Bloomberg 21st Century Fox Inc. cleared one hurdle by winning unconditional European Union approval for its 11.7 billion-pound ($14.5 billion) bid for Sky Plc as investor uncertainty over the deal grows amid fresh allegations of harassment at Fox News. The European Commission said it saw no competition problems with Fox’s bid to buy the rest of Sky that it …

  Bloomberg UK manufacturing and construction unexpectedly shrank in February, adding to signs that the economy lost momentum in the first quarter. Factory output fell 0.1 percent from January, the Office for National Statistics said. Total industrial production declined 0.7 percent as unseasonably warm weather reduced demand for energy. Construction dropped 1.7 percent, the most in almost a year. While …

  Bloomberg The US order prohibiting passengers from carrying laptop computers and other electronics into the cabins of some overseas flights is raising concerns about a risk unrelated to terror: the potential for those devices’ lithium-based batteries to catch fire in the baggage hold. The Flight Safety Foundation, a non-profit funded by airlines and other groups to reduce the risk …