International News

Bloomberg UK car sales declined in August, denting hopes of a recovery in the industry from a coronavirus-driven sales slump. Vehicle registrations dropped 5.8% to 87,226 vehicles, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. July brought the UK’s first monthly gain in car sales of 2020, providing some relief as the industry cuts jobs and capacity to weather ...

Bloomberg Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will extend a loan program for commercial landlords into September as small businesses struggle to reopen amid Covid-19, Globe & Mail reported. The Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program will be extended for a third time as the government works through options for reforming its rent-relief strategy, the paper said, citing people familiar with ...

Bloomberg California narrowly averted another round of rotating blackouts after officials made desperate pleas to conserve power as reserves falls below critical levels during a record breaking heat wave. The state’s grid operator gave the all-clear signal shortly before 9 pm local time as temperatures fall after sundown. Earlier in the evening, officials declared a stage-two grid emergency — one ...

Bloomberg The German government expects the economic fallout from the coronavirus to be smaller than feared this year, according to a person familiar with forecasts to be published Tuesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition predicted in April that the economy would contract by 6.3% in 2020, its worst recession since the nation began a recovery after World War II, before ...

Bloomberg Argentina received widespread bondholder support to restructure its overseas debt, paving the way for the nation to emerge from the ninth default in its history. Investors holding 99% of the country’s $65 billion in international bonds will swap their securities for new notes, Economy Minister Martin Guzman announced in Buenos Aires. The “massive” support from bondholders will generate $38 ...

Bloomberg After months of wrangling with the government, Telecom Italia SpA kicked off a state-backed plan to create a single Italian broadband network through the separation of its landline grid, the former monopolist’s most valuable asset. Italy is racing to bridge the digital divide with European peers, and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has made telecommunications infrastructure one of the priorities ...

Bloomberg A.P. Moller-Maersk is planning a major overhaul of its organisation that is set to affect thousands of jobs at the world’s biggest container shipping company. Maersk said its Safmarine and Damco units will cease to exist as separate entities and instead be incorporated into the group. Borsen reported that the changes will affect about 3,400 jobs, which the company ...

Bloomberg Chicago faces a 2021 budget deficit of $1.2 billion as the coronavirus pandemic decimates the city’s revenue with businesses shut down due to social distancing while recent unrest hurt reopening efforts. Next year’s projected gap comes on top of a 2020 deficit of nearly $800 million for its corporate fund, which accounts for many of the services the city ...

Bloomberg Reliance Industries said it will acquire the retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing units of India’s Future Group for 247.1 billion rupees ($3.4 billion), in a transaction that will propel Mukesh Ambani’s ambitions to dominate India’s retail sector. Future Group will merge some of its remaining businesses into Future Enterprises, Reliance Retail Ventures said. Ambani’s unit will then invest 12 ...

Bloomberg Indonesia’s efforts to revive the economy took a stumble as virus outbreaks forced factories in one of its biggest manufacturing hubs to shut. South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc, and Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp and NOK Corp were told to stop operating their facilities in Cikarang, West Java, after more than 300 workers at the industrial area tested positive for ...