International News

  Bloomberg German factory orders rose the most in two and a half years in December amid a surge in investment-goods demand, suggesting that the strong run of Europe’s largest economy at the end of the year is set to continue. Orders, adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation, gained 5.2 percent from November, when they fell a revised 3.6 percent, …

  Bloomberg Middle East investors, benefiting from a weak pound and rising oil prices, increased their spending in UK commercial property even as Brexit prompted buyers from every other region to shrink their spending. Investors from the region accounted for 24 percent of all overseas acquisitions in the fourth quarter compared with 10 percent a year earlier, according to data …

  Bloomberg Ninety-seven companies, from Apple Inc. to Zynga Inc., filed an impassioned legal brief condemning President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, stepping up the industry’s growing opposition to the policy. The amicus brief was filed late on Sunday in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and emphasizes the importance of immigrants in the economy and society. The companies …

  Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp. raised its full-year forecasts — albeit falling short of analysts’ estimates — as the carmaker sought to navigate rising protectionism under US President Donald Trump and as the yen’s volatility weighed on prospects for exports of its Prius and Lexus models. Operating profit will probably be 1.85 trillion yen ($16.4 billion) in the year through …

  Bloomberg The software industry went on a shopping spree in 2016, and this year could be even busier, bolstered by the new president’s policies and what one analyst suggests could be a major deal by Google. The value of software deals in 2016 topped $115 billion for acquisitions closed or pending, according to data gathered by Bloomberg. That’s up …

  WASHINGTON / AP The first US jobs report to be released since Donald Trump became president will reveal whether growing confidence among businesses fueled an accelerated pace of hiring in January. Economists remain watchful. They have forecast that the government will report that employers added a solid if unspectacular 175,000 jobs, according to data provider FactSet. That’s roughly in …

  Bloomberg Planet Labs Inc., a startup that launches small satellites into orbit and sells the imagery, is acquiring the Terra Bella satellite business of Alphabet Inc. in a bid to take on larger industry incumbents. In return, Alphabet’s Google is taking a stake in the startup. Google has also agreed to purchase satellite images captured by Planet in a …

  Bloomberg Maserati North America Inc. is recalling at least 39,381 Quattroporte, Ghibli, and Levante vehicles after discovering two defects that could lead to fires. Adjusting the front seats could potentially lead to electrical shorts and fires in those vehicles from model years 2014 through 2017, according to documents filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The company …

  LONDON / AP Britain is leaving the European Union’s single market but wants a “frictionless” new trade relationship with the bloc, the government said in the most detailed account yet of its EU exit plans. In a bid to ease uncertainty around the UK’s exit from the European Union — and appease opposition demands for greater clarity — the …

  Bloomberg Screams alerted Dadasaheb Vidhate to the fire trapping three of his children in the family’s thatched-roof hut in rural India. “Neighbors rushed to help douse the fire, but we couldn’t save anyone,” Vidhate, 45, said of the blaze four years ago, which he blames on an overturned kerosene lamp. “My children were burned alive before my eyes.” With …