World Business

Athens, Greece—With a deadline just hours away to come up with a detailed economic reform plan, Greece requested a new three-year rescue from its European partners as signs grew its economy was sliding toward freefall without an urgently needed bailout.

Washington—US employers likely hired at another strong pace in June, a sign that the job market is nearing full health and giving the US Federal Reserve (Fed) reason to raise interest rates as early as September.

Athens, Greece—Greece braced for more chaos on the streets outside its mostly shuttered banks, as Athens and its creditors halted talks on resolving the country’s deepening financial crisis until a referendum set for last weekend.

Beijing—China needs fundamental reform of its state-dominated financial system to keep economic growth on track, the World Bank (WB) said.

Washington—The United States claimed progress on Wednesday with China on currency issues and toward negotiating a code of conduct for cyberspace after two days of high-level talks that underscored sharp differences, but paved the way for a visit by China’s leader in the fall.

Brussels — Crucial talks between Greece and its international creditors ended without result early Thursday, casting fresh doubt over the country’s future in the euro single currency and piling new pressure on negotiators to reach a deal later in the day.

Canberra, Australia—Australia announced on Wednesday it will become a founding member of a Chinese-led Asian regional bank and its sixth-largest shareholder. Joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) presented Australia with great opportunities to work with its neighbors and largest export market, China, to drive economic growth and jobs, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Treasurer Joe Hockey said in a …

Luxembourg—Haven’t we been here before? The last time Greece was facing a hard deadline to secure a deal with its bailout creditors, in February, it agreed to one only when it feared a worst-case scenario—a run on the country’s banks.

New York—The burger chain that put “supersize” into the American vernacular is slimming down: For the first time in more than 40 years, and perhaps ever, McDonald’s says its number of restaurants in the US is shrinking.

Tokyo—From the slopes of Mount Fuji to the temple streets of Kyoto, tourists are cramming Japan’s prime sightseeing spots, puzzling their way through Tokyo subways, and splashing out cash on cosmetics, sushi and high-tech toilet seats.