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BRUSSELS, June 20- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday that the European Union's fiscal rules should be revised and focus on growth rather than on financial stability. Under current rules, EU states with large public debts should gradually reduce them, but Rome's debt increased last year and is forecast to expand further until 2020..

*The Hague conference to review air travel tax breaks. PARIS/ BRUSSELS, June 20- The Netherlands and France are trying to convince fellow European nations at a conference in The Hague to end tax exemptions on jet fuel and plane tickets, as part of a drive to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050.. The Netherlands wants to agree on steps towards ending the near complete...

BRUSSELS, June 20- European Union leaders will decide on Thursday to prolong until the end of January 2020 economic sanctions against Russia over the turmoil in Ukraine and call on Moscow to help bring to justice those guilty of shooting down a passenger plane there in 2014.. The EU slapped sanctions on Russia after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March...

*EU Commission threatens disciplinary action against Rome. ROME, June 20- Italy's state accounts are improving despite the slowing economy and do not warrant EU sanctions, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has written in a letter to EU leaders as he seeks to head off disciplinary action. The European Union Commission has threatened to impose disciplinary...

BRUSSELS, June 20- Plans by Facebook Inc to launch a new global cryptocurrency called Libra could raise regulatory issues, Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods said on Thursday.

BRUSSELS, June 20- The European Central Bank could use any of the policy instruments at its disposal unless there is improvement in the euro zone economy, ECB Governing Council member Olli Rehn said on Thursday, saying trade tensions were the greatest worry they faced. "We in the Governing Council are ready to act as appropriate unless there is improvement in the...

BRUSSELS, June 20- The European Central Bank is considering using all instruments at its disposal unless there is improvement in the euro zone economy, member of the ECB Governing Council Olli Rehn said on Thursday. "We in the Governing Council are ready to act as appropriate unless there is improvement in the economic conditions," Rehn told a conference in...

BRUSSELS, June 20- The European Union's 28 national leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday to haggle over how ambitious their climate goals should be and who should navigate the bloc in coming years. Power centers Berlin and Paris are at odds over who should take over the executive European Commission later this year, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel backing...

BRUSSELS, June 19- A push by Germany, France and other EU nations for the bloc to go carbon neutral by mid-century looks likely to be endorsed by EU leaders on Thursday, despite resistance from eastern European nations worried it could cost jobs. A majority of the European Union's 28 members have signed up to the lofty target ahead of the two-day summit of EU leaders-...

*Carl Zeiss drops as BofA Merrill starts with' underperform'. *Focus on Fed statement, Jerome Powell's speech. Federal Reserve policy statement, a day after European Central Bank's dovish calls raised hopes of a more accommodative Fed.

LUXEMBOURG, June 19- Adidas has failed in an attempt to broaden trademark protection for its three-stripes symbol in the European Union as rivals seek to muscle into the market for striped shoes and clothing. High-profile cases have included Adidas clashing with Skechers USA and Nike taking on Puma. Wednesday's ruling could erode the value of the Adidas brand,...

*Aircraft makers pitch electric planes for commuter routes. *Battery weight limits size, range. LE BOURGET, June 19- An all-electric commuter plane and a small Airbus-backed hybrid are among aircraft programs being touted at the Paris Airshow, as the industry tries to convince a skeptical public it can deliver on a pledge to halve carbon emissions by 2050..

LUXEMBOURG, June 19- Adidas' three-stripes have been ruled invalid as a trademark by a European Union court which said they lacked a distinctive character recognisable throughout the 28- country bloc. High-profile cases have included Adidas clashing with Skechers USA and Nike taking on Puma. Shoe Branding bought Patrick, which was founded in 1892 and says it...

*Carl Zeiss drops as BofA Merrill starts with' underperform'. June 19- European stock markets fell back marginally on Wednesday after posting their best performance in five months a day earlier thanks to a policy speech from European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi that flagged a potential return to bond-buying and lower interest rates. That all followed some...

ZURICH, June 19- Switzerland's political system of painstaking consensus-building requires more time to strike a deal with the European Union on a new treaty, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said, suggesting no quick resolution to a potentially damaging log-jam. Even more friction between neutral Switzerland and its biggest trading partner lies ahead if...

*Facebook unveils plans for digital coin called Libra. SAN FRANCISCO/ NEW YORK, June 18- Facebook Inc announced ambitious plans on Tuesday to launch a new global cryptocurrency called Libra, part of an effort to expand into digital payments that immediately raised privacy concerns. The social networking giant has linked with 28 partners including Mastercard,...

*Facebook unveils plans for digital coin called Libra. SAN FRANCISCO/ NEW YORK, June 18- Facebook Inc announced ambitious plans on Tuesday to launch a new global cryptocurrency called Libra, part of an effort to expand into digital payments that immediately raised privacy concerns. The social networking giant has linked with 28 partners including Mastercard,...

*Facebook unveils plans for digital coin called Libra. SAN FRANCISCO/ NEW YORK, June 18- Facebook Inc announced ambitious plans on Tuesday to launch a new global cryptocurrency called Libra, part of an effort to expand into digital payments that immediately raised privacy concerns. The social networking giant has linked with 28 partners including Mastercard,...

*Johnson wins second round of UK leadership contest. Johnson, the face of the campaign to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum, won 126 of 313 votes, by far the largest number in the second round of voting for Conservative Party leader, with four other candidates also getting through. "Boris Johnson seems so far ahead it's a formality, despite UK political...