised that the editorial independence of titles is “sacrosanct”, and has backed existing executives including the Telegraph’s editor, Chris Evans, the editor of its sister Sunday paper, Allister Heath, and the chief executive of Telegraph Media Group (TMG), Anna Jones.

Döpfner has pledged to invest in the Telegraph to make it the “leading centre-right media outlet in the English-speaking world”, with a rapid expansion planned for the US supported by the “significant expertise” of Politico and Business Insider.

Lord Rothermere’s Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) had been close to taking control of the Telegraph titles, having been given permission by the UK government to take over the right-to-buy option from RedBird IMI.

However, the German media group tabled a significantly superior offer to DMGT’s £500m deal, prompting the United Arab Emirates-backed group that controls the Telegraph to seek UK government approval to switch the permission to sell the right-to-buy option to Axel Springer.

Nandy has granted approval for that transaction to take place. She said: “I am pleased to be able to take these positive steps, which give greater certainty to the Telegraph and its staff.”

The sale of the newspapers was kicked off in 2023 when the Barclay family lost control of the group over £1.16bn of unpaid debts owed to Lloyds bank.

RedBird IMI – which is 75% controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the vice-president of the UAE and the owner of Manchester City – took control of the publishing group after agreeing to pay the Barclays’ debts.

However, it was forced to put the titles back up for sale after the British government passed a law blocking foreign states or associated individuals from owning newspaper assets in the UK. There is now a 15% cap in place after the introduction of the foreign state influence regime.

A consortium led by Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital, the junior partner in the RedBird IMI venture, tabled a £500m deal for the titles last year. However, it pulled out in November and DMGT struck its deal later that month.

TMG employs almost 900 staff, according to the most recent Companies House filing for 2024, with about 400 understood to be journalists.

GB News backer Sir Paul Marshall struck a £100m deal to buy the Spectator, which was also part of DMGT, in 2024.

In 2015, Axel Springer was pipped by an 11th-hour blockbuster £844m bid from Nikkei, Japan’s largest media group, to buy the Financial Times.

Supplemental funding helps 11 free & charitable clinics and charitable pharmacies expand mental health care and reach more patients in underserved communities

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. and PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Direct Relief, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) today announced a second round of grant funding in the amount of $75,000 to each of 11 free and charitable clinics across Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. Originally launched in 2022 with an initial $2 million funding, in 2024, Teva committed an additional $2 million to support behavioral health services at selected free and charitable clinics for 2025 and 2026.

During 2025, these grantee programs reached more than 57,000 people with mental health services and conducted nearly 6,000 screenings for depression and anxiety, demonstrating significant impact in expanding access to behavioral health care for uninsured and underserved populations. Now in its fourth year, Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care continues to address the critical need for expanded mental health services in medically underserved communities.

“At Teva, we’re driven by the conviction that everyone deserves access to a healthy future. These clinics have shown that integrating mental health services into trusted primary care settings is both effective and essential for reaching people who otherwise have nowhere to turn,” said Carol Richardson, Sustainability and Health Equity Lead, Teva U.S. “Motivated by deep compassion for people living with mental health conditions, supporting patients, their families and these clinics through this grant reflects Teva’s purpose in practice.”

Recognizing the strong impact and ongoing need, Teva Pharmaceuticals is providing a second round of funding to each of the 11 clinics. This support will help clinics expand counseling, extend service hours, improve telehealth, and boost outreach. The clinics, located in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas, have added mental health screening and counseling to primary care and pharmacy visits, which has helped reduce stigma and increase patient participation. All programs met or exceeded their goals—completing nearly 6,000 depression and anxiety screenings, training over 260 providers, and delivering culturally sensitive care to people facing barriers to mental health services.

