Bloomberg Bayer AG asked the European Union to approve its $66 billion combination with Monsanto Co., the last of a trio of mega-deals reshaping the global agrochemicals industry. The German chemical giant’s filing kickstarts an initial review with an Aug. 7 deadline. Bayer said it’s still seeking to close the deal “before the end of 2017,” a sign that it’s …

Bloomberg Puerto Rico’s federal oversight board voted unanimously to allow for the government’s electric utility to file for bankruptcy after rejecting a longstanding debt-restructuring agreement with creditors, threatening to impose steep losses on bondholders and insurance companies. The decision promises to upend years of negotiations by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, known as Prepa, with hedge funds, mutual funds …

Bloomberg Scandal-hit Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces one of the biggest tests of his four and a half years in power, after his ruling party lost to an upstart outfit in an election for Tokyo’s assembly. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as projected to win its lowest number of seats ever in the capital in a poll that can be …