BUSINESS

Russian gas flowed into Europe on Friday, while European gas prices continued to rise, as firms grappled with President Vladimir Putin's threat to cut off supplies unless they paid in roubles.

Euro zone inflation surged to 7.5% in March, hitting another record high with months still left before it is set to peak, raising pressure on the European Central Bank to rein in runaway prices even as growth slows sharply.

Banks should beware of fake news that could trigger a run on their deposits, the European Union's banking watchdog said in a warning on Friday about potential fallout from the war in Ukraine.

French catering and food services company Sodexo lowered its annual revenue growth outlook on Friday citing the pandemic, the Ukraine conflict and the closure of COVID-19 testing centres it ran in the United Kingdom.

French catering and food services group Sodexo on Friday lowered expectations for full-year organic revenue growth, citing the coronavirus pandemic, the Ukraine conflict and closure of COVID-19 testing centres in the United Kingdom.

Polish pushbacks to Belarus go on as Ukrainians welcomed

Sanofi plans to list its drug ingredients subsidiary EUROAPI on May 6, saying the business is set to grow and improve its profitability as a separate business.

China's COVID-19 curbs are disrupting the supply of fertiliser to the country's northeastern bread basket just a month away from spring planting, threatening this year's corn and soybean crops if not resolved soon.

Disaster tourism: blackouts, shortages hit Sri Lanka recovery hopes

UPS said on Friday it was trying out a four-wheeled "eQuad" electric cargo bike for deliveries in densely packed urban areas, where bikes have better and easier access, to complement its push into electric vehicles.

Australia's central bank will end its longest easing cycle on record by the end of the third quarter, according to a Reuters poll in which a growing minority of economists expected a rate hike just weeks after a federal election in May.

China's factory output at lowest in two years: Caixin PMI

The Hong Kong stock exchange suspended from trade on Friday the shares of Chinese developers such as Sunac China, Shimao Group and Kaisa Group, and about 30 other firms for a delay in declaring annual results.

Traders are pointing to a massive quarterly options trade on Thursday they said was from a JPMorgan fund as one reason why the stock market took a nosedive late in the day, as options flows linked to the trade exacerbated market weakness.

Asia deal volume tumbled in the first quarter and dealmakers do not expect a near-term rebound as the Russia-Ukraine war, higher interest rates and economic uncertainty hurt business sentiment.

U.S. job growth continued at a brisk clip in March, with the unemployment rate falling to a new two-year low of 3.6% and wages re-accelerating, positioning the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by a hefty 50 basis points in May.

Stocks edge higher on solid US jobs data, oil prices retreat

Amazon locked in tight unionization votes in two US states

Japan business confidence dips as Ukraine concern grows

The recalled units were sold through distributors nationwide and also online.

Most Asian factories saw activity slow in March, as slumping Chinese demand and rising raw material costs blamed on the Ukraine crisis added strains to firms already suffering from lingering supply chain disruptions.

They have weathered the storm of Brexit and Covid, and are fighting the tide of rising inflation. But thousands of Britain's fish and chip shops could be sunk by the war in Ukraine.

Oil extended losses on Friday as members of the International Energy Agency (IEA) agreed to join in the largest-ever U.S. oil reserves release.

Oil prices fell on Friday ahead of a meeting of International Energy Agency (IEA) member nations set to discuss a release of emergency oil reserves alongside a huge planned release by the United States.

Grammys are anyone's game as music's A-listers descend on Vegas

Jon Batiste: jazz master leading this year's Grammy pack

Scandal-tainted candidates face off in Costa Rican presidential run-off

Which companies are going public in 2022? Almost none so far

A group of Taiwanese puppeteers are looking to use non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, to help bring their traditional art form into the modern era and keep it relevant for a new audience.