Britain has awarded millions of pounds to help boost manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries, including a project to build the country's second purpose-built electric battery plant and another to make the technology more powerful.

German manufacturing growth reached an almost six-year high in March, driven by a sharp increase in orders for intermediate goods, a recent survey showed, suggesting the sector will contribute to an economic expansion in the first quarter.

It was almost a major faux pas in sports-mad Australia - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived at an Australian Rules football match in Sydney wearing the blue, black and white scarf of interstate rival Port Adelaide Power.

Cost controls helped H&M to limit a drop in quarterly pretax profit but the fashion chain said it was increasing investments this year as it tries to keep pace with its larger rival, Zara owner Inditex.

A U.S. tax overhaul proposed by Republican leaders in Congress would deepen divisions between big manufacturers like Boeing Co and the thousands of smaller companies that supply them, according to suppliers and tax and trade experts.

A bird flu outbreak that has led officials to euthanize more than 200,000 animals in three Southern states already is the nation's worst since 2015 and new cases are still popping up, an expert says.

A Jeep Wrangler can cost $30,000 more in China than in the United States - and the reasons illustrate a growing point of tension between the two countries.

Adidas set a target last week for sales in North America to rise by almost half by 2020, predicting strong demand will continue for fashion sneakers after its retro Superstar was the top selling shoe in the U.S. market in 2016.

Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan crew on board, Somali authorities said last week, the first time a commercial ship has been seized in the region since 2012.