EURO

Aled Davies went missing on New Year's Eve and was last seen in Pontcanna, Cardiff.

European Space Agency member states approved a record-breaking nearly 17 billion Euro budget that will help cover the cost of rebuilding the landing platform of the beleaguered ExoMars rover.

Environmental campaigners are welcoming moves by insurance companies to exclude coverage for fossil fuel projects because of climate change.

The euro has fallen below parity with the dollar, diving to its lowest level in 20 years and ending a one-to-one exchange rate with the U.S. currency.

SolarEdge shares tumbled after the company's second-quarter results, but the company's CFO CFO Ronen Faier believes that higher costs now will pay off.

Annual inflation in Turkey soared to nearly 80% in July.

Women playing football in England have overcome significant obstacles to make the top levels of the game.

The European Central Bank is behind the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world in combating surging inflation. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File) (Michael Probst)BRUSSELS — (AP) — Inflation in the European countries using the euro currency shot up to another record in July, pushed by higher energy prices driven partly by Russia's war in Ukraine. Annual inflation in the eurozone’s 19 countries rose to 8.9% in July, an increase from 8.6% in June, according to the latest numbers published Friday by the European Union statistics agency. Inflation has been running at its highest level since 1997, when record-keeping for the euro began. Energy prices surged by 39.7%, while food prices rose by 9.8% and other goods by 4.5%.

Inflation in the European countries using the euro currency shot up to another record in July, pushed by higher energy prices driven partly by the war in Ukraine.

The European Central Bank is behind the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world in combating surging inflation. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File) (Michael Probst)FRANKFURT, Germany — (AP) — The European Central Bank on Thursday will join the U.S. Federal Reserve and other major central banks in raising interest rates. The Bank of England started the march higher in December, and even Switzerland's central bank surprised with its first increase in nearly 15 years last month. The goal for all central banks is to get inflation back down to acceptable levels — for the ECB, it's 2% annually — without tipping the economy into recession. It's difficult to get right as central banks reverse what has been a decade of very low rates and inflation.

European Union expects Russia’s war in Ukraine to wreak havoc with the economic recovery for the foreseeable future through lower annual growth and record-high inflation.

Russia Ruble FILE - People walk past a currency exchange office screen displaying the exchange rates of U.S. Dollar and Euro to Russian Rubles in Moscow's downtown, Russia, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. As the ruble strengthens to levels not seen in seven years, Russia's minister of economic development warned Wednesday, June 29, 2022 that the country's businesses could suffer if the trend persists. It then began recovering, and this month has reached its highest exchange rate since May 2015. The Russian Central Bank's official exchange rate Wednesday was 52.9 to the dollar. Although the rate is seen by some as a sign that Russia is weathering Western sanctions, the strong ruble makes Russian exports more expensive.

As the ruble strengthens to levels not seen in seven years, Russia’s minister of economic development warns that the country’s businesses could suffer if the trend persists.

The U.S. Treasury Department will not allow any dollar debt payments to be made from Russian government accounts at U.S. financial institutions, an agency spokesperson said Tuesday morning. S&P Global Ratings issued the downgrade to "selective default" late Friday after Russia arranged to make foreign bond payments in rubles on Monday when they were due in dollars. It said it didn't expect Russia to be able to convert the rubles into dollars within the 30-day grace period allowed. Western sanctions have severely squeezed Russia's economy, and S&P and other ratings agencies had already downgraded its debt to "junk" status, deeming a default highly likely. The country has not defaulted on foreign debt since the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, when the Soviet Union emerged.

Russia Ukraine War Bond Payments FILE - People walk past a currency exchange office screen displaying the exchange rates of U.S. Dollar and Euro to Russian Rubles in Moscow, on Feb. 28, 2022. The U.S. Treasury Department will not allow any dollar debt payments to be made from Russian government accounts at U.S. financial institutions, an agency spokesperson said Tuesday morning. The Treasury decision comes after the agency previously said sanctions levied on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine still permit Russia to continue to make debt payments. The debt is owed to foreign investors, among others, and comes from government investments to presumably spur economic growth in Russia. Russia’s government can still borrow rubles at home, where it mostly relies on Russian banks to buy its bonds.

