China tied the restive far-western region of Xinjiang closer to the rest of the country Friday, opening a high-speed rail line between its capital Urumqi and Lanzhou, in neighboring Gansu, nearly 1,800 kilometers away. 

A slick bullet train took off from Lanzhou West Railway Station at 10:49 am (0249 GMT), with female attendants in Uighur and other ethnic costumes serving 622 passengers, live footage on state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) showed. 

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude exporter, on Thursday announced a 2015 budget with a huge $38.6 billion deficit due to the sharp decline in oil prices but still raised spending.

A statement read on state-run television after a cabinet session said spending for 2015 is projected at 860 billion riyals ($229.3 billion) and revenues at 715 billion riyals ($190.7 billion).

The plunge of the ruble hasn't left only Russians shell shocked -- foreign workers from traders to maids are considering bailing out as Moscow turns from an El Dorado into a financial black hole.

The phenomenon is not quantifiable nor is there anything to indicate an exodus of expatriates is under way, but many admit to considering whether it is time to leave Russia after the ruble shed a quarter of its value in a couple of days last week.

Ramon Holgado used to sleep outside in a cardboard box, but he is back on his feet this Christmas -- guiding homeless-themed tours of the Barcelona streets he lived rough in.

As well as filling them in on the history and showing them some nice views, Holgado, 64, gives visitors an insight into the poverty that has ravaged the Catalonian capital since the economic crisis struck.

Saudi Arabia has given a "final warning" to avoid delays on an $8.2 billion high-speed rail project which Spanish and Saudi firms are helping to build.

The Haramain High Speed Rail system is to transport Muslim pilgrims, as well as regular travellers, 450 kilometres (280 miles) between the holy cities of Mecca and Medina via the Red Sea port of Jeddah.

On a sprawling, lush cocoa plantation in Mukono outside the Ugandan capital Kampala, farmers have been sampling chocolate for the first time ever.

"When we gave our farm manager the first product to taste his face was so amazing, he was saying 'really this is coming out from what we are doing?'" said Felix Okuye, 28, the executive director and co-founder of startup Pink Food Industries.

Oil prices edged lower in thin pre-holiday trade Wednesday, but analysts said losses were curbed by upbeat sentiment over a strong US economic growth report. 

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for February delivery fell 46 cents to $56.66, while Brent crude for February eased 49 cents to $61.20 in afternoon trade.

China is losing more than $10 billion a year from its expressways, state media reported Wednesday, despite levying hefty tolls on the world's largest highway network.

China spent 431 billion yuan ($69 billion) on building, maintaining and operating highways in 2013, but only took in 365 billion yuan from tolls, the China Daily reported, citing the Ministry of Transport.

Mass protests against new water taxes set to be introduced in Ireland from January 1 have shown up deep wells of resentment after years of austerity, even as the economy rebounds.

Unease about the charges, agreed as a condition for Ireland's EU-IMF bailout, is threatening the current coalition government which came to power at the height of the financial crisis in 2011.

On the 25th anniversary of the execution of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, life in the small Romanian port town of Zimnicea is defined by poverty, corruption and, remarkably, a yearning for communist days.

This industrial city of 15,000 symbolises the fortunes of the EU's second poorest country as it has tried to rebuild since Ceausescu was killed by a firing squad on December 25, 1989, after a popular rebellion pushed him from power.