Chinese regulators have ordered sweeping changes to the country’s biggest payment app Alipay, as the ruling Communist Party attempts to rein in  “the unruly growth” of the tech giants.

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.

India has cut base import taxes on palm oil, soyoil and sunflower oil, according to a government notification, as the world’s biggest vegetable oil buyer tries to cool near-record price rises. 

Aluminium broke $3,000 a tonne for the first time in 13 years Monday on supply concerns while equity markets were mixed as record high US inflation ramped up concerns the Federal Reserve will have to tighten monetary policy sooner than later.

The dollar began a busy data week on a firm footing, with immediate focus turning to US inflation figures but investors are also wary of the Federal Reserve priming to exit from its super-supportive policy stance even as Covid-19 cases surge.

Kabul’s flea markets are packed with the belongings that desperate Afghans have sold at rock-bottom prices to fund their escape from Taliban rule, or just to pay for food.

Norway, which holds legislative elections on Monday, has the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, a piggy bank of more than $1.4 trillion.

Private sector companies in the UAE will have to fill 10 per cent of their positions with Emirati nationals in five years time, the UAE said on Sunday in its latest tranche of economic reforms.

Small employers like Bob Roth on Friday voiced frustration with US President Joe Biden’s mandate that workers either get vaccinated or tested regularly to combat the spread of the coronavirus. 

Greece will revise its 2021 economic growth estimate to 5.9 per cent from 3.6 percent earlier, after an unexpectedly positive second quarter, the prime minister said Saturday.

The United States on Friday allowed imports from Malaysia’s Top Glove Corp, after customs authorities lifted a year-long ban imposed for alleged forced labour found at the world’s largest medical glove maker.

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.

Energy stocks are becoming a popular bellwether for concerns over how deeply the Delta variant of the coronavirus is expected to impact the US economy, as the so-called reopening trade that boosted some parts of the market earlier this year continues to stumble. 

The US Treasury Department met with a number of industry participants this week to quiz them about the risks and benefits posed by stablecoins -- a rapidly growing type of cryptocurrencies, the value of which is pegged to traditional currencies, according to three people with direct knowledge of the meetings. 

A US judge on Friday ordered Apple to loosen control over its App Store payment system, a blow to the global tech giant sparked by its anti-trust battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games.

With the Taliban in control and foreign aid blocked, Afghanistan’s economy is likely to contract sharply as it faces a shortage of cash, the nation’s former central bank chief said Friday.

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

After remaking their security procedures following the 9/11 attacks to stop airline hijackings, carriers are now faced with rising threats targeting computers and electronic equipment critical to their operations and safety.