Britain's economic growth unexpectedly accelerated in the second quarter in the run-up to the nation's shock EU exit referendum, official data showed Wednesday.

Australian inflation eased to a 17-year low in April-June, official figures showed Wednesday, raising the prospects of another interest rate cut to shore up the economy.

JAPAN'S government Wednesday announced a stimulus package worth more than 28 trillion yen ($266 billion) in its latest attempt to fire up the lukewarm economy, with the central bank expected to unveil its own measures this week.

Chancellor Philip Hammond has begun discussions with China on an ambitious free trade deal which could see greater access for major Chinese banks and businesses to the UK economy.

If you had asked Asia's refiners at the start of the year where they thought their profits would be coming from, it's likely many would have said gasoline. But China and India appear to have crashed that party.

Japan on Monday posted its first half-year trade surplus since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, after the accident sent energy import bills soaring and led to a string of deficits.

Electronics giant Philips posted a 57 percent jump in second quarter net profit Monday on the back of a major arbitration award, as it warned of volatile markets ahead for the rest of the year.

Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei said on Monday that revenue surged 40 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2016, boosted by steady growth in smartphone sales.

Britain's finance minister warned Brexit would cast a "shadow" over the world economy but said he was eyeing a free trade deal with China in interviews with the BBC and Sky News on Sunday.

Thailand's junta chief vowed Monday to reboot the flagging economy of the kingdom's poor and rebel-hit south, including by making the Muslim-majority region a hub for halal produce.

Europe's Commissioner for Justice is working with EU consumer groups to pressure Volkswagen to compensate clients in Europe as it has in the United States over the diesel emissions scandal.

Singapore's central bank chief vowed Monday to name and shame other banks engaged in money-laundering after a scandal involving Malaysian state fund 1MDB hurt the city-state's financial reputation.

Spain will post growth of 2.9 percent for 2016, Finance Minister Luis de Guindos said Sunday, revising an earlier forecast of 2.7 percent as the country's recovery gathers momentum.

Britain's vote to leave the EU has had a limited impact on business confidence in Germany, with belief in domestic strength still strong, a key survey showed on Monday. The closely-watched business confidence index from the Ifo institute in Munich fell to 108.3 points in July from June's figure of 108.7.

In a packed Christie's auction room in Geneva, one could hear a pin drop as two anonymous bidders slugged it out in their quest to own the world's most exquisite blue diamond.

Emdadul Islam's three-decade career in Bangladesh's garment trade has seen the industry hit by riots, labour unrest, power shortages and safety scandals, but he had never lost faith in its ability to weather the latest crisis and continue to grow.

Low global oil prices have hurt Nigeria's economy, taking it to the brink of recession. But the resulting cash crunch has also had a more unexpected effect -- on mass weddings.

Gamers in Japan, home of Nintendo Co's Pokemon, waited in vain on Wednesday for the launch of its smash-hit mobile game amid reports that the developers behind it had hit the brakes, concerned that overwhelming demand would overload server capacity.

Oil prices rose on bargain-buying in Asia on Wednesday after hitting two-month lows but gains were hobbled by concerns about an oversupply and weak demand after the IMF lowered its global economic growth forecasts.

Sharp growth in its commercial cloud computing business helped lift Microsoft Corp's quarterly revenue above Wall Street's expectations, sending the technology company's shares up more than 4 percent in after-hours trading.