Britain's finance minister warned Brexit would cast a "shadow" over the world economy but said he was eyeing a free trade deal with China in interviews with the BBC and Sky News on Sunday.

Thailand's junta chief vowed Monday to reboot the flagging economy of the kingdom's poor and rebel-hit south, including by making the Muslim-majority region a hub for halal produce.

The UK unemployment rate has fallen to 4.9 percent, the lowest since July 2005, according to official figures.

"Want to win a million baht? Go for e-payment," says Thailand's junta, offering a lucky draw as an incentive to use a new online payment scheme for business, in an effort to bring some of the massive informal economy onto the books and boost tax revenues.

China insisted its controls over some raw materials exports were legal, after the European Union followed the United States to take it to the World Trade Organisation over the restrictions.

The plan by Netflix to conquer the world with its streaming video service is moving slower than expected.

In a packed Christie's auction room in Geneva, one could hear a pin drop as two anonymous bidders slugged it out in their quest to own the world's most exquisite blue diamond.

Emdadul Islam's three-decade career in Bangladesh's garment trade has seen the industry hit by riots, labour unrest, power shortages and safety scandals, but he had never lost faith in its ability to weather the latest crisis and continue to grow.

Low global oil prices have hurt Nigeria's economy, taking it to the brink of recession. But the resulting cash crunch has also had a more unexpected effect -- on mass weddings.

Gamers in Japan, home of Nintendo Co's Pokemon, waited in vain on Wednesday for the launch of its smash-hit mobile game amid reports that the developers behind it had hit the brakes, concerned that overwhelming demand would overload server capacity.

Oil prices rose on bargain-buying in Asia on Wednesday after hitting two-month lows but gains were hobbled by concerns about an oversupply and weak demand after the IMF lowered its global economic growth forecasts.

Sharp growth in its commercial cloud computing business helped lift Microsoft Corp's quarterly revenue above Wall Street's expectations, sending the technology company's shares up more than 4 percent in after-hours trading.

In a stunning blow to Malaysia's political establishment, the US Justice Department said Wednesday it was moving to seize more than $1 billion in assets allegedly tied to corruption at a state-owned investment fund.

Unilever has bought US start-up Dollar Shave Club for a reported $1bn (£764m) in cash to compete in the male grooming market.

The EU said Wednesday it will no longer debate whether or not China's economy is market driven, but will instead focus on new measures to tackle Chinese dumping and illegal subsidies.

Turkey's currency lira rallied on Monday after suffering one of its steepest ever drops to a historic low in the aftermath of a military coup attempt to topple President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

German container shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd announced Monday it is teaming up with United Arab Shipping Company to become one of the world's top five shipping companies as consolidation in the sector continues apace.

China's cabinet has unveiled detailed measures, including widening financing channels for firms and establishing new equity funds, to support investment and economic growth.

World oil prices dampened Monday on fading supply concerns following a failed coup in Turkey over the weekend.

Japanese mobile giant SoftBank has agreed a cash takeover of iPhone chip designer ARM Holdings for around £24.3 billion, the pair said Monday, in a major investment boost for post-Brexit Britain.