The host of a fractious Asia-Pacific summit said Friday that "alternative" views on free trade and WTO rules prevented members agreeing a joint communique for the first time ever, five days after the U.S.-China trade row overshadowed the APEC meeting.

In a chairman's statement following last weekend's summit, Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O'Neill said members had been unable to agree on sections concerning reform of the World Trade Organization, and also protectionism.

Retailers aren't just ushering the official start of the holiday season with the usual expanded hours and fat discounts on big TVs and toys.

They're offering new ways for shoppers to get deals online and in the store easier and faster in the age of instant gratification.

Nissan's disgraced former chairman Carlos Ghosn under-reported his income by a total of $71 million -- much more than initially suspected -- Japanese media reported Friday.

Frank Buhler, a leader of the protesters who have barricaded French highways over the past week, aims to color Paris in the movement's trademark yellow on Saturday when rural France takes its fight with President Emmanuel Macron to the capital.

The 53-year-old political activist has called on demonstrators to swarm Paris "on foot, horseback or by car" for the second round Saturday of a battle between centrist President Emmanuel Macron and rebels from the provinces.

China said Thursday that it "cannot accept" Washington's latest accusations of unfair trade practises as the two economic giants exchanged barbs ahead of a key meeting between their presidents later this month.

Asian equities chalked up modest gains Thursday in light trading ahead of the US Thanksgiving holiday, following a rebound in energy and tech stocks on Wall Street.

The Italian economy is forecast to grow 1.3 percent next year, the national statistics agency said Wednesday, below the government's estimate of 1.5 percent included in a big-spending budget rejected by Brussels.

Energy companies suffered further losses on Wednesday following a collapse in oil prices while most Asian markets fell, but with the sharp losses witnessed in the morning being tempered.

Nissan and Mitsubishi shares plunged Tuesday after chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested for alleged financial misconduct, that reportedly included exorbitantly priced houses and diverted compensation.

The two automakers have already said they will propose removing Ghosn, and Renault -- which the titan also heads -- said it would meet later in the day to discuss his fate.

Global wine production rose 13 percent this year, after a catastrophic 2017 which was marked by heatwaves, frosts and hailstorms, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) said Monday.

It said production was estimated at 279 million hectoliters (mhl) this year, "one of the highest since 2000."