The dollar extended losses in Asia on Thursday after the Federal Reserve stuck to its target for interest rate hikes this year, but fresh fears of a trade war hit equity markets as Donald Trump prepared fresh sanctions on China.

Forty-four African countries have signed an agreement establishing a free trade area seen as vital to the continent's economic development, the head of the African Union said Wednesday.

Wall Street stocks dipped early Wednesday ahead of a Federal Reserve policy decision that will signal whether the U.S. central bank plans to accelerate its pace of interest rate hikes.

A Riyadh gold souk festooned with glittering jewellery has run short of salesmen after a government edict to replace foreign workers with Saudis, part of contentious efforts to tackle high unemployment.

Energy firms in Asia rose on the back of a rush into oil after data indicated a jump in US demand, but regional markets struggled to maintain early upward momentum ahead of a crucial Federal Reserve policy meeting later in the day.

Egypt's administrative court issued a ruling on Tuesday stopping the operations of Uber and Careem, state media reported, although both ride-sharing apps said their services were not suspended.

The United States is not seeking a trade war over tariffs but does not fear one, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday at the end of a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Argentina.

Qatar Petroleum aims to boost Doha's gas production by more than 20 percent with a contract awarded to Japanese Chiyoda, the state-owned energy giant has said.

Saudi Arabia plans to sell shares of Saudi Aramco on a local exchange and may scuttle entirely an earlier plan for an overseas listing, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The sharp morning sell-off in Asian markets Tuesday eased later in the day but investors remain on edge ahead of a key Federal Reserve policy meeting.