Russian influx drives up rental prices in Dubai

By Sameer Hashmi Middle East business correspondent The months of February and March were tense for Aretha Pretorius. For weeks, she and her husband Chris went around Dubai desperately looking for a new house. They have lived in their three-bedroom villa located in the center of the city since 2019. But last year the family […]

Energy and food drive US inflation to highest for 40

By Natalie Sherman Business reporter, New York Prices in the US rose faster than expected last month, as rising energy and food costs pushed inflation to the highest rate since 1981. The annual inflation rate rose to 8.6% in May, the Labor Department said, after easing in April. The rising cost of living has been […]

Cost of living: The shock of rising prices in Japan

By Mariko Oi Asia business correspondent As a child growing up in Japan, things very rarely seemed to get more expensive. My favourite lunch was always available for a 500 yen coin ($3.90; £3.10) and it remained that way until 2021. The same for shoes or clothes, little changed. I was taught to save, save […]

India’s loan scams leave victims scared for their lives

By Priti Gupta & Ben Morris Mumbai When Raj took out a loan for $110 (£87) in March, he thought it would swiftly solve his financial problems, instead it has made his life much, much worse. The Pune-based man had been lured into one of India’s many digital loan scams. Like many, Raj (not his […]

Elon Musk threatens to walk away from Twitter deal

  Elon Musk has threatened to walk away from his $44bn takeover of Twitter, accusing the social media company of “thwarting” his requests to learn more about its user base. In a letter filed with regulators, Mr Musk said he was entitled to do his own measurement of spam accounts. The letter formalises a dispute […]

Russian gas firm Gazprom to cut some supply to Shell

By Michael Race Business reporter, BBC News Russia-Ukraine war   Shell has said it will work to keep gas flowing to its customers in Europe after Russian energy firm Gazprom said it would cut supplies from tomorrow. Gazprom said it would halt gas to Denmark’s Orsted and to Shell for its contract to supply gas […]

Shanghai lockdown: China’s financial hub set to lift Covid curbs

By Peter Hoskins Business reporter Coronavirus pandemic   Authorities in Shanghai have announced that some Covid-19 lockdown measures imposed on businesses will be lifted from Wednesday. Plans have also been introduced to support the city’s economy, which has been hit hard by the restrictions. The commercial centre has been under a strict lockdown for almost […]

Laverne Cox honoured as first transgender Barbie

Transgender actress and activist Laverne Cox has been recognised with her own Barbie – a first for the storied, and controversial, doll. It goes on sale for $40 (£32) ahead of her 50th birthday. The star, who rose to fame in the Netflix prison comedy Orange is the New Black, said she hoped the new […]

What Didi’s US exit tells us about China and Wall

By Mariko Oi Asia business correspondent Less than a year after its US market debut, Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global is set to leave Wall Street. A majority of shareholders voted on Monday to stop trading the firm’s shares via the New York Stock Exchange. The company says the delisting is key to completing a […]

Russian McDonald’s buyer to rebrand restaurants

Russia-Ukraine war McDonald’s has found a local buyer for its Russian business, after the war in Ukraine pushed it to quit the country. Alexander Govor, who currently operates 25 McDonald’s restaurants in Siberia, will take on the firm’s restaurants and staff, operating them under a new brand, the fast food giant said. It did not […]