China's trade surplus with the United States eased slightly in October but still remains elevated, official data showed Wednesday, as President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for what are expected to be thorny economic talks.

As Egypt's mobile operators thrive, state-owned Telecom Egypt is entering the market in an effort to boost state revenues.

A planned move by the Nordic region's biggest bank from Sweden to Finland has sparked much soul-searching among Swedes about the wisdom of trying to protect its banks from future crises without eurozone help.

Although an EU member, Sweden has always declined membership in the eurozone, instead keeping its own currency, running its own monetary policy and its own banking system -- which have all been humming along smoothly.

When India declared most bank notes unuseable a year ago in an effort to flush out tax cheats, one steel manufacturer was so spooked he resolved to do business by the book in future.

Bermuda-based law firm Appleby, which specializes in offshore finance, is at the center of the Paradise Papers leak that has sent shockwaves around the world.

Appleby provides investment advice to businesses and wealthy people seeking to lower their tax burden and protect their cash.

The EU on Tuesday pushed for Europe to draw up a blacklist of tax havens after the "Paradise Papers" revealed loopholes used by Apple and Nike as well as celebrities such as Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton.

Stock markets in energy-rich Gulf states dropped on Tuesday, hit by rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a royal purge in Saudi Arabia and other regional disputes.

The decline was led by shares in Kuwait and Qatar, where the stock index dropped to its lowest level since March 2011 as the country reels from a five-month-old boycott by neighbouring nations.

Oil prices made rapid gains overnight as geopolitical tensions surged between Saudi Arabia and Iran, sparking fears of a conflict that could disrupt supplies from two major producers.

Qatar Airways announced on Monday it has bought a stake in Cathay Pacific, giving the Doha-based airline a toehold in the potentially lucrative Asian aviation market.

European Union finance ministers meet without Britain in Brussels on Monday to try to iron out their differences on plans to reform the euro in the wake of the shock Brexit vote.