LONDON (Reuters) – The owners of London’s Ritz hotel, a haven for royals, statesmen and movie stars, have hinted that they would be open to selling the luxury establishment for $1 billion, a source close to them said on Thursday. Opened in 1906 by Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz, the high society hotel hosted Charlie Chaplin […]

In his letter to House leadership, the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, drew a line in the sand: The administration will not “participate in” the impeachment proceedings in any way. The odd language of “participate in” — presidential impeachment is not meant to be a collaboration between Congress and the president — obscures the central […]

DUBAI (Reuters) – Dubai’s Majid Al Futtaim, which operates the Middle East franchise of French retailer Carrefour, is exploring options for its credit card business including enlisting partners to manage unsecured credit risk, two banking sources told Reuters. The economy in Dubai is suffering from sluggish growth due to a real estate downturn and slowing […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese hotel chain Unizo Holdings (3258.T) on Thursday said it had rejected buyout proposals from a “locally renowned” fund as well as U.S. private equity firm Blackstone Group (BX.N), adding to a list of spurned suitors. Unizo said the fund, which it did not name, offered to buy it at between 4,500 […]

What happens when China’s enforcers come after Winnie-the-Pooh? Will we reluctantly hand over Pooh Bear? Really sorry about this, Winnie, but China’s an important market! Winnie-the-Pooh has been banned in China online and at movie theaters because snarky commentators have suggested that he resembles the portly President Xi Jinping. But these days Xi doesn’t want […]

More from our inbox: To the Editor: Re “Turkey Begins Syria Offensive, Targeting U.S.-Backed Kurds” (nytimes.com, Oct. 9): Turkey’s military incursion into Syria, just days after President Trump announced the withdrawal of American troops from the region, is an unfortunate reminder that United States foreign policy in the Trump era is essentially a mystery to […]

To the Editor: Re “Vowing Defiance, White House Says Inquiry Is Invalid” (front page, Oct. 9): Once again, President Trump reacts as he always has when anyone has dared to cross him: with a vicious attack, this time directed against nothing less than the United States Constitution. How dare he proclaim that the impeachment process […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – The top shareholder in Japan’s Unizo Holdings (3258.T) on Wednesday pressed the hotel operator to explain its abrupt change of heart toward a takeover offer, citing concern about a lack of disclosure and the risk of conflicts of interest. In a letter to Unizo’s board, U.S. activist fund Elliott Management ended weeks […]

Boris Johnson is using a gullible political and media class to frame the Brexit debate in a way that amplifies his divisive election strategy. They don’t have to play along. In fewer than 12 hours yesterday, two anonymous press briefings from No 10 sent the UK media into convulsions and enraged Irish politicians and members […]

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s jewelry retailer Vivara SA has priced its initial public offering at 24 reais per share, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. The pricing was slightly above the middle of the range set by the banks advising the company, which was between 21.17 reais and 25.40 reais. […]