Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iraqi counterpart on Monday discussed unpaid bills owed to Russian oil companies because of US sanctions over the Ukraine conflict.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told a Baghdad news conference that he would discuss the issue during a visit to Washington on Wednesday.

Lebanon has been ranked third in food price inflation, according to a study by the World Bank.

Domestic food price inflation remains high around the world. The countries affected most are in Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia, the World Bank said in a statement.

Security forces have arrested a number of notorious money changers who are accused of currency speculation operations in a wave of raids across Lebanon.

The French diplomat charged with coordinating international support for Lebanon, so it can receive International Monetary Fund aid, has criticized the slow pace of reforms in the crisis-hit country.

Mexico was pushed to accelerate its turn toward renewable energy after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year drove a sharp increase in global energy costs, Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said late Thursday.

Ebrard made the comments after taking dozens of foreign diplomats to see a massive new solar energy project near the U.S. border.

Global shares were trading mixed Friday ahead of a closely watched U.S. jobs report that may affect global interest rates.

France's CAC 40 lost 0.7% in early trading to 7,116.31, while Germany's DAX dipped 0.9% to 15,362.64. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.2% to 7,832.20. U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures falling 0.3% to 34,010.00. S&P 500 futures were down nearly 0.9% at 34,010.00.

France is interested in some sectors that are nominated for partial or complete privatization in Lebanon, especially the country’s national carrier Middle East Airlines, a media report said on Friday.

Citing preliminary reports, al-Akhbar newspaper said MEA’s value will be estimated at more than $1 billion and a law to sell around 49% of its shares will be devised.

The Bank of England raised interest rates by half a percentage point Thursday as it sought to tame double-digit inflation that is fueling a cost-of-living crisis, public-sector strikes and fears of recession.

The bank's monetary policy committee voted 7-2 to push its key rate to 4%, approving the 10th consecutive rate increase since a post-pandemic surge in the world economy and Russia's war in Ukraine drove inflation to 40-year highs.

Australia is removing the British monarchy from its bank notes.

The nation's central bank said Thursday its new $5 bill would feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the king is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

For months, the United States has restricted Iraq's access to its own dollars, trying to stamp out what Iraqi officials describe as rampant money laundering that benefits Iran and Syria. Iraq is now feeling the crunch, with a drop in the value of its currency and public anger blowing back against the prime minister.

The exchange rate for the Iraqi dinar has jumped to around 1,750 to the dollar at street exchanges in some parts of the country, compared to the official rate of 1,460 dinars to the dollar.