Australia central bank left interest rates on hold Thursday, brushing off calls for a cut to protect the country's 27-year recession-free run, with officials saying the economy was still in "reasonable" shape despite weak inflation and wage growth.

Keeping the cash rate at a record low 1.5 percent, the Reserve Bank of Australia signalled that it could cut at upcoming meetings if the labour market does not improve.

The former chief executive of France Telecom and other ex-bosses went on trial Monday facing unprecedented charges of moral harassment that allegedly prompted 35 employees to take their own lives a decade ago.

China said Monday it still plans to send negotiators to the United States for trade talks even after President Donald Trump vowed to raise tariffs later this week, a threat that sent stock markets into a tailspin.

Indonesia's economy grew slower than expected in the first quarter, official data showed Monday, as exports contracted for the first time since 2016 owing to softer demand for key commodities.

Billionaire Warren Buffett has given a clue on who might succeed him to run his Berkshire Hathaway empire, but did not completely reveal his hand.

Turkmenistan's national air carrier has scheduled flights to the United Kingdom and Germany again following a ban imposed in February by European Aviation Authorities. 

Flights to the English city of Birmingham and Germany's Frankfurt beginning on June 1 appeared on Turkmenistan Airlines' schedule late Friday. 

The United States had another giant month of job creation in April, with strong hiring in the vast services sector, and unemployment falling to a level not seen since 1969, the government reported Friday.

The Bank of England on Thursday raised its forecast for UK economic growth this year to 1.5 percent from 1.2, as stockpiling offsets lower business investment elsewhere ahead of Brexit.

Australia's big banks -- once among the world's most profitable -- are being forced to amass war chests worth billions of dollars to reimburse customers for years of dodgy fees.

Industry heavyweight the National Australia Bank on Thursday became the latest financial house to outline the mounting cost of refunding ripped-off customers following a government probe into the sector.

Most Asian markets rose Thursday as forecast-beating earnings from Apple provided a much-needed bounce for the tech sector, though energy companies dropped on concerns about slowing US oil demand as supplies climb.