Bloomberg Cranberries might be a staple on Thanksgiving tables, but a glut of US supplies has gotten so large that fruit could be headed to the compost pile. Just as demand is hitting its seasonal peak, American processors are anxiously awaiting government approval that would allow them to turn excess fruit into fertiliser. The programme would be the first of ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Theresa May is ready to put more money on the table to settle the Brexit divorce bill — but the Brits are plugging away at get-ting the European side to give her something in return. “We’re headed in the right direction and what matters now is that the UK and EU take a step forward together,” James ...

Bloomberg Russian President Vladimir Putin held a surprise meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, kicking off a diplomatic drive this week to outline the terms of an end to the Middle Eastern country’s bloody civil war. Putin said he’ll speak by phone with US President Donald Trump later. Putin has taken a dominant role in efforts to resolve the ...

Bloomberg US President Donald Trump said he is designating North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, subjecting the regime to additional sanctions and reinforcing its status as an international pariah. Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said the Treasury Department will announce additional measures, describing the move against Kim Jong Un’s regime as ...

Bloomberg It was five minutes before midnight in Berlin. After another long day of political negotiations, Christian Lindner’s hands were shaking. He had a dramatic decision to announce. But people involved in Germany’s coalition talks said they had sensed what was happening hours before the Free Democrats chairman pulled the rug from underneath a tricky deal to construct a government ...

Bloomberg The new leader of Zimbabwe’s ruling party asked Robert Mugabe to resign as president of the southern African nation. “The destiny of our country is in the hands of our people and his excellency must heed the call of the people to resign,” Emmerson Mnangagwa, who left the country after Mugabe fired him as deputy president earlier this month, ...

China is opening its financial firms to more foreign ownership. The opportunity might seem tempting. But developed-world buyers should beware — it’s possible that it’s a trap. On November 10, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao announced changes in the rules limiting foreign ownership of Chinese financial companies. Foreign investors will now be allowed to take controlling interests in Chinese securities ...

Asia’s two rival financial centers are starting to look very different, and the gap is going to widen. The divergence of Singapore and Hong Kong is already evident in the quality of their transportation networks. MTR Corp.’s main rail lines in Hong Kong have been glitch-free for 5.6 million kilometers of passenger journeys on average this year, while Singapore’s subway ...

Later this month, the Bank of England will publish the results of new stress tests on the UK banking system. With Britain facing the risk of a disorderly exit from the European Union, the exercise is even more important than usual. A so-called cliff-edge Brexit is looking more likely. This could cause a sizable fall in gross domestic product, a ...

Republicans in Congress appear to have reached agreement on several crucial points about tax reform. First, it should add to the budget deficit. Second, it should contain countless gimmicks to disguise its true fiscal impact. And third, it should make an insanely complicated tax code even more so. As both houses moved closer last week to passing a comprehensive new ...