Britain’s unemployment rate fell again to 4.8 per cent between January and March, when the country was under a tight lockdown, and hiring rose further in April, according to data that showed employers gearing up for the easing of curbs.

Japan’s economy shrank more than expected in the first quarter as a slow vaccine rollout and new Covid-19 infections hit spending on items such as dining out and clothes, raising concerns the country will lag others emerging from the pandemic.

Bringing the US economy back from the brutal downturn caused by Covid-19 will take time, and hiccups like last month’s weak hiring data will happen, a top Federal Reserve official said Monday.

Next Digital Ltd shares were suspended on Monday after authorities froze assets of its jailed owner Jimmy Lai under a new national security law in Hong Kong, while the tycoon pleaded guilty to taking part in an illegal protest in October 2019.

Microsoft conducted a probe into co-founder Bill Gates’ involvement with an employee almost 20 years ago after it was told in 2019 that he had tried to start a romantic relationship with the person, the company said on Monday.

The European Union has agreed a partial truce with the United States in a dispute over US metals tariffs imposed by former president Donald Trump as the two sides start discussions on addressing global overcapacity in steel and aluminium.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday rejected demands to bring forward an exit date for ending coal generation in Germany, currently set at 2038.

The US economic recovery showed signs of hitting some turbulence as shoppers curbed their spending last month and manufacturing slowed due to supply bottlenecks.

As the value of bitcoin soars and concerns rise about the energy-intensive process needed to obtain it, cryptocurrency entrepreneurs in the United States believe they have found a solution in flared natural gas.

Taiwan appealed to people to avoid panic buying of items such as instant noodles and toilet paper as new curbs on gatherings and movement took effect to rein in the spread of Covid-19 during a spike in domestic infections.

Widespread gasoline shortages along the US East Coast began to ease slightly on Saturday as the operator of the nation’s biggest fuel pipeline said it was back to delivering “millions of gallons per hour” following last week’s cyberattack.

High unemployment. Rising prices. Gas lines.

Less than 3 per cent of the roughly 30m small-business owners in the United States could face tax increases under President Joe Biden’s jobs and infrastructure plan, according to a new analysis by the White House on Friday.

Since the beginning of 2021, the world has been experiencing another deadly wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In South Asia, infection rates have increased, and death rates are higher than in the first wave in 2020.

G7 countries should invest $10t to stoke an investment-driven recovery that puts Covid-19 vaccines in arms and triggers a sweeping energy transformation to slow climate change, according to a report requested by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The White House was working closely with top US fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline on Sunday to help it recover from a ransomware attack that forced the company to shut a critical fuel network supplying populous eastern states.

If Sweden’s government gets its way, Bromma airport on the western edge of Stockholm will shut down and be used to build around 30,000 new homes, helping to ease a housing shortage that has sent prices in the capital soaring.

Myanmar’s military rulers have approved new investment in projects worth nearly $2.8b, including a liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant that will cost $2.5b, the country’s investment body said.

Oil edged up slightly on Friday even as the Covid-19 crisis in India worsened, and prices notched a second weekly gain against the backdrop of optimism over a global economic recovery.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged the United States to export coronavirus vaccines made on its soil, as she rejected a patent waiver call from Washington for the jabs.