Key successes include:

• Adding mental health services to regular doctor visits and pharmacy services helped reduce shame. More patients felt comfortable getting help.
• Using simple screening during routine checkups helped clinics identify people who needed mental health support earlier.
• Telehealth made it easier for patients to speak with providers when they couldn’t travel to appointments or had scheduling problems.
• Working with universities, mental health specialists, and community groups helped clinics serve more patients and connect them to the right services.
• Reducing the stigma around mental health resulted in patients feeling comfortable to seek care.
• Offering mental health support at pharmacies created a new way to reach uninsured patients in places they already trust.

“Free and charitable clinics serve as trusted healthcare homes for uninsured populations, making them ideal settings for behavioral health integration,” said Nicole Lamoureux, NAFC President & CEO. “This program has proven that when we invest in these clinics’ capacity to deliver mental health services, patients engage, outcomes improve, and communities benefit. The additional funding will help sustain and expand these proven models.”

Clinics navigated significant challenges, including demand that exceeded capacity, requiring careful attention to sustainable implementation rather than rapid expansion. Housing instability, transportation barriers, and language access issues required coordinated navigation support. Policy changes affecting some communities led to decreased clinic visits even as mental health service demand remained high, underscoring the importance of trust-building and cultural responsiveness during periods of community stress.

“Access to mental health care depends not only on need, but on sustained resources and community-based partnerships,” said Katie Lewis, Regional Director of U.S. Programs for Direct Relief. “These clinics are expanding equitable, culturally responsive services and this funding will help them reach the people who need it most.”

2025 Community Routes Grantees Results:

Alabama:

• Medical Outreach Ministries (Montgomery)
• Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy (Mobile)
• St. Michael’s Medical Clinic (Anniston)

Mississippi:

• Bethel Free Clinic, Inc. (Biloxi)

Texas:

• Brother Bill’s Helping Hand (Dallas)
• Heal the City Free Clinic (Amarillo)
• Health for All (Bryan)
• Ibn Sina Foundation (Houston)
• The Agape Clinic (Dallas)
• Mercy Clinic of Fort Worth (Fort Worth)
• Woven Health Clinic (Farmers Branch)

Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care is a collaboration between Teva, Direct Relief, and NAFC that addresses mental health access barriers in underserved communities. Since its 2022 launch, the initiative has provided medication donations across 10 states and grant funding to 22 clinics, reaching more than 120,000 beneficiaries through its first three years.

To read more click here.

About Direct Relief

Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies. Learn more at DirectRelief.org.

About National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics

NAFC is the only nonprofit 501c (3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of the medically underserved and the more than 1,400 Free and Charitable Clinics that serve them. Founded in 2001 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., NAFC works to ensure the medically underserved have access to affordable quality health care. For more information, visit www.nafcclinics.org.

About Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) is transforming into a leading innovative biopharmaceutical company, enabled by a world-class generics business. For over 120 years, Teva’s commitment to bettering health has never wavered. From innovating in the fields of neuroscience and immunology to providing complex generic medicines, biosimilars and pharmacy brands worldwide, Teva is dedicated to addressing patients’ needs, now and in the future. At Teva, We Are All In For Better Health. To learn more about how, visit www.tevapharm.com.

Contact:
Grace Ann Arnold
[email protected]

• Meets the readiness, scale and reliability demands of today’s fast‑growing data center and infrastructure needs
• Engineered and ready now for facilities that require fast delivery of high capacity and durable elevators available with world-class Otis service, experience and expertise

FARMINGTON, Conn., April 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Otis Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: OTIS), the world leader in the manufacture, installation, service and modernization of elevators and escalators, today announced Otis Robust, a new heavy-duty elevator range engineered to meet the growing demand of multi-story data centers and other essential infrastructure, such as airports,  hospitals and industrial plants, that operate around the clock under demanding conditions.

The global demand for larger and more advanced facilities and infrastructure is expanding at an unprecedented rate across sectors, with the global data center pipeline alone exceeding $2.5 trillion* in anticipated investment. Advances in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) are fueling this expansion, driving rapid growth in multi-story data center capacity worldwide. As these facilities scale, with strong market momentum in the United States and Canada and substantial growth potential across Asia and Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), they must be built and brought online faster, placing new demands on the performance, durability and safety of the infrastructure they support.

