Sri Lanka has secured $1.34 billion in loans from the World Bank to boost the cash-strapped island's economy over the next three years, the finance ministry said Saturday.

The loans would be at concessionary rates and repayments spread out over 15 years, the ministry said in a statement. 

Spain wants to put an end to its distinctive and gruelling work day which hurts productivity -- and it may move the country's clocks back by one hour to the same time zone as London's to do so.

The strong US dollar, boosted further by the Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates, could pose challenges to President-elect Donald Trump's economic agenda. 

Venezuelans lined up Thursday to deposit 100-unit banknotes before they turned worthless, but replacement bills had yet to arrive, increasing the cash chaos in the country with the world's highest inflation.

Some frustrated customers received expiring 100-bolivar notes when they withdrew money at the ATM, then immediately had to line back up to re-deposit them.

Global wage growth has slowed significantly, a worrying development that could fuel further inequality and suppress consumption worldwide, a United Nations report said Thursday. 

Kuwait's new oil minister said Thursday he expects crude prices to climb to $60 a barrel as output cuts agreed by OPEC and non-OPEC producers take hold next year.

Wall Street stocks fell modestly and the dollar advanced after the Federal Reserve Wednesday lifted its benchmark interest rate for only the second time in a decade.

The policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to increase the key federal funds rate to a range of 0.5 to 0.75 percent, but repeated that it expects the world's biggest economy will require only "gradual" increases going forward.

Striking workers kept the Eiffel Tower shut for a second day Wednesday in protest over an upcoming paint job at the famous Paris landmark which they say risks damaging their health.

Eurozone finance ministers on Wednesday suspended debt relief for bailed-out Greece after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hiked spending for pensioners, angering austerity champion Germany.

Chinese bank lending grew modestly month-on-month in November, official data showed Wednesday, after being almost halved in October, the latest indication that the country's economy may be stabilising.

New loans extended by banks rose to 794.6 billion yuan ($115.1 billion) last month, compared with 651.3 billion yuan in October, said the People’s Bank of China (PBoC), the country's central bank.