Talks between the United States and Canada will continue Friday after the two sides made "good progress" in their effort to rewrite NAFTA, as Washington was poised for a possible escalation in its trade war with China.

Discussions with Canada -- the largest US trading partner -- seem to be on track to agree on a rewrite of the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. Washington has already reached a new deal with Mexico.

Britain's Brexit negotiator met his EU counterpart on Thursday as Brussels and London scramble to reconcile divorce demands ahead of next month's summit deadline.

Britain's energy watchdog on Thursday proposed a temporary price cap on gas and electricity that could benefit 11 million households, notably the most vulnerable exposed to excessive cost hikes.

Hiring by U.S. companies slowed sharply in August dropping far more than economists expected, with moderation in manufacturing and services, payrolls firm ADP said Wednesday.

President Donald Trump's trade policy faces a key crossroads on Thursday, as officials try to reach a deal with Canada, and he will decide whether to impose a huge wave of new tariffs on China.

Japanese car giant Toyota on Wednesday recalled more than one million hybrid cars globally due to a technical problem which could in the worst case cause a fire in the vehicles. 

Ambitious action on climate change could contribute an extra $26 trillion to the world economy by 2030, international experts said on Wednesday, urging nations and businesses to step up their engagement. 

German carmaker Opel on Wednesday said it planned to shift some 2,000 jobs at its historic Ruesselsheim research and development hub to French engineering group Segula Technologies, in a bid to avoid job cuts under a major turnaround plan.

Stocks tumbled Wednesday on growing concerns about emerging market economies, adding to the uncertainty stoked by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade rows with China and Canada.

French banking giant Societe Generale said Tuesday it expects to pay 1.1 billion euros ($1.27 billion) in fines to settle a dispute with US authorities over allegations that it violated sanctions, particularly in Iran.

In a statement, France's second-biggest bank said it expects to be able to cover the cost with provisions set aside for the dispute.