EU nations approved a landmark free-trade deal with Canada late Friday, clearing the way for its signing after a drama that saw Belgian regions threaten to torpedo years of negotiations.

Profits fell at China's biggest bank ICBC in the third quarter, it said Friday, as it saw rising bad loans in the world's second-largest economy.

Low crude prices and weak refining margins weighed on third-quarter profits at US oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron in reports Friday, but earnings rose compared with the prior two quarters.

A Sri Lankan parliamentary panel Friday called for the criminal prosecution of former central bank chief Arjuna Mahendran who was removed three months ago over long-running allegations of insider trading.

RIDE-SHARING cab service Uber on Friday lost a British tribunal case brought by drivers demanding basic workers' rights, in a decision that could have repercussions across the "gig economy".

Japan's consumer prices fell in September for the seventh straight month, data showed Friday, heaping more pressure on the central bank to push back its inflation target deadline.

US economic growth accelerated to a 2.9 percent annual rate in the third quarter boosted by a big jump in exports and solid consumer spending, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Boeing reported higher third-quarter earnings and lifted its full-year forecast Wednesday following a solid performance in its commercial airplane deliveries.

Oil fell for a third day on Wednesday, nearing $50 a barrel for the first time in three weeks, as investors grew increasingly doubtful that Opec members will agree to cut output and as U.S. inventories staged a surprisingly large increase.

Danish payment processor company Nets has advised local banks to block up to 100,000 credit cards on suspicion their security might

Canon on Wednesday slashed its annual profit forecast, as it warned that a slowdown in emerging economies and a strong yen were taking a bite out of the bottom line.

Apple Inc posted its third successive quarter of declining iPhone sales on Tuesday and forecast slimmer-than-expected profit margins over the upcoming holiday season even as it projected record sales, sending its shares down.

Some of the world's most advanced economies may club together to sell growth-linked bonds, creating a market that could help avert future debt crises, sources familiar with discussions among Group of 20 policymakers told Reuters.

A modest recovery in oil prices falls short of filling budgetary gaps in crude-exporting Gulf countries, the International Monetary Fund said, stressing the need to cut spending.

Yahoo's quarterly profits shot up by more than double to $163 million even as it prepares for a takeover by Verizon.

Kenyan banks are focusing on mobile banking to lower costs and build new revenue streams after the government capped commercial lending rates, but they face several years of work to recover from the hit to profitability, bankers and analysts said.

Italy has moved to crack down on the widespread exploitation of farm workers with tough new penalties for abuses to which immigrants from Africa and South Asia are particularly vulnerable.

Thais are crowding shopping malls and department stores to stock up on black clothes, as they begin a year of mourning for beloved King Bhumibol Adulaydej that could end up dampening consumption in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

Canada's central bank maintained its key lending rate at 0.5 percent Wednesday, saying domestic growth is likely to be weaker than expected this year despite a projected up-tick in the global economy.

Saudi Arabia attracted massive investor demand of about $67 billion on Wednesday for its first international bond offer, as the world's top crude exporter allayed concern about the impact of low oil prices on its finances.