Western Europe

The World Bank announced a new strategy on Friday that focuses on jobs to help small island states, and other small countries address challenges like remoteness, shock exposure and a limited economic base. World Bank President Ajay Banga spoke about the initiative in a closed door meeting of 50 ministers and governors of central banks from small countries, held during the spring meetings for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. He explained that the idea was to use different tools to help smaller states attract more investment, implement policy and regulatory changes to make it easier to run...

The oil prices fell by 13% after Iran's Foreign Minister said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to all commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire period. U.S. president Donald Trump also said Iran had agreed not to close the strait ever again. Brent crude futures dropped $12.87 or 12.95 percent to $86.52 per barrel at 10:50 am EDT (1450 GMT) after hitting a session's low of $86.09. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures fell $13.50 or 14.26% to $81.19 per barrel after reaching $80.56. Both contracts traded at their lowest since March 10 and were set...

Early Friday morning, oil prices dropped on the optimism that the Middle East conflict could be coming to an end. A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon went into effect after the inauguration of the ceasefire. Moreover, 'President Donald Trump' said the U.S. may hold talks with Iran over the weekend. Brent crude futures fell $1.34 or 1.35% to $98.05 per barrel at 0021 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Futures declined $1.65 or 1.74% to $93.40 per barrel, reducing gains from the previous day. Trump addressed a major sticking point in talks to end the Iran War, which has...

Analysts and traders say that U.S. crude cargo prices have fallen from recent price spikes, while in Europe and Asia prices continue to reach record highs, seven weeks after the Iran 'war. The war in Iran disrupted the global oil flow with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz - a vital trade route - and caused damage to oil facilities in the entire region. This pushed the price of crude oil in Europe, the Middle East and Asia up to record highs. As the world's largest oil producer, the U.S. has been able, through its refineries, to access the...

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure announced on Thursday that the Group of Seven finance and central bank chiefs had agreed to be ready to "act" to reduce economic and inflation risk caused by Middle 'East war energy price and supply fluctuations. Lescure told reporters at the International Monetary Fund's and World Bank's spring meetings that the outcome of the global economy depends on the speed with which the conflict is resolved. The International Energy Agency, with the support of the G7, released last month a record-breaking amount of oil from its strategic reserves in order to counter the cuts of...

Data from Kpler & LSEG revealed that Europe was experiencing record-breaking inflows of Jet Fuel from the United States. The region is trying to replenish fuel supplies as a result of the Middle East's disruption. Due to the U.S. and Israeli war against?Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed. This has prevented the Middle East from supplying Europe with nearly 75% of their?jet fuel, or about 375,000 barrels a day. According to a document viewed by, this has caused European airlines to call on the European Union (EU)?to take emergency measures including widespread airspace closings. Based on vessels...

Russian news agencies reported that Sergei Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia, said on Wednesday in Beijing at a press conference that Russia was'ready to increase its energy supply to China before an expected visit by President Vladimir 'Putin. Vedomosti cited sources who said that it would be during the week of May 18th. President Xi Jinping and Lavrov met on 'Wednesday', assuring Moscow that China is a friend of Russia and saying that China and 'Russia' must work together, trust each other and protect each other's interest. Lavrov said at the press conference that Russia is ready to provide...

Austria ordered an official review to determine if the 'partially-state-owned oil and natural gas company OMV' is complying with new rules on lowering fuel prices. The company, however, denied that it had broken them on Tuesday. The 'U.S. and Israeli?war on Iran has caused the biggest oil supply disruptions in history, sending oil prices soaring. European governments are scrambling to protect their consumers. Austrian government introduced the so-called "petrol-price brake", under which the value-added tax increase?from increased petrol prices are passed on to the consumers in the form a reduction?in tax, initially set at 6 U.S.-cents per litre. The national...

Shell's notice of the meeting states that it will allow its shareholders to vote on a resolution presented by climate activist investor groups Follow This and recommend a negative vote. This'stands in stark contrast to BP whose board decided 'not to include the Follow This Resolution on its agenda. This prompted some of its shareholders, and influential proxy advisor groups, to recommend a vote against the board. Follow This Resolution calls on Shell to reveal how its strategy will perform in scenarios of declining oil and gas demand. BP said that the resolution is invalid and will be 'ineffective' if...

