Samsung Electronics will invest nearly $18 billion in its chip business, the South Korean firm said Tuesday, as it seeks to expand its lead in the global memory chip and smartphone markets. 

Russia will start supplying gas to China through a new pipeline by the end of 2019, state gas giant Gazprom said Tuesday, as part of a mammoth $400-billion deal.

EU member states can ban ride-hailing pioneer Uber without informing the European Commission because at heart it is an ordinary transport company under their jurisdiction, a top EU lawyer said Tuesday.

Under-pressure Qatar vowed a major boost to gas production Tuesday as a deadline approached for Doha to meet the demands of Arab countries engaged in a blockade against it.

When Iran signed its landmark deal with world powers in 2015, curbing its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, many expected an investment gold rush. 

French energy giant Total was set to defy US pressure on Monday, signing a multi-billion-dollar gas deal with Iran, the first by a European firm in more than a decade.

The euro and pound held their gains against the dollar on Monday after signals from global central banks that they were prepared to tighten monetary policy, while equity markets mostly eked out small gains after last week's losses.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday announced a 50 percent increase in the monthly minimum wage to 97 bolivars, or about 37 dollars at the official exchange rate. 

A new 2,000 Syrian Lira ($3.9) bank note with the face of President Bashar Assad will go into circulation Sunday, the Syrian Central Bank announced.

The notes are the first time Syria will depict President Bashar Assad on its currency since he took office 17 years ago.

After buying big American brands like Apple, Pepsi and Yahoo!, activist shareholders -- investors in search of big dividends -- now are setting their sights on European companies like Nestle.