Richard Branson rode out Hurricane Irma by hunkering down in his wine cellar as the category 5 storm ripped through his private island. The Virgin boss had insisted on remaining on the island but took to the concrete shelter with his family and staff Wednesday when worst of the 185 mph winds passed over Necker […]

The Nordic region’s biggest bank, Nordea, said on Wednesday it would move its headquarters to Finland, dealing a blow to Stockholm’s bid to become a financial hub. The move, aimed at cutting the costs of complying with Swedish regulations, is the first time since the 2008 financial crisis that a major bank has shifted its […]

Voters in Spain’s prosperous Catalonia region will be asked to choose in less than a month if they want to secede from Spain, the region’s pro-independence ruling government announced Wednesday in a move that puts it in open defiance of central authorities in Madrid. Regional President Carles Puigdemont signed a decree that officially calls for […]

Dozens of people were injured in clashes between South Korean protesters and police Thursday as the U.S. military added more launchers to the high-tech missile-defense system it installed in a southern town to better cope with North Korean threats. Seoul has hardened its stance against Pyongyang after its torrent of weapons tests, the latest a […]

European markets are set to open higher on Thursday morning, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street after congressional leaders unexpectedly agreed to extend the federal government’s borrowing limit until December. Britain’s FTSE 100 is seen 12 points higher at 7,357; the German DAX is expected to open up by around 64 points at 12,281 and […]

British entrepreneur and parliamentarian Michelle Mone has defended her billionaire boyfriend over his links to an alleged £13 million ($16.9 million) tax avoidance scheme. Doug Barrowman had previously served as director of an offshore payroll company called Aston Management Ltd (AML). AML is said to have helped its workers reduce their tax bills to less […]

A recent correction in European stocks due to the strength of the euro is a buying opportunity for investors, according to a new report from Barclays. The research states that the 5 percent decline in European stocks driven by the 10 percent appreciation in the euro may appear justified. The pan-European Stoxx 600 hit a […]

The European Union’s top court dismissed complaints on Wednesday by Slovakia and Hungary about EU migration policy, upholding Brussels’ right to force member states to take in asylum seekers. In the latest twist to a divisive dispute that broke out two years ago when over a million migrants poured across the Mediterranean, the European Court […]

President Mario Draghi at the European Central Bank (ECB) will once again face a balancing act when he speaks to the media on Thursday afternoon, with a strong euro scuppering any talk of a quick end to the central bank’s asset purchase program. The ECB’s Governing Council is largely expected to upgrade growth forecasts while […]

Switzerland, a country famed for its services to chocolate, unveiled a new iteration of the sweet stuff Tuesday called ‘Ruby’. The pink hued chocolate is the fourth type ever to be created and comes 80 years after the launch of White chocolate. Barry Callebaut, the chocolatiers behind the creation, say the new product will satisfy […]