Emirates Airline, which was scheduled to launch what it called the world's longest non-stop flight this month  between Dubai and Panama City, said Wednesday it was postponing those plans for around a year.

The launch, which had been slated for March 31, will now occur in late 2016 or early 2017 due to "operational factors," the Dubai airline said in a statement released in Panama.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he had sealed a pact with the country's oil majors to freeze production as proposed last month by Moscow and Saudi Arabia to curb slumping prices. 

Oil prices fell Wednesday as traders awaited the release of U.S. crude inventory data, which are expected to show a further rise in stockpiles.

At around 1100 GMT, the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in April slid 74 cents to stand at $33.66 a barrel. 

Australia's economy strengthened last year supported by consumer and government spending, data showed Wednesday, with the better-than-expected figures raising hopes the resources-dependent nation is emerging out of a recent slump.

Economic growth expanded by 0.6 percent in October to December to take the annual rate of expansion to a surprise 3.0 percent, figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed.

"If you don't die by yourself, we'll help you," threaten the phone messages that Natalya, a 69-year-old Russian pensioner, has been receiving for months after falling further behind on her credit card payments.

Resorting to harassment and threats of violence, debt collectors sent out by banks to recover money have become notorious in Russia and, many complain, usually face no punishment.

An Emirates Airbus A380 touched down in New Zealand on Wednesday, completing what is believed to be the world's longest non-stop scheduled commercial flight.

The service from Dubai to Auckland covered 14,200 kilometers (8,824 miles), according to industry website airwaysnews.com, pipping Qantas' 13,800-kilometer Sydney-Dallas route launched in 2014.

Ratings agency Moody's on Wednesday cut its outlook on China's sovereign bonds from stable to negative, warning of increasing government debt and further capital outflows and questioning Beijing's ability to implement economic reforms.

The Chinese government's fiscal strength has weakened with borrowing increasing across the economy and financial system and stress mounting in state-owned enterprises, Moody's Investors Service said in a statement.

Iraq's oil exports and revenue dipped in February compared with the previous month as low global crude prices offered Baghdad no financial respite, a statement said on Tuesday.

Iraq's federal government exported a total of 93,536,000 barrels of crude last month, which amounts to a lower daily average than January, the oil ministry said.

German unemployment remained at current historic lows in February despite a massive influx of refugees, as the recovery in Europe's biggest economy remains on track, data showed on Tuesday. 

The unemployment rate -- which measures the jobless total against the working population as a whole -- stood at 6.2 percent in February, unchanged from January. 

Troubled renewable energy giant Abengoa on Tuesday posted a full-year loss of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3) for 2015, a month after unveiling plans to avoid becoming one of Spain's biggest bankruptcies. 

The Seville-based company reported the loss a year after posting a net profit of 125 million euros, an increase of 24 percent compared with that of 2013.