G20 must push relief to avoid debt crises – experts, campaigners

Wealthy nations must improve their floundering flagship debt relief initiative or face a spate of debt crises in the developing world, experts and campaigners say as a meeting of finance chiefs of G20 major economies opened on Thursday.
Amazon accepts Visa credit cards in global truce over fees

Amazon.com Inc has reached agreement with Visa Inc (V.N) to accept its credit cards across its network, ending a standoff between the two that threatened to disrupt e-commerce payments and deal a blow to the U.S.-based payments processor.
Geoscientists’ competency assessment comes to Australia

Australia is the latest continent to get a taste of a new online self-assessment tool to benchmark the skills within the international operations geoscience community and identify individuals’ skills gaps. The tool enables operations geoscientists, in the oil and gas sector, to objectively assess the level of their current skills – which they need to be successful in their role.
Stocks rally, seizing on Ukraine de-escalation signs

World stocks crept higher on Wednesday for the second day in a row, while safe-haven assets such as government bonds and gold lost ground, despite Western scepticism over Russian claims of a troop pullback from Ukraine’s borders.
USTR says new trade tools needed to fight China state-led trade

The United States needs to pursue new strategies and update its domestic trade tools to deal with China’s “state-led, non-market policies and practices”, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said on Wednesday in a new assessment report.
MetLife explores sale of variable annuity business – sources

MetLife Inc (MET.N) is exploring the divestment of its U.S. variable annuity book as it seeks to free up resources to invest in higher-growth parts of its business, people familiar with the matter said.
Analysis: World’s damaged supply chains brace for painful recovery

Signs are growing that a global supply chain crisis which has confounded central bank inflation forecasts, stunted economic recoveries and compressed corporate margins could finally start to unwind towards the end of this year.
EXCLUSIVE Activist shareholder Quarz opposes terms of $3 bln Singapore REIT merger

Activist investor Quarz Capital Management said it is opposed to the terms of a proposed S$4.2 billion ($3.1 billion) merger of two Temasek-linked Singapore real estate investment trusts, saying the target firm was significantly undervalued.
EU exec cuts 2022 euro zone growth forecast, sharply raises inflation view

Euro zone economic growth will be slower than earlier expected this year because of a new wave of COVID-19 infections, high energy prices and continued supply-side disruptions, while inflation will be much higher, the European Commission said.
Higher steel prices boost Thyssenkrupp amid supply chain strains

Thyssenkrupp (TKAG.DE) said on Thursday that operating profit rose nearly fivefold in its first quarter, as its two biggest divisions – steel and materials trading – benefited from significantly higher steel prices.