Egypt is building a major water treatment and desalination plant, the president said Monday, as the Nile-dependent nation plans for any fallout from an upstream dam being built by Ethiopia.

Germany's powerful metalworkers' union launched mass strikes Monday over pay and working hours that could impact a key industry and the shape of labor nationwide.

Competitiveness, innovation, startups … France has more than one string to her bow and has reclaimed its appeal to global business leaders.

Most Asian markets rose on Monday following yet more records on Wall Street but Hong Kong turned lower after nine days of gains.

From clampdowns to a warm embrace, regulators in Asia have taken very different approaches to dealing with the bitcoin phenomenon. Here are the developments in a few key markets: 

- Chinese clampdown -In mid-September, China's central bank, the People's Bank of China (PBOC), told virtual currency trading platforms based in Beijing and Shanghai to cease market operations.

The U.S. economy's job creation ability disappointed in December, despite solid hiring in manufacturing and construction, according to government data.

Canada's trade deficit rose to Can$2.5 billion (US$1.7 billion) in November on the back of the sharpest rise in imports in more than eight years, the government statistics office has said.

Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it had boosted stipends and benefits for citizens to cushion the impact of economic reforms including the kingdom's first ever taxes after an oil price slump.

Most working Saudi Arabians are employed by the state and, like nationals in other energy-flush Gulf monarchies, have long benefited from a generous welfare system.

A "debt clock" in Berlin, run by German tax lobbyists to shame the government into reining in spending, is falling for the first time in its 22-year history.

Angry Sudanese queued outside bakeries in Khartoum on Friday as bread prices doubled overnight, with bakers blaming a government decision to stop importing wheat.