The Saudi energy minister said Thursday that foreign companies which boycotted a key investment forum over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi have "apologized" and vowed a return to normal ties.

British department store chain Debenhams on Thursday said it planned to shut about one third of its shops, many more than previously announced, signaling another blow to a retail sector faced with fierce online competition.

Saudi oil giant Aramco is "absolutely ready" for its long-awaited IPO but several regulatory procedures remain, the kingdom's economy minister told the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh on Thursday.

The lower house of Argentina's Congress approved Thursday an unpopular austerity budget designed to meet the requirements of a $57 billion IMF bailout.

Pakistani stocks climbed by nearly four percent Wednesday, hours after Saudi Arabia pledged to provide Islamabad with $6 billion in financial assistance to shore up a widening balance of payments crisis.

The benchmark KSE index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange gained 1,462 points or 3.85 percent in intra-day trading to push the index to 39,176 points.

Israel on Wednesday allowed a resumption of Qatari-financed fuel deliveries to Gaza after a 12-day halt it imposed over heavy border clashes, the Palestinian territory's sole power plant said.

Canada will host trade officials from the European Union, Japan and others for two-day talks starting Wednesday aimed at shaping long-delayed reforms to the global trading system that have sparked tensions among major economies.

Sugar: it's so quintessentially Cuban that even a young, machete-wielding Fidel Castro used to hack away at the cane stalks vital to the Caribbean island's economy.

The European Commission on Tuesday rejected Italy's draft 2019 budget, the first time the EU executive has ever sent a member state back to the drawing board over spending plans.

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince appeared Tuesday at a glitzy investment forum boycotted by a host of global business leaders, as the petro-state admitted it is facing a "crisis" after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.