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  Bloomberg As Singapore’s stock market continues to rally, an often overlooked sector is getting a boost. The city-state’s listed restaurants have outperformed regional and global peers as dining out drives shares higher. These companies may be steady defensive businesses with consistent margins, said Gregory Yap, an analyst at Maybank Kim Eng. The Straits Times Index has surged 7.9% this ...

  Bloomberg Kraft Heinz Co.’s $143 billion bid for Unilever NV collapsed just two days after it became public knowledge, with the adamance of the Anglo-Dutch target’s rejection said to play into billionaire Warren Buffett’s longtime aversion to hostile deals. Unilever shares fell as much as 7.9 percent in early trading in London on Monday, reversing some of their gain ...

  Bloomberg A tougher stance in the UK on funding expensive medicines for rare diseases is raising questions about the government’s pledges to support a life-sciences industry that’s already rattled by Brexit. A proposal to introduce a cap on coverage of treatments within the state-run health system would have a significant impact on access to ultra-rare disease drugs, said Heidi ...

  Bloomberg London house prices posted their largest annual drop in almost six years in February as high values deter- red buyers. The average asking price in the capital fell 0.4 percent to 641,116 pounds ($797,000) this month from a year earlier, the first annual decline since April 2011, property website Rightmove Plc said on Monday. While asking prices gained ...

  Bloomberg PSA Group Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares will meet with government leaders in the UK and France this week to discuss the potential purchase of General Motors Co.’s Opel and Vauxhall brands. Tavares will meet French Economy Minister Michel Sapin morning and UK Prime Minster Theresa May at a date that hasn’t yet been announced. To win support ...

  Bloomberg Britain will borrow less than forecast this year after the economy defied the doomsayers following the vote to leave the European Union, according to EY ITEM Club. Surprisingly strong tax receipts should limit the deficit to about 65 billion pounds ($81 billion) in the fiscal year through March, 3 billion pounds less than officials predicted in November, the ...

  Bloomberg Formosa Plastics Group is seeking permission from the US state of Louisiana to invest $9.4 billion to build petrochemical plants. The Taiwanese chemicals producer is waiting for the US state’s authorization for construction of the facilities in St. James, according to Lin Keh-Yen, executive vice president of Formosa Petrochemical Corp. The group also plans another $5 billion investment ...

  BAGHDAD / AP US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday the United States does not intend to seize Iraqi oil, shifting away from an idea proposed by President Donald Trump that has rattled Iraq’s leaders. Mattis’ arrived on an unannounced visit in Iraq as the battle to oust IS militants from western Mosul moved into its second day, ...

  SINGAPORE / AP Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, hosting a visit by his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Monday his country believes in a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Lee explained his stand at a joint news briefing with Netanyahu, who does not endorse the two-nation approach. Lee said he realizes a two-state solution is difficult ...

  MOSCOW / AP The Kremlin says its decision to recognize passports and other documents issued by separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine is a response to Ukraine’s blockade of rebel regions. The weekend’s move by Russian President Vladimir Putin has drawn sharp criticism from Ukraine, which called it a violation of a two-year-old peace deal. Ukrainian forces have been fighting ...