GM's Opel unit leaves Russian market

Faced with plunging sales and dismal future prospects in the Russian market, US auto giant General Motors announced Wednesday it was withdrawing its Opel brand from the country and closing its factory in St. Petersburg. The announcement by the Detroit-based group, a year to the day after Russia annexed Crimea, is yet another sign of a biting economic crisis prompted by falling oil prices and western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. After initially following competitors in reducing staff levels