From a holographic lion to talking robots and flying taxis, Saudi Arabia has dazzled investors with plans for hi-tech "giga projects" -- but skeptics question their viability in an era of cheap oil.

The kingdom has revealed plans to build NEOM, a mega project billed as a regional Silicon Valley, in addition to an entertainment city in Riyadh that would rival Walt Disney and the Red Sea project, a reef-fringed resort destination.

Kuwaiti telecoms giant Zain on Sunday reported a drop in its third quarter net profits due to currency exchange losses in Sudan and conflict in Iraq.

The world's largest economy continued to expand at a robust pace in third quarter despite being battered by multiple hurricanes, the US Commerce Department reported Friday.

Hitting President Donald Trump's growth target for the second quarter in a row, U.S. GDP grew at three percent for the July-September period, official figures showed.

Shares in Catalan banks fell sharply on Friday, dragging the entire stock market with them, after Catalonia's regional parliament declared independence.

Britain's bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland bounced back into the black in the third quarter on lower litigation and restructuring costs, it said Friday. 

French oil company Total said Friday its net profit jumped nearly 40 percent in the third quarter to $2.7 billion (2.3 billion euros) thanks to rising global oil prices and increased production.

The European Central Bank on Thursday said it would halve its massive bond-buying program from next year, a major policy shift that could herald the beginning of the end of the cheap money era.

Young Muslims worldwide are expected to almost double their spending on travel in the coming years, driving a boom in Islamic tourism that will make the sector worth $300 billion, a study said Thursday.

Halal travel has grown recently, with airports, restaurants and hotels seeking to provide Muslim-friendly facilities and services, such as prayer rooms and halal food outlets. 

Spain's jobless queue shortened once more in the third quarter, official figures showed Thursday, as seasonal work boomed during the country's thriving tourist summer.

Germany's biggest lender Deutsche Bank reported a third-quarter net profit more than double 2016's figure Thursday, as it continues to battle through restructuring and Europe-wide headwinds.