Bloomberg Mali’s military ruler said he’s open to talks with West Africa’s economic bloc about returning the nation to civilian rule and asked the group to reconsider sanctions imposed over his refusal to hold elections next month. While the government regrets the “illegal, illegitimate and inhumane nature of certain decisions, Mali remains open to talks with the Economic Community ...

  Bloomberg Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro suffered a rare electoral loss when his candidate was defeated in a vote to elect the next governor of Barinas state, the birthplace of Hugo Chavez, who started the so-called socialist revolution. Jorge Arreaza, a former foreign minister and Chavez son-in-law, conceded defeat to little-known opposition candidate Sergio Garrido. The Electoral Council said Garrido ...

  Bloomberg Canada’s labour market beat expectations in December, a strong end to a record year for employment gains. Employment rises 54,700 last month, Statistics Canada reported in Ottawa. That’s more than double the 25,000 gain economists were predicting in a Bloomberg survey. Full-time jobs actually surged by 123,000, as many part-time workers shifted to more permanent employment — another ...