Bloomberg Hong Kong made its 100th arrest under a national security law imposed on the former British colony by China last year, while a mass bail hearing for dozens of pro-democracy activists was forced into a fourth day. 100 people had been arrested on suspicion of activities harming national security, police said. The accused include 83 male suspects and 17 ...

Bloomberg Rishi Sunak will extend furlough payments to UK workers until the end of September, protecting millions of people whose jobs were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic until after restrictions are set to be lifted. With the nation mired in a third lockdown, the government will keep paying 80% of wages for those in the program through the end of ...

Bloomberg Italy’s new government may soon seek parliamentary approval for more stimulus spending as a sluggish vaccination campaign and new coronavirus strains extend the nation’s reliance on fiscal support. Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s administration is planning to distribute about 32 billion euros ($38 billion) that was approved by the parliament in January through a new decree called “sostegno” or “support,” ...

Bloomberg The European Union’s (EU) executive arm is likely to extend a suspension of the bloc’s debt rules through next year amid uncertainty over the region’s economic recovery. In its guidance on fiscal policy for the coming months, the European Commission outlined its parameters for assessing whether to prolong a waiver of the EU’s spending limits, signaling that it won’t reinstate ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claims there isn’t a trade-off between Canada’s strict lockdowns and economic growth will be tested this week with the release of new output data. Analysts expect gross domestic product (GDP) shrinks by more than 5% last year, a middling result among advanced economies. The US, with far less restrictive pandemic measures last year, shrinks by ...

Bloomberg Roblox Corp., the kid-focused gaming company that’s planning to go public this month, warned investors that the booming user growth it enjoyed during the pandemic is about to disappear. The total hours that users spend engaged with the gaming platform could drop by as much as 11% in the second quarter, Roblox said in a statement. Though the number ...

Bloomberg Chancellor Angela Merkel backed a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions despite a stubbornly high infection rate, acknowledging that many Germans are weary of curbs on daily life after months of lockdown. The German leader had been pushing back against increasingly insistent calls for a swifter loosening, but told lawmakers from her conservative bloc that “easing is necessary.” She explained her ...

Bloomberg Stocks rise with US equity futures on Wednesday as concerns over valuations eased and the focus turned back to the stimulus-fuelled recovery from the pandemic. Treasury yields edged higher. The Stoxx 600 Index climbed for a third straight session, with UK shares outperforming after UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak extended furlough pay for workers ahead of presenting ...

Bloomberg China’s defense and technology sectors may offer investor opportunities as the nation’s top political meeting starts this week, which could help inject fresh impetus into the country’s equities. Measures to help achieve President Xi Jinping’s pledge of a carbon neutral economy by 2060 could be released at the meeting which begins on Friday, according to brokerages including Guotai Junan ...

DUBAI / WAM Dubai Culture and Arts Authority announced that it will soon grant cultural visas to 1,000 creators and artists from across the world. The first initiative of its kind in the world, the cultural visa launched in 2019 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of ...