International News

Bloomberg Telefonica SA and John Malone’s Liberty Global Plc have never been closer to finally creating the UK’s biggest telecom operator after flirting with various combinations over the years. Racing for a potential announcement as early as this week, talks hinge in part on striking equal control for the merger of O2 and Virgin Media, while structuring a deal that’ll ...

Bloomberg Canada officially entered a recession in the first quarter of 2020, according to the C.D. Howe Institute. Preliminary data for the first quarter showed a deep contraction in economic activity coupled with a weakening labour market. This was enough to suggest the country fell into a recession, the report said. The institute concluded that Canada hit the peak of ...

Bloomberg UK business confidence slumped the most on record last quarter as financial leaders said they see no quick recovery from the coronavirus downturn. On average, the 104 chief financial officers (CFOs) in Deloitte’s quarterly survey said they expect revenues this year to be more than a fifth lower than previously anticipated. Most said they do not see demand recovering ...

Bloomberg The UK risks failing to recruit the 50,000 customs agents the logistics industry says are needed before Britain’s final parting with the European Union, spelling potential chaos at the country’s busiest border. The coronavirus hampered efforts to train staff to handle the extra paperwork firms will need to complete after the UK exits the EU’s customs union at the ...

Bloomberg Ericsson AB, the communications equipment supplier, has started a sale process for Iconectiv, its US call routing unit, people familiar with the matter said. The telecom infrastructure company is working with an adviser on the potential divestment, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Bidders include several private equity firms, the people said. ...

Bloomberg Small businesses that struggled to get loans from a government pandemic relief program still don’t know how much they may have to repay after the government missed a deadline to give specific guidance. The US Small Business Administration (SBA) was supposed to clarify by April 26 how loans it approved as part of the Trump administration’s multitrillion-dollar coronavirus stimulus ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan warned the city could be hit by its worst economic slump on record even as authorities prepare to ease some lockdown measures amid signs the coronavirus outbreak has been contained. Reiterating a forecast for a contraction of 4% to 7% this year, Chan said in a blog post on Sunday that the low-end ...

Bloomberg Thai property developer Sansiri Pcl is placing sales ahead of profitability as it looks to generate cashflow to survive the coronavirus pandemic. The Bangkok-based group, which builds high-end condominiums in cities around the Southeast Asian nation, is offering aggressive discounts and other promotional campaigns in an attempt to lure buyers. It expects to revise its annual sales target after ...

Bloomberg Singapore’s government outlined a plan to expand healthcare facilities for foreign workers as coronavirus cases in the city-state jumped, reversing a downward trend. The Ministry of Health confirmed an additional 932 cases, the vast majority of whom are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories. Five are Singaporeans or permanent residents. That brings total confirmed cases to almost ...

Bloomberg India has started running special trains to help people separated from their families by a nationwide lockdown to reach back home. The government started running the trains from May 1 to move migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other people stranded across the country due to the lockdown, the Ministry of Home Affairs said. The lockdown, which was scheduled ...