Russian inflation fell to 5.4 percent in 2016, the lowest annual rate since the collapse of the Soviet Union a quarter century ago, a preliminary estimate from the Rosstat national statistics agency showed Friday.

The previous record for the lowest annual inflation rate was in 2011, when consumer prices rose by 6.1 percent.

Beijing has pledged to open up more economic sectors to foreign investment, an official statement said, as foreign chambers of commerce complain of a worsening business environment in the country.

The world's highest bridge has opened to traffic in China, connecting two provinces in the mountainous southwest and reducing travel times by as much as three-quarters, local authorities said Friday.

The Beipanjiang Bridge soars 565 metres (1,854 feet) above a river and connects the two mountainous provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, the Guizhou provincial transport department said in a statement on its official website.

A deadline for Indians to deposit invalid rupee notes at banks closes on Friday as attention turns towards the potential political ramifications of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold currency shakeup.

South Korea's National Pension Service chief admitted to pressuring the state-run fund to back a controversial merger of two Samsung units, prosecutors said Thursday during a widening probe into a corruption scandal engulfing impeached President Park Geun-Hye.

Toshiba shares plunged by double digits Thursday for a third straight session, as investors dumped the stock on expectations the company will take a massive loss on its U.S. nuclear business.

Handing out multibillion-dollar fines right and left to domestic and foreign financial giants, the United States has taken on the role of the unforgiving global cop of the business world.

In stark contrast to the relative inertia of white-collar law enforcement in Europe, Washington most recently brought the hammer down on Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, which sold junk-filled, mortgage-backed securities ahead of the 2008 financial meltdown.

Dubai's Emirates said Thursday it has reached an agreement with Rolls-Royce over a "technical issue" relating to the engines of Airbus's A380 superjumbo, and confirmed receiving one plane this week.

London's stock market hit Wednesday its highest ever closing level, buoyed by strong performers in the energy and mining sectors and general optimism for the new year.

Kuwait is set to begin importing up to 200 million cubic feet of gas daily from neighboring Iraq, oil ministers from the two Arab nations said after talks on Wednesday.