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The EU is planning to hit back at the US’s $369bn Inflation Reduction Act with looser state aid rules on tax credits for green investment. Under a draft plan seen by the Financial Times, the European Commission will further loosen the rules to support investment into new production facilities in green sectors, including via the

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has sacked Nadhim Zahawi as chair of the Conservative party after his ethics adviser concluded there had been “serious breaches” of the ministerial code. Sunak finally jettisoned Zahawi after weeks of stories about his tax affairs, which have been politically damaging for the ruling party during a historic cost of

The UK tax authority has admitted that it gave misleading information last summer when it said no government minister was being investigated, even though Nadhim Zahawi was the subject of a probe. HM Revenue & Customs has now apologised for wrongly stating last June that no ministers were under investigation — mistakes it blames on

Shares in the Adani Group’s flagship company fell 17 per cent on Friday in a sell-off fuelled by short seller allegations of fraud involving the business empire of one of the world’s richest men. Other companies tied to Gautam Adani’s conglomerate also dropped sharply as the Indian tycoon pushes ahead with a Rs200bn ($2.4bn) share

US economic growth slowed less than expected in the final quarter of 2022, even as the Federal Reserve’s aggressive campaign to raise borrowing costs began to weigh more heavily on business activity. The world’s largest economy expanded 2.9 per cent on an annualised basis between September and December, according to data published by the commerce

Germany is to supply 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, a significant ramping up of western military aid that was condemned by Russia and prompted cheers throughout Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the move at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, describing it as the result of “intensive consultations that have taken place between Germany and

UK public sector borrowing more than doubled last month to hit the highest December figure on record, driven up by higher debt interest payments and the government’s measures to help households and businesses with soaring energy prices. Public sector net borrowing hit £27.4bn last month, up from a revised £10.7bn in the same month in

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has asked his ethics adviser to investigate the tax affairs of Nadhim Zahawi in a move that raises questions about the future of the Conservative party chair. The government is confronting an ethics crisis on two fronts with BBC chair Richard Sharp facing allegations he helped Boris Johnson secure a

Brazil and Argentina will this week announce that they are starting preparatory work on a common currency, in a move which could eventually create the world’s second-largest currency bloc. South America’s two biggest economies will discuss the plan at a summit in Buenos Aires this week and will invite other Latin American nations to join.

Germany dashed its allies’ hopes that it would approve the dispatch of battle tanks to Ukraine on Friday when a high-profile defence ministers’ meeting failed to reach an agreement. Many western countries argue that the German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks would greatly help Kyiv mount a counteroffensive against Russia, but Berlin has yet to agree,

Google’s parent company has announced it will axe 12,000 staff, pushing total tech job losses above 200,000 since the start of last year, as industry bosses concede they overextended during the pandemic’s digital boom. The latest cuts will affect about 6 per cent of the total workforce at Alphabet, which also owns autonomous car company

Christine Lagarde warned financial markets on Thursday that the European Central Bank was determined to “stay the course” and signalled further big interest rate rises lay ahead to get inflation down. In comments that bolstered the euro, the ECB president told the World Economic Forum in Davos that markets should ditch their view that the

UK inflation slowed for the second consecutive month after hitting a 41-year peak in October, although economists do not expect the change to ease pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates. The annual rate of consumer price inflation declined to 10.5 per cent in December, according to the Office for National Statistics

The UK battery start-up Britishvolt has collapsed into administration after last-ditch efforts to secure emergency funding from a group of investors failed. The majority of Britishvolt’s 300 staff were made redundant “with immediate effect”, employees were told on a call at lunchtime on Tuesday, as the business had no funds to continue operating. A late

Germany’s defence minister has announced her resignation, triggering fresh uncertainty for Europe’s most populous nation as it confronts critical decisions about its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Christine Lambrecht, who has faced harsh criticism for her handling of defence policy as well as a succession of gaffes, said that a “months-long media focus” on

Russia’s revenue from fertiliser exports soared last year despite a decline in sales volumes, as crop nutrient prices rose sharply after its invasion of Ukraine. In the first 10 months of 2022, Russian fertiliser exports jumped 70 per cent to $16.7bn compared to the same period in 2021, according to UN data. Import statistics from

Global bond markets posted a powerful rebound in the first fortnight of 2023, fanning investors’ hopes that last year’s fixed-income retreat is over. Bonds are on track for their best January performance in more than three decades, spurred by a growing conviction that inflation has peaked on both sides of the Atlantic. The Bloomberg Global

China is moving to take “golden shares” in local units of Alibaba and Tencent as Beijng formalises a greater role in overseeing the country’s powerful tech groups. The Chinese government has responded to a stuttering economy by backing away from the tough fines and sanctions that were a hallmark of its campaign to rein in