Japanese exports to China fell again last month as a slowdown in the world's number two economy weighs on the countries' huge trading links, official data showed Wednesday, while shipments to the key US market also stumbled.

The European Union is expected to approve FedEx's 4.4-billion-euro ($4.8 billion) deal to buy Dutch rival TNT Express, a key tieup for the e-commerce delivery business, the companies said Tuesday.

Intel Corp said it may invest up to $5.5 billion in manufacturing semiconductors in China, stepping up efforts to improve ties with Beijing as it seeks new revenue streams while demand for its core computer processing chips falters.

A leading British employers group stepped up its push to keep the country in the European Union on Wednesday, saying the alternatives would hurt trade.

GULF economies need to adjust to the "new reality" of oil prices expected to remain low for some time, the International Monetary Fund says, recommending spending cuts and income diversification.

TAIWAN'S smartphone maker HTC Corp unveiled a new flagship model Wednesday -- taking on Apple's latest iPhones -- but analysts say it's unlikely to boost the struggling company's market share.

Yahoo Inc said on Tuesday it had signed a search advertising deal with Google Inc, providing a potential boost to Marissa Mayer's efforts to turn around the company, which also reported revenue and profit that fell short of market estimates.

Russia's economy shrank 4.3 percent in the third quarter this year, the government said Monday, as a recession caused by low oil prices and Western sanctions over Ukraine continued to take its toll.

French dairy giant Danone on Monday posted a 4.6 percent rise on a like-for-like basis in third-quarter sales, outstripping analysts' forecasts.

Myanmar businesses ranging from restaurants to golf clubs have until the end of next month to stop charging in US dollars, the central bank announced in a snap move to stabilise the kyat currency.

The fast-growing Islamic finance industry is set to slow down next year over the sharp fall in oil revenues and rapid regulatory changes, Standard and Poor's Ratings Services said on Monday.

A federal probe into allegations of corruption at Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Mexico operations has found few major offenses, and is likely to result in a much smaller case than investigators expected, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.

Oil fell in Asia Monday after data showed China's economy posted its slowest growth for more than six years in the third quarter, reinforcing worries about demand from the world's top energy guzzler.

CHINA'S economic growth dipped below 7 percent for the first time since the global financial crisis on Monday, hurt partly by cooling investment, raising pressure on Beijing to further cut interest rates and take other measures to stoke activity.

RESERVE Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday to play an active role in questioning the stimulus policies of developed economies and called on emerging markets to have a bigger voice in global debates.

KOOK Seung-hyun, pregnant and working full-time in Seoul, must juggle three demanding roles to meet the traditional family expectations and financial realities of modern Korea.

The German government Wednesday slightly trimmed its 2015 growth forecast due to the slowdown in emerging economies, but said domestic consumption would likely more than offset the external weakness.

The Vietnamese government will sell its stakes in companies ranging from a dairy giant to an insurance firm in a move worth up to $3 billion, state media said Wednesday, boosting the communist nation's privatisation drive.

Investors poured increasing amounts of cash into startups in the third quarter, defying fears of a bubble in the tech sector, a survey showed Wednesday.

INDIAN state-owned firms may have to give half their freight business to local shippers to help rescue an industry battered by the global commodities downturn.