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Spain's Telefonica SA confirmed on Monday it has opened talks with billionaire John Malone's Liberty Global Plc over a possible merger of the two companies' businesses in Britain.

Norwegian Air shareholders backed its financial survival plan on Monday, with more than 95% of votes cast supporting the conversion of nearly $1 billion of debt into equity and raising more cash from its owners.

Shares in Spain's Telefonica SA rose on Monday to post the only strong gains on an otherwise almost entirely red Madrid index, after the company confirmed it was in talks with billionaire John Malone's Liberty Global Plc over a possible merger of their respective businesses in Britain.

European stock markets and oil prices fell on Monday as a spat between top U.S. officials and China over the origin of the coronavirus fuelled fears of a new trade war, derailing a rebound in global markets.

Norwegian Air's shareholders gave their backing on Monday to the company's financial survival plan, with about 95% of votes cast supporting the conversion of debt into equity, financial daily Dagens Naeringsliv reported on Monday.

HSBC Holdings PLC said on Monday its insurance unit had agreed to acquire its China life insurance venture partner's 50% stake to own fully the company under the new rules on foreign ownership that came into effect in January.

Factory activity was ravaged across the world in April, business surveys showed, and the outlook looked bleak as government lockdowns to contain the new coronavirus pandemic froze global production and slashed demand.

Nissan Motor Co Ltd will pull back from Europe and elsewhere to focus on the United States, China and Japan under a plan that represents a new strategic direction for the embattled carmaker, people with direct knowledge of the plan told Reuters.

J. Crew Group Inc filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday with a plan to hand over control to lenders, adding to a list of brick-and-mortar retailers pushed to the brink by widespread store closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Uber said on Monday it was closing down its Uber Eats operations in eight markets because they did not offer a clear route to becoming the number one or number two online food delivery operator, its stated aim for its Eats business.

Peugeot carmaker PSA , one of many car companies around the world to have been hit hard by the coronavirus, said on Monday that it would gradually restart production at sites over the course of this week.

Romanian carmaker Dacia, owned by France's Renault and Ford Motor Co's Craiova plant resumed operations on Monday after output was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic in March, they said.

Sad piano chords, somber shots of empty streets and close-ups of people staring out their windows. So prevalent were coronavirus-themed ads that followed a similar template just a few weeks ago, they were parodied in a YouTube compilation video: "Every COVID-19 Commercial is Exactly the Same."

Roche Holding AG received emergency use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to help determine if people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said http://pdf.reuters.com/htmlnews/htmlnews.asp?i=43059c3bf0e37541&u=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20200503:nGNE71pdqt on Sunday.

Chipmaker Intel Corp is in advanced talks to acquire Israeli public transit app developer Moovit for $1 billion, financial news website Calcalist reported on Sunday.