“As construction and investment for data centers and other infrastructure accelerates, customers are looking for partners like Otis who can move at pace without compromising on safety and reliability,” said Judy Marks, Chair, CEO, and President of Otis. “The Robust elevator range reflects how we are ready to serve these fast-growing sectors, bringing ready-now, heavy-duty solutions to market that are purpose-built for high-intensity environments. By combining industrial grade engineering with our global scale and service expertise, we’re helping customers build and deploy facilities faster and operate them with confidence over the long term.”

Whether for individual installations or multi-site major projects, Otis leverages its global manufacturing and supply chain network, proven processes and dedicated teams of experts to provide end-to-end support that helps streamline decision making and accelerate every step—from bidding through commissioning—while maintaining consistency and quality.

Otis Robust elevators are designed for demanding infrastructure supporting heavy loads, frequent use and continuous operation, with up to five times the weight capacity and two times wider door openings than standard passenger elevators. They help customers reduce operational risk, protect valuable equipment, and maintain performance time around the clock. Combined with an Otis service plan and the Otis ONE™ IoT predictive maintenance solution, customers should benefit from high service quality and extended performance. They can also easily modernize and upgrade their equipment to scale operations and protect long-term investments as facility needs change over time.

To learn more about the range of Otis Robust heavy-duty elevators and the company’s commitment to supporting the rapid development of critical infrastructure, visit www.otis.com/en/us/products/otis-robust.

Q&A

What distinguishes the Otis Robust heavy-duty elevators from other elevator solutions currently available?

The Otis Robust heavy-duty elevators are engineered for multi-story data centers and other critical infrastructure that require accelerated installation of high-capacity, dependable, and continuously operating elevators.

How does Otis move fast from bid to commissioning?

Otis leverages its global manufacturing and supply chain network, proven processes, and dedicated expert teams. Whether it’s a single or multiple site deployment, its end-to-end support helps streamline decision making and accelerate every step—from bidding through commissioning—while maintaining consistency and quality.

Why has Otis launched a dedicated elevator range for data centers and mission-critical facilities now?

We are seeing unprecedented expansion across mission-critical infrastructure. Advances in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) are fueling this expansion, driving rapid growth in data center capacity. The global data center pipeline alone now exceeds $2.5 trillion*, and these facilities are becoming larger, more complex and more demanding. Elevators are essential to keeping these dynamic environments running continuously. The Otis Robust elevators were engineered to meet this reality, with reliability and performance designed from the outset.

What problems are customers in data centers and other critical facilities facing today?

Customers tell us that swift delivery, performance and reliability are their top priorities, whether they are moving heavy equipment, regularly moving large numbers of passengers or striving to maintain maximum up time in 24/7 environments. With up to five times the weight capacity and two times wider door openings than standard passenger elevators, Otis Robust elevators are purpose built for heavy loads, frequent use and continuous operation, helping customers reduce operational risk and protect critical operations.

How does Otis Robust support the rapid evolution of data centers’ needs?

Otis Robust elevators are purpose built for heavy loads, frequent use and continuous operation and designed for easy modernization and upgrades, allowing customers to adapt their systems as their operational needs change.

About Otis
Otis gives people freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world. The global leader in the manufacture, installation, service and modernization of elevators and escalators, we move 2.5 billion people a day and maintain approximately 2.5 million customer units worldwide – the industry’s largest Service portfolio. You’ll find us in the world’s most iconic structures, as well as residential and commercial buildings, transportation hubs and everywhere people are on the move. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 72,000 people strong, including 45,000 field professionals, all committed to manufacturing, installing and maintaining products to meet the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories. To learn more, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook @OtisElevatorCo.

*Source: Q1-2026 Global Insights report on data centers issued by GlobalData

Media Contact:
Katy Padgett
Phone: +1-860-674-3047
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Otis Worldwide Corporation

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has published the latest report in its award-winning Fuel for Thought research series, examining the role of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the cruise sector. 

