Global finance officials gathered in Washington on Wednesday were focused on finding a way to alleviate supply chain bottlenecks that are driving prices higher and threatening to derail the economic recovery.

Amazon.com Inc has been repeatedly accused of knocking off products it sells on its website and of exploiting its vast trove of internal data to promote its own merchandise at the expense of other sellers. The company has denied the accusations.

US consumer prices increased solidly in September as Americans paid more for food, rent and a range of other goods, putting pressure on the Biden administration to urgently resolve strained supply chains, which are hampering economic growth.

Shares of Chinese real estate firms slid on Thursday as investors fretted about a debt crisis rippling through developers including China Evergrande Group , a day after the sector was hit with fresh rating downgrades.

The European Union will seek a ban on tapping new oil, coal and gas deposits in the Arctic to protect a region severely affected by climate change, according to a proposal for the bloc’s new Arctic strategy published on Wednesday.

Global shortages in industrial components and raw materials have cramped Germany’s export driven economy, prompting the country’s leading economic institutes to slash their forecast for growth this year on Thursday.

China’s factory inflation hit its highest level in a quarter of a century on surging commodity costs last month, with Thursday’s figures fanning concerns that higher prices could filter through supply chains and into the global economy.

A new global study examining the difference in earnings between heterosexual couples has revealed that men continue to be paid more than women in every country.

The United States is nearly ready for the central bank to pull back on its stimulus, and the high inflation may soon retreat, a Federal Reserve official said Tuesday.

Rising energy prices are weighing on households but the recent spike is unlikely to fuel a 1970s-style oil crisis and should retreat early next year, IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath told AFP Tuesday.

Asian markets were mixed Wednesday as investors awaited key US inflation data that could play a major role in the Federal Reserve’s plans to tighten monetary policy, while concerns over a global energy crunch also jangled nerves.

US lawmakers rubber-stamped a short-term bill to lift the nation’s borrowing authority Tuesday, averting the threat of a first-ever debt default -- but only for a few weeks.

China’s export growth unexpectedly accelerated in September, as still solid global demand offset some of the pressures on factories from power shortages, supply bottlenecks and a resurgence of domestic Covid-19 cases.

British American Tobacco will cease all operations in military-ruled Myanmar and withdraw by the end of this year, the company said on Tuesday, the latest Western firm to pull out of the country in turmoil since a February coup.

China’s thermal coal prices surged to fresh record highs on Wednesday as recent floods in a key coal producing province worsened a supply crunch, just as new efforts by Beijing to liberalise power prices boosted demand from power generators.

Britain’s economy rebounded in August despite ongoing supply chain woes, as people socialised more due to the lifting of coronavirus curbs, data showed Wednesday.

British American Tobacco will cease all operations in military-ruled Myanmar and withdraw by the end of this year, the company said on Tuesday, the latest Western firm to pull out of the country in turmoil since a February coup.

Investors are primed for another period of strong US profit growth as third-quarter reports from Corporate America flow in starting this week. But as business continues to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, new problems are arising that are taking center stage for Wall Street, including supply-chain snags and inflationary pressures.

China’s export growth likely slowed in September as electricity rationing hit production at home, while a shift in consumption towards services as developed economies reopened likely reduced global appetite for Chinese goods, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday.

The World Bank is taking steps to rebuild the credibility of its research after a data-rigging scandal forced it to cancel its flagship  “Doing Business” report on country business climates, bank President David Malpass said on Monday.