After lurching from deadline to deadline, China Evergrande Group is again on the brink of default, with pessimistic comments from the property developer raising expectations of direct state involvement and a managed debt restructuring.

Weaker demand from abroad drove a much bigger than expected drop in German industrial orders, including cars, in October, data showed on Monday, further clouding the growth outlook for manufacturers in Europe’s largest economy.

Another Chinese property developer said Monday it had defaulted on a major bond repayment, citing liquidity problems amid a government crackdown on the debt-laden sector.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed on Monday to ensure worker wage hikes to protect the economy from rising global inflation, while strengthening the country’s defences as it deals with an assertive China and unpredictable North Korea.

China’s Guangdong province on Friday, December 3, summoned the chairman of China Evergrande Group after the real estate developer said there was “no guarantee” it would have enough funds to meet debt repayments, while regulators sought to reassure markets.

China will help leading futures companies to speed up their development and encourage qualified firms to be listed, the China Futures Association said in a statement, citing an official from the securities regulator.

Activity in India’s dominant services sector continued to grow at a robust pace last month supported by a strong recovery in domestic demand, a private survey showed, but elevated price pressures remained a major concern.

The bitcoin dropped sharply overnight, losing $10,000 in value in a nervous market before recouping some of its losses Saturday morning.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will continue with its supply adjustments for the oil market, the OPEC Secretary General said on Saturday.

Asia liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices fell this week as spot demand from China remained muted despite the start of winter and as natural gas supplies from Russia continued to flow steadily to Germany.

The United Nations Development Programme aims to almost triple its plastic waste management to 100 cities in India by 2024, A UNDP executive said, to combat the damaging effects of plastic pollution.

Just five months after its debut, ride-hailing giant Didi Global said on Friday it would withdraw from the New York Stock Exchange and pursue a Hong Kong listing, a stunning reversal as it bends to Chinese regulators angered by its US IPO.

Venezuela’s government - subject to sanctions by the United States and others - is increasingly paying providers in US dollars as it seeks to reduce spending in its bolivar currency to control inflation, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Global stocks finished a volatile week on a downcast note Friday, sunk by festering worries over the Omicron variant and disappointment at the most recent US job growth figures.

Leaders of the worlds largest economies hailed a recent agreement to overhaul global corporate tax rules as key ensuring multinationals paid their fair share of tax.

Business activity in the massive US services sector grew beyond expectations in November even as companies dealt with shortages and supply delays, according to an industry survey released Friday.

The International Monetary Fund is likely to lower its global economic growth estimates due to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the global lender’s chief said at the Reuters Next conference on Friday in another sign of the turmoil unleashed by the ever-changing pandemic.

Vietnamese police have smashed a huge cryptocurrency ring worth around $3.8 billion, state media said Friday, as authorities battle rampant illegal gambling in the country.

Colombo threatened Thursday to freeze the bank accounts of Sri Lankans working overseas who send money back to the country using informal money changers, as depleted foreign exchange reserves drive a thriving black market for dollars.

Facebook could be sued by consumer groups for privacy violations, an adviser to Europe’s top court said on Thursday, in a German online gaming case that could pave the way for similar action across the EU.