Äänekoski / AFP Nokia was once the motor of Finland’s economy, but since the demise of the company’s mobile phone business the Nordic country has struggled to find a new engine for growth. But after nine sluggish years and a three-year recession that ended in 2015, could Finland’s centuries-old, if unglamorous, forestry sector, hold the answer? A rare bit of ...

  Bloomberg Mercedes-Benz is rolling out a 300,000-euro ($323,000) limited-edition convertible under its ultra high-end Maybach nameplate, as the German automaker seeks to burnish its luxury image and bankroll its investment in electric cars. With a limited run of 300 vehicles, the Mercedes-Maybach S650 will be available next year and come with quilted leather seats, matching luggage and a device ...

  Bloomberg Google is going ahead with delayed plans to expand its London offices, saying it will build a 10-story building on the site in a move that the UK government called a vote of confidence in the country’s post-Brexit future. The company, the largest unit of Alphabet Inc., said it would be able to house as many as 7,000 ...

  Bloomberg The US has more gasoline than it knows what to do with. Exports have risen above imports for three consecutive weeks as recurring pipeline outages and higher production levels by refiners caused Gulf Coast inventories to grow. Typically a net importer of gasoline, the US has shipped a record amount of the motor fuel abroad and doesn’t show ...

  Brussels / AFP The EU unveiled plans on Wednesday to charge travellers five euros ($5.30) for security checks to get visa-free travel to Europe’s borderless Schengen area, and confirmed the fee would apply to post-Brexit Britain. The proposal is based on a US system and will allow EU countries to quickly cross check identity documents and other details from ...

  Reuters Abu Dhabi bank shares surged on Wednesday because of renewed speculation that the government might merge more banks as part of an efficiency drive, while other regional markets rebounded, encouraged by strong global bourses and oil prices. The Abu Dhabi index jumped 2.6 percent, its largest single-day gain since June, but trading volume continued to decline from a ...

  London / AFP Europe’s main stock markets extended their losses on Wednesday after recent volatile swings and US stocks turned lower after a week-long post-election rally while the dollar surged. “US stocks look set for a lower open with the future Donald Trump presidency still front and centre,” analyst Jasper Lawler, of CMC Markets, said in a note to ...

  Bloomberg Nintendo Co. will release Super Mario Run worldwide for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad on December 15 in US time zones, a highly anticipated launch that has a high bar for success after this summer’s Pokemon Go phenomenon. The game, the first mobile edition starring one of Nintendo’s most iconic characters, will be free to download initially, and ...

  Los Angeles / AFP German automaker BMW announced in Los Angeles that it is expanding its ReachNow program with new mobile tools and adding a city location: New York’s trendy Brooklyn borough. BMW ReachNow, launched in Seattle, Washington state in April, is adding services to its initial offering, the chief executive of the new program Steve Banfield said at ...

  San Francisco / AFP WhatsApp has temporarily suspended giving parent company Facebook information about users in Europe for ad targeting, responding to concerns there over privacy, a source close to the matter. Conversations with officials in Europe over the past few months resulted in the social network deciding to only tapping into WhatsApp user data there for purposes such ...