North Korea will convene its rubber-stamp parliament next month to discuss efforts to salvage an economy strained by pandemic border closures after decades of mismanagement and U.S.-led sanctions.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday the Supreme People's Assembly will meet on Sept. 28 in Pyongyang to discuss economic development, youth education, government organizational matters and other issues. The report didn't mention any plans for discussions on foreign policy.

World stocks were broadly lower on Thursday following a charge on Wall Street that drove indices to all-time highs for the second straight day.

Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.3% to 7,127.10 and France's CAC 40 declined 0.2% to 6,665.06. The DAX in Germany also fell 0.2% to 15,822.87 in early trading.

Israel said that it would be easing commercial restrictions on the Gaza Strip and expand entry of goods to the Palestinian enclave following days of heightened tensions.

The announcement came after hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated Wednesday near the Israeli border, calling on Israel to ease a crippling blockade days after a similar gathering ended in deadly clashes with the Israeli army.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday vowed to improve the country's sanction-hit economy and its Covid response, saying that the current situation "does not befit" the Islamic republic.

He delivered the remarks while chairing the first meeting of his cabinet which was approved by parliament on Wednesday.

China reopened a key terminal at the world's third-busiest cargo port Wednesday, after a shutdown to control the coronavirus caused backlogs through supply chains -- but disruptions at a major airport are now sending transport costs soaring.

Several cargo aircraft workers at Shanghai Pudong International Airport tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week, sparking a suspension in freight operations.

Global stocks were mixed Wednesday as investors looked ahead to a Federal Reserve gathering for an update on U.S. stimulus.

London and Frankfurt advanced in early trading while Tokyo, Hong Kong and Paris declined.

Iceland's central bank lifted it main interest rate on Wednesday, its second increase in three months, as tourists begin to return and boost the economic recovery.

The 0.25 percentage point increase took the island nation's key rate to 1.25 percent.

A White House cybersecurity gathering including Big Tech executives was set Wednesday to unveil steps aimed at improving cybersecurity following high-profile attacks which raised questions about the vulnerability of so-called critical infrastructure.

President Joe Biden and key cabinet officials were to host the chief executives of Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft along with leaders from the finance and utilities sectors, a senior administration official said.

Danish shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk said Tuesday it was speeding up plans for an environment-friendly fleet with the order of eight carbon-neutral container vessels, a pioneering project in the highly-polluting industry.

Online accommodation platform Airbnb offered on Tuesday to house 20,000 Afghan refugees for free around the world, as people flee Kabul following the Taliban takeover.