Bloomberg After spending $50 billion on the world’s biggest bet on natural gas, Royal Dutch Shell Plc is at the forefront of Big Oil’s efforts to clean up its act. But what if the constant, insidious leaks of gas into the atmosphere actually make the fuel more polluting than coal? Methane, the main component in natural gas, can seep into ...

Bloomberg Surging steel prices and a new Indian insolvency law have set the stage for an industry-defining battle between tycoons and producers for more than $26 billion of the sector’s most-coveted assets. Creditors are seeking the approval of India’s new bankruptcy court to sell assets of as many as 40 firms, including steel producers. That’s spurred Lakshmi Mittal, head of ...

Bloomberg Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin vowed to quadruple the size of his shopping-mall empire, betting that retailers will thwart the advance of e-commerce competitors by adding entertaining experiences in stores and mini-theme parks. The Dalian Wanda Group Co. chairman plans to have 1,000 shopping malls covering more than 90 percent of China’s cities within a decade, according to remarks he ...

Bloomberg Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. is set to become the third stock in an equity index of the nation’s top 50 companies to cross the 10,000-rupee mark, thanks to this year’s record-setting rally. Shares of the carmaker, which accounts for about half of all cars sold in India, rose as high as 10,000 rupees for the first time on Wednesday. ...

Bloomberg Bondholders of Reliance Communications Ltd., the embattled Indian mobile phone operator controlled by billionaire Anil Ambani, have hired advisers after the company defaulted on its dollar-denominated notes in November. Certain investors holding a significant percentage of the securities have formed a committee, which has appointed PJT Partners Inc. as its financial adviser and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as its ...

Bloomberg The US urged Russia to halt a renewed bout of fighting in the four-year conflict in eastern Ukraine following the Kremlin’s decision to withdraw from a military-monitoring mission. Ukraine, which has been battling Russian-backed insurgents near the two nations’ border since 2014, said eight civilians were wounded on Tuesday by heavy artillery and mortar fire. Two soldiers were killed, ...

Bloomberg Mariano Rajoy’s People’s Party is facing substantial losses in Thursday’s Catalan elections as pro-Spain voters punish the prime minister for his cautious response to the push for independence. The PP could lose as many as eight of its 11 seats in the Catalan assembly as voters opposed to secession shift their support to the more hawkish Ciudadanos, according to ...

Bloomberg Italian President Sergio Mattarella signalled he would soon pave the way for national elections early next year, telling political leaders that the parliamentary term was drawing to an end. “Our voice will be the stronger if we create the image of a country which is united, stable, determined, capable of respecting commitments,” the head of state said at a ...

Bloomberg Justin Trudeau swept to power in Canada as a fresh face pledging to tax the rich and help the masses. Now a rival has picked up his playbook. Halfway through his mandate, Trudeau’s two main challengers are in place for the 2019 election, each younger than he is. To the political right is Conservative Andrew Scheer, Trudeau’s closest competitor ...

Bloomberg Cyril Ramaphosa’s victory in a grueling battle to lead South Africa’s ruling party may have been the easy part. His narrow win and his allies’ failure to secure three other top posts is likely to delay his ascendancy to the nation’s presidency and plans to revive a stuttering economy. While Ramaphosa won 52 percent of the vote for the ...