Royal Dutch Shell Plc

British shares fell on Friday as rising bond yields globally sparked fears of higher inflation, while another slowdown in domestic house price growth also weighed on the market.

London's FTSE 100 fell on Friday, as a persistent rise in bond yields globally led to fears of higher inflation and borrowing costs, while energy stocks rose on higher crude oil prices.

Royal Dutch Shell is changing the senior leadership of its operations in Britain as part of a global overhaul to cut costs and shift away from oil and gas to renewables and power.

Exxon Mobil Corp is lowering its ambitions for oil and gas output, it said Wednesday, as it focuses on cutting costs and preserving dividends to win back investors that have soured on the company after years of overspending.

Ample, a seven-year-old San Francisco startup, wants to skirt one of the big hurdles to widespread adoption of electric vehicles by reviving the idea of quick, automated battery swaps for owners concerned about running out of juice while driving.

British shares rose on Wednesday, buoyed by gains in financial, leisure and homebuilding stocks as investors cheered finance minister Rishi Sunak's budget plan to steer the economy out of a coronavirus-inflicted shock.

Governments and energy companies are placing large bets on clean hydrogen playing a leading role in efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, but its future uses and costs are highly uncertain.

British shares rose on Wednesday, buoyed by gains in commodity and banking stocks, while investors awaited Finance Minister Rishi Sunak's budget plan as the country tries to recover from a coronavirus-inflicted economic shock.

Exxon Mobil Corp plans to cut its workforce in Singapore, home to its largest oil refining and petrochemical complex, by about 7% amid the "unprecedented market conditions" resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, it said on Wednesday.

The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2215 GMT on Tuesday:

* GRAPHIC- Spot Asian LNG prices by year: https://tmsnrt.rs/3sDWGfz

Brazil's antitrust watchdog CADE approved the acquisition of ethanol producer Biosev SA by Raizen, a joint venture between Brazilian ethanol producer Cosan SA and Royal Dutch Shell PLC.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will headline the second day of the world's largest oil and gas conference, along with Big Oil executives trying to make the case for their importance even as panelists at CERAWeek focus on how the industry will aim to reduce carbon emissions.

The price of spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Asia has retreated almost as fast as it surged during a cold winter snap, leaving a market grappling with how best to deal with the recent extreme volatility.

London's FTSE 100 inched lower on Tuesday, dragged by energy and mining stocks as oil and metals prices slipped over fears of slowing demand in China, while Taylor Wimpey jumped after resuming dividend payments.

European stocks benchmark fell on Tuesday after recording its strongest session in four months a day earlier as heavyweight mining and energy stocks retreated on weaker commodity prices.

Global energy leaders and other luminaries like incoming Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy focused on the tough road to transforming world economies to a lower-carbon future at the kickoff of the world's largest energy conference on Monday.

Oil company executives at CERAWeek by IHS Markit were adamant on Monday that crude demand will rise over the coming decade and that the fossil fuel will remain a crucial part of the energy mix even as renewables draw increasing attention.

International business travel is not expected to remain permanently depressed, though it will likely recover from the coronavirus pandemic at a slower rate than leisure travel, United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby said on Monday during CERAWeek by IHS Markit.