Catalan regional government president Carles Puidgemont has decided not to call a snap election, he announced Thursday. The politician said he had considered the move — a bid to strengthen his mandate and break an ongoing deadlock with Madrid authorities — but ruled it out because he had not obtained enough guarantees from the central […]

Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer, reported an increase in beer sales in the third-quarter, with growth in all regions except Europe, where a poor summer dampenedconsumption. Sales in the July-Sept period rose 2.5 percent excluding the impact of acquisitions to 60.0 million hectolitres, a little ahead of the average 57.9 million average expectation in a […]

The U.K.’s decision to leave the EU is the second most “stupidest” decision ever made by a country, only beaten by the U.S. voting for President Donald Trump, according to Michael Bloomberg. “I did say that I thought it (Brexit) was the stupidest thing that a country has ever done — but then we trumped […]

Catalonia’s parliament will meet on Monday in defiance of a legal process to clamp down on those who want independence for the region, the Catalan head of foreign affairs said on Friday. In a deepening standoff between those who support independence for the wealthy northeastern region and the Spanish central government, Raul Romeva told the […]

The rise of populist politics in Italy should still be front and center for investors in Europe, despite recent tensions in Spain with Catalonia possibly declaring independence in the coming days. “Italy is not generating sustained growth and it still has the issue of bad loans,” a Brussels-based official, who preferred to remain anonymous due […]

The way large U.S. firms are taxed in the European Union is posing major challenges for France, the country’s finance minister told CNBC Thursday. Bruno Le Maire, the recently appointed French finance minister, is at the forefront of an initiative to impose an “equalization tax” for tech companies across the EU — a potential new […]

Financial watchdogs in Europe and Asia are investigating Standard Chartered Plc over the transfer of $1.4 billion of private bank client assets from Guernsey to Singapore ahead of new tax transparency rules, according to a source familiar with the matter. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Guernsey’s Financial Services Commission are looking into the […]

Saudi King Salman said there was consensus with Russia’s leadership on broadening the scope of relations between the two countries following a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the Saudi state press agency reported on Friday. “We note with complete full satisfaction the matching opinions we sensed from the Russian leadership towards working to […]

British Prime Minister Theresa May should call a leadership election and as many as 30 of her lawmakers support telling her to go, former Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said on Friday. “I think she should call a leadership election,” Shapps told BBC Radio 5 live. “The writing is on the wall.” Shapps, who chaired […]

Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate deal has “ignited” widespread environmental activism, musician and campaigner Bob Geldof said Wednesday. The Live Aid benefit concerts organizer labeled Trump “a vulgar fool” and said the American president’s stance on climate change has encouraged several U.S. states to do more to address the […]