The US Senate narrowly passed a 2018 federal budget Thursday, clearing the way for President Donald Trump's controversial tax overhaul that includes $1.5 trillion in tax cuts.

German industrial conglomerate Siemens plans to slash thousands of jobs in its power and gas division hit by a drop in orders, a German magazine report said Thursday.

Nissan said Thursday it was suspending all production destined for the local market, as Japan's number-two automaker grapples with a mounting inspection scandal that has already seen it recall some 1.2 million vehicles.

Start-up company Northvolt said Thursday it had picked its home country Sweden to build Europe's biggest factory for electric car batteries, rivaling Tesla's American "Gigafactory".

China's economy slowed marginally in the third quarter but is well on course to beat the government's annual target, cementing Xi Jinping's standing as he prepares to be handed a second term in power at a key Communist Party conclave.

Saudi budget carrier flynas on Wednesday made the first commercial flight from Riyadh to Baghdad since 1990, as ties with neighboring Iraq show signs of improvement.

European stock markets advanced solidly Wednesday as Wall Street set new all-time highs, although Madrid lagged after Spain threatened to suspend Catalonia's autonomy.

The Tokyo stock market might be riding two-decade highs, but a growing number of Japanese are choosing to stash their cash in the humble home safe, wary of negative interest rates in the bank and out of the view of eagle-eyed tax officials.

It's the prize of a lifetime -- a $5 billion investment creating 50,000 well-paid jobs that everyone wants, but only one US city will get.

Tourism activity in Catalonia, Spain's most visited region, has dropped by around 15 percent since a contested independence referendum on October 1 that was marred by violence, an industry lobby group said Tuesday.