The EU on Tuesday approved the proposed merger between French lens-maker Essilor and Luxottica, the Italian eyewear company that produces Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he aims to cut his country's "unacceptable" poverty rate in half over the next six years, in a state of the nation address on Thursday. 

AB InBev, the world's biggest brewer, on Thursday posted a huge jump in net profit for last year, drinking in the synergies from its blockbuster acquisition of rival SABMiller in 2016. 

The British arm of troubled retailer Toys'R'Us is winding down its activities, administrators said Wednesday as the U.S. firm faces pressure from rival stores and online giant Amazon.

India's growth accelerated sharply in the third quarter of the financial year, official data showed Wednesday, as Asia's third-largest economy turned a corner after a period of slower expansion.

The world's largest economy grew more slowly at the end of 2017 than first reported, with lower sales of durable goods and consumer items, official data showed Wednesday.

The French economy grew by a faster-than-expected 2.0 percent in 2017, as investment and output picked up in the fourth quarter, revised figures from the national statistics agency INSEE showed on Wednesday.

Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's biggest, yielded returns of 1.02 trillion kroner (106 billion euros, $131 billion) in 2017, a record sum thanks to soaring global stocks, the Norwegian central bank said Tuesday.

OPEC chief Suhail al-Mazrouei said Tuesday he expected the global oil market to be balanced this year, as producers continue to trim production following a 2014 market crash.

Tokyo stocks enjoyed fresh gains Tuesday following another strong Wall Street performance but most other Asian markets struggled to maintain momentum as focus turns to Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell's congressional debut.