Launched today (14 April) at Seatrade Cruise, Fuel for Thought: LNG for Cruise offers a detailed, evidence-based assessment of how LNG is already delivering improved air quality and emissions performance. The report highlights how further gains can be achieved through advances in engine technology, methane abatement, cleaner fuel supply and emerging pathways such as bioLNG and synthetic methane. 

The report shows that LNG is now the most widely adopted alternative fuel in the cruise sector, both in the in-service fleet and the orderbook. This reflects the need for solutions that are available at scale, supported by global bunkering infrastructure and compatible with existing safety and regulatory frameworks.  

Drawing on LR’s technical expertise and market analysis, the report examines the full lifecycle performance of LNG, including well-to-wake emissions, regulatory treatment under IMO and EU regimes, and the economic implications of emerging compliance mechanisms such as the IMO Net Zero Framework and FuelEU Maritime.  

It makes clear that addressing methane slip is critical to LNG’s long-term credentials and highlights the progress already being made through improved engine designs, onboard abatement technologies and verification approaches. 

The analysis also underlines the importance of recognising upstream improvements in LNG production and supply. Certification of lower emissions LNG and the scaling up of bioLNG offers the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas intensity, but only if regulatory frameworks evolve to reflect real-world performance and encourage investment across the value chain. 

Francesco Ruisi, LR’s VP global passenger ship segment director, said: “For cruise operators, the report positions LNG not as an end point, but as a practical enabler of the industry’s decarbonisation pathway.  

“With cruise ships operating in a highly visible and tightly regulated environment, the need to reduce emissions today while retaining the flexibility to adopt future fuels and technologies remains a critical consideration.” 

Fuel for Thought: LNG for Cruise forms part of LR’s wider award-winning Fuel for Thought series, which provides independent, technical insight into the alternative fuels shaping shipping’s transition to lower carbon operations. The report is intended to support informed decision-making across the cruise sector as it navigates the complexities of maritime energy transition. 

Download Fuel for thought: LNG for Cruise report

Custom Aurora suites provide luxury, premium passenger comfort and intelligent cabin integration

HAMBURG, Germany, April 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Collins Aerospace, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, and Air Canada today announced that the carrier’s new fleet of Airbus A321XLR aircraft will be furnished entirely with Collins’ seating solutions. Fourteen premium Aurora business class suites will be installed at the front of the aircraft while 168 Meridian+ main cabin seats will fill out the economy cabin.

The custom lie-flat Aurora suites, revealed at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, showcase an industrial design, trim, and finish customized by Air Canada alongside Collins and Air Canada’s design partner, Acumen. The suite offers a balance of privacy and sociability with a noticeably warmer palette, where elegant lighting gently accentuates custom materials, rich wood, stone, and bronze accents.

“Aurora is designed to provide a widebody business class experience on single-aisle aircraft, offering passengers the comfort, space and privacy expected on long-haul flights,” said Cynthia Muklevicz, vice president of Global Airlines and Lessors for Collins Aerospace. “By integrating the suites, monuments and galley space into a unified architecture, we’re able to make better use of the cabin footprint while maintaining passenger comfort and the service capabilities airlines need to deliver a true premium experience.”

The proprietary shape and installation angle of the Aurora suite conforms to the exact dimensions of the XLR, maximizing passenger living space, providing an extra row of premium seating and expanding galley capacity to accommodate the catering volume necessary for long-haul service.

“Our primary goal was to elevate the in-flight experience by creating a space that feels exceptionally inviting and highly personal,” said John Moody, managing director of On-Board Product for Air Canada. “With the Aurora suite, we are setting the standard through the thoughtful use of space, technology, bespoke materials and finishes. Our meticulous attention to detail offers our customers a true retreat.”

Built on Collins’ legacy in single-aisle aircraft seating, Meridian+ incorporates design principles from widebody solutions, utilizing a distinctly contoured architecture to reclaim additional area for passenger hips, knees and elbows. The articulating seat diaphragm subtly flexes and adapts to augment comfort, while Air Canada has selected enhanced seatback options to optimize stowage, inflight entertainment and personal power supply.