The British government announced that British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves would tell her international counterparts traveling to Washington this week about the "securonomics", or approach, she uses in dealing with an uncertain world. Reeves will, while in the United States to attend an International Monetary Fund summit, once again promote Britain as "a rare safe haven for Investors" that provides stability amid rising energy prices. After weekend talks to end the war failed, Tehran has threatened to attack the ports of its Gulf neighbours. Britain's dependence on imported gas and stubbornly high inflation has led to a sharper selloff of...

After a review by the Australian corporate regulator, Viva Energy has revised its testing of the value of its retail fuel and convenience sites for impairment. This will result in an additional A$25m ($17.55m) in impairment charges on 2025 accounts. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission questioned the fuel retailer’s previous approach to?grouping certain sites into a larger Shell Card cash-generating units, arguing that?individual outlets? should be assessed individually so their recoverable value could?be determined. The regulator said that Viva had adopted the revised method in its financial statements for its year-end?December 2025 and increased the total impairment charges on...

Italy has placed new restrictions on Sinochem in an effort to stop a slap on Pirelli's governance, according to people familiar with the matter. Pirelli's largest shareholders Sinochem, a Chinese state-owned company, with 34% of the shares, and Camfin (the investment vehicle of Marco Tronchetti Provera as Executive Vice President), with 26% of the shares, have been involved in a long-running dispute. Tensions grew ahead of the new U.S. regulations that would restrict the use of "Chinese" technologies in the automobile sector. Both Pirelli & Camfin called for "curbs" on Sinochem's ownership, stating that this would complicate Pirelli expansion plans...

Sabanci Holding, a Turkish conglomerate, announced that it would sell the remaining shares of cement maker Akcansa Cimento and exit retailer CarrefourSA. Analysts say the conglomerate is looking to streamline operations by selling assets with low margins of profit. According to a Monday filing, Heidelberg Materials purchased Sabanci's 39.72% share in Akcansa. The deal valued the company at $1.1billion on an enterprise-value basis. The transaction value wasn't disclosed. The deal will see Heidelberg Materials double its stake in?Akcansa from 69.44% to 79.44%. Akcansa has three cement plants and 26 ready-mixed?plants. It also operates five aggregate quarries, and five terminals for...

In the first quarter of 2026 sales of electric cars jumped almost a third on the main European auto markets, as consumers sought alternatives to combustion engines after the war in Iran caused the highest spike in petrol prices for years. Data collected by the trade association E-Mobility Europe, and research firm, New Automotive, on Monday showed that new battery-electric vehicle registrations (BEVs), a proxy of sales, increased 29.4% in comparison to a year earlier, reaching almost 560,000 during the first quarter. They were also up 51.3% in March, with over 240,000 vehicles registered in 15 European markets. The ACEA...

Aluminum prices dropped on Friday, after Iran's foreign minister announced that all commercial vessels could pass through the Strait of Hormuz for a period of time remaining in the ceasefire. Benchmark 'three-month' aluminium at the?London Metal Exchange was down by 2.6% to $3,549 per metric ton as of 1601 GMT. The reopening of Strait of Hormuz where navigation was largely suspended after U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran began on 28 February improves prospects for exports of aluminium from the Gulf -region which account for approximately 9% of the global supply. The Strait is used by producers in the area...

Documents seen by show that Chilean copper producer Codelco, and global miner Anglo American, plan to submit different environmental studies to the regulators in Chile for their planned "shared copper mine". They will use what they call a "unprecedented", twin-track approval process. Documents previously unknown on the Andina Los Bronces project were presented to environmental authorities in January. They show that the companies intend to submit two applications essentially identical in December for a 'pit' where they will jointly extract copper from the top producer of red metal in the world. This model could be used as a template for...

