The European Parliament backed a contested EU-Canada free trade deal on Wednesday, facing down protests by activists and Donald Trump-inspired calls for protectionism.

MEPs meeting in Strasbourg, France, approved the pact with 408 votes in favour, 254 against and 33 abstentions. 

British annual inflation picked up to its highest level in two and a half years in January, driven by rising fuel and food prices, official data showed Tuesday.

Credit Suisse, Switzerland's second-biggest bank, said Tuesday it booked net loss of 2.4 billion Swiss francs (2.2 billion euros, $2.3 billion) in 2016, after agreeing to a massive settlement with the US authorities last month over its role in the so-called sub-prime crisis in 2008.

Credit Suisse said in a statement that its net loss was narrower than a year-earlier figure of 2.9 million Swiss francs. 

US President Donald Trump's sons are set to inaugurate a branded "iconic" golf course in Dubai Saturday, the first launch for the business empire since Trump took office in January.  

"Join us as we celebrate the grand opening of the iconic golfing destination Trump International Golf Club Dubai," read the invitation from DAMAC Properties, a major regional luxury real estate developer.

The former head of Spain's central bank was charged Monday for allegedly allowing the troubled Bankia bank to list on the stock exchange in 2011 "despite repeated warnings... that the group was unviable."

Europe's economic recovery remains on track but vulnerable to the "exceptional risks" of Brexit and the new Donald Trump administration, the EU said on Monday.

Brussels raised its growth forecasts for the eurozone through to 2018 but warned that the European Union as a whole was navigating "choppy waters".

The EU on Monday sharply improved its gloomy predictions for the British economy next year, admitting that the Brexit vote would have less impact than earlier thought.

China increased its steelmaking capacity last year by more than twice Britain's annual output, a report said Monday, despite repeated pledges to cut huge excess in the sector. 

China makes more than half the world's steel but a slowdown in its economy and sagging global demand has left the industry with massive excess capacity. 

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Sunday voiced optimism for U.S. economic growth under President Donald Trump but warned it could herald trouble for the rest of the world.

Despite uproar created by the diesel emissions cheating scandal at Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors are poised to offer new or revamped diesel vehicles to their American customers.

It is a bold move, since only 255 diesel cars were sold in the U.S. market in January, compared to the 5,000 to 10,000 a month rate for most of 2015 -- before the VW scandal broke.