Britain has said it could seek a piecemeal post-Brexit deal with the European Union that leaves some issues unresolved but still lets it break free from the bloc at the end of the year.

Asian stock markets rebounded Thursday as anxiety over potential U.S.-Iranian conflict eased.

Tokyo's benchmark gained more than 2%. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia markets also advanced.

China will allow foreign companies to take part in oil and gas exploration and production in the country, in what officials hailed Thursday as a "major reform" opening up the industry.

Wall Street stocks edged higher early Wednesday amid hopes that U.S.-Iran hostilities will not worsen while US hiring data topped expectations.

The burgeoning Iran crisis has sparked oil supply worries over the Strait of Hormuz -- a vital shipping lane for a fifth of global crude -- and also over Iraq's output, analysts say.

World oil prices dipped Wednesday in afternoon European trading, after briefly spiking when Iran launched missile attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq.

The French government and unions are to resume talks Tuesday over a pensions overhaul that has unleashed the longest transport strike in decades, with the premier saying both sides need to "budge a little".

"Do you want a piece?" beekeeper Ma Gongzuo says, looking into the camera of a friend's smartphone before biting into the dripping comb of amber-colored honey.

America's trade deficit continued to tumble in November, hitting its lowest level in three years as imports of crude oil, computers and industrial supplies fell off sharply, the government reported Tuesday.

France and the United States have given themselves 15 days to settle a dispute over the taxation of US tech giants, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday.

Le Maire said he had a "long discussion" on the telephone Monday with his US counterpart Steven Mnuchin.