French prosecutors seek seven years’ jail for Sarkozy for taking Libyan money
PARIS – French prosecutors on Thursday requested a seven-year jail sentence and a 300,000-euro fine for French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy for allegedly taking millions of euros from late Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi to help his 2007 election campaign. Sarkozy has…
Greenland agrees to form broad government in shadow of Trump pressure, local media reports
COPENHAGENÂ -Greenland’s Democrats will announce a four-party coalition government on Friday, local media said on Thursday, following an election overshadowed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s interest in taking control of the island. The expected announcement of a broad coalition would…
Carney has not spoken to Trump, says Canadian prime minister’s office
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney did not speak to U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, a spokeswoman for Carney said, denying an earlier story. Citing sources in Washington, said the two men had held their first call since Carney was…
Argentina’s Milei signals ‘no room’ for FX devaluation
BUENOS AIRES – Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei said on Thursday that there was “no room” for a sharp devaluation of the local peso, addressing investor fears about a potential weakening of the currency that has driven a renewed flight…
Tariff fears pressure British stocks; Aston Martin slumps to record low
British equities closed lower on Thursday, with mining stocks leading declines, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on all foreign-made vehicles and auto parts. Late on Wednesday, Trump announced a 25% tariff on imported cars and light trucks…
China accelerates government bond issuance in Q1 to highest on record
China stepped up fiscal support and accelerated the pace of government bond issuance to the highest on record in the first quarter of this year, according to Reuters calculations based on official data. WHY IT’S IMPORTANT Market watchers believe China…
SiCarrier says its tools can help China make advanced chips
BEIJINGÂ – China can use domestically developed tools to make advanced semiconductors, countering U.S. curbs on Beijing’s access to high-end chipmaking technology, an executive at a major Chinese supplier said on Thursday. Du Lijun, president of chip equipment maker Shenzhen…
Factbox-How hard have Trump and Musk layoffs hit US agencies?
President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk are undertaking a sweeping campaign to cut the size of the 2.3-million-strong civilian U.S. government workforce with plans to fire or offer buyouts to more than 100,000 employees. The layoffs have primarily been…
Germany’s Scholz says Trump’s tariffs are wrong, everyone will lose
BERLIN – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on cars is wrong and the U.S. president had chosen a path that would produce only losers. “U.S. President Trump’s decision is wrong,” Scholz said…
Bank of America mortgage applications jumped 80% in Q1, executive says
NEW YORK -Bank of America saw an 80% jump in mortgage applications between January and March as buyers were tempted by increasing home inventory and lower long-term bond yields, an executive said. “We’re seeing a steady increase in home buying…
Walgreen to pay more than $2.85 million to settle US overbilling charges
Walgreen will pay more than $2.85 million to settle whistleblower allegations that the pharmacy overbilled Medicaid programs in Georgia and Massachusetts for generic medications, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday. The settlement partially resolves claims against the Walgreens…
TikTok Shop steps up Europe expansion with US future unclear
LONDON – E-commerce platform TikTok Shop said it will launch to users in France, Germany, and Italy on Monday, expanding its reach further into Europe even as TikTok faces being shut down in the U.S. if Chinese owner ByteDance does…
Coca-Cola to invest over $1.4 billion in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES – Coca-Cola Argentina and bottlers will invest more than $1.4 billion in the South American country to boost production, improve logistics, and optimize infrastructure, the company said in a statement on Thursday.
Nvidia-backed CoreWeave downsizes US IPO
CoreWeave reduced the size of its U.S. initial public offering and priced its shares below the indicated range, the company said on Thursday, dampening expectations that the listing would boost investor appetite for IPOs. The Nvidia-backed company is now looking…
Trump’s auto tariffs complicate Fed’s deliberations on rates
President Donald Trump’s permanent 25% tariff on imported autos has expanded the global trade war, feeding expectations for higher prices for cars and other products, but doing little to settle the debate about how policies of his two-month-old administration will…
Novo shares on track for biggest monthly fall since 2002, investor worries grow
LONDON -Novo Nordisk shares have fallen 25% so far in March and are on track for their biggest monthly drop since July 2002, as investor worries intensify that the obesity drug market pioneer has lost its edge over U.S. rival…
NY official rejects Texas judgment against doctor in abortion pill case
A local official in New York on Thursday rejected Texas’ effort to enforce a $100,000 judgment against a New York doctor accused of sending abortion pills to the state, escalating an unprecedented interstate conflict. Acting Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck…
US Justice Department considers merging DEA, ATF in major shakeup, memo says
WASHINGTON -The U.S. Justice Department is considering merging the lead agencies enforcing drug and gun laws in a major shakeup as it follows President Donald Trump’s instructions to sharply streamline the government, according to a memo first reported by Reuters….
Barclays switches preference to global fixed income over equities on tariff risks
Barclays said on Thursday it favors fixed income investments over equities for the first time in “several quarters” and warned global economic growth was at risk due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating tariff policies. Despite hurdles such as rising…
Turkish competition board opens probe into Apple, other companies
ISTANBULÂ – The Turkish Competition Board said on Thursday it had decided to open an investigation into Apple, Destek Bilisim, Easycep Bilisim, Getmobil Technology and HB Bilisim regarding whether they intervened in the sales prices of resellers.