Bloomberg Iran said it fired missiles at IS targets in Syria in retaliation for the extremists’ deadly attacks in Tehran last week, a rare strike signaling Iran’s willingness to escalate its use of military power in the region’s conflicts. Six surface-to-surface missiles were launched on Sunday from western bases in Iran at command centers, logistic sites and suicide car bomb …

Bloomberg Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s grip on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party appeared to be slipping as concerns about cronyism and the rushed passage of an “anti-conspiracy” law triggered his biggest drop in support since taking office in 2012. After repeated denials, government documents emerged last week pointing to his office’s possible involvement in favors given to a close …

Bloomberg In 16 years since leaving university, Olivia Gregoire advised the French and Peruvian governments on health care, created her own marketing firm, and got to know the inside of job centers and labor courts when the euro crisis left her unemployed. On Monday she starts a new career as a lawmaker representing a middle-class district of Paris for President …

Bloomberg India’s central bank plans to use insolvency laws against more corporate defaulters to speed up resolution of the country’s bad loans that have swelled to $180 billion. “The clock’s already ticking — some cases are already before the National Company Law Tribune,” said Sanjeev Sanyal, principal economic adviser to the finance ministry. “More lists will be out in the …

Bloomberg Italian finance officials and the European Commission are racing to find a solution for two troubled banks in the northern Veneto region that have weighed on the nation’s financial system. Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said the matter of Veneto Banca SpA and Banca Popolare di Vicenza is being worked on “actively,” without offering details. European Commission Vice President …

Bloomberg Nordic banks, long considered among the safest in the world, are losing their appeal as an investment target as lenders further south start to look more attractive, according to PineBridge Investments, a multi-asset manager that oversees about $85 billion. Graeme Bencke, the portfolio manager who heads equity strategy at PineBridge in London, says the circumstances that made banks in …

Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG is giving Marcus Schenck, co-head of the newly combined investment bank and trading business, responsibility for overseeing clients in a reorganization that will see the bank focus on corporate customers, according to a copy of a memo seen by Bloomberg. Schenck will also take charge of corporate finance, global capital markets and the institutional client group, …

Bloomberg Australian central bank Governor Philip Lowe said his economy is capable of faster growth if lawmakers can overcome political gridlock, while warning weak wage gains are likely to keep plaguing developed nations. “It is important that we have a sharp focus on the reforms that can make a real difference to our living standards,” Lowe said in a speech …

DUBAI­­­­ / Reuters Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said the oil market is heading in the right direction but still needs time to rebalance, the London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported on Monday. “In my opinion, market fundamentals are going in the right direction, but in light of the large surplus in stockpiles over the past years, the cut needs time …

Bloomberg New energy, meet new finance. That’s the thinking of Taiwan’s government, which is starting to map out funding plans for a power system that can no longer rely on nuclear reactors. Prime Minister Lin Chuan’s administration aims to increase the share of renewable energy such as water, wind and solar to 20 percent of total power output on the …