Ukraine's parliament on Wednesday approved an austerity federal budget for 2017 that doubles minimum wages but keeps the deficit in line with the target set by the International Monetary Fund.

Most Asian markets turned higher Wednesday as investors tracked another record on Wall Street and refocused on the global economy after two deadly attacks.

The Berlin Christmas market horror and shooting of Russia's Turkish ambassador fanned concerns that fresh geopolitical woes could upend a rally in world assets triggered by Donald Trump's election as US president.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday opened the first ever road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, the latest project in his plan of transforming Turkey's infrastructure.

Three Qatari banks announced Tuesday that they are in merger talks to create a financial institution with assets of more than $44 billion.

A Greek parliament vote on a special tax allowance for Aegean islands struggling to accommodate thousands of migrants has been pushed to Wednesday, the chamber said.

The vote scheduled to be held late on Monday will be held on Wednesday evening after an opposition party called for a show of hands on the bill.

German businesses rounded off 2016 with a stronger-than-forecast increase in confidence, a closely-followed survey showed Monday, despite fears for the future over Brexit and Donald Trump.

Etihad Airways has begun cutting jobs in a restructuring process to reduce cost as it faces tough competition and a weakened global economy, the Emirati carrier said on Monday.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko urged people not to panic Monday after his government nationalized the country's largest private bank to try and avoid a financial meltdown.

Australia avoided a feared downgrade of its coveted AAA credit rating Monday after sticking to its ambition of returning the budget to surplus in 2020-21 despite softer growth forecasts.

Austerity-wracked Greece could strike a deal with its creditors by early next year, a senior EU official said Sunday, seeking to calm a recent row over surprise handouts announced by Athens.