SAUDI petrochemical giant SABIC on Wednesday reported a 6.8 percent drop in net profit for the quarter ended September 30, compared with the same period last year.

BRITAIN'S jobless rate held at 4.9 percent in the three months to the end of August, official data showed Wednesday, signalling little impact thus far from the shock Brexit vote.

Political stalemate and the conflict rocking Libya are preventing the North African country from taking advantage of its vast oil resources and pushing the economy towards collapse, experts say.

Chinese growth stabilised in the third quarter, data showed Wednesday, as ample credit and hot property markets propped up the world's second-largest economy.

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.

German industrial firms recorded a sharp uptick in orders in August, official data showed on Thursday, outdoing analyst forecasts and reducing fears of an autumn slowdown in Europe's biggest economy.

Vietnam and Iran pledged Thursday to boost future trade to $2 billion, as Tehran seeks to jump-start its sputtering economy after crippling international sanctions were lifted this year.

Norway plans to spend a record amount of its oil riches next year -- an election year -- to stimulate its economy hit hard by oil price weakness, a budget bill presented Thursday showed.

Protectionism's rise in Europe and the United States is pushing the world's economic leaders toward a delicate balancing act: defending globalization but acknowledging the pain that sometimes comes with it.

Shares in Japanese IT giant Fujitsu soared Thursday on news it is considering merging its struggling personal computer division with China's Lenovo, the world's biggest PC maker.

Switzerland on Wednesday raised the pressure on Malaysia to cooperate with its probe into scandal-tainted 1MDB, saying new evidence indicated a "Ponzi scheme" was used to cover up $800 million in misappropriations from the Malaysian state fund.

Bangladesh yesterday sought India's assistance in setting up of a network for supplying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to high-rise buildings and apartments, cooperation in the field of bio-fuels and training of its personnel in hydrocarbon sector.

Oil rose towards $52 a barrel on Wednesday, hitting its highest since June, supported by an industry report that U.S. inventories probably fell for a fifth straight week and Opec's deal to cut supply.

BRITAIN'S shock decision to leave the European Union will not be as damaging to developing Asia's economies as feared, the World Bank said Wednesday as it increased its growth forecast for the region this year.

Diamonds glitter in the display cases of Saddam al-Yafae's shop, but the business has lost its sparkle.