As lawmakers on Thursday inched closer to a new stimulus package to help the pandemic-battered U.S. economy, government data showed more workers were applying for unemployment benefits as the recovery stalled.

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the Russian budget was becoming less dependent on oil and gas, key exports for one of the world's dominant petro-economies. 

The Attorney General of Texas announced Wednesday that he was leading several U.S. states in a suit against Google over alleged anti-competitive practices.

After its first full board meeting in six years, Libya's central bank announced Wednesday a unification and devaluation of official exchange rates, a move that aims to fight corruption.

Switzerland's central bank on Wednesday flatly rejected accusations from the United States that the wealthy Alpine nation was involved in currency manipulation.

Congressional leaders on Wednesday said they were nearing a long-awaited agreement on a stimulus package for the U.S. economy, while the Federal Reserve is set to provide updated forecasts that could show renewed optimism for the months ahead.

A federal relief package to aid struggling business and jobless workers is seen as essential in getting the world's largest economy back on its feet even as vaccines against Covid-19 are rolled out, and would also ease the pressure on the central bank, which has limited tools to help the economy.

Escalating attacks on the Iraqi capital's few liquor stores have terrified shop-owners who fear hardline Islamists are flexing their muscle against alcohol consumption.

While much of the world fears Covid-19, Iraqis have mostly stopped wearing facemasks as they worry more about the pandemic's economic impact than the virus itself.

Stock markets rallied Wednesday on fresh hopes for a U.S. economic stimulus deal and a Brexit trade deal, with sentiment additionally boosted by Covid-19 vaccine rollouts.

The European Union on Tuesday unveiled tough draft rules targeting tech giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook, whose power Brussels sees as a threat to competition and even democracy.