Bloomberg A socialist economist who rejects fiscal austerity demanded by the IMF won the first round of Ecuador’s presidential election, and may face an indigenous anti-mining candidate in a runoff after an unexpectedly close fight for second place. Andres Arauz, the candidate most feared by bond investors, led with 32.2% of votes, with 79% of ballots counted, the electoral authority ...

Bloomberg German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz stepped up his bid to return the Social Democrats to the chancellery after Angela Merkel leaves this fall, presenting a fiscally expansive platform to finance a sweeping shift to cleaner energy and better digital infrastructure. Scholz, the SPD’s candidate for chancellor in Germany’s September 26 election, and his party are betting on a spending ...

Bloomberg The volume of goods going through British ports to the European Union has fallen by as much as 68% since Brexit, according to the Road Haulage Association, as the UK grapples with its new trading relationship with the bloc. The number of customs brokers need to be increased fivefold to help firms with extra checks, Richard Burnett, chief executive ...