International News

Bloomberg European Union (EU) leaders meeting in Brussels were fighting to close a deal for a 750 billion-euro stimulus package as fiscally hawkish countries from the North tried to strip the plan of much of its firepower. While the Dutch government welcomed a new proposal unveiled that cut the amount of grants in the program to 450 billion euros from ...

Bloomberg The British government privately told Huawei Technologies Co. that the decision to ban the company’s equipment from the UK’s 5G networks stemmed partly from pressure by the US, the Observer reported, without saying how it got the information. British officials gave the Chinese company the impression that the decision could be reviewed, perhaps if US President Donald Trump fails ...

Bloomberg Mexico’s economy recovery will take longer than expected and will depend on evolution of coronavirus pandemic, Finance Minister Arturo Herrera said. International consensus was for a two-month lockdown followed by a fast economic recovery, Herrera said during a virtual meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors. “The recovery horizon will be longer, as long as a vaccine ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief scientific adviser acknowledged there were failings in the UK’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, and said some decisions will turn out to have been wrong. “It’s clear that the outcome has not been good in the UK,” Patrick Vallance told the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee hearing. “There will be decisions made ...

Bloomberg EBay Inc. would prefer to keep a stake in the classified advertising business it’s selling, according to reports, lessening the chances Prosus NV will win the hotly-contested auction. The decision at a board meeting gives a surprise boost to a bid from Norwegian online marketplace Adevinta ASA, which offered a mix of cash and stock and would leave EBay ...

Bloomberg With job cuts mounting and costly furlough programs that can’t last forever, Europe is at risk of a devastating increase in unemployment that won’t be easy to reverse. Economies across the continent are recovering and company sentiment is brightening, but it’s a different story when it comes to hiring. After months of crisis, the outlook remains too uncertain for ...

Bloomberg Britain ramped up its record bond-issuance plan to help the government finance a recovery from one of the worst economic downturns in the nation’s history. An additional 110 billion pounds ($138 billion) of bonds will be sold between September and November, according to the Debt Management Office, bringing total sale plans from the start of the fiscal year to ...

Bloomberg BMW AG signed a deal with Goldman Sachs Group Inc.-backed Northvolt AB for 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) of battery cells to power the German company’s electric cars. Northvolt, a Swedish firm started by two former Tesla Inc. executives, will manufacture the cells using renewable electricity and deliver them from 2024 as part of a long-term contract, BMW said ...

Bloomberg S4 Capital Plc, the digital advertising and marketing group founded by former WPP Plc boss Martin Sorrell, raised 116 million pounds ($146 million) in a stock offering to fund acquisitions. The company sold 29.7 million shares to a mix of existing and new investors at 315 pence each, while directors bought a further 7.1 million shares, it said in ...

Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the rate of bankruptcy for small- and medium-sized businesses may triple this year in the absence of sufficient government support, threatening to stall the economic recovery and cause financial instability. A staff analysis of 17 countries suggests that bankruptcies for the firms could surge to 12%, from 4% before the pandemic, the ...