LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s economy shrank by a record 20.4% in the second quarter when the coronavirus lockdown was tightest, the most severe contraction reported by any major economy so far, with a wave of job losses set to hit later in 2020.

The scale of the economic hit may also revive questions about Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s handling of the pandemic, with Britain suffering the highest death toll in Europe. More than 50,000 UK deaths have

Aug 12 (Reuters) - South Africa’s Northam Platinum said on Wednesday it expects higher annual earnings, underpinned by higher metals prices and increased sales volumes.

Normalised headline earning per share (HEPS) for the full year ended on June 30 is expected to be in the range of 624.53 to 690.27 South African cents.

HEPS is the main profit measure used in South Africa and strips out certain one-off items. (Reporting by Samantha Machado in Bengaluru

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Alibaba-backed Best Inc is seeking a Hong Kong listing for its express delivery and freight delivery businesses, keen to boost its valuation and establish an investor base closer to China, said three sources with knowledge of the matter.

The plans by Best, which went public in New York

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - ABN Amro ( ABNd.AS ) is to end all trade and commodity financing after a string of losses, in a massive overhaul of its activities that will see the Dutch bank cut 800 jobs.

Shares in ABN, which had lost almost half their value this year, were up 6.8% at 0925

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - European food-ordering firm Just Eat Takeaway.com NV ( TKWY.AS ) reported higher revenue and underlying profit for the first half of 2020, as the coronavirus lockdown led to a surge in online orders and restaurants flocking to its services.

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA

* Expects 300 mln eur COVID-19 hit in 2020

* Now expects adj EBIT of 3.6-3.8 bln eur in 2020

* Previously forecast 3.9-4.1 bln eur (Adds details on outlook)

FRANKFURT, Aug 12 (Reuters) - E.ON, Germany’s largest energy group, on Wednesday cut its outlook for the current year as the coronavirus crisis hit its networks and retail business in the second quarter.

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(Reuters) - Eastman Kodak Co ( KODK.N ) increased spending on lobbying the U.S. government in the months before the Trump administration announced a $765 million loan to the photographic equipment maker, public disclosures filed with the Congress show.

The company spent $

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of $2.8 billion in July, widening from a surplus of $1.85 billion in June, government customs data released on Wednesday showed.

Exports in July rose 10.2% from June to $24.87 billion, while imports were up 6.7% to

MUMBAI(Reuters Breakingviews) - Singapore’s Temasek is asserting itself as a provider of patient rather than reckless capital. The sovereign investment vehicle has escaped a $3 billion deal to increase its stake in rig-builder-to-property conglomerate Keppel, citing a “material adverse change” clause