The Federal Reserve believes US growth will "step down" this year from last year's rapid pace amid rising global risks, including from tense trade relations, according to minutes released Wednesday.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has wowed the smartphone industry with the first foldable screen, burnishing its innovation credentials, banishing “fast follower” criticism and, at nearly $2,000, setting a new standard in premium pricing.

Alphabet Inc's Google said on Wednesday it had made an “error” in not disclosing that its Nest Secure home security system had a built-in microphone in its devices.

The European Commission added Saudi Arabia, Panama and other jurisdictions to a blacklist of nations that pose a threat to the bloc because of lax controls against terrorism financing and money laundering, the EU executive said on Wednesday.

Decades of bank industry consolidation have weighed on the economies of rural areas as branches and local community banks disappeared and access to financial services declined, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Tuesday, citing meetings of Fed staff held last year in communities where banks had closed.

Amazon.com Inc and General Motors Co are in talks to invest in Rivian Automotive LLC in a deal that would value the US electric pickup truck manufacturer at between $1 billion and $2 billion, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

New Zealand's central bank said Wednesday its interest rate freeze was likely to continue for another two years amid persistent low inflation and a healthy growth outlook.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to announce investments in energy and infrastructure during a visit to India and Pakistan in coming days as part of his efforts to wean the Saudi economy off oil exports.

In America's corporate boardrooms, diversity is making uneven progress: Women increasingly are pulling up a chair while racial and ethnic minorities still rarely get seats at the table.

Bangladeshi textile and garment manufacturers received positive response from international retailers at the Texworld exhibition currently taking place in the French capital, in what can be viewed as further encouragement for the country's apparel exporters.

The board of Renault was poised to cancel as much as 30 million euros ($34 million) in deferred pay and severance to its ousted boss Carlos Ghosn, as directors met on Wednesday to approve its full-year accounts, sources told Reuters.

India's consumer prices rose at a milder pace than anticipated in January and remained below the Reserve Bank of India's target for a sixth straight month, strengthening views it could again cut the key interest rate at its next policy review in April.

Japan's government plans to set up a new watchdog to scrutinize big tech companies like Facebook and Google amid growing concerns about monopoly practices and the handling of personal data.

The global oil market will struggle this year to absorb fast-growing crude supply from outside OPEC, even with the group's production cuts and US sanctions on Venezuela and Iran, the International Energy Agency said in a report on Wednesday.

Britain's economy will barely grow in the run-up to Brexit amid concern the UK will leave the European Union without an agreement, but if there is a deal there will be a modest post-divorce upturn, according to economists polled by Reuters.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday he hopes for “productive” trade meetings in China this week, as the two countries seek to hammer out an agreement amid a festering dispute that has seen both level tariffs at each other.

Apple won back its crown as the most valuable publicly listed US company on Wednesday, ending the session with a market capitalization above recent leaders Microsoft and Amazon.com.

The US trade deficit fell for the first time in six months in November as cheaper oil and higher domestic petroleum production helped to curb the country's import bill, leading economists to boost their economic growth estimates for the fourth quarter.

In June, the High Seas tanker ship loaded up on ethanol in Texas and set off for Asia.

One of the biggest sellers on Amazon.com Inc's India website has returned after the online retail giant changed its business structures to comply with new federal e-commerce curbs that took effect last week, two sources told Reuters.