Bloomberg Shares in a range of Japanese retailers gained following a surge in sales at furniture depot Nitori Holdings Co and casual fashion retailer Shimamura Co, an early indication of pent-up demand from local shoppers as the threat of the coronavirus subsided. Nitori same-store sales jumped 47% in June from the previous year, the most on record in data going ...

Bloomberg South Africa’s government plans to retain a minority shareholding in South African Airways, the national airline that has been in bankruptcy protection for the last six months, while ceding management control to its investors, an official said. “We are not obsessed with control,” Kgathatso Tlhakudi, deputy director-general at department of public enterprises, said in an interview on Johannesburg-based Radio ...

Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s military strength on display on Wednesday in a parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the World War II defeat of Nazi Germany, braving the coronavirus pandemic ahead of a referendum that may allow him to rule until 2036. The spread of the virus forced Putin to delay his annual May 9 Victory Day ...

Bloomberg The European Union may decide to keep the door shut to Americans when officials convene on Wednesday to discuss whom to let in as the bloc eases controls on its external borders. Diplomats from the 27-nation EU in Brussels are scheduled to discuss the criteria for lifting a curb on non-essential travel to the bloc as of July 1. ...

Bloomberg Kim Jong-un ordered the suspension of military actions against South Korea, a move that could ease tensions after North Korea blew up a liaison office built by Seoul and warned of further provocations. Kim “took stock of the prevailing situation and suspended the military action plans against the south” during a military commission meeting for his ruling Worker’s Party ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump was expected to meet Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday in his first encounter with a foreign leader since the coronavirus pandemic prompted global lockdowns in March, in a visit both leaders hope provides a political boost for looming elections. The Polish president is travelling to Washington just days before he seeks re-election in the hope ...

Bloomberg China’s defense ministry urged India to work with Beijing to ease tensions along their disputed border, while recounting its version of the events that lead to the deadly clashes between troops high in the Himalayas last week. Indian soldiers crossed the border on May 6 to construct barriers that blocked Chinese troops, which led to an escalation of tensions, ...

Bloomberg The US is weighing new tariffs on $3.1 billion of exports from France, Germany, Spain and the UK, adding to an arsenal of measures the Trump administration is using against the European Union that could spiral into a wider transatlantic trade fight later this summer. The US Trade Representative wants to impose new tariffs on European exports, while increasing ...

Bloomberg British shopkeepers slowly emerging from three months of forced closure have a new problem on their hands: the rent is due. Third quarter rents on the country’s commercial properties are billed with about $3.1 billion owed by retailers alone, according to the British Property Federation. While mall landlords eventually got about half the rent owed for second quarter, government ...

Bloomberg Volkswagen AG is exploring an offer for Europcar Mobility Group, according to people familiar with the matter. Shares of the rental-car company soared. Volkswagen’s considerations are at an early stage, said the people, who asked to not be identified because the matter isn’t public. The carmaker could opt to not proceed with an offer, they said. Europcar shares rose ...