Total SA plans to eliminate 2,000 jobs by 2017 and sell assets worth $5.5 billion this year as the French oil and gas group adapts its business to a world of sharply lower oil prices. The company, one of Europe’s biggest oil producers, said it would freeze the hiring of new staff at its production, refinery, and petrochemicals operations as part of plans to cut costs by $4 billion this year. Total said its aim is to reduce costs so it can turn a profit with an oil price of $70 a barrel compared with $110 a barrel last year. Crude prices have fallen by more than half to around $50 a barrel since last summer. The announcements came as Total swung to a net loss of $5.66 billion in the three months to end-December from a net profit […]