France's Total outpaces rivals in recovering from oil slump

PARIS (AP) — French oil company Total appears to be outpacing key rivals in recovering from a years-long struggle with low crude prices, reporting Thursday a rise in earnings and investment plans.

Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne hailed his company's "resilience" and said that the increased dividend "demonstrates the board's confidence in the strength of the group's results and balance sheet as well as its prospects for cash flow growth."