Bloomberg The UK economy slowed less than economists forecast in the quarter after the Brexit vote because of a surge in services, providing ammunition for critics of those who warned of a possible fallout before the referendum. The 0.5 percent expansion was better than the 0.3 percent median forecast of economists in a Bloomberg survey. Services surged 0.8 percent, ...

  Brussels/ AFP Belgium announced on Thursday a breakthrough in talks to secure a landmark EU-Canada trade deal by winning over the leaders of a recalcitrant Belgian region, potentially snapping a deadlock which threatened European credibility anew. However, the announcement came too late for EU leaders and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to go ahead with a signing ceremony in ...

  Helsinki / AFP Finnish telecom equipment giant Nokia said on Thursday it has managed to reduce losses but remained in the red in the third quarter after acquiring its former rival, French-American Alcatel-Lucent. The world’s former number one in handsets, which turned into a telecom equipment maker, reported a net loss of 125 million euros ($135 million) in the ...

  Berlin / AFP German auto giant Volkswagen on Thursday lifted its forecast for the year after swinging back to profit, but the fallout from the group’s “dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal weighed heavily on its luxury brand Audi. One year on from the crisis, the VW group’s recovery appeared on track as it posted net profit of 2.3 billion euros ...

  Calais / AFP Dozens of migrants, including children, were left wandering on Thursday through France’s “Jungle” camp after sleeping rough on the edges of the burnt-out Calais settlement. Excavators began tearing down remaining shelters a day after the official operation to clear the camp came to a dramatic end, with fires started by departing migrants ripping through the shanty ...

  Berlin / AFP German federal prosecutors said on Thursday they had brought charges against a 19-year-old Syrian man accused of having scouted targets in Berlin for a potential attack by the IS group. The man identified only as Shaas Al-M. allegedly joined the extremist group in 2013 and took part in various military operations in Syria, they said in ...

  Hanoi / AFP Vietnam customs officials have seized nearly one tonne of ivory hidden in a timber shipment from Kenya, an official said on Thursday, the third major illegal haul of precious tusks in less than a month. The communist nation is a popular transit route for illegal ivory from Africa heading to other parts of Asia, namely China, ...

  Brussels / AFP NATO and the European Union are partners in defence, not rivals, top officials said on Thursday, downplaying any suggestion EU military ambitions might undermine the US-led alliance which has protected Europe for decades. “I strongly believe it is absolutely possible to strengthen European defence without duplicating efforts by NATO,” alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said. “EU leaders ...

  Tokyo / AFP The United States on Thursday reassured its key Asian allies Japan and South Korea that its policy seeking North Korea’s nuclear disarmament remains unchanged, after its intelligence chief called it a “lost cause”. Washington has always maintained it cannot accept North Korea as a nuclear state and, under President Barack Obama, has made any talks with ...

  Visso /AFP Italy was counting the cost on Thursday after another major earthquake forced thousands to flee their homes in terror but “miraculously” did not cause any fatalities. Two months after a quake left nearly 300 dead in the country’s tremor-prone central spine, two powerful shocks ripped through the mountainous, sparsely-populated region on Wednesday evening. Despite numerous building collapses, ...