International News

  Bloomberg Singaporeans are the most pessimistic about the economy in seven years as they’ve grown more gloomy about their quality of life, their income and job security. Mastercard’s consumer confidence index for the city-state plunged to 33.6 in the first half of 2016, down from 44.3 for the previous six months, the company said in a statement on Aug. ...

  Bloomberg Thailand’s economy grew more than analysts estimated in the second quarter as the military government accelerated spending on road and rail projects to help offset weak demand for the nation’s exports. Gross domestic product expanded 3.5 percent in the three months through June from a year earlier, the National Economic and Social Development Board said in Bangkok Monday. ...

  Bloomberg Rising demand, deficits and a crackdown in the Philippines are combining to make nickel one of its most-preferred commodities, according to UBS Group AG, which said the full impact of mine shutdowns in the Southeast Asia nation may be felt only next year when exports fail to ramp up as usual. The government’s audit of standards in the ...

  London / Bloomberg The UK pledged to support British businesses and universities that receive billions of pounds a year from the European Union after the country leaves the 28-nation bloc. Projects approved before the government’s autumn budget statement will receive full funding, while the Treasury will make arrangements to assess guarantees for projects signed later, according to a statement ...

  Bloomberg The UK may be a key ally of Denmark, but that doesn’t mean it should expect any favors from the government in Copenhagen when it negotiates its departure from the European Union. “Our objective is to make the best possible deal for Denmark,” Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen told Bloomberg when asked about future Brexit talks. The small ...

  Rome / AFP Italy is to seek a new deal with the European Union to allow it to kickstart its stalling economy with an expansionary 2017 budget, a government minister said. Economic Development Minister Carlo Calenda’s comments came three months after Rome was granted “unprecedented” leeway over its 2016 budget and warned by the European Commission that it should ...

  La Paz / Bloomberg Brazil’s real weakened after the central bank intervened amid comments by acting President Michel Temer that signaled he’s worried about the currency’s world-beating rally this year. Temer said Brazil needs to maintain a balanced exchange rate, neither too weak nor too strong, Valor Economico newspaper reported. The monetary authority offered 15,000 of reverse currency swaps, ...

  Berlin / Bloomberg Volkswagen AG got German regulatory approval to carry out technical fixes on 460,000 diesel cars fitted with software that cheats emissions tests. The approval from the Federal Motor Transport Authority applies to models with 1.2-liter EA189 engines including Volkswagen Polo and Seat Ibiza, the German carmaker said in a statement on Sunday. Germany’s approval is valid ...

  Washington / Bloomberg A. P. Moeller-Maersk A/S, a Danish conglomerate that owns the world’s largest container shipping company, is voicing concern as a potential shift in U.S. policy threatens to reduce global trade. While Maersk assumes that no matter how the U.S. presidential election ends, it probably “won’t have an effect on the contracts we have and the employment ...

  AFP China’s recent economic stabilization faltered in July as factory output, retail sales and investment all slowed. Industrial production rose 6 percent from a year earlier in July, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday. Retail sales climbed 10.2 percent last month, while fixed-asset investment increased 8.1 percent in the first seven months of the year. All three readings ...