Friday , 21 August 2026

International News

French stop-start recovery can’t compete with Spanish growth

  Bloomberg French growth rebounded in the third quarter as part of a start-stop expansion that leaves Europe’s second-largest economy lagging its neighbors such as Spain. Gross domestic product in France expanded 0.2 percent in the three months through September after shrinking 0.1 percent in the previous period, national statistics office Insee said. That compares with a 0.3 percent increase …

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GE’s $599 million deal bolsters 3D bet after SLM purchase dies

  Bloomberg General Electric Co. has no intention of letting its 3-D printing ambitions die. A day after shareholder resistance derailed an acquisition in that market, GE said it would buy a 75 percent stake in closely held Concept Laser GmbH for $599 million. At the same time, GE bumped up the offer for Swedish 3D printing company Arcam AB …

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‘Nothing’s simple’, Belgium says as it inks EU-Canada deal

  Brussels / AFP Belgium on Saturday officially signed the landmark EU-Canada trade accord after a drama that saw Belgian regions threaten to torpedo years of negotiations. “Nothing is simple in Belgium but few things are impossible,” tweeted Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders after signing the pact on behalf of his country. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malstrom, who negotiated the …

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VW labour boss to block investment without production accord

  Bloomberg Volkswagen AG’s worker representatives will block investment decisions unless the German carmaker’s management commits to production programs that secure jobs, top labor leader Bernd Osterloh said in an interview. The hard-line stance sets up tense negotiations in the coming weeks over the so-called Future Pact. The labor agreement at Volkswagen’s namesake brand is aimed at cutting costs to …

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Apple, Electrolux lift UK prices in Brexit X’mas pinch

  Bloomberg The Brexit squeeze on UK consumers tightened as Apple Inc. and Electrolux AB responded to the falling pound by charging more for their products in Britain. Apple quietly raised the cost of some of its machines including the “Mac Pro” by 20 percent overnight, while Sweden’s Electrolux said it’s boosting the prices of its home appliances by 10 …

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Exxon may face historic reserves reduction

Bloomberg Exxon Mobil Corp. warned it may be facing the biggest reserves revision in its history as production sank to a seven-year low and profit slid amid a prolonged slump in energy markets. About 3.6 billion barrels of reserves in the Canadian oil sands and the equivalent of another 1 billion barrels of oil in other North American fields may …

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‘Nissan informed UK that car plant would be closed’

  Bloomberg Nissan Motor Co.’s decision to keep investing in Britain came after the carmaker told the government it might shut down manufacturing in the country after Brexit, according to a person familiar with the private discussions. The Japanese automaker announced it would start making the X-Trail sport utility vehicle and the next-generation Qashqai at the Sunderland plant. But only …

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PetroChina profit dips as oil & gas earnings slide

  Bloomberg PetroChina Co. posted a 77 percent decline in third-quarter profit as a suppressed international oil market and lower domestic natural gas prices eroded earnings at the country’s biggest producer. Net income fell to 1.2 billion yuan ($177 million) in the July-September period, the Beijing-based company said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday. Higher …

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Turmoil deepens at India’s Tata group

  Bloomberg The acrimonious battle at India’s largest conglomerate is showing no signs of resolution as more officials resigned amid reports that an attempt at mediation between the scion of the founding family and ousted head of Tata Sons Ltd. has started. Tata Group Chief Human Resources Officer N.S. Rajan resigned on Friday, according to a company spokesman. On Saturday, …

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S’pore mall vacancies jump to highest in a decade

  Bloomberg Singapore mall vacancies rose to the highest level in a decade in the third quarter as an oversupply of shop spaces added to muted spending by shoppers. A gauge of mall vacancies rose 0.6 percent to 8.4 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30, even as rents declined 1.5 percent in the quarter, data from the Urban …

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