German industrial production lost some momentum in December, but not enough to cloud the generally bright outlook for Europe's largest economy, official data showed Wednesday.

Panic gripped trading floors across the world on Tuesday, with Asia and Europe plunging after record-breaking losses on Wall Street, as investors fretted over the prospect of rising US interest rates and took profits following months of markets euphoria.

The White House said Monday that President Donald Trump was focused on the long-term health of the economy, claiming the fundamentals were "exceptionally strong," despite a strong market sell-off.

Venezuela's languishing currency, the bolivar, has officially slid 86.6 percent against the euro according to a new auction of the European currency by Venezuela's central bank, whose result was given Monday.

Bitcoin plunged 20 percent to a three-month low on Tuesday, its latest sharp loss following a series of setbacks for the cryptocurrency that, with a collapse across global mainstream markets adding to the selling.

The virtual currency fell to $6,190 for the first time since mid-November, according to Bloomberg News, and represents the latest hammering for a unit that saw a stratospheric 26-fold rise last year.

Singapore-based computer chip maker Broadcom stepped up its battle for rival Qualcomm on Monday, tabling a higher price in what it said is its final bid for the major maker of chips for mobile phones.

Broadcom said it was offering the equivalent of $82 per Qualcomm share, up from an original price of $70 per share in November.

Sudan's central bank Sunday announced it will devalue the local currency to 30 Sudanese pounds against the U.S. dollar, the second such move in weeks amid soaring inflation.

Dubai airport was the world's busiest for international passengers in 2017 for the fourth year running, with 88.2 million travellers, the United Arab Emirates' state news agency WAM said Monday.

The "skyrocketing" costs of expanding airport infrastructure must be controlled to keep flight tickets affordable, the boss of airline industry group IATA warned Monday.

In an industry upended by the changing play habits of tech-savvy kids, German toymakers are pinning their hopes for growth on traditional, real-world toys -- with a little help from the big screen.