International News

Bloomberg HNA Group Co.’s debt, one of the highest among Chinese companies, declined for the first time after the embattled conglomerate reversed a multi-year acquisition spree by selling off dozens of assets to stay in business. Total debt fell 9.5 percent to 541.6 billion yuan ($79 billion) at the end of June, down about $8.3 billion from the record high ...

Bloomberg Meituan Dianping, a Chinese food delivery giant, plans to raise as much as $4.5 billion in an initial public offering in Hong Kong, according to people with knowledge of the matter, The company plans to sell shares between HK$60 ($7.64) and HK$72 apiece, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The offering has ...

Bloomberg The largest and oldest prison in India’s financial hub Mumbai will get a new block of cells that will meet international norms on prisoner rights. The reason: fugitive businessmen are citing poor jail conditions to stave off extradition. The Mumbai Central Prison, popularly known as the Arthur Road Jail, is demolishing an old structure to make way for the ...

Bloomberg Indonesia and Australia announced the conclusion to talks on a free-trade deal as the Pacific neighbours attempt to boost economic ties. In his first overseas trip since becoming Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison met with President Joko Widodo in Bogor, outside the capital Jakarta, where they committed to finalising the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. The two also signed ...

Bloomberg South Korea’s export growth accelerated in August at the fastest pace in three months, easing concerns that the trade fight between China and the US will sap momentum in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Exports rose 8.7 percent from a year earlier, the trade ministry said in a statement on Saturday. That compared with a 10.2 percent gain forecast by economists ...

Bloomberg Aston Martin is preparing to list its shares in London after the brand synonymous with UK spymaster James Bond pulled off a multi-year turnaround. The British maker of sports cars made famous in movies from “Goldfinger” to “Skyfall” is said to target a valuation of about 5 billion pounds ($6.4 billion) — approaching Ferrari NV’s multiples. A final decision ...

Bloomberg Fewer Americans lack health insurance — but the gap remains wide, especially in some pro-Trump states. The number of uninsured declined to 28.3 million in the first quarter, down from 29.3 last year — and 48.6 million in 2010, the year the Affordable Care Act was signed into law by then-President Barack Obama, according to data from the federal ...

Bloomberg Discussion of house prices has long been a national pastime in Britain, and it’s little wonder. Land accounted for 51 percent of the UK’s net worth in 2016, far more than in any other measured Group of Seven country, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday. In Germany, the figure was as low as 26 percent and the ...

Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV ex-Chief Financial Officer Ben La Grange blamed departed leader Markus Jooste and auditors including Deloitte LLP for the retailer’s accounting scandal, saying he became aware of any wrongdoing only days before the crisis erupted. In his first public comments since being suspended by the company, La Grange said Steinhoff’s financials were corrupted by third-party transactions ...

Bloomberg Renault SA is betting on a sustained recovery in Russia’s car demand, unveiling a sleek coupe-style sport utility vehicle in Moscow that’ll be manufactured in the French carmaker’s second-biggest market. The Arkana coupe-crossover, due to first go on sale in Russia next year, will help to expand the manufacturer’s offering of popular SUVs such as the Kadjar or Koleos, ...