The dollar stood near a seven-week high against the euro and the Aussie on Thursday, as expectations the Federal Reserve is likely to stay on its aggressive rate-hike path, reinforced by minutes from its last policy meeting, set the tone for markets.

Toyota Motor Corp, the world's biggest automaker, said on Wednesday it would accept a union demand for the biggest base salary increase in 20 years and a rise in bonus payments, as Japan steps up calls for businesses to hike pay.

British employers offered the biggest annual pay rises in 32 years during the three months to the end of January, but these increases are still a long way behind double-digit inflation, industry data showed on Wednesday.

A 24-hour strike at seven German airports, including Frankfurt and Munich, was set to affect nearly 300,000 passengers on Friday, as unionised workers pressed for higher wages and threatened a summer of "chaos" if their demands were not met.

British annual inflation dropped further last month on easing transport costs, official data showed Wednesday, but remains above 10 percent, prolonging a cost-of-living crisis that has sparked massive strikes.

British inflation fell by more than expected in January and there were signs of cooling price pressure in parts of the economy watched closely by the Bank of England, adding to signs that further hefty interest rate hikes are unlikely.

Data from shadow IT shows that almost 60% of women who work in hybrid environments feel they have been excluded from the important meetings.

British employers expect to raise wages for their staff by the most in at least 11 years but the 5% pay deals for workers would still fall well below expected inflation, a survey published on Monday showed.

Bank of England policymakers disagreed on Thursday about where interest rates need to go to tame inflation, with Governor Andrew Bailey stressing the uncertainty of the outlook, a week after the BoE suggested its run of rate hikes might be peaking.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said on Thursday it will close all COVID-19 disaster declaration incident periods on May 11 when the U.S.

The Bank of England has signalled the tide is turning in its battle against high inflation after a series of interest rate hikes - but it has also said it is too soon declare victory.

Bank of England rate-setter Catherine Mann on Monday backed further increases in interest rates and warned that pausing, as some of her colleagues advocate, risked a confusing "policy boogie" if it turned out rates would need to rise again.

Oil prices rose on Friday after strong U.S. jobs data, but were still set for weekly falls as investors sought more clarity on the imminent EU embargo on Russian refined products and more signs of demand recovery in top consumer China.

French railway worker Franck Viger-Brunet says he and his comrades have to count carefully the costs of going on strike to force President Emmanuel Macron to back down on plans to hike the retirement age by two years to 64.

Half a million workers went on strike in Britain on Wednesday, calling for higher wages in the largest such walkout in over a decade, closing schools and severely disrupting transport.

Nigeria's former deputy senate president and his wife appeared in a London court on Tuesday ahead of their trial for organ harvesting, but his accused daughter was unable to attend as she is in hospital.

A panel of academics and business executives on Monday urged the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to make its 2% inflation target a long-term goal instead of one that must be met as soon as possible, in light of the rising cost of prolonged monetary easing.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that a return to deflation in the world's third-largest economy cannot be ruled out, because domestic demand remains weak.

The National Education Union declared seven days of walkouts in February and March after nine out of 10 union teacher members voted for strike action.

Since at least the early 1980s, household debt-to-income ratios have been increasing dramatically.

Since industrial action first started to gather speed last year, concerns have been raised about a wage-price spiral causing entrenched inflation.

British private-sector economic activity fell at its fastest rate in two years in January, a survey showed on Tuesday, as businesses blamed higher Bank of England interest rates, strikes and weak consumer demand for the slowdown.

The European Union should introduce more sanctions against Russia's technology sector to curb Moscow's ability to produce arms and rockets it is using to wage war on Ukraine, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told Reuters.

The Bank of England must decide next week how much higher it will raise borrowing costs as it tries to bear down on Britain's double-digit inflation rate without adding too much stress to an economy already close to recession.

Real Madrid are unwilling to get involved in Kylian Mbappe's current situation at PSG after suffering heartbreak in the summer.

Fashion supply chain characterised by short product life cycle and high volatility as demand in fast-paced industry remain unpredictable since Covid-19.

President Emmanuel Macron on Friday announced plans to increase France's defence budget by a third for the next seven years, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year rattled Europe.

The main nursing union accuses the government of failing to negotiate seriously on improving their pay deal for the current year.

British inflation eased last month after hitting a 41-year high in October, offering some comfort to the Bank of England, but the pressure on households remained intense as food and drink prices rose at the fastest pace since 1977.

Pay awards by British employers held at 5% for the second month in a row in December, well below annual inflation of close to 11%, data from human resources company XpertHR showed on Wednesday.