Unseasonably warm weather in December held down Americans' use of gas and electricity, weighing on US industrial production for the month, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.

Apple Inc has been ordered by a German court to stop using part of a press release claiming all iPhones would be available in the country through carriers and resellers, a copy of the ruling seen by Reuters showed.

British retail sales fell in December as consumers held onto their cash after snapping up discounted Christmas gifts the previous month, official data showed Friday.

Canadians paid 2.0 percent more for goods and services in December than a year earlier, the government statistical agency said Friday.

Japanese consumer prices rose a sluggish 0.9 percent last year, according to government data published Friday, as the world's third-largest economy continues its years-long battle to stoke weak inflation.

Wang Zhishen was thrilled when Danish shipper A.P. Moller-Maersk gave him two months' paid leave, relishing the chance to spend time with his wife and daughters in China's remote northwestern Gansu province.

The pound weakened on Friday as investors took profits after a stellar rally that set the currency up for its biggest weekly gain against the euro in more than a year on growing confidence that a no-deal Brexit can be avoided.

After four weeks, the partial shutdown of the US government has begun to rattle the world's largest economy, particularly hitting consumer sentiment, a mainstay of growth.

China's economy grew at its slowest pace in almost three decades in 2018, analysts in an AFP poll said, as the government struggles to contain ballooning debt and a bruising trade war with the United States.

US regulators have met to discuss imposing a fine against Facebook Inc for violating a legally binding agreement with the government to protect the privacy of personal data, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing three people familiar with the discussions.

If you were surprised by this month's bounce in global stock markets, next week may tell you if you should join in or stay out.

The United States is pushing for regular reviews of China's progress on pledged trade reforms as a condition for a trade deal - and could again resort to tariffs if it deems Beijing has violated the agreement, according to sources briefed on negotiations to end the trade war between the two nations.

The head of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Friday he would take the steps necessary to maintain financial stability in the country and help create favourable conditions for growth.

China and Germany on Friday signed a series of agreements to strengthen cooperation in banking and financial sector supervision, as Beijing moves to open up the country's financial markets.

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow has played down reports of a breakthrough in US-China trade talks, but said progress had been made.

Conventional wisdom in the Amazon era holds that the lowest price wins the battle of the retailers, leading many to just about give away items to make a sale.

Oil prices steadied on Wednesday after climbing about 3 percent in the previous session on expectations that Opec-led production cuts will tighten supply and that possible Chinese stimulus might help the global economy.

Tourism operators in Australia's vast outback say wild inaccuracies in Google Maps are making remote hot spots appear out of reach, deterring people from visiting the region.

Irish fast food chain Supermac's announced Tuesday it had won a European Union battle against global giant McDonald's over the use of the Big Mac and Mc trademarks.

Etihad Airways has offered to pick up shares of debt-laden Jet Airways Ltd at a 49 percent discount and to immediately release $35 million to bail out the troubled carrier if certain conditions are met, CNBC-TV18 reported.