<p>Shell’s merger chief departed after a bid to acquire rival BP was quashed internally, and the EU’s top trade official warns the bloc would lose global credibility if it fails to approve its trade deal with the Mercosur group of South American countries. Plus, Brussels plans to scrap the EU’s 2035 combustion engine ban, and hedge funds and trading firms are piling into physical commodities markets in search of new sources of returns.</p><br><p><strong>Mentioned in this podcast:</strong></p><p><a href="https://on.ft.com/4j4GlMG" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shell mergers chief departed after CEO blocked bid for BP</a></p><p><a href="https://on.ft.com/4rX2Mr5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EU will lose face if it rejects Mercosur deal, warns trade commissioner</a></p><p><a href="https://on.ft.com/3Ys9tDM" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brussels plans to scrap 2035 combustion engine ban</a></p><p><a href="https://on.ft.com/3KSINJe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hedge funds pile into commodities in search of fresh source of returns</a></p><p>Note: The FT does not use generative AI to voice its podcasts&nbsp;</p><br><p>Today’s FT News Briefing was hosted and produced by <a href="https://www.ft.com/sonja-hutson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sonja Hutson</a>.&nbsp;Our show was mixed by Kelly Garry. Additional help from Gavin Kallmann, Michael Lello and David da Silva. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. The show’s theme music is by Metaphor Music.</p><br><p><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/d5c824de-0fd1-4f41-ab8e-5731d991d767" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com</strong></a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>