Bloomberg The United Nations’ human rights chief told diplomats her trip to Xinjiang wouldn’t be an “investigation,” in an apparent attempt to manage expectations of her landmark visit to China. Michelle Bachelet said her trip aimed to promote, protect and respect human rights, according two people who attended the video call with some 100 participants, who were mostly Beijing-based diplomats. ...

Bloomberg Germany supports a plan to suspend European Union rules limiting deficits and debt by an additional year to the end of 2023, according to officials familiar with the government’s stance. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, proposed on Monday to maintain the so-called general escape clause of the bloc’s Stability and Growth Pact until the end of next ...

Bloomberg China’s coronavirus lockdowns mean its economic growth may undershoot the US for the first time since 1976, in a role reversal with potential political reverberations in both Beijing and Washington. The world’s second-largest economy will grow just 2% this year, Bloomberg Economics wrote in a report. By comparison, US gross domestic product will increase 2.8% this year, Bloomberg Economics ...

Bloomberg The UK should cancel its planned corporate tax increase in order to ensure Britain remains an attractive place to do business, according to a new report by the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS). The UK’s corporate tax on companies with annual profits of more than £250,000 is due to rise to 25% in April from the current 19% as ...

  Bloomberg Europe’s new-vehicle sales shrank for a 10th month in a row as the industry remains mired in supply-chain crises that are stoking record inflation and threatening to put off car buyers. Registrations fell 20% to 830,447 vehicles in April, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said, the steepest decline this year. Stellantis, the carmaker formed from the merger of ...

Bloomberg Paris tourism is bouncing back as European and American visitors return to take in the sights of the French capital after two years of Covid-related lockdowns and restrictions. The city is the second-most sought-after destination worldwide this year, behind London, according to booking aggregator Trivago. That has steadily pushed up hotel room rates and occupancy since the beginning of ...

  Bloomberg The wreckage of a $5 trillion rout in emerging markets is starting to look like a buying opportunity to some intrepid investors. The pain points are all too obvious: Stocks have fallen below their average valuations of the past 17 years. Local-currency bond yields have soared through a range that’s held since the 2008 crisis. Spreads on dollar ...

Bloomberg Even as the S&P 500 narrowly avoided plunging into a bear market, Morgan Stanley strategists say it’s too early to turn optimistic on stocks. “Equity clients are bearish, a necessary condition for a sustainable low, but an insufficient one,” strategists led by Michael Wilson wrote in a note on Monday. “Given the risks to growth are just emerging, it’s ...

  Dubai / WAM The global pandemic, combined with the accelerated adoption of digital technologies, has driven significant shifts in B2B e-commerce and the retail sector in Dubai, leading to the city reinforcing its position as a leading regional and global trading and commercial hub. The shifts are exemplified by a new trading trend that has emerged among companies in ...

  Abu Dhabi / WAM The 31st edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (Adibf, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), begins on Monday under the theme ‘Inspire, Innovate, Enrich’. The Fair, running from May 23-29 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition ...