Growth in China’s factory output slowed for a third straight month in May, likely weighed down by disruptions caused by Covid-19 outbreaks in the country’s southern export powerhouse of Guangdong.

Britain’s finance ministry called on the European Union to open talks on financial services, after the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday urged the bloc to avoid protectionism.

British inflation has soared to the highest level since before the coronavirus pandemic, with clothing, fuel and oil prices rebounding as the economy reopens, official data showed Wednesday.

Germany’s powerful BDI industry association criticised China on Tuesday for passing a law to counter foreign sanctions, which it said sent a worrying signal to investors and companies abroad.

The number of employees on British company payrolls surged by a record amount in May as Covid restrictions eased and pubs and restaurants resumed indoor service, though it still remains more than half a million below its pre-pandemic peak.

Britain and Australia announced a trade deal on Tuesday that will eliminate tariffs and red tape, hailed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as “a new dawn” in the two countries’ relations.

A series of Covid-19 outbreaks in Thai factories is raising concerns that the export sector could be hit hard, threatening to further undermine an economy as it struggles to recover from the pandemic’s crippling blow to the crucial tourism industry.

Even in the face of rising inflation, the lackluster progress on restoring jobs lost during the pandemic means the US Federal Reserve is unlikely to budge on monetary policy when it meets next week.

Chinese automaker Geely will keep working on vehicles powered by methanol even though the effort may fail, chairman Li Shufu said on Sunday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said she hoped that a new Group of Seven task force can present first infrastructure projects in developing countries in 2022.

Bitcoin dropped 5.71 per cent to $35,210 at 0600 GMT on Saturday, losing $2,131.11 from its previous close.

The Group of Seven nations on Sunday pledged to rapidly scale up technologies and policies that accelerate the transition away from unabated coal capacity, including ending new government support for coal power by the end of this year.

Oil prices reached fresh multi-year highs on Friday, closing out a third straight week of gains on an improved outlook for worldwide demand as rising Covid-19 vaccination rates help lift pandemic curbs.

The Group of Seven leaders on Sunday pledged to work together to tackle carbon leakage, weeks before the European Union is due to propose a world-first plan to impose CO2 emission costs on imports of certain polluting goods.

Germany on Sunday said it has taken steps towards a bilateral alliance on hydrogen production and trade with Australia to try and facilitate a renewable energy-based hydrogen supply chain between the countries.

Tax advantages paired with a life of luxury have long drawn foreigners and multinationals to the UAE, which is aiming to remain attractive whether or not it signs up to a global tax initiative.

Leaders of the Group of Seven rich nations were in broad agreement about the need to continue supporting their economies with fiscal stimulus after the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic, a source familiar with the discussions said on Friday.

US financial regulators urged market participants on Friday to accelerate their efforts to detach financial products from Libor interest rate benchmarks, while casting doubt on new benchmarks built to compete with their preferred replacement.

Seven Rings Cement’s mother organisation Shun Shing Group Hong Kong recently witnessed the appointment of a new additional managing director (AMD) for its Bangladesh operation.

The 25 US states calling an early halt to pandemic-related federal unemployment benefits have recovered more of the jobs lost during the crisis than other states, possibly limiting how much of a dent ending the weekly $300 payments will make in the national battle to fill record job vacancies.