The Treasury Department will not allow any Russian government debt payments from accounts at U.S. financial institutions to be made in U.S. dollars, an agency official says.

Russia Ukraine Stock Exchange FILE - People walk past a currency exchange office screen displaying the exchange rates of U.S. Dollar and Euro to Russian Rubles in Moscow's downtown, Russia, on Feb. 28, 2022. Russia plans to reopen its stock market for limited trading on Thursday, march 24, 2022, nearly one month after shares plunged and the exchange was shut down following the invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/File) (Uncredited)LONDON — (AP) — Russian shares slumped as its stock market resumed trading of all companies Monday after a monthlong halt following the invasion of Ukraine. Foreign investors are scrambling to figure out how to cut their Russian holdings in light of the sanctions. Investment analytics company MSCI removed the country from its emerging markets indexes, which are widely followed by fund managers, and dubbed the country's stock market “uninvestable.”Moscow's stock exchange is tiny compared with other major ones like the New York Stock Exchange.

Russian shares have slumped as its stock market resumed trading of all companies after a monthlong halt following the Ukraine invasion.

Russia’s central bank cautiously reopened bond trading on the Moscow exchange for the first time since the country invaded Ukraine.

(AP Photo, File) (Uncredited)LONDON — (AP) — Russia's Finance Ministry said it transferred a $117 million bond interest payment in an attempt to avoid a default on government debt but left it open if the money actually reached foreign investors by the deadline. A ministry statement carried on Russian state media Thursday said the money had been transferred to an account at Citibank in London and that the ministry would make a statement later on the results of the transfer. The payment, which was due Wednesday, would be the first on foreign currency debt since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The head of the International Monetary Fund has said a state default is no longer “an improbable event,” and ratings agencies have slashed Russia’s credit rating to below investment grade, or “junk." Russia has about $40 billion in foreign currency debt, about half of that owed to foreigners.

Russia’s Finance Ministry said it transferred a $117 million bond interest payment in an attempt to avoid a default on government debt but left it open if the money actually reached foreign investors by the deadline.

Germany Russia Ukraine War Economy A gas station shows record fuel prices in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) (Martin Meissner)BERLIN — (AP) — Germany's finance minister proposed a “crisis discount” Monday to dampen the impact of recent fuel price hikes due to the war in Ukraine. The fuel subsidy proposed by Finance Minister Christian Lindner could see gas prices cut by more than 0.2 euros per liter (about $.08 a gallon), German media reported. Members of the environmentalist Green party in the German government, meanwhile, have proposed introducing a speed limit on the country's highways to curb fuel use. Lindner declined to comment on proposals for a speed limit, which his party, the Free Democrats, have previously opposed.

The suspension includes qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup, which were supposed to happen in three weeks.

Economic growth in the 19 countries that use the euro slowed down at the end of last year.

Eurogroup finance chiefs are engaged in a high-wire political balancing act prompted by conflicting economic forces: a weaker growth outlook and stronger inflation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appointed a new treasury and finance minister after the previous one stepped down as the country's currency has tumbled to record lows.

The Turkish currency has weakened by nearly 10% against the U.S. dollar, a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted there would be no turning back from his unconventional policy of cutting interest rates despite high inflation.

A substantial portion of investors expect the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank to keep monetary policy slightly too loose for too long, according to a Deutsche Bank survey.

Official figures released Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 show annual inflation hit 3% in August. But that hasn't stopped people from debating how long higher prices will last. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File) (Michael Probst)FRANKFURT, Germany — (AP) — Annual inflation equaled 10-year high in Europe in August, boosted by more expensive fuel and supply chain disruptions. Economists say the jump is temporary, but it could raise questions about how persistent higher inflation might turn out to be. Since many of the factors are temporary, economists do not expect the European Central Bank to attempt to counter inflation by curtailing its stimulus programs or by raising interest rates.

Consumers are seeing higher prices in Europe.

ECB President Christine Lagarde underlined the bank's determination to persist with supportive policy. The strategy abandoned the bank’s old inflation target of “close to but below” 2% in favor of a “symmetric” 2% target that allows for extended stimulus in times of trouble — even if that means briefly overshooting the inflation target. Core inflation, which leaves out volatile food and fuel, was only 0.9% and the ECB has consistently fallen short of its target in recent years. ECB Lagarde said Thursday that inflation remains “well below our target.”The bank otherwise left its key rates and stimulus programs unchanged. The purchases pump newly created money into the economy and help keep longer-term borrowing rates low.

