Just as Britain’s prime minister began proceedings to exit the European Union, lawmakers in India approved the creation of an economic zone that’s been 17 years in the making. A nationwide goods and services tax (GST) would, as early as 1 July, change the way your hotel bill in Mumbai reads. Mine, from a business trip earlier this month, ...

  South Africa’s ruling African National Congress has a choice: It can help President Jacob Zuma, or it can help the country. Its survival as a respected national force depends on doing the latter. Support for the ANC has fallen amid charges of corruption and incompetence. Now Zuma is embroiled in a struggle with his finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, and ...

  Israeli Cabinet approved first Jewish settlement in West bank in 20 years, the latest blow to any peace prospect in Middle East. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was alarmed by Israel’s decision to build a new settlement. Guterres has consistently stressed that there was no Plan B for Israelis and Palestinians to live together in peace and security. Israel ...

  The Senate’s coming confirmation of Neil Gorsuch will improve the Supreme Court, and Democrats’ incontinent opposition to him will inadvertently improve the Senate — if Republicans are provoked to thoroughly reform the filibuster. If eight Democrats will not join the 52 Republicans in providing 60 votes to end debate and bring Gorsuch’s nomination to a vote, Republicans should go ...

  Xiaomi Corp. is going to double down on India. Literally. Chairman and CEO Lei Jun sat down with Bloomberg’s Saritha Rai and Jason Gale in Bangalore this week to explain how he plans to resume rapid growth. The Chinese smartphone maker will spend $500 million in the country over the next three to five years, after spending a similar ...

  President Donald Trump is poised to sign legislation to overturn Federal Communications Commission rules forbidding internet service providers from selling data they have vacuumed up about the online habits of their customers. Privacy groups are understandably perturbed. But I wonder whether all the brouhaha is just shouting at the horse to come back long after he’s left the barn. ...

  Bloomberg The UK is trying to kill a planned European Union rule for foreign banks that will become crucial for its own lenders after Brexit. Teaming up with Luxembourg, a host for many foreign banks’ EU units, London declared its opposition to plans to force banks from outside the bloc to consolidate their activities under a single entity, according ...

  Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG and its home country of Switzerland were surprised by a tax evasion and money laundering investigation that spans five countries from Australia to the UK and potentially involves thousands of account holders. Two people were arrested by Dutch authorities, who also seized a gold bar, paintings and jewelry and are still probing dozens more ...

  Bloomberg China’s central bank raised interest rates for standing lending facility loans (SLF), aimed mainly at small- and medium-sized financial institutions, it announced on Saturday. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) increased the rate for overnight SLF loans by 0.2 percentage points to 3.3 percent effective from March 16, it said in a statement on its website. The bank ...

  Bloomberg After practically inventing the sport utility vehicle, Jeep is missing out on the segment’s latest boom. While SUV sales in the US jumped 11 percent over the past four months, Jeep saw its volume drop 10 percent. One of the problems: A lack of supply that’s kept dealers waiting for the all-new 2017 Compass compact crossover, which replaces ...