Press Digest: Financial Times - May 1

Whitbread

01/05/2026 03:30

May 1 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Headlines

Donald Trump drops Scotch whisky tariffs 'in honour' of King Charles

Belgium in talks with Engie to nationalise nuclear assets

Whitbread to sell 1.5 billion pounds of Premier Inn properties after activist pressure

Air France owner increases prices as fuel costs surge by $2.4 billion

Overview

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he was lifting tariffs on whiskey from the United Kingdom "in honour" of King Charles on the final day of a royal visit celebrating a former colony's impending 250th anniversary of independence.

The Belgian government plans to buy the nuclear utility assets of French power group Engie ENGIE.PA in Belgium, in a move Brussels said would help secure the country's energy supplies.

Britain's Whitbread WTB.L said it will sell and lease back 1.5 billion pounds ($2.04 billion) of its freehold properties, shut its 197 remaining branded restaurants and start selling more meals at its hotels, potentially cutting about 3,800 jobs as it battles pressure from UK property taxes and an activist investor.

Air France-KLM AIRF.PA has pared back growth plans, cut spending and increased ticket prices, as it expects its fuel bill to increase by $2.4 billion this year due to energy market disruptions caused by the Iran war.

($1 = 0.7350 pounds)

 (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)

 ((globalnewsmonitoring@thomsonreuters.com))