Airbus has agreed to cut prices or reschedule delivery for hundreds of jets ordered by Malaysia’s AirAsia to salvage a contract worth tens of billions of dollars with its largest Asian customer, industry sources said on Friday.

British retail sales fell last month as the grocery sector was hit by people returning to restaurants and pubs after virus curbs were lifted, data showed Friday.

British businesses have reported a sharp rise in recruitment difficulties within the space of just a few weeks - partly as a result of a continued lack of European Union workers, official figures showed on Thursday.

After three months of decline in global oil demand, Covid-19 vaccine roll-outs are set to unleash thirst for oil stymied by pandemic restrictions especially in Asia, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday.

Britain said on Tuesday it was delaying the implementation of some post-Brexit import controls, the second time they have been pushed back, citing pressures on businesses from the pandemic and global supply chain strain.

British employers added a record 241,000 staff to their payrolls last month, lifting the total number of payrolled employees just above the level they were before Britain first went into a Covid-19 lockdown last year, official data showed on Tuesday.

German companies operating in Bangladesh would continue to contribute to the impressive growth trajectory of the country, said Achim Tröster, the newly-appointed ambassador of Germany.

The United States and the European Union have agreed to aim to cut emissions of the planet-warming gas methane by around a third by the end of this decade and are pushing other major economies to join them, according to documents seen by Reuters.

Oil rose more than 1 per cent on Monday, supported by concerns over shut output in the United States because of damage from Hurricane Ida, with analysts expecting prices to remain rangebound in a stable market over the coming months.

A sale of Australia’s greatest airport moved nearer on Monday as an infrastructure investor group gained permission to conduct due diligence on Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd, after sweetening its takeover provide to A$23.6 billion ($17.four billion).

British businesses demanded that finance minister Rishi Sunak stop raising their taxes and instead offer more help to meet the challenges of Brexit, Covid-19 and climate change when he makes major budget statements next month.

The British government announced on Monday the biggest auction round of its renewable energy scheme, hoping to build up enough extra offshore wind capacity to power about 8 million homes.

Children clutching glow sticks shrieked with delight and onlookers gazed awestruck as Blackpool’s Illuminations lights festival launched to a spectacular volley of fireworks from its 158-metre Victorian tower.

The possibility of exempting “green” investments from EU deficit  calculations will form part of discussions when EU budget rules are  revised, European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said on  Saturday.

A third consecutive month of job gains pushed Canada’s unemployment rate down 0.4 percentage points in August to 7.1 per cent -- its lowest level since the onset of the pandemic, the national statistics agency said Friday.

European governments have spent hand over fist, despite ballooning public debt, to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from triggering economic calamity.

The European Central Bank could tighten policy sooner than many expect as inflationary pressures could prove to be persistent, ECB policymaker Robert Holzmann said in a contribution to Eurofi Magazine on Wednesday. 

British business organisations criticised Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to increase taxes to pay for health and social care reform, saying they added to the burden on firms struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic and would cost jobs.

Finance ministers from the world’s seven wealthiest nations are set to meet later this week to discuss global tax reform, according to the UK Treasury on Tuesday.

British house prices rose sharply last month in a further sign of strong momentum in the market even after the partial withdrawal of tax breaks on property purchases, a survey from mortgage lender Halifax showed on Tuesday.