$1.2B BUYBACK DEAL OK’D FOR VOLKSWAGEN DIESELS

A federal judge said Thursday he would approve Volkswagen Group’s $1.2 billion buybacks-and-repairs settlement with owners of 6-cylinder diesel engine vehicles that were not included in the company’s deal for car owners. The move paves the way for the automaker to begin buying back about 20,000 polluting diesel vehicles, providing free fixes for another 63,000 and delivering payouts to each group.