Frank Buhler, a leader of the protesters who have barricaded French highways over the past week, aims to color Paris in the movement's trademark yellow on Saturday when rural France takes its fight with President Emmanuel Macron to the capital.

The 53-year-old political activist has called on demonstrators to swarm Paris "on foot, horseback or by car" for the second round Saturday of a battle between centrist President Emmanuel Macron and rebels from the provinces.

China said Thursday that it "cannot accept" Washington's latest accusations of unfair trade practises as the two economic giants exchanged barbs ahead of a key meeting between their presidents later this month.

Asian equities chalked up modest gains Thursday in light trading ahead of the US Thanksgiving holiday, following a rebound in energy and tech stocks on Wall Street.

The Italian economy is forecast to grow 1.3 percent next year, the national statistics agency said Wednesday, below the government's estimate of 1.5 percent included in a big-spending budget rejected by Brussels.

Energy companies suffered further losses on Wednesday following a collapse in oil prices while most Asian markets fell, but with the sharp losses witnessed in the morning being tempered.

Nissan and Mitsubishi shares plunged Tuesday after chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested for alleged financial misconduct, that reportedly included exorbitantly priced houses and diverted compensation.

The two automakers have already said they will propose removing Ghosn, and Renault -- which the titan also heads -- said it would meet later in the day to discuss his fate.

Global wine production rose 13 percent this year, after a catastrophic 2017 which was marked by heatwaves, frosts and hailstorms, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) said Monday.

It said production was estimated at 279 million hectoliters (mhl) this year, "one of the highest since 2000."

Brazilian-born Carlos Ghosn, who is facing a pay scandal in Japan, has long stood out among the world's auto executives as a hard-nosed workaholic willing to take drastic measures to get companies back on their feet quickly.

As head of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, Ghosn has created an industrial behemoth, its combined 470,000 employees selling 10.6 million vehicles last year from 122 factories around the globe.

Shares in French automaker Renault fell more than eight percent in Paris on Monday after CEO Carlos Ghosn was arrested over allegations of financial misconduct as chairman of Japan's Nissan.

Renault shares fell over 12 percent in morning trading on the news before recovering slightly to end down 8.43 percent at 59.06 euros.

Wall Street stocks opened a holiday-shortened week on a tepid note Monday, declining amid trade war worries and weakness in tech giant Apple.