(Reuters) – British retailer WH Smith said on Wednesday its revenue in the third quarter beat pre-pandemic levels for the first time as more people travel to work and tourists return. The company, which has stores in travel hubs and sells everything from books and sandwiches to Bluetooth headphones, expects its full-year performance to reach…
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is launching legal action against the U.K. in response to Britain’s unilateral moves to rip up parts of the post-Brexit deal between both sides, officials said Wednesday, But the European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, insisted it remained open to finding a joint solution outside of the courts. The…
By Foo Yun Chee LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm on Wednesday won its fight against a 997-million-euro ($1.05 billion) fine imposed by EU antitrust regulators four years ago for paying Apple to use only its chips and blocking out rivals such as Intel Corp. The European Commission in its 2018 decision said the anti-competitive…
LONDON (AP) — The British government vowed Wednesday to organize more flights to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda, after a last-minute court judgment grounded the first plane due to take off under the contentious policy. Home Secretary Priti Patel said ”preparation for the next flight begins now” despite legal rulings that none of the migrants earmarked…
MOSCOW (AP) — Organizers of Russia’s showpiece investment gathering are telling foreign participants to be sure to bring cash — not necessarily for making investments, but for spending money. With Russia under wide sanctions after sending troops into Ukraine, most foreign bank cards don’t work in the country. The advice for those at the St….
A European Central Bank poised to raise interest rates for the first time in 11 years vowed Wednesday to create an unspecified market backstop that could buffer member countries against financial turmoil like that seen during a debt crisis more than a decade ago. Pressed by a government bond selloff, the bank’s governing council called…
By Philip Blenkinsop and Emma Farge GENEVA (Reuters) – World Trade Organization members entered a tense final day of negotiations on Wednesday, with no certainty they would find consensus on any change to global trade rules and India adamant it would not yield on food, fisheries and vaccines. During its June 12-15 ministerial conference, its…
By Tom Wilson LONDON (Reuters) – Bitcoin fell on Wednesday to a new 18-month low, dragging down smaller tokens with it, as the recent tumble in crypto markets showed no sign of letting up. The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell as much as 6.3% to $20,715.69, its lowest since December 2020. Bitcoin has lost around 28%…
GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland reopened its airspace Wednesday after a brief closure for safety reasons because of an unspecified “technical malfunction,” authorities said. Skyguide, the air navigation service, initially said the closure would be in effect “until further notice” after the malfunction early in the morning. A few hours later, it said the airspace closure…
By Shadia Nasralla and Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) – Drivers around the world are tolerating record-high prices for road fuels, as mobility wins out for now over other spending in squeezed household budgets, data showed. The high prices have not yet breached the pain threshold for drivers in major demand centres. But that might change…
