A coalition of major trade unions and farmers' groups in India mounted a nationwide strike Thursday to protest an interim trade deal with the United States, saying the agreement undermines the interests of farmers, small businesses and workers.

In Parliament, lawmakers from opposition political parties demanded that the government scrap the trade deal and criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the slogan "Narendra Modi, surrender Modi."

China moves to curb auto price war after January passenger car sales drop 20%

China moved on Thursday to curb a fierce price war among automakers that has caused massive losses for the industry, after passenger car sales dropped nearly 20% in January from the year before, the fastest pace in almost two years.

Leaders from across the European Union are meeting Thursday in a Belgian castle as the 27-nation bloc faces antagonism from U.S. President Donald Trump, strong-arm economic tactics from China and hybrid threats from Russia — challenges that have prompted a rethink of Europe's approach to diplomacy and trade.

"We all know we must change course, and we all know the direction," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told a meeting of some European leaders on Wednesday. "Yet it sometimes feels like we're standing on the bridge of the ship staring at the horizon without being able to touch the helm."

China said it will reduce tariffs on certain EU dairy products from Friday but still impose "anti-subsidy" levies of up to 11.7 percent for five years.

The tolls will be imposed after an investigation determined "certain dairy products originating from the EU were subsidised, causing substantial damage to the dairy industry in China", the commerce ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

United States Energy Secretary Chris Wright arrived Wednesday in Venezuela for a firsthand assessment of the country's oil industry, a visit that further asserts the U.S. government's self-appointed role in turning around Venezuela's dilapidated energy sector.

Wright met Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez at the Miraflores presidential palace in the capital, Caracas. He is expected to meet with government officials, oil executives and others during a three-day visit to the South American country.

U.S. House lawmakers voted Wednesday to reject Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, sweeping aside the president's last-gasp threat of election consequences for Republicans to deliver a rare rebuke on his signature economic policy.

The resolution brought by Democrats was approved by a vote of 219 to 211, with six Republicans joining the effort. Even if it passes the U.S. Senate, it would face a likely veto by Trump.

Libya granted several foreign companies new oil exploration and production licenses for the first time in 17 years on Wednesday, after more than a decade of political instability.

The hydrocarbon-rich country is seeking to draw major global energy companies back, while boosting daily oil production by 850,000 barrels over the next 25 years.

Opposition to a deal that would allow U.S. companies access to critical minerals in Congo is growing after Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi returned from the U.S. minerals summit last week — with praises from U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. lawmakers.

Tshisekedi has offered U.S. companies access to eastern Congo's rich minerals — mostly untapped and estimated to be worth $24 trillion – as a bargaining chip for U.S. support to help fight off rebels and build critical infrastructure in the region where Rwanda-backed rebels seized major cities last year.

Dubai International Airport maintained its crown as the world's busiest airport last year as officials said Wednesday that a record 95.2 million passengers transited through its terminals, part of the emirate's continued economic boom.

The airport took off in the post-pandemic years, spurred by worldwide interest in travel and by ever-increasing tourism, business and real estate opportunities in the biggest city in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai on Monday reported a 5% increase in tourists last year, to 19.6 million, a third consecutive year of record-breaking figures.

Inflation in crisis-prone Argentina accelerated more than expected and for a fifth straight month in January, the country's statistics agency said Tuesday, a closely watched report whose outdated methodology in recent days stoked political turmoil and created a headache for libertarian President Javier Milei.

Consumer prices rose 2.9% last month compared with December, said the statistics agency known by its Spanish acronym INDEC, largely owing to increases in the prices of food, restaurants, hotels and utility bills.