Bloomberg The U.K. government approved the expansion of London City Airport — a project held up by former Mayor Boris Johnson — as new Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond looks to underline the city’s role in the global economy in the aftermath of Britain’s vote to exit the European Union. The 344 million-pound ($450 million) plan for the …

  Bloomberg Russian consumer numbers don’t add up. A record slide in retail sales for 18 months has been immune to gains in employment and wages, improving confidence and inflation at less than half last year’s level. Widening wealth disparity may be the key to the unprecedented collapse in demand, according to Alfa Bank and VTB Capital. “We attribute the …

  Bloomberg Carrefour SA, France’s largest retailer, reported higher first-half earnings and maintained its full-year outlook as European revenue held up despite bad weather. Recurring operating income rose 5.3 percent at constant exchange rates to 706 million euros ($781 million), the eighth straight increase, Boulogne-Billancourt-based Carrefour said on Thursday in a statement. Analysts predicted 683.5 million euros, the average of …