ROUNDUP 3: Schaeffler to acquire Vitesco and form e-mobility supplier

HERZOGENAURACH/REGENSBURG - Automotive supplier Schaeffler plans to form a major supplier for electromobility by acquiring former Conti drive division Vitesco. Schaeffler is offering Vitesco shareholders 91 euros per share in cash to ultimately merge the companies, the Herzogenaurach-based company announced Monday. The Schaeffler family already holds nearly 50 percent of Vitesco. Earlier, the news agency Bloomberg had reported on corresponding plans of the Schaefflers - there had been speculation about this for some time. The Vitesco share price rose sharply, while Schaeffler shares fell.

Varta boss: restructuring will take several years

ELLWANGEN - The company boss of struggling battery maker Varta sees signs of a slight recovery. "In July and August, for the first time since I've been here, there were slightly rising customer forecasts," board spokesman Markus Hackstein told the Handelsblatt newspaper (Monday edition). "We don't know yet whether that will be sustained," said the manager, who took over the post just over a year ago. He added that the economic forecasts were rather gloomy overall. But the company generally generates two-thirds of its sales in the second half of the year. In any case, he said, it will be much better than the first half of the year.

Airbus to build maintenance center for air force transport giant

WUNSTORF - The Air Force's largest aircraft, the A400M transports, are getting their own Airbus maintenance center in Wunstorf near Hanover. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space officially opened the construction site Monday for the project, which the company says will cost a sum in the "low triple-digit millions." At the groundbreaking ceremony, the German Defense Ministry praised the A400M as a "cornerstone of German air transport," according to Parliamentary State Secretary Siemtje Moller (SPD), who represented Minister Boris Pistorius on short notice.

'WSJ': Activist investor wants more influence at Disney

NEW YORK/BURBANK - Activist investor Nelson Peltz is again seeking more influence at entertainment giant Disney, according to a newspaper report. After Peltz increased his stake in Disney, he is claiming several seats on the board of directors, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. Peltz's asset manager Trian Fund Management has increased its stake in Disney to more than $2.5 billion in recent months. That makes the investor one of Disney's biggest backers.

ROUNDUP 2: Air traffic at Hamburg Airport resumes

HAMBURG - Flight operations at Hamburg Airport, which were suspended due to a threat of an attack on an Iranian aircraft, have resumed. "Flight operations have resumed. Flight delays may still occur," the airport's website said Monday.

EU mandate for more sustainable aviation fuels from 2025 passed

STRASBOURG - Aircraft in the EU will have to be fueled in a more environmentally friendly way from 2025. From then on, there will be a quota on how many so-called sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) must be blended, EU states announced Monday after officially approving the plan. This includes, for example, fuels made from bio-waste, waste cooking oil, but also synthetically produced fuels. The share starts at 2 percent, and by 2050, 70 percent of fuels provided at EU airports should be environmentally friendly.

MSC holds out great growth opportunities for Port of Hamburg

HAMBURG - The major shipping company MSC holds out the prospect of major growth opportunities for the Port of Hamburg following its planned entry into the port logistics company HHLA. "We plan to write a growth story here. We will bring additional handling volumes to Hamburg, and we will also contribute our experience, investments and innovative strength," MSC CEO Soren Toft told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" (FAZ/Monday).

U.S. pharmaceutical group BMS to buy for nearly $5 billion

NEW YORK - U.S. pharmaceutical group Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) is looking to counter the threat of patent losses for its top-selling drugs by acquiring cancer drugmaker Mirati Therapeutics for $4.8 billion. Mirati shareholders are to receive $58 per share in cash, the drugmaker announced Sunday in New York. In addition, the cancer drugmaker's shareholders are to receive a right to an additional payment totaling $1 billion, contingent on U.S. approval of a new drug for non-small cell lung cancer. The board of directors of both companies has approved the transaction, the statement added. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2024.

Finanzwende association calls for more effort in Cum-Ex workup

BERLIN - In the processing of the billion-dollar Cum-Ex tax scandal, the association Finanzwende, which is supported by ex-politicians, is calling for more commitment from the state. Not only more public prosecutors, but also tax investigators and criminal investigators who are familiar with the complex facts are needed, said former NRW Justice Minister Peter Biesenbach (CDU) on Monday at an event of the citizens' movement Finanzwende. This is led by former Green member of the Bundestag Gerhard Schick. In Cum-Ex, financial players cheated the state out of billions.

US toy company MGA and doll manufacturer Zapf plan merger

RÖDENTAL - The Upper Franconian doll manufacturer Zapf ("Baby Born") and the U.S. toy group MGA want to merge. The merger is to be completed in spring 2024, Zapf announced Monday in Rodental (Coburg district). The German subsidiary of MGA, currently the main shareholder of Zapf Creation AG, had approached Zapf and invited it to negotiations, it said. The companies declined to provide further details.

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Further news

-Cellcentric continues to back Weilheim for fuel cell factory

-Bahn: Corridors for Hanover-Bielefeld in November at the earliest

-Crazy game: Fourth BVB win, seventh Union defeat

-Banking association: Lack of information slows down sustainable investments

-Etliche Motel One customer data published on the Darknet

-Airline Swiss suspends flights to Israel

-Intel Group boss: subsidies for plant in Magdeburg justified

-Test satellites for Amazon's Starlink competition in space

-Deutsche Telekom to cut costs and reduce jobs

-Brief delivery at two speeds: Post makes proposals

-VW and Umicore to build battery cathode plant in Poland

-TV ratings: 7.45 million watch last Makatsch 'Tatort' in Mainz

-Lufthansa 'reduces' flights to Israel - no departures on Saturday

-Press/International media rights: DFL expects revenues to rise

-Juventus Turin posts triple-digit million loss

-Demand for trips to Turkey: SunExpress plans more services at BER

-Plan to ban smoking in cars overturned -Criticism from drug commissioner°.

Customer Notice:

ROUNDUP: You are reading a summary in the company overview. There are several reports on this topic on the dpa-AFX news service.

/zb