The number of registered jobless in Spain posted a record drop in 2021 as the relaxation of pandemic restrictions boosted its key tourism sector, official statistics showed Tuesday.

Germany’s joblessness rate fell slightly in December despite the return of health restrictions to tackle a new wave of coronavirus cases, official figures published Tuesday showed.

Oil prices were largely steady on Tuesday as investors expected major producers to agree to stick to their planned output increase at their meeting later in the day amid diminishing concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

The price of bitcoin hit record highs in 2021 thanks to support from traditional finance, but cryptocurrency specialists are struggling to predict next year’s outcome for the volatile sector.

Germany on Sunday welcomed a plan by the European Union to label some natural gas energy projects as “green” investments, but stressed its opposition to a proposal to do the same for nuclear power projects.

The British government has asked public sector managers to test their contingency plans against a worst-case scenario of 25 per cent staff absence as part of efforts to minimise disruption from the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Russia’s annual oil production rose by more than 2 per cent last year thanks to the easing of output cuts by the OPEC+ group of leading oil producers after a pandemic-induced decline in 2020, data showed on Sunday.

The European Union has drawn up plans to label some natural gas and nuclear energy projects as “green” investments after a year-long battle between governments over which investments are truly climate friendly.

Germany has pulled the plug on three of its last six nuclear power stations as it moves towards completing its withdrawal from nuclear power as it turns its focus to renewables.

The euro on Saturday marked 20 years since people began to use the single European currency, overcoming initial doubts, price concerns and a debt crisis to spread across the region.

Turkey sharply raised electricity prices by 50-100 per cent for households and companies on Saturday, and again increased monthly natural gas bills, adding to strains in an economy facing soaring overall inflation.

Tesla has recalled 675,000 cars in the United States and China over issues with the trunk and front hood of two models, raising new questions about the safety of the popular electric vehicle.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday that OPEC+ group of largest oil producers has resisted calls from Washington to boost output because it wants to provide the market with clear guidance and not deviate from policy.

Europeans have been living with euro banknotes and coins for 20 years now, but many still point the finger at the single currency for covertly driving up consumer prices -- despite plenty of evidence to the contrary.

The UK government on Friday announced it is extending a temporary visa scheme for foreign seasonal workers until the end of 2024, while it will gradually reduce the quota from 2023.

The climate crisis has put the end of oil onto the agenda, but achieving that is a colossal task given the world economy’s deep dependence on petroleum.

Britain’s luxury department store chain Selfridges, famed for its flagship store on London’s Oxford Street, was snapped up Friday by a Thai-Austrian alliance for £4.0 billion in a Christmas Eve deal that will create a global giant.

A mix of drought in Canada’s prairies and flooding on its Pacific coast have brought about crop production and shipping woes now leading to international shortages of fries and mustard.

EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis warned that a Chinese blockade of Lithuania’s exports over a dispute about Taiwan was increasingly affecting firms from other EU countries, in an interview published Friday.

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