Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica says its board has unanimously voted in Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete as chief executive and chairman of the board.

Telefonica SA said in a statement Friday that Alvarez-Pallete replaces Cesar Alierta, who is stepping down after 16 years but will retain a seat on the company's board.

Twitter is appointing PepsiCo's chief financial officer to its board.

Hugh Johnston has served as PepsiCo Inc.'s CFO since 2010. The 54-year-old executive also serves as vice chairman of the food and beverage company.

Britain's finance watchdog said Thursday that it has given banks and financial firms until next week to reveal whether they have any links to the law firm at the center of the Panama Papers leak.

Kuwait's state-run oil firm has signed contracts to import 2.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas a year through 2020 to meet the emirate's needs, a company official said on Thursday.

OPEC member Kuwait is rich in crude oil but its natural gas production is too small to meet its needs, which surge during the heat of the summer when power consumption soars.

Flights in Greece were at a standstill on Thursday after air traffic controllers called a 24-hour strike over pension reforms sought by the country's creditors.

The head of a Austrian regional bank became on Thursday the latest casualty of the Panama Papers scandal, announcing his resignation but denying any wrongdoing.

France's trade deficit widened in February to a 20-month high of 5.2 billion euros ($5.6 bn), up 1.3 billion on the previous month, driven by higher auto and aerospace imports, the customs office said Thursday.

A group of Indian banks rejected Thursday embattled businessman Vijay Mallya's offer to repay $600 million in unpaid loans, less than half of what his defunct airline owes them.

The banks told the Supreme Court in New Delhi that they wanted the 60-year-old flamboyant entrepreneur to return to India so they could negotiate with him personally over the total $1.3 billion owed.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Tuesday he intended to introduce a ban on oil product imports from petro-giant Russia as part of Kiev's festering trade war with Moscow.

The head of Malaysia Airlines said Wednesday the carrier recorded a profit in February, its first positive monthly result in years, and is on track to return to the black by 2018.

In an interview with The Associated Press, CEO Christoph Mueller described the airline as a "ship that has many leaks," but said the monthly profit was a sign that things are on the right track.