Bloomberg Spain grew more than anticipated in the final quarter of last year, indicating the euro zone’s fourth-largest economy is on track to avoid a recession even as high inflation squeezes household spending. Output rose 0.2%, according to data from the INE statistics agency published on Friday. That matches the pace in the previous quarter and exceeds the 0.1% median ...

Bloomberg Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt dismissed calls for tax cuts and pushed back against green energy subsidies, warning that “sound money must come first” as he argued that Brexit will drive UK economic growth. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Hunt said: “At the moment, we don’t have the headroom for major cuts. Businesses want that, who wouldn’t? ...

  Bloomberg A record share of Londoners are shunning property portals and opting to sell their homes on their own terms — which are increasingly negotiated over WhatsApp. Almost a quarter of London homes were sold off-market in the final three months of last year, according to broker Hamptons International. That’s more than double compared to the same period of ...

  Bloomberg The UK’s battery manufacturing industry is doomed unless the government ramps up support for the sector, according to the founder of failed battery startup Britshvolt Ltd. Formerly the UK’s main hope for a homegrown supplier to the electric-vehicle industry, Britishvolt went into bankruptcy this month. The company could have been saved had the government given it only a ...

  Bloomberg Nearly a year into an invasion that was supposed to take weeks, Vladimir Putin is preparing a new offensive in Ukraine, at the same time steeling his country for a conflict with the US and its allies that he expects to last for years. The Kremlin aims to demonstrate that its forces can regain the initiative after months ...

Bloomberg The Palestinian Authority said it’s ending security ties with Israel after nine civilians were killed in a West Bank gunfight, in an escalation in violence that was later followed by a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian government body, on Thursday announced three days of mourning following the clashes in the city of ...

Bloomberg A retired Nato general will seek to fend off an attempted political comeback by the Czech Republic’s billionaire former premier as the nation votes in a presidential runoff election. Petr Pavel, who once served as Nato’s highest-ranking military officer, is favored to win the contest to become head of state after narrowly defeating former Prime Minister Andrej Babis a ...

Bloomberg Myanmar’s military government took an early step toward holding parliamentary elections, but it did so by imposing strict rules on political parties that may make fair balloting difficult. The country has been under sanctions, including by the US and EU, since the coup in 2021 that toppled the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Seeking to ease ...

  Bloomberg The main party in Thailand’s ruling coalition named Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan as its sole premier candidate in general elections slated for May. Prawit, a former army chief and long-time ally of incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, was the unanimous choice of about 500 party members at a general meeting of the Palang Pracharath Party held in ...

  Bloomberg BNP Paribas SA’s targets for reducing funding of fossil fuels are inadequate as they leave room for firms like TotalEnergies SE to increase their output, activists including Reclaim Finance said. The Paris-based lender announced that it would reduce its funding of oil extraction and production by more than 80%, to less than €1 billion ($1.1 billion) by 2030. ...