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Bloomberg Lesotho’s government is seeking to regulate online behaviour with a law compelling social-media users to obtain a so-called internet broadcasting allowance, as unease about digital platforms grows in some African countries. Under the proposed bill, an internet broadcaster is anyone who posts any text, image or photograph that’s accessible to at least 100 users or anyone who has more ...

Bloomberg Angela Merkel and her European allies are preparing to retaliate against Vladimir Putin’s government over the poisoning of one of his top critics but their plans may not make much of an impression on the Kremlin. Although countermeasures are all but inevitable, the European Union action may consist of asset freezes and travel bans for Russian officials, according to ...

Bloomberg Vietnamese blogger and democracy activist Pham Thi Doan Trang, 42, was detained on charges of creating, storing and spreading anti-government documents, the Ministry of Public Security said on its website. The arrest came a few hours after the annual human rights dialog between the United States and Vietnam, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, said in ...

Bloomberg The European Union looks (EU) set to launch a foray into social bonds, a market that has already swelled four-fold this year to fund projects to help societies recover from the coronavirus. The bloc’s first ever social bond sale is expected to come in the second half of October, as part of up to 100 billion euros ($118 billion) ...

Bloomberg The longest-maturity Treasury yield surged to a three-month high as traders adjusted their election bets. The yield curve steepened as the 30-year rate climbed more than nine basis points to 1.581%, the highest level since June 10, driving the widely watched 5- to 30-year spread to a peak of almost 125 basis points. Rates moved as US President Donald ...

Bloomberg UK house prices rise at their strongest annual pace since 2016 last month as Britons’ changing work patterns and a tax reduction on purchases fanned a resurgence. Average house prices rise 7.3% in September from a year earlier to a record average of 249,870 pounds ($323,000), mortgage lender Halifax said on Wednesday. On the month alone, prices gained 1.6 ...

Bloomberg Spain is prepared to extend its furlough program beyond January, Social Security Minister Jose Luis Escriva said, in the clearest statement yet on the future of the wage-support policy. “We stand ready to reevaluate the situation,” Escriva said in an interview with Bloomberg News, one week after the government agreed to prolong its previous aid measure through January 31. ...

Bloomberg German manufacturers unexpectedly cut production, underlining risks resurgent infections pose for the economic recovery. Industrial output declined 0.2% in August following three consecutive gains. Economists predicted an increase of 1.5%. The Economy Ministry said the weakness was chiefly driven by a drop in auto manufacturing. A separate report showed factory orders improved for a fourth straight month. The German ...

Bloomberg Brazil is framing its slow-moving privatisation program as a way to protect forests and rivers following international investors’ mounting criticism of President Jair Bolsonaro’s environmental policies. Martha Seillier, special secretary of the Investments Partnerships Program, said infrastructure building via concessions and privatisations not only represents good business opportunities but is also an environment-friendly strategy as the country battles a ...

Bloomberg US equity futures rise after President Donald Trump called for a reduced group of stimulus measures. Euro-area bonds climbed before the region’s central bank president speaks. Food retailer Tesco Plc jumped when its earnings beat estimates. Ambu A/S surged after the maker of life-support equipment won a key US contract. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index fluctuated as insurers and ...