Microsoft's plan to make its new version of Windows a mobile hit by letting it accept tweaked Apple and Android apps has met an obstacle: some of the software developers the company needs to woo just aren't interested.

Germany's nearly 1,800 banks are being forced to rethink their business models in the face of persistently low level of interest rates and weak profitability.

One of the biggest strikes in the Turkish automobile sector in recent times showed no sign of letting up Wednesday, with Ford the latest producer to be hit.

The "spectre of deflation" is spurring the world's major central banks into a dangerous struggle for stronger domestic growth that imperils financial markets and ignores the needs of developing nations, Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan said on Tuesday.

Japan's economy grew more than expected in the first quarter, data showed Wednesday, as it crawls back from a brief recession, but observers cautioned that a full recovery may still be some way off.

Five of the world's largest banks are to pay fines totalling $5.7bn (£3.6bn) for manipulating the foreign exchange market, US officials say.

Indonesia's central bank held its key interest rate steady on Tuesday for the third consecutive month despite slowing growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

Investor sentiment in Germany is at its lowest level in five months after weaker-than-expected growth in the first quarter begins to deflate exaggerated expectations for Europe's biggest economy, data showed on Tuesday.

Britain's annual inflation rate sank into negative territory last month for the first time in more than half a century, official data showed on Tuesday.

Greece on Monday entered the final stretch of tortuous talks with its international creditors on a bankruptcy-saving loan deal, with the government calling for a breakthrough by the end of the month.

Vodafone's annual net profits slumped dramatically but the performance was skewed by the sale of its stake in Verizon Wireless, the British company said Tuesday.

Only a fourth of the world's workforce have stable contracts, leading to growing job insecurity, a UN report said Tuesday.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba on Monday denounced as baseless a lawsuit by French apparel company Kering Group, whose luxury brands include Gucci, which accused it of selling fake products.

The finance ministry, seeking to speed up deals with outside investors, is set to take full control of the oversight of more than $40

As China's economy slows and Beijing becomes more relaxed about letting its companies fail, a rising number of foreign bondholders risk being caught up in the country's unpredictable court system.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on South Korea to be a "leading partner" in his country's economic modernisation as he talked up investment opportunities at the start of a two-day visit Monday.

Toyota City stands as a testament to the meteoric rise of its namesake, now the world's biggest carmaker with record profits and sales of more than 10 million cars globally last year.

After ping pong tables, motivational posters and casual dress codes, India's tech start-ups are following Silicon Valley's lead and embracing the "fail fast" culture credited with fuelling creativity and success in the United States.

Punjab province is set to launch an innovation for water-short Pakistan: Solar-powered ATMs that dispense clean water when a smart card is scanned.

Multiple Chinese economic indicators missed expectations Wednesday, with consumption and investment growth figures falling to multi-year lows, underlining sluggish momentum in the world's second-largest economy.