Unilever's CEO Dismissal Sparks Controversy Amid Political Activism Dispute

Top stories include Unilever dismissing Ben & Jerry's CEO over political activism, EU's ambitious arms procurement plan, Thames Water's potential equity deal, and British finance minister Rachel Reeves' pledge to reform financial market reporting rules, eliminating duplicative requirements from EU laws.

Unilever's decision to dismiss Ben & Jerry's CEO has intensified the clash over the brand's political activism, leading to a major shake-up just two years into the executive's tenure.

In Europe, the European Commission aims to centralize arms purchasing, transferring significant power to Brussels in an unprecedented move to unify the bloc's defense strategies.

Meanwhile, Thames Water is exploring potential equity infusions from six interested investors. Concurrently, UK finance minister Rachel Reeves is committed to reforming financial market rules, ridding them of redundancies from EU legislation.

(With inputs from agencies.)