International News

Bloomberg Countries across the Asia Pacific are demurring on AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine, or restricting its use, in a move that may delay protection for the region amid concerns that the shot could trigger a rare and potentially deadly blood clotting condition. After guiding against the vaccine’s use in people under 50 and saying that it didn’t expect shipments from ...

Bloomberg Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi is bringing forward plans for as much as 40 billion euros ($48 billion) in new borrowing as the cost of keeping the economy afloat drains the state’s coffers and street protests heap pressure on the government, according to two people familiar with the matter. The government will need between 35 billion and 40 billion ...

Bloomberg UK exporters reported lower sales in the first quarter after Covid-19 and the completion of Brexit added to shipping delays, higher transport costs and more extensive paperwork. The British Chambers of Commerce said 41% of businesses had lower revenue from overseas sales in the first quarter of the year, up from 38% in the final three months of 2020. ...

Bloomberg Non-essential retailers as well restaurants with outdoor space reopened across England after almost 100 days of lockdown, hoping pent-up demand will translate into strong sales. Retailers from luxury department store Harrods to budget fashion chain Primark have been lining up new spring and summer ranges, while restaurants have been buying tents to host outdoor gatherings in a bid to ...

Bloomberg British cybersecurity company Darktrace Plc announced plans for an initial public offering in London, marking the first major company to plan a listing on the exchange after Deliveroo Holdings Plc flopped in its market debut. The IPO is expected to value the company at about $3 billion to $4 billion, a person familiar with the matter said. Darktrace and ...

Bloomberg Germany and France, the euro area’s two largest economies, both saw unexpected declines in industrial production in February, suggesting that coronavirus restrictions are increasingly harming parts of the economy that have proved resilient so far. German output dropped 1.6% from the previous month, surprising all but three economists in a Bloomberg survey. Production in France slumped 4.7% and stagnated ...

Bloomberg Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US economy is at an “inflection point” with stronger growth and hiring ahead thanks to rising vaccinations and powerful policy support, but Covid-19 remains a threat. “We feel like we’re at a place where the economy is about to start growing much more quickly and job creation coming in much more quickly,” ...

Bloomberg Last year’s pandemic housing rush is now this year’s end-of-lockdown feeding frenzy. Across the US, house hunters are fighting for scraps in a market picked clean of listings during the key spring homebuying season. Bidding wars are the norm. Strategies like waiving inspections to secure deals, common for years in hot West Coast tech hubs, are popping up in ...

Bloomberg Facebook Inc. said it removed 14 networks representing more than 1,000 accounts seeking to sway politics around the world, while misleading the public about their identity. Most of the removed networks were in the early stages of building their audiences, the Menlo Park, California-based company said. Facebook’s announcement, part of its monthly reporting on efforts to rid its platforms ...

Bloomberg Finland’s government presented a gradual plan for exiting Covid-restrictions, starting with the executive relinquishing emergency powers later this month. Tight restrictions would be eased in May, and lesser restrictions gradually from June. The government will prioritise removing restrictions affecting children, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said at a press conference. The timetable is conditional on the development of the Covid-situation ...