German chancellor Scholz pushes back against Russian energy import ban, as oil and gas climb – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

• German chancellor Scholz pushes back against calls to ban Russian oil and gas imports
• German DAX index in bear market
• Scholz: Russian energy imports of essential importance'
• Oil eases back from 14-year highs
• Gas prices surge to new highs
• Full story: Oil prices soared 10% overnight as US and Europe consider ban on Russian crude
• Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskiy vows to punish attack on civilians in Irpin; Russia bombards Mykolaiv - live

The Swiss National Bank has repeated its pledge to intervene on the currency markets if needed after the Swizz franc briefly rose above parity with the euro, as investors sought safe-haven assets.

Reuters has the details:

The Swiss franc is currently sought after as a refuge currency, along with the US dollar and the yen," the central bank said in a statement.

The Swiss franc continues to be highly valued," it added. The SNB remains prepared to intervene in the foreign exchange market if necessary."