Eurozone economy stagnated ahead of European Central Bank interest rate decision – business live

The eurozone economy did not grow in the final three months of 2024, adding weight to the argument that the European Central Bank will ease interest rates further this year.Eurozone GDP growth came in at 0% quarter-on-quarter for the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the European Commission. That was a steep drop from the 0.4% growth rate in the previous quarter.It was also unexpected: a poll of economists by Reuters found that the consensus expectation was for growth of 0

Meta posts robust fourth-quarter earnings amid DeepSeek mania

After an unprecedented delay, Meta reported earnings more than half an hour after market close on Wednesday. The company posted $48.39bn in fourth-quarter revenue and earnings per share of $8.02, handily beating Wall Street projections of $46.9bn and $6

Sri Lanka v Australia: first men’s cricket Test, day two – live

14th over: Sri Lanka 44-3 (Chandimal 9, Mendis 13) Lyon is round the wicket to Chandimal who gets off strike with a poke into the off side. Mendis blocks out the rest. Todd Murphy is coming on to replace Kuhnemann, we’ve ten minutes or so to the close of play – Sri Lanka really can’t afford to lose another wicket before then.13th over: Sri Lanka 43-3 (Chandimal 8, Mendis 13) Kamindu Mendis decides he isn’t going to revert completely into his shell, a length ball from Kuhnemann is slapped high and long over midwicket for SIX. The left-handed (but both really) batter sweeps fine to pick up four off the final ball of the over

Evil toilets, terror food and billionaire Squishmallows: my eye-popping day at the UK’s giant toy fair

With the UK toy market now worth £3.4bn, we storm the high-security world of fun – and find possessed loos, creepy-crawlies in sushi rolls and more plastic than a petrochemical conventionThe Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.A chubby baby dinosaur waddles down a pink carpeted aisle, narrowly avoiding an army of Care Bears tramping in the other direction

Shell investors in line for multibillion-dollar windfall despite weak profits

Shell has given its investors a multibillion-dollar windfall despite reporting weaker-than-expected profits of $23.7bn (£19bn) for last year as global oil and gas prices tumbled.Shareholders of Europe’s biggest oil company are in line for a 4% dividend increase alongside share buybacks of $3.5bn for the last three months of the year.This marks the 13th consecutive quarter in which Shell has given its investors buybacks of more than $3bn, despite falling earnings from its oil and gas

People in England with severe dust mite allergy to be offered daily pill on NHS

Thousands of people in England who live with severe dust mite allergy are to be offered a first-of-its-kind daily pill to treat the condition on the NHS.In final draft guidance published on Thursday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has given the green light to a drug shown to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.The tablet – 12 SQ-HDM SLIT, also known as Acarizax and made by ALK-Abelló – works by increasing the body’s resistance to house dust mites and is of particular benefit to people whose symptoms do not respond enough to treatment such as steroid nasal sprays and antihistamines.By taking a regular fixed amount of house dust mite allergy extract every day, the body can become less sensitive to the effect of dust mites, cutting the symptoms of the allergic reaction over time.The treatment is taken for three years at home to build up the body’s resistance