Bloomberg Europe’s economy began 2019 with an unexpected growth spurt buoyed by France and Spain, easing pressure on the European Central Bank to add stimulus. The 0.4 percent increase in euro-region gross domestic product during the first quarter reported by Eurostat was twice the pace at the end of last year and more than economists predicted. Strong investment in Spain ...

Bloomberg Coal is piling up at ports across Europe, depressing both the cost of the fuel and price of electricity. Stockpiles at three European ports — Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Vlissingen — are near the highest since 2013. Supplies built up during a warmer than usual winter and as governments tried to reduce emissions from the most polluting fossil fuel. The ...

Bloomberg Young South Africans are turning their backs on elective politics at the fastest pace in at least two decades, a trend that may hurt the ruling party in next week’s vote. The number of South Africans under 20 who have registered to participate in the May 8 general election has dropped to the lowest level since at least 1999, ...

Bloomberg South Korean President Moon Jae-in wrote to former Japanese Emperor Akihito to thank him for contributing to improving ties, in a gesture that could help thaw chilly diplomatic relations between the two countries. Moon sent the letter as the former emperor relinquished his crown to his son Crown Prince Naruhito. Akihito has emphasized the importance of guarding peace during ...

Bloomberg Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned grassroots activists in his Conservative Party not to try to depose PM Theresa May, arguing that a leadership contest would only delay Brexit. The beleaguered premier, who survived a confidence vote by members of parliament in December, is set to face the judgment of local party leaders and other members at a special meeting ...

Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed back against renewed speculation she could soon step down, saying she won’t make any big announcements at a party meeting scheduled after next month’s European election. The German leader was asked about the implications of a meeting called by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the head of Merkel’s CDU party, for the beginning of June — and ...

Bloomberg Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido went to a military base in the nation’s capital to proclaim the end of socialist President Nicolas Maduro’s regime and called for a military uprising. The outcome of the high-stakes gambit remained unclear as protesters gathered despite billowing tear gas and the regime promised punishment for any who joined a rebellion. No high-ranking officers ...

Bloomberg After dithering for decades, Indonesia has decided to move its capital from an overcrowded Jakarta, and President Joko Widodo wants its citizens to have a say in picking the new location. Widodo, known as Jokowi, sought suggestions from the public about the new capital on his Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, drawing thousands of responses from netizens. “Jakarta now ...

Three days before Joe Biden dove back into the deep end of the political pool, a rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said the terrorist who bombed the 2013 Boston Marathon, and everyone else in America’s prisons, should be allowed to vote, lest the “chipping away” of voting rights leave America “running down a slippery slope.” Such running — to be ...

Tidjane Thiam, chief executive of Credit Suisse Group AG, says one of his most senior managers has told him not to be too bullish. He should heed the warning. The Swiss bank reported first-quarter earnings that beat estimates for both net income and revenue. Wealth management assets increased by a net 5 percent, marking a rebound from the end of ...