Estate of late tycoon Mike Lynch to pay damages of £930m

The Trump administration will invest $1.6bn (£1.2bn) in a US critical minerals firm, marking officials’ latest push to reduce China’s dominance over the rare earths sector. The agreement with USA Rare Earth, which will give the government a stake in the firm, emerged days after US President Donald Trump claimed to have secured the “framework”…

An inquiry into the role of the UK government’s economic forecaster is being launched by a group of MPs, after the body came under intense scrutiny in the run-up to the Budget. The Treasury Committee will examine the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) first 15 years and consider potential reforms, including any improvements or changes…

Since the conflict began, the price of oil has soared and is currently trading at over a third higher at $100 a barrel, pushed up by air strikes on shipping and energy infrastructure, and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for energy shipments, which carries a fifth of global oil…

The government is poised to announce a climbdown on forthcoming increases to the business rates bill faced by pubs. In the coming days the government is expected to say it will make changes to how pubs’ business rates are calculated, resulting in smaller rises to bills. Treasury officials say they have recognised the financial difficulties…