Wall Street stocks opened a holiday-shortened week on a tepid note Monday, declining amid trade war worries and weakness in tech giant Apple.

President Xi Jinping visited Brunei on Monday, with the sultanate turning to China to boost its flagging, oil-dependent economy as warnings mount about Beijing drowning small countries in debt.

Iran's former economy minister, impeached less than three months ago, will head the national oil company as it works to evade renewed US sanctions, local media reported Monday.

China's former top trade negotiator has questioned Beijing's strategy in the trade row with Washington, offering a rare window into a policy disagreement in the Communist-ruled country.

The rise of passive investing on Wall Street has concentrated stock market action in the final moments of the trading day -- exacerbating steep, last-minute nosedives in stock values with increasing frequency.

Romania, one of the EU's poorest members, could emerge as an unlikely challenger to Russia's iron grip on eastern Europe's energy supply thanks to vast oil and gas reserves waiting to be tapped, experts say.

Egypt is looking to use its vast, newly tapped undersea gas reserves to establish itself as a key energy exporter and revive its flagging economy.

As the winners of the biggest corporate prize in decades -- the new Amazon headquarters -- relished their victory, debate was still raging over the billions of dollars in incentives offered to attract the fast-growing U.S. technology colossus.

A senior U.S. diplomat on Friday backed gas exploration off Cyprus, as ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum started drilling despite opposition from Turkey.

Ankara has warned international firms against exploration in the disputed waters off the Mediterranean island, but Cyprus has pushed ahead with energy deals.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire on Friday urged an end to the "Cold War in trade" between the United States and China, warning the world was just a step away from a globally destructive, full-blown trade conflict.

"Today we are in a Cold War in trade between the United States and China which is dangerous for our economy, our growth and our jobs. We must get out of it," Le Maire told a conference in Paris on reforming the global trading system.