Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron oversaw the signing Tuesday of business deals worth billions of dollars, seeking better trade ties even as France's finance minister boasted of rejecting those investments he likened to "pillaging."

Britain's Brexit Minister David Davis has criticized the EU for preparing for a no-deal scenario once the UK leaves the bloc, according to a letter published on Tuesday by the Financial Times.

British retailers faced a slowdown in sales over the crucial Christmas trading period, survey data showed Tuesday, as shoppers were squeezed by higher prices and stagnating wages.

The Swiss central bank said Tuesday it expected to post a record profit of 54 billion Swiss francs ($55 billion, 46 billion euros) for 2017, amid gains on its foreign currency and gold holdings.

Asian markets mostly rose Tuesday, with Hong Kong marking 11 straight wins and Tokyo at a 26-year high, as investors press on with a global rally that has the region enjoying its best start since 2006.

Egypt is building a major water treatment and desalination plant, the president said Monday, as the Nile-dependent nation plans for any fallout from an upstream dam being built by Ethiopia.

Germany's powerful metalworkers' union launched mass strikes Monday over pay and working hours that could impact a key industry and the shape of labor nationwide.

Competitiveness, innovation, startups … France has more than one string to her bow and has reclaimed its appeal to global business leaders.

Most Asian markets rose on Monday following yet more records on Wall Street but Hong Kong turned lower after nine days of gains.

From clampdowns to a warm embrace, regulators in Asia have taken very different approaches to dealing with the bitcoin phenomenon. Here are the developments in a few key markets: 

- Chinese clampdown -In mid-September, China's central bank, the People's Bank of China (PBOC), told virtual currency trading platforms based in Beijing and Shanghai to cease market operations.