Top US and Chinese trade negotiators held productive talks in Beijing on Wednesday, the American side said, as the economic superpowers head towards an endgame in a dispute that has hit businesses with bruising tariffs.

Apple delivered stronger-than-expected results Tuesday for the past quarter as gains in services helped offset slumping iPhone sales, sparking a rally in shares of the technology giant.

California-based Apple reported a 16 percent drop in profits in the just-ended quarter to $11.6 billion, as overall revenues dipped five percent to $58 billion.

Top American negotiators arrived in Beijing on Tuesday hoping for progress in a new round of talks with Chinese counterparts as they home in on a deal to end a months-long trade war.

President Hassan Rouhani called on Iranian workers Tuesday to boost non-oil exports and import substitution, telling them they were "on the front line" against America and its tightening sanctions.

Profit at China's biggest banks accelerated in the first quarter in line with a better-than-expected performance in the domestic economy, but rising bad loans may pressure authorities to ease up on pump-priming measures.

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) -- the world's largest bank by assets and several other yardsticks -- posted a net profit of 82.0 billion yuan in the January-March period, up 4.1 percent.

US sanctions on Iran, rising unrest in the Middle East and North Africa and oil price volatility are dragging regional economic growth, the International Monetary Fund said Monday.

Qatar is set to abolish its controversial exit visa system for all foreign workers by the end of the year, the UN's International Labour Organization said Friday. 

China is trying to woo more nations to join a massive network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks that links dozens of countries in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Brent North Sea crude hit a near six-month high above $75 per barrel Thursday on supply concerns that have been worsened by the United States tightening the screw on sanctions-hit Iran.

Detained former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn paid 500 million yen ($4.5 million) in bail, the Tokyo District court said Thursday, signaling he would likely soon be released.

Ghosn was arrested in November, released on bail in March but re-arrested in April on new allegations and taken to the Tokyo Detention House.