Even as Russian President Vladimir Putin prosecutes his vicious and failing war in Ukraine, he continues to cast his ambitions further afield. Russia is trying to undermine democracies throughout Europe, funneling funds and support to far-right groups and propaganda operations. Putin has found particularly fertile ground in the Balkans, pushing his view that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is intent ...

  In rural America, the shoulder-high corn is increasingly competing with a new cash crop: solar power. Acres of solar panels shine brightly in fields along interstates and rural byways, signaling a change in how America’s farming country generates income. The need for a happy marriage between these old and new industries has inspired a burst of innovation and a ...

  If Europe was a school student, last week it sat its first exam in Energy Savings 101. It failed. And that doesn’t bode well for much tougher tests to come in January. Despite strong imports of liquefied natural gas to replace Russian shipments, Europe needs to reduce gas consumption — by a lot — if it’s going to make ...

  After days of insisting there’d be no backtracking on a mini-budget that sank the pound and caused panic in financial markets, the UK government has duly reversed itself. Prime Minister Liz Truss and Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed on Monday that the promised cut in the top rate of income tax from 45% to 40% would be canceled. “We ...

  Bloomberg Large retailers grappling with supply-chain snarls, inflation and increased automation are cracking down on orders from their vendors. Stores such as Walmart Inc. and Target Corp. have long fined suppliers that fail to deliver products on time, in the right amount or with the correct specifications. But after the pandemic allowed for some leeway, US retailers are now ...

  Bloomberg Royal Jordanian Airlines has reached an agreement with Airbus to introduce 20 new factory-built A320neo family aircraft to its fleet, replacing the 13 A320ceo currently in service, the airline’s CEO Samer Majali said in an emailed statement. The move is part of the airline’s plan to increase its total fleet size from 24 to over 40 aircraft in ...

  Bloomberg A Hong Kong-based airline backed by the failed Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co. Ltd. aims to restructure HK$49 billion ($6.2 billion) of debt through UK and Hong Kong courts to stave off insolvency. Hong Kong Airlines is seeking court approval to convene meetings of its creditors and put forward its restructuring proposal, which would include a significant haircut ...

  Bloomberg The number of small and medium-sized British businesses selling over Amazon.com Inc.’s marketplace soared by more than 25% in 2021, faster than in Germany, France or Italy. Some 85,000 smaller UK enterprises now sell on Amazon, responsible for more than 950 million product sales — or 1,750 per minute, the Seattle-based tech giant said in a statement. More ...

  Bloomberg Australian retail sales climbed for an eighth straight month in August, indicating the nation’s cashed-up households are coping well with rapid interest-rate increases to tackle escalating inflation. Sales advanced 0.6% from July, exceeding economists’ forecasts for a 0.4% gain, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed. Retailers have posted higher sales every month this year. The rise was driven ...

  Bloomberg Traveloka has secured $300 million in new financing from investors including BlackRock Inc., as Southeast Asia’s biggest online travel startup counts on a post-Covid rebound to expand in the region. The Jakarta-based company said in a statement it struck a deal for financing with investors including Allianz Global Investors and the Indonesia Investment Authority. The size of the ...