Euro zone business activity has grown at its fastest pace in 15 years this month, according to preliminary data released Wednesday.

Inflation hit 2% in May as Covid restrictions were scaled back and energy prices climbed.

The European Central Bank is warning that some parts of the eurozone economy could face financial disruption from the ongoing pandemic.

Netherlands Eurovision Song Contest Semi Final TIX from Norway performs at the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest at Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Out of the 16 acts who performed, 10 progressed to Saturday’s grand final: Norway, Israel, Russia, Azerbaijan, Malta, Lithuania, Cyprus, Sweden, Belgium and Ukraine. The show had trademark Eurovision elements — bombastic beats, big voices, power ballads, flamboyant costumes and some dress reveals. Something’s going on here.” They can now extend that feeling straight to Saturday's final. Their understated performance also made it to Saturday's final.

The move is aimed at preventing a premature rise in borrowing costs while businesses are still struggling with coronavirus restrictions like curfews and shutdowns. But it is too early for the eurozone to withstand higher rates, usually associated with recovering growth and inflation. This is undesirable.”AdThe bond purchases have the effect of pushing down bond yields, which are used as benchmarks for borrowing across the region. The rise in longer-term borrowing rates is regarded as a spillover from the U.S., where the economic recovery is expected to be faster. By contrast, the eurozone economy is not expected to recover until mid-2022, held back by a slow vaccine rollout and lower levels of government relief spending compared with the U.S.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – About two or three times each winter, the global forecast models (Euro and GFS) fly off the rails. This year’s crazy story is coming from the Euro Global Forecast Model. AdThe result is to stream onshore moisture while there is just enough cold air to allow for snow in Southern Georgia. The 00z Wednesday Euro Snowfall Forecast rides off the rails over Southern Georgia. Just like the movie “Dumb and Dumber” when Jim Carey asked what were his chances of becoming Lauren Holly’s boyfriend?

(AP Photo/Anupam Nath)LONDON — Ireland’s government is putting the country at its highest level of coronavirus restrictions for six weeks in a bid to combat a rise in infections. The board members hail from top California top universities and medical providers, along with state and local public health officials. ___AUSTIN, Texas -- Health officials in Texas have reported 4,319 COVID-19 hospital patients, the most since Aug. 28. Khan’s remarks come amid a slight increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in recent weeks. Pakistan also reported 440 new confirmed cases, raising its total cases to 323,452 since February when Pakistan reported its first case.

Storm Guide 2020: Spaghetti models tell forecasters different things so dont rely on a single squiggle for information. Numbers are crunched, and, voila, a "spaghetti" model is served. A 2019 presidential dust-up over a spaghetti model map pitted President Donald Trump against National Weather Service forecasters. It is being run on a supercomputer that got a multimillion-dollar brain boost after Superstorm Sandy devastated the Northeast in October 2012, exposing limitations of the GFS model. Gladwin said it's unclear why some people fixate on track model plots even when they're not sure what all the scribbles mean.

Storm Guide 2020: Spaghetti models tell forecasters different things so dont rely on a single squiggle for information. Numbers are crunched, and, voila, a "spaghetti" model is served. A 2019 presidential dust-up over a spaghetti model map pitted President Donald Trump against National Weather Service forecasters. It is being run on a supercomputer that got a multimillion-dollar brain boost after Superstorm Sandy devastated the Northeast in October 2012, exposing limitations of the GFS model. Gladwin said it's unclear why some people fixate on track model plots even when they're not sure what all the scribbles mean.

Storm Guide 2020: Spaghetti models tell forecasters different things so dont rely on a single squiggle for information. Numbers are crunched, and, voila, a "spaghetti" model is served. A 2019 presidential dust-up over a spaghetti model map pitted President Donald Trump against National Weather Service forecasters. It is being run on a supercomputer that got a multimillion-dollar brain boost after Superstorm Sandy devastated the Northeast in October 2012, exposing limitations of the GFS model. Gladwin said it's unclear why some people fixate on track model plots even when they're not sure what all the scribbles mean.