Iranians feeling the squeeze from U.S. sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic's ailing economy are increasingly turning to such digital currencies as Bitcoin to make money, prompting alarm in and out of the country.

In Iran, some government officials worry that the energy-hungry process of "mining" Bitcoin is abusing Iran's system of subsidized electricity; in the United States, some observers have warned that cryptocurrencies could be used to bypass the Trump administration's sanctions targeting Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.

Sales have tumbled at Hashem Abul Fadel's shopping centres in Sudan, where he and fellow business owners fear that months of political turmoil could bring on a full-scale economic collapse.

Former auto titan Carlos Ghosn, currently under house arrest in Tokyo, is suing Nissan and Mitsubishi in a Dutch court for "improper termination" of his contract, French newspaper Le Figaro reported Wednesday.   

Facebook's planned global digital coin Libra has run into a wall of opposition in Washington that could prevent its launch as envisioned, but analysts say cryptocurrencies are likely to make gains around the world nonetheless.

France on Wednesday expressed defiance in a row with the United States over taxing tech giants that threatens to dominate a G7 meeting, saying an international accord was the only way to solve the dispute.

Bank of America scored record profits in the second quarter, as strong consumer banking results offset a decline in earnings from trading worldwide.

Global finance chiefs meeting in France have warned that the World Trade Organization's internal court risks becoming paralyzed by a bitter disputes between member states.

Fresh trade worries and uncertainty about the Federal Reserve's plans for cutting interest rates weighed on Asian markets Wednesday while fears of a hard Brexit kept the pound wallowing at more than two-year lows.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Tuesday urged the G7 club of top world economic powers to find an international solution to taxing digital giants at their meeting outside Paris this week.

European stock markets edged higher on Tuesday, while the pound hit the lowest level versus the dollar in more than two years on Brexit deadlock.