Bank of Ireland said it will seek shareholder approval for a 'delisting' from the London Stock Exchange, citing the negligible volumes of shares traded on the UK exchange over the past few years. This could be a blow to the London Market. If approved, two Irish banks will be removed from the UK stock market over the next year. Permanent TSB, an Irish retail lender, agreed on Tuesday to be acquired by Austrian lender BAWAG Group for a total of 1.62 billion euros. London has lost major firms in recent years, including CRH (Irish supplier of building materials), as companies...

Aluminum prices reached a four-year-high?on Friday as traders assessed?the extent of damage to the global supply caused by the U.S./Israeli war with Iran. Meanwhile, hopes for a possible peace agreement boosted other base metals. The benchmark three-month aluminum on the London Metal Exchange increased 0.4% to $3.636 per metric ton during official open-outcry trade after reaching $3.672, its highest since March 24, 2020. The record high was $4,073.5 on March 7, 2022 when the markets were dealing with 'the immediate aftermath of Russia's invasion in Ukraine. Global aluminium is experiencing a'supply shortage this year as a result of the Iran...

A court on Wednesday ruled that Hancock Prospecting owned by Australia's wealthiest person Gina Rinehart and Rio Tinto had to pay "what could be hundreds of millions" of dollars in royalties to the former business partners of her father. Since 15 years, Hancock Prospecting has been involved in a legal dispute with Peter Wright's family over the Hope Downs Mine Complex in the iron-ore rich Pilbara Region of the state. The court ruled that Rio Tinto, the world's largest iron ore mining company, is a joint venture operator and jointly responsible for the payments. In the 1950s, Rinehart's dad, Lang...

Appian Capital?Advisory, a mining-focused private equity company, has named former Eramet CEO Paulo Castellari as the head of its critical minerals unit. The?firm announced this on Wednesday, while stepping up?investment into energy transition commodities. The appointment comes at a time when competition is intensifying for battery metals and rare Earths required for electric vehicles and renewable energy, as well as digital infrastructure. Castellari joined?after a sudden exit from French mining company Eramet, only a few months after his appointment, citing disagreements over "operating methods". He held senior positions at Anglo American, Emirates Global Aluminium and Emirates Global Aluminium. Appian said...

LKAB plans to open an iron ore mine and rare earths project near the Kiruna mine in Sweden's far 'north' could be a violation of rights for the Sami reindeer herders, according to a Stockholm Environment Institute report published on Wednesday. Per Geijer is located near LKAB’s?existing Kiruna Mine and is one of the?European Union’s flagship projects as part of its strategy to reduce reliance upon China for rare Earths needed for clean energy, defense, and electric vehicle production. The Sami reindeer herders, however, say that it will end their traditional lifestyle and have promised to take the mine to...

According to inspection records obtained through public record requests, Codelco, a state-owned copper miner in Chile, was fined by the labor authorities for last year's fatal collapse of its El Teniente Mine. Three contractors, whose employees were killed or injured, were also sanctioned. Six contract workers were killed and others injured in the aftermath of the underground?seismic occurrence that occurred on July 31, triggering a rock explosion at El Teniente - the largest underground copper mine in the world. The files were obtained by requesting open records from the Chilean labor ministry. These fines in Chile are communicated directly to...

Greenland's Prime Minister said Tuesday that he appointed his predecessor Mute Egede to the position of?foreign ministry, giving him the task of steering the relations with the United States amidst pressure from U.S. president Donald Trump to control the island. Premier?Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen stated that Egede’s portfolio would also include those of minerals resources and business policy. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States is in need of Greenland, which is a part if the Kingdom of Denmark. This claim has caused a rift between European NATO allies, who have rejected it. Greenland and Denmark, as well as...

The World Steel Association cut its forecast on global 'crude steel demand' for this year. This was partly because of the Iran War, which has slashed Middle East consumption. The industry group reduced its forecast of growth in 2026 steel demand to 0.3%, or 1.72 billion tons. This is down from an earlier forecast in October that was 1.3%. "We expect that the conflict in the Middle East will result in a sharp decline in the region's demand for steel in 2026. This was a strong area for growth," said Alfonso Hidalgo Calcerrada. "We're now transitioning to a modest growth...