Japan has been overtaken by Germany as the world’s third-largest economy, after the Asian country slipped into recession, according to data released Thursday, as the country battles a weak yen and an ageing, shrinking population.

The UN says the ongoing Israeli war has left the Gaza Strip “uninhabitable” and that the destruction will take “decades” to reverse.

The UK economy has failed to grow in February after being hit by the effects of strikes across the public sector and weakness in industrial output.

President Putin says Russia is ready for a serious dialog with Ukraine as he orders a 36-hour ceasefire over Orthodox Christmas. Kiev dismisses the offers as hypocrisy and propaganda.

The BoE on Thursday decided to increase the interest rate by 0.5 percentage points.

​​​​​​​The UK economy is showing signs of stalling, as high inflation threatens a recession across the country, an industry watchdog survey has revealed.

Tens of thousands of civil servants in the UK are set to be laid off by the government in order to save money, a senior minster says.