There is no sign that the United States is distancing itself from the World Trade Organization, and negotiations are underway to avert a global trade war, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo said in a BBC interview broadcast on Wednesday.

Lending to euro zone companies slowed last month and a measure of money circulating in the region dipped unexpectedly, data showed on Tuesday, in a fresh sign the euro zone's economic expansion may be losing momentum.

Cyber-attacks pose the biggest threat to the Swiss financial system with risks from hacking incursions on the rise, watchdog FINMA warned on Tuesday, calling on Switzerland to step up its national defenses against the menace.

bSwiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis announced Tuesday it will sell its stake its in its consumer healthcare joint venture to Britain's GlaxoSmithKline for $13 billion (10.4 billion euros).

Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) saw its profits plummet once again after unusually cold weather in key European markets brought sales of spring garments down, the Swedish retail giant said Tuesday as it released first quarter results.

Top Trump administration officials are asking China to cut tariffs on imported cars, allow foreign majority ownership of financial services firms and buy more US-made semiconductors in negotiations to avoid plans to slap tariffs on a host of Chinese goods and a potential trade war.

US e-commerce giant Amazon has made further inroads into food retail in France as Casino's upmarket Monoprix chain became the first local retailer to agree to sell groceries via Amazon.

Dutch chemical giant AkzoNobel announced Tuesday it was selling its chemicals arm to US-based investors Carlyle Group and Singapore's GIC for 10.1 billion euros ($12.6 billion), as part of its strategy to bolster the company.

India and China have agreed on a roadmap for addressing the imbalance in bilateral trade, heavily tilted in the latter's favour.

The head of Saudi oil giant Aramco has said a much-anticipated IPO is on track for 2018, but declined to give a fixed date -- or venue.

France on Monday reported a budget deficit equivalent to 2.6 percent of the economy in 2017, below the EU limit of 3.0 percent for the first time in a decade.

After betting strongly on Indian bonds last year, foreign investors are cutting their holdings as a tumbling rupee erodes their returns and economic risks cloud the outlook of a once-hot emerging market play.

Uber may be the world's biggest ride-hailing company but it was left in the dust in Southeast Asia by homegrown upstart Grab, which knew better how to navigate the chaotic highways and byways of an eclectic region.

China on Monday promised to address India's concerns about the trade deficit between the two countries, the Indian trade ministry said, adding that New Delhi has also sought greater market access for products like rapeseed, soyabean, rice and sugar.

The Iranian rial fell to a record low on Monday, breaking through the 50,000-to-the-dollar mark for the first time as analysts blamed uncertainty from Washington.

Crude oil futures slipped on Monday, but losses were capped by a rebound in stock markets and escalating Saudi-Iran tensions.

US gunmaker Remington filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, as the more than 200-year-old firearms manufacturer vies to restructure its massive debts.

Embattled Japanese conglomerate Toshiba said Monday it was still waiting for regulators to approve the key sale of its chip unit, a delay that could stymie plans to complete the deal this month.

Opinion polls published on Sunday in the United States and Germany cast doubt over the level of trust people have in Facebook over privacy, as the firm ran advertisements in British and US newspapers apologizing to users.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Christine Lagarde said on Monday euro zone leaders should set up a “rainy day fund” to help cushion member states in economic downturns.