FINANCE

Merger of German, London stock exchanges impacted by Brexit

Germany’s Deutsche Boerse is lowering the number of shareholders required to approve its planned merger with the London Stock Exchange — a move that comes as Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has raised questions over the deal. Frankfurt stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse said Monday that the minimum acceptance threshold will be lowered from 75 percent of its shares to 60 percent. The acceptance period is being extended by two weeks to July 26. London Stock Exchange shareholders voted by an overwhelming majority last week to back the planned merger. The companies announced the deal in March. The plan calls for them to be united under a UK-based holding company — an idea questioned by some in Germany in the light of the British referendum. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

COPYRIGHT

New York photographer sues over pictures of B.B. King

A New York photographer is suing B.B. King’s estate and Universal Music Group for copyright infringement after he says his pictures of the blues legend have been used on King’s albums for more than 40 years without his permission. Glen Craig says in the suit filed Thursday in New York federal court that his photos of King have been used on albums without his permission since 1971. He cites more than 40 examples of what he says is unauthorized use of his photography of King, including several photos published with albums put out over the past year. Craig is asking for damages and a jury trial. Universal Music Group and King’s estate haven’t responded to requests for comment. King died last year at age 89. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

INTERNATIONAL

Indian firms among most transparent, Chinese ones far less so

India has the most transparent companies while Chinese firms are the most opaque, according to a global watchdog’s survey released Monday that assesses the efforts of companies in emerging markets to fight corruption. Transparency International said the report’s findings were ‘‘pathetic’’ and highlighted the urgent need for big multinational companies to do more to fight corruption. The report covered 100 companies in 15 emerging-market countries that also included Brazil, Mexico, and Russia. Companies were scored on three measures: anticorruption programs, the amount of information disclosed about subsidiaries, joint ventures and other holdings, and financial data released for operations in each country where it has business. Thirty-seven Chinese companies were evaluated, making them the survey’s biggest group, but they had the weakest overall performance. The three companies that scored zero out of 10 were all Chinese: automaker Chery, appliance maker Galanz, and auto parts maker Wanxiang Group. The list’s bottom 25 spots were also dominated by Chinese companies. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

GASOLINE

Price in Massachusetts drops another 2 cents

The price of a gallon of gasoline in Massachusetts has dropped another 2 cents in the past week. AAA Northeast reported Monday that its weekly price survey found self-serve, regular selling for an average of $2.19 per gallon. That’s 4 cents per gallon lower than the national average and 53 cents lower than the Massachusetts price a year ago. AAA found self-serve, regular selling for as low as $2.07 per gallon and as high as $2.49. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

INTERNATIONAL

Cuba opens bulk-buying stores

Cuba has opened a first-of-its-kind store specializing in bulk goods in Havana: Zona+, a high-ceiling space with racks stacked with large tins of tomato sauce, toilet paper, and cooking oil by the gallon. It’s not quite Costco, and it falls short of satisfying calls for a wholesale market to support the growing class of owners of small restaurants and cafeterias who have set up shop under President Raul Castro’s economic reforms begun six years ago. But it could help relieve the pressure that those entrepreneurs have been putting on other retail stores by snapping up huge quantities of goods, leaving regular customers in the lurch. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

INTERNATIONAL

Spain and Portugal may escape EU fines over budget deficits

Spain and Portugal may get no more than a slap on the wrist for breaching budget deficit limits as European Union officials signaled they will seek to enforce their rule book without using punitive measures that could derail fragile recoveries. “It’s a possibility to have zero’’ fines, said Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister who’s chairing a meeting of his euro-area counterparts in Brussels on Monday. It may depend on “what proposals the countries will come up with to solve the problems.’’ After the two southern euro-area nations last week became the first to be deemed liable for penalties over their failure to hit targets, the European Commission is now looking at a middle way to satisfy those who insist the EU adhere to its rules and others who say financial punishments would be counterproductive. — BLOOMBERG

INTERNATIONAL

Maker of Kleenex and Huggies pulls out of Venezuela amid economic Woes

Kimberly-Clark Corp., the consumer-products giant that owns Kleenex and Huggies, said it will shutter its Venezuela operations after years of grappling with soaring inflation and a shortage of hard currency and raw materials. The South American nation’s deteriorating economic situation had made “it impossible to continue our business at this time,’’ the company said in a statement on Saturday. The decision is likely to add to shortages that have gripped Venezuela for the past few years after the ruling socialists capped the price on many consumer basics below production costs. Desperate shoppers now routinely spend long hours in front of stores to purchase essential products. — BLOOMBERG

MEDIA

Redstone’s former girlfriend denied new trial over his competency

A former girlfriend of Sumner Redstone won’t get a new trial to argue that the 93-year-old media billionaire was mentally incompetent when he evicted her from his mansion last year and replaced her as his health care agent. A probate court judge in Los Angeles Monday denied Manuela Herzer’s request for a new trial. The same judge in May dismissed Herzer’s case after one day of trial, finding that Redstone’s videotaped deposition made it clear he didn’t want her in his life any longer. Redstone’s eviction of Herzer in October and her subsequent court petition to have him declared mentally incapacitated were the opening salvos in a war that pits the controlling shareholder of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. against his long-time protege, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, in courts in California, Massachusetts, and Delaware. — BLOOMBERG

FOOD

Two flavors of cake mix being recalled

General Mills Inc. is recalling two flavors of Betty Crocker cake mix sold in the United States and one flavor sold in Canada because they use flour that was recalled earlier because it could contain E.coli. The flavors include Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix, which is called Betty Crocker Super Moist Rainbow Bit Cake Mix in Canada. In the United States, the mix carried a Package UPC 000-16000-40997 and ‘‘better if used by dates’’ including 5MAR2017, 28MAR2017, 27APR2017, 28APR2017, 23MAY2017, 24MAY2017, and 25MAY2017. The US recall also includes Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix with UPC 000-16000-40987 and ‘‘better if used by dates’’ including 12APR2017, 13APR2017, 14APR2017, 28May2017, 29May2017, 30MAY2017, 07JUL2017 and 08JUL2017. A full list of products in the recall can be found at www.generalmills.com/flour. — ASSOCIATED PRESS