British drugmaker GSK on Wednesday beat analyst expectations for its first-quarter profit and sales, ahead of the planned listing of its large consumer healthcare division in July, and stood by its forecasts for 2022.

Italy's Benetton family, a shareholder in insurer Generali, has decided to vote for the slate of candidates submitted by a challenger investor and not in favour of current management, daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported on Wednesday.

China Evergrande Group's flagship unit Hengda Real Estate Group Co Ltd said its creditors have approved a six-month extension of a 574 million yuan ($88 million) coupon payment for an onshore bond that was due on Wednesday.

Mercedes-Benz saw a rise in earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) to 5.2 billion euros ($5.54 billion) in the first quarter even as deliveries of passenger cars fell 10%, with high prices making up for supply chain troubles.

China's securities regulator nudged mutual funds to develop fund products for private pensions and asked them to stabilise markets, as Chinese equities witness a downturn that has pushed benchmarks to two-year lows.

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd on Wednesday reported a 93% plunge in first-quarter profit, far below estimates as pandemic-driven demand for TVs, smartphones and laptops dropped off, causing sharp declines in panel prices.