EU leaders on Wednesday said the bloc will soon have to sanction all of Russia’s hydrocarbon exports as they blamed Moscow for  “war crimes” discovered in Ukraine, especially in the town of Bucha.

German industrial orders fell more than expected in February, official data showed Wednesday, as the economy ministry warned that  “high uncertainty” over the war in Ukraine was likely to dampen the outlook for manufacturers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday Moscow would carefully  “monitor” food exports to  “hostile” nations as the West pummels the country with sanctions over its military action in Ukraine.

HSBC said on Wednesday it had increased its stake in its China securities brokerage, through a deal to buy equity from its state-owned partner Qianhai Financial Holdings.

Home rental company Airbnb Inc said late on Monday it had suspended operations in Russia and Belarus.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday as the United States and Europe planned new sanctions to punish Russia over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, raising concerns of tighter global supply, while Iran’s nuclear talks with world powers stalled.

Russia has managed to avoid defaulting on its international debt so far despite unprecedented Western sanctions. But the task is getting harder and Moscow’s threats to cut Europe’s gas supply seems to be upping the ante further.

The European economy is set to suffer a sharp slowdown due to the war in Ukraine, but should avoid stumbling into recession, top EU officials said on Monday.

Twitter’s shares soared after Tesla CEO Elon Musk disclosed on Monday a large stake in the social media company, which he has criticized for its approach to speech rights.

Canada on Monday will announce its support for General Motors Co’s multi-billion-dollar investment in two plants, including one that will produce electric commercial vehicles (EVs), a government source said.

German exports bounded higher in February, the official statistics agency said Monday, cautioning that the Ukraine conflict and sanctions against Russia were likely to cloud the picture in the months ahead.

The European Union on Monday extended for another 10 years its ban on mobile phone roaming surcharges for people using their European handsets while travelling in the 27-nation bloc.

Investor morale in the euro zone fell to its lowest level in nearly two years in April, a survey showed on Monday, pointing to the beginning of a recession in the second quarter of 2022.

Hungry cows at Westons Farm jostle for position at the feeding trough, blissfully unaware that Ukraine’s war has sowed more turmoil for UK farms ploughing through Covid and Brexit fallout.

Germany will face a steep recession if there is a stop to imports or delivery of Russian gas and oil, a top German bank lobby warned on Monday.

Russia maintained gas flows through key pipeline routes into Europe on Monday, despite uncertainty over payment terms and as European leaders called for more sanctions against Moscow after war crimes allegations in Ukraine.

The economy minister of Slovakia, which relies on Russian gas for around 85 per cent of its demand, said the country could not be cut off from Russian gas flows and if it had to pay in roubles it would, although it backed taking a common European Union stance.

Oil slipped on Monday in volatile trading as the release of strategic reserves by consuming nations eased concerns over tight supply amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the lack of an Iranian nuclear deal.

The head of Latvia’s natural gas storage operator said Saturday the Baltic states were no longer importing Russian natural gas.

Europe and Russia will both lose heavily if President Vladimir Putin follows through on his threat to cut gas supplies to countries he judges “unfriendly” unless they pay in roubles.