The contract for a French-Chinese consortium to build Britain's first nuclear plant in a generation was signed on Thursday at a low-key ceremony, after a string of controversies threatened to scupper the huge deal.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Thursday said Russia intends to keep oil production at current levels, hailing OPEC's surprise decision to cut oil output.

OPEC's deal to cut oil output in a bid to push up prices raises questions and uncertainty about whether it will last.

The number of foreigners visiting Turkey plummeted nearly 38 percent in August, with tourism battered by the July failed coup and security concerns after attacks, statistics showed Thursday.

An oil price rally fueled by OPEC's deal to cut crude output fizzled out Thursday with analysts doubting the cartel's ability to seriously tackle a supply glut.

Following a meeting that included Russia, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries shocked markets Wednesday by saying it planned to trim total production by some 750,000 barrels per day.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday attacked Moody's after it downgraded the country's sovereign debt rating to "junk" status, appearing to suggest the ratings agency could be bought off.

Moody's downgraded Turkey's rating by one notch on Friday to the speculative or "junk" level of "Ba1" because of the country's political turmoil and unpredictability.

The U.S. Congress passed a spending bill late Wednesday and staved off a government shutdown, after reaching agreement on funding for a tainted water crisis in Flint, Michigan that had bedeviled earlier proposals.

The fiscal year ends on September 30. Had Congress failed to pass a bill approving federal spending -- or in this case, extending existing spending levels until December 9 -- by midnight Friday, some government offices and operations could have been forced to close.

OPEC shocked markets with a deal to cut oil output after kingpin Saudi Arabia allowed bitter rival Iran to be exempted, but analysts warned Thursday the move would not likely have a lasting impact.

Woes deepened on Wednesday for employees of troubled conglomerate Saudi Oger which laid off more than 1,300 staff at a printing plant for the Koran, a newspaper reported.

The once-mighty firm led by Lebanon's billionaire former prime minister Saad Hariri has been hit by a drop in income from its core construction business after Saudi Arabia delayed or canceled projects in the face of plummeting oil revenues.

The Greek parliament on Tuesday adopted fresh austerity measures sought by its international creditors, including expediting privatization of utility companies.