The heads of Sweden's largest companies, including clothing giant H&M and telecoms maker Ericsson, denounced Friday deportations of highly-skilled workers as the nation's technology sector suffers a shortage of staff. 

European stock prices pushed higher at the start of trading on Friday, buoyed by solid gains on Wall Street and a largely positive session in Asia. 

The good news keeps coming for the French economy: data published Thursday showed unemployment at its lowest level since 2009 while the head of the IMF praised recent reforms by President Emmanuel Macron.

Iran has raised bank deposit rates and frozen the accounts of hundreds of foreign exchange dealers in a bid to shore up the value of the rial, reports said Thursday.

Hong Kong stocks ended the Year of the Rooster leading a rally across Asian markets Thursday and extending a rebound from last week's turmoil, as investors tracked a strong lead from Wall Street.

A key US inflation reading showed prices shot up in January, sending Treasury yields rising and fanning expectations the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates at a sharper pace then expected a few months ago.

European stock markets tumbled into the red on Wednesday, as higher-than-expected U.S. inflation data fed speculation that U.S. borrowing costs will be ramped up very soon. 

U.S. consumer inflation jumped sharply in the first month of 2018 with one key measure posting its highest increase in a year, the government reported Wednesday.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Wednesday called for Britain to completely throw off EU rules and to view Brexit as an opportunity, while refusing to deny he might quit if the government chose a different path.

Analysts said Wednesday that Europe's largest economy Germany will likely maintain or pick up its pace of growth this year, after booking a 0.6-percent expansion between October and December.

Ryanair said Tuesday it slashed airfares to Catalonia to continue filling its planes, blaming the secession crisis for keeping visitors away.