The first of 30 Air Canada A321XLRs will enter service this spring. Customer demonstrations of Aurora and Meridian+ are being held this week at Aircraft Interiors Expo.

About Collins Aerospace
Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, is a leader in integrated and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Our 80,000 employees are dedicated to delivering future-focused technologies to advance sustainable and connected aviation, passenger safety and comfort, mission success, space exploration, and more.

About RTX
With more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. With industry-leading capabilities, we advance aviation, engineer integrated defense systems for operational success, and develop next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2025 sales of more than $88 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact [email protected]

SOURCE RTX

The Australia 200 trades 59 points (0.67%) higher at 8985 as of 3.15pm AEST.

ASX 200 lifts as materials offset weak confidence data

The ASX 200 was fast out of the gates this morning, surging 95 points (1.06%) to an intraday high of 9021.5 shortly after the opening bell. This marked its first visit back above the psychological 9000 level since early March.

The early push followed a solid lead from Wall Street overnight, where investors focused on fresh signs that Middle East peace negotiations could resume. That optimism helped propel the  Nasdaq Composite to its ninth consecutive gain, its longest winning streak since December 2023. 

While offshore developments provided the backdrop for a strong start, domestic headlines quickly conspired to limit the advance. Speaking in New York shortly before the opening of the local bourse, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser warned of a ‘nightmare’ scenario where inflation re‑accelerates even as growth weakens, a dynamic that would significantly complicate policy choices.

That cautionary tone was reinforced a few hours later when the Westpac–Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index for April plunged 12.5% to 80.1, its biggest month‑on‑month (MoM) fall since the Covid-19 pandemic. The sharp drop was heavily driven by heightened concerns over the Middle East conflict, rising fuel costs, lingering fears of higher interest rates, and potential job losses.

The bleak domestic picture was rounded out when the National Australia Bank (NAB) business confidence index slumped to -29 in March, down from a revised zero the previous month. This marks the second‑largest fall on record and the weakest reading since the Covid-19 era, with cost and price expectations rising sharply across the board.

By Leo Marchandon

April 14 – Publicis on Tuesday reported first-quarter net revenue organic growth of 4.5%, meeting company-provided consensus and outpacing advertising ‌industry peers, as AI and acquisitions drove gains in key markets, ‌including the U.S. and China.

The French company said it expects an acceleration in the second ​quarter and reaffirmed its full-year outlook of net organic growth of between 4% and 5%.

Chief Executive Arthur Sadoun also reiterated the plan to use “the billion in cash” available over the year for acquisitions rather than dividends or buybacks, prioritizing ‌increasing capabilities to meet client ⁠demands.

During the first quarter, the company acquired content measurement platform AdgeAI for an undisclosed amount and sports marketing agency ⁠160over90 for $500 million.

Sadoun highlighted that Publicis maintained its leading position in net new billings in China and the U.S. despite the IPG-Omnicom merger.

He expressed confidence to reporters ​during a ​call that Publicis would continue to ​outperform as the group expands its ‌addressable market, while the industry has shrunk from six global competitors to three in just six years.

Sadoun attributed the performance to gains since introducing their own AI platform Marcel internally in 2017 to automate tasks.

The company nearly doubled its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) over eight years, from ‌1.7 billion euros in 2017 to 3.2 ​billion euros in 2025, even as it expanded ​its headcount.

The Paris-based company reported ​a first-quarter revenue growth of 6.4% compared to the ‌previous year, reaching 4.2 billion euros ($4.93 billion), ​while net revenue ​reached 3.5 billion euros.

The group added that its marketing services, representing 86% of total revenue, grew 7.6% organically, while its tech services arm ​was “slightly down”, as the ‌war in the Middle East weighed on large and capex-heavy IT ​spending but not on marketing budgets.

($1 = 0.8521 euros)

(Reporting by Leo Marchandon ​in Gdansk; Editing by Vijay Kishore)