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G7 finance chiefs begin talks under strain of Trump tariffs
G7 finance chiefs begin talks under strain of Trump tariffs
by  AFP

G7 finance leaders exchanged pleasantries before tough discussions Wednesday, seeking to restore stability in the face of economic turbulence from US President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs -- and to strengthen support for Ukraine.

Bitcoin hits record high amid optimism over US legislation
Bitcoin hits record high amid optimism over US legislation
by  AFP

Bitcoin hit a record high on Wednesday, driven by a wave of optimism over cryptocurrency legislation in the United States. Bitcoin broke back through the symbolic $100,000 threshold on May 8 for the first time since February, as Britain and the United States unveiled a trade deal.

Third time lucky? South Africa presents revised budget
Third time lucky? South Africa presents revised budget
by  AFP

South Africa's finance minister presented Wednesday a third version of the 2025 budget after being forced to backtrack on a proposed increase in value-added tax that threatened to split the coalition government. The first version of the budget had proposed a two-percent increase in VAT to 17 percent but was withheld at the last minute.

Bloomberg financial markets data service hit by outage
Bloomberg financial markets data service hit by outage
by  AFP

Bloomberg, the financial data service used by traders around the world, was hit by an outage on Wednesday, briefly disrupting an auction of UK government debt. The service started working again but slower at around 1000 GMT. The UK Debt Management Office said it had to extend the bidding window for a government debt auction due to the "market-wide Bloomberg system issues".

EU plans to slash red tape for medium-sized companies
EU plans to slash red tape for medium-sized companies
by  AFP

The EU unveiled plans Wednesday to cut red tape for medium-sized companies and abolish barriers for businesses to sell goods across the bloc as part of its efforts to catch up with China and the United States. The EU also wants to establish common labelling so companies can sell the same product in EU states without the need for different labels.