Bloomberg The outcome of next year’s French presidential election looks increasingly uncertain after incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who lead national polls, registered dismal showings in a regional ballot. Macron’s LREM group, which upended France’s two-party system in 2017, is set to get just 6.7% of the nationwide vote to renew metropolitan councils, according to exit ...

Bloomberg From abattoirs to restaurant kitchens, the UK food sector is facing a massive challenge this summer: there just aren’t enough workers. The food industry, already facing labour shortages because of Brexit and the pandemic, is now being stretched to capacity as the country reopens. Meat processors are cutting production and a “catastrophic” dearth of drivers is disrupting food deliveries ...

Bloomberg US homeowners spooked by the burgeoning pandemic last spring rushed to tap equity in their properties for a hit of ready cash — and equally wary banks tightened credit or halted lending in response. In the past year, monstrous demand for homes amid a scarcity of listings pushed up prices to the point of giving owners more collective equity ...