Saudi Arabia will not rapidly ramp up its oil output after the US ended the sanctions waivers for buyers of Iranian crude, the kingdom’s energy minister said on Wednesday.

Britain’s government borrowed the least for 17 years during the financial year that ended at the start of April, according to full year figures published by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday.

Dutch brewer Heineken reported an increase in beer volume in all regions, driven in particular by double-digit growth in Africa, Middle East and eastern Europe, but maintained its mid-single digit growth outlook for the full year.

Philip Hammond has fired the starting pistol on the government’s search for a new Bank of England governor to replace the central bank’s current chief, Mark Carney.

Japan’s SoftBank has agreed to invest €900m in Wirecard, the German digital payments company battling an accounting scandal.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said the country has no choice but to resist US sanctions because Washington has no genuine intention to negotiate with the Islamic republic.

Stocks stuttered on Wednesday, as investors looked toward corporate earnings and trade talks between the US and China for a catalyst for any further gains after Wall Street’s S&P 500 set a new record high overnight.

Sri Lanka's defence minister said the death toll from a series of bombings on the island on Easter Sunday had risen to 359, adding that 60 suspects had been arrested a day after Isis claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Fast fashion company Boohoo delivered soaring full-year sales while pre-tax profit rose more than a third as celebrity influencers and social media marketing raised the appeal of the online retailer’s low-cost ranges.

Aviva has announced a host of management changes as Maurice Tulloch, the newly appointed chief executive, puts his mark on the London-based insurer.

A sharp rise in profits at Primark boosted earnings at owner Associated British Foods, helping the conglomerate keep its 2019 outlook steady.

SAP raised its operating profit outlook on Wednesday as Europe’s largest software group’s quarterly cloud revenue exceeded €1.5bn for the first time, up 45 per cent from the same period a year earlier.

Nissan has issued its second profit warning this year as the embattled carmaker grapples with weak sales in the US and the fallout from the ousting of its former boss Carlos Ghosn.

Novartis upgraded its earnings outlook for 2019 after net sales and core operating income exceeded forecasts, as the drugmaker doubled down on its medicines business. 

Norwegian energy major Equinor has made new pledges to align its business with the Paris climate goals amid pressure from investors but fell short of promising binding long-term targets.

Credit Suisse reported an 8 per cent rise in first-quarter net profit, beating estimates, as its wealth management unit continued to grow and it reversed the decline in its securities trading business.

Four of the UK’s largest real estate investment trusts are heavily exposed to struggling retailers and CVAs, the rising insolvency trend which has become synonymous with the decline of the high street, UBS has warned.

Oil retreated further back from near its highest level in 2019 on Wednesday, as confidence in spare production capacity tempered supply concerns from US sanctions on Iran.

Leaders of the 2014 Hong Kong Occupy movement have been jailed for charges related to public nuisance for their part in the mass protest, in the latest crackdown on the city’s dissidents by authorities.

Brazil’s much-vaunted pension reform bill passed a crucial first test late on Tuesday when a congressional committee in Brasília voted that the proposed legislation was constitutional and could proceed through to Congress.

Australian inflation slowed sharply in the first quarter due to weak petrol and property prices, prompting a sell-off in the dollar and increasing the prospect of interest rate cuts this year. 

Top US trade officials will travel to Beijing next week for another round of negotiations with their Chinese counterparts, as the world’s two biggest economies inch closer to a new trade deal.

South Korean display maker and Apple supplier LG Display has reported a worse than expected first quarter loss, in the latest sign that the broader tech sector downturn is hurting Asia’s electronics manufacturers. 

South Korea has announced plans for a Won6.7tn ($5.87bn) supplementary budget to tackle air pollution and boost exports amid the Sino-US trade war and weak external demand.