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Bloomberg The parent of Office Depot said it’s open to a potential tie-up with Staples, but only if it can avoid the regulatory pushback that derailed their last merger attempt. ODP Corp sent a letter to Sycamore Partners, the private-equity owner of Staples, rejecting Staples’ original offer and suggesting some ...

Bloomberg Manhattan’s retail pain is worsening as the pandemic drags on, with rents falling in every major shopping district. Soho was hit the hardest in the fourth quarter, with average asking rents dropping nearly 22% to $290 a square foot, according to a report by brokerage Cushman & Wakefield Plc. ...

Bloomberg Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, taking control of a nation wracked by a deadly pandemic, persistent unemployment and burgeoning social unrest to cap the most acrimonious transfer of power in modern American history. Biden, 78, took the oath of ...

Bloomberg China urged cooperation with Joe Biden’s administration and said it hoped new US officials would make their own judgments on Xinjiang, after outgoing Secretary of State Michael Pompeo called Beijing’s crackdown in the region “genocide.” “We hope the new US administration will work together with China, with mutual respect, ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson defeated a rebellion by his own lawmakers after they pressed for British judges to be able to rule if China’s Muslim Uighur minority is suffering genocide. The House of Commons narrowly voted down an amendment to a proposed law on international trade agreements which ...

Bloomberg A Supreme Court panel in India refused to issue orders on the government’s petition to stop a proposed rally by farmers that would run at the same time as Republic Day celebrations on January 26. The three-judge panel headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde said police, ...

Bloomberg Tunisia saw another night of anti-government protests after the prime minister acknowledged “legitimate” anger at nation’s economic malaise while warning against the use of violence. Protesters blocked roads, burned tires and skirmished with police in mainly working class neighbourhoods of Tunis and the central city of Kasserine, local broadcaster ...

Bloomberg Malaysia kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday, saving its policy ammunition as the country grapples with a surge in Covid-19 infections that could take months to subside. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) maintained the overnight policy rate at a record-low 1.75% at its first meeting of the year, as expected ...

Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. has appointed veteran dealmaker Houston Huang to lead its Chinese securities venture as the Wall Street firm steps up expansion in the country. Huang will become chief executive officer and head of investment banking for JPMorgan Securities (China) Co., according to an internal memo seen ...

Bloomberg Wall Street’s worst fears about the fallout from Covid-19 are receding. Three of the biggest US lenders — JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. — cut their combined reserves for losses on loans by more than $5 billion, helping fourth-quarter profit top estimates even ...