Business Week in pictures

Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, saying he wanted to devote 'all his energy' to battle the sexual assault charges he faces in New York Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Debate intensified over who should succeed DSK, someone from Europe or from further afield? Christine Lagarde emerged as an early favourite, with Gordon Brown also thought to be in the running Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

The meeting of European finance ministers was overshadowed by the arrest. European governments are wrestling with the prospect of a fresh bailout for Greece a year after they committed €110bn (£95bn) to Athens, under pressure from Washington and Beijing to calm the markets and stabilise the euro Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

Away from Strauss-Kahn, the UK economy was under scrutiny again. Inflation in Britain jumped to its highest level in two-and-a-half years. The ONS attributed the rise in travel costs to the unusually late timing of Easter this year, with air fares rising by 29% and sea fares up 22% between March and April. Alcohol and tobacco prices climbed by a record 5.3% after budget duty increases, with whisky, vodka and tobacco in particular pushing up inflation Photograph: Daniel Munoz/Reuters

But the governor of the Bank of England has warned against raising interest rates, insisting that the strongest inflationary pressures in two and a half years – which saw the cost of living index rise sharply last month from 4% to 4.5% – would prove temporary Photograph: Kathy Willens/AP

Policymakers at the Bank of England remained split over interest policy this month, with three members of its monetary policy committee pushing for a rise in interest rates. Six members voted to leave rates unchanged at 0.5%, but Martin Weale, Spencer Dale and Sentance argued that the cost of borrowing should be hiked to tackle inflation Photograph: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

Unemployment fell by 36,000 in the first three months of the year despite the economy's lacklustre rate of growth, official figures show, in a rare piece of good news for George Osborne Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

The number of women claiming out-of-work benefits has hit its highest level since 1996, with public sector job cuts starting to bite last month. Attempts by the government to nudge single mothers into the workforce have also pushed up the number of women claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA), as they are stripped of income support once their children turn seven Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty

Lloyds Banking Group endured a shareholder rebellion on Wednesday over pay deals for top staff even as its chairman, Sir Win Bischoff, promised to review any grounds for clawing back bonuses following the surprise £3.2bn provision for payment protection insurance. Nearly 40% of shareholders failed to endorse the remuneration report, which includes a potential £13.4m deal for its new chief executive, António Horta-Osório, and a £1.45m bonus for his predecessor, Eric Daniels Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty

Mothercare blamed exorbitant rents for driving retailers off the high street as it announced plans on Wednesday to shut nearly a third of its UK stores, with the loss of hundreds of jobs Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Bernard Madoff's wines and spirits were sold to raise money for victims of his Ponzi scheme that robbed thousands of their investments. All 59 lots found buyers, with 54 selling above the highest pre-auction estimates. They ranged from fine Bordeaux to the types of small bottles often seen in hotel minibars Photograph: Chris Hondros/Getty Images North America

A strike-free Olympics on the London Underground would cost around £500 per tube employee, the RMT trade union indicated on Tuesday, as hopes rose that a settlement could be reached to prevent disruption at next year's games Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters

Airbus has claimed a partial victory in its long-running row with US rival Boeing over allegations it received illegal subsidies from European governments. A World Trade Organisation appeal panel said launch aid worth billions of euros for Airbus's A380 superjumbo was not prohibited under global trade rules Photograph: Stephane Mahe/Reuters