They’ve been a­round for thousands of years but they’re still tripping up foreign investors in China. Company chops are the carved seals that, when used with a red inkpad to stamp documents, confer legitimacy on corporate actions. Investors accustomed to the norms of Western business may think they control the company when they hold a majority of the shares. Nuh-uh. ...

  With a new school year getting underway, public-school districts in the US are sounding alarms about a looming shortage of teachers. In response, some states have loosened rules to bring more workers, including those who haven’t yet earned a college degree, into the profession. These efforts are worthwhile — but they’re only addressing half the problem. Although reports of ...

  President Joe Biden’s student-debt plan is bad policy in too many ways to count. But is it also bad politics? Apparently he and his advisers think not, given that he announced this initiative just before the midterm elections. No disrespect to their expertise, but I wonder if they have miscalculated. Consider the substance first. The exact cost of forgiving ...

Bloomberg SAS AB, which is working its way through a Chapter 11 restructuring in the US, cautioned that much more remains to be done to convince stakeholders to invest in the ailing Scandinavian carrier. The airline also needs to overcome the impact of a pilot strike and travel disruptions that hobbled its key summer season, just as the price of ...

  Bloomberg Nasa aims to use Boeing Co.’s Starliner space vehicle for a crewed mission to the International Space Station as soon as February, the agency said. The flight will mark a major milestone in Starliner’s development, which has suffered from delays and testing setbacks. The planned eight-day mission would be Starliner’s first with astronauts aboard. While the exact launch ...

Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG pilots said they have begun preparations to go on strike after failing to reach a wage accord with the airline, potentially creating more chaos after recent labour action already disrupted operations at the height of summer travel season. “At this point we remain far apart,” Matthias Baier, the spokesman for the Vereinigung Cockpit pilot labour union, ...

  Bloomberg Vegans with a hankering for chocolate-covered wafers can at last get their hands on a KitKat. Nestle SA, the Swiss food giant, is launching KitKat V, a plant-based version of one of the world’s most popular chocolate bars, with a rollout planned across 15 European countries including the UK. Unlike the classic KitKat, the vegan version uses a ...

  Bloomberg The US Department of Transportation is suspending 26 flights by Chinese airlines next month in a dispute over Beijing’s strict policies when travelers test positive for Covid-19. The retaliatory move follows the Chinese government’s decision to limit inbound flights by US carriers including United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. China’s actions are “adverse to the ...

  Bloomberg Gap Inc.’s shares rose in late trading as investors took solace in higher-than-expected earnings and improving sales trends even as the chain withdrew its full-year projections. The apparel retailer said macroeconomic uncertainty and its ongoing search for a new executive officer sparked the decision to pull the guidance. Still, the company saw “an improvement in sales trends in ...

  Bloomberg US Navy warships have entered the Taiwan Strait for the first time since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruled island tested ties between Washington and Beijing. The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville are conducting a routine transit through a corridor of the strait beyond the territorial sea of any state, the 7th Fleet ...