Syria plans to join Paris climate agreement BMW loses ground to Mercedes as auto profitability narrows

Syria plans to join the 2015 Paris agreement for slowing global warming, isolating the United States as the only country opposed to the pact, delegates said on Tuesday at UN climate negotiations in Germany. Syria and Nicaragua were the only two nations outside the 195nation pact when it was agreed in 2015, under former US president Barack Obama. Nicaragua, which originally denounced the plan as too weak, signed up last month. Syria's delegation told a meeting of almost 200 nations on climate change in Bonn that their country, torn by civil war, would sign up for the agreement to curb rising temperatures by curbing greenhouse gas emissions, delegates said. The movewillisolateWashington.

BLOOMBERG< BMW AG lost ground to global luxury-car leader MercedesBenz as profits from carmaking fell while the euro’s gains prompted the manufacturer to reduce its forecast for automotive revenue. Amid increased spending to refresh and expand its car lineup, BMW is now predicting a “slight” gain in 2017 auto revenue, compared with its previous forecast for a “solid” increase, the Munich-based company said Tuesday in a statement. Alongside the outlook for a lackluster end to the year, third-quarter the automotive profit margin slipped to 8.3 per cent of revenue, below the 9.2 per cent at Mercedes, where charges for air-bag recalls and dieselmodel fixes held back profitability. BLOOMBERG<