Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday left for a week-long tour to Mongolia and five Central Asian nations, eyeing billions of dollars in business deals as China boosts its influence in the resource-rich region.

Leading Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is aiming for a future as an Internet company with the potential to cross swords with titans such as Alibaba.

Festive demand for gold in India got off to a tepid start, with local prices still at a heavy discount to the global benchmark, a bad sign for a period when buying is typically strong.

Twelve-year-old Myat Noe dashes between tables taking orders and sweeping up cigarette butts, working for around a dollar a day in Myanmar, which has one of the worst records for child labour in the world.

Japanese carmaker Toyota has said it will recall 6.5 million vehicles globally over a faulty window switch.

The European Union ordered Starbucks and Fiat on Wednesday to each repay up to 30 million euros in back taxes in a landmark tax avoidance case pursued in the wake of the LuxLeaks scandal.

In a surprise announcement, Swiss agrochemicals giant Syngenta said Wednesday its chief executive Mike Mack was stepping down, just two months after the company rejected a massive takeover bid by Monsanto.

The head of Uber on Tuesday said the ride-sharing firm has spent a billion dollars to gain traction in China, where the local champ may not be playing fair.

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.

Apple Inc told a US judge that accessing data stored on a locked iPhone would be "impossible" with devices using its latest operating system, but the company has the "technical ability" to help law enforcement unlock older phones.

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.