Kuwait on Wednesday inked a $2.93 billion contract with three South Korean firms for the construction of the largest Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import facility in the oil-rich country.

The concept of "helicopter money" where the European Central Bank would print and hand out cash directly to eurozone citizens "is not currently part of the discussion" on the ECB's governing council, a top official said on Wednesday. 

The emirate of Dubai, whose airport is the world's busiest for international passengers, announced Wednesday it was introducing a tax on travelers to help finance expansion, as Gulf governments grapple with plummeting revenues.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned Wednesday that the excessive use of economic sanctions could weaken the role of the United States and the dollar on global markets.

"Sanctions should not be used lightly," Lew said in a speech in Washington.

The brutal five-year conflict in Syria has cost the country over $200 billion (176 billion euros), President Bashar Assad said in an interview released Wednesday, insisting Damascus would look to Russia, China and Iran to rebuild the nation. 

It took a century for Sharp to evolve from making pencils into one of the world's top consumer electronics brands, but the Japanese company has now signalled another huge shift: it will become Taiwanese.

Two of China's biggest banks on Wednesday announced slight increases in 2015 net profits, but warned of growing risks from bad loans as the world's second largest economy slows. 

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) eked out a 0.48 percent rise in net profit to 277.13 billion yuan ($43 billion), it said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange where it is listed.

If Britain exits the European Union it will have a negative impact on the British, European and world economies, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned Tuesday.

Britons are set to vote in a crucial referendum on June 23 to decide whether to back a so-called Brexit -- or exit from the European Union.

The dollar extended its losses in Asia on Wednesday after Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen stuck to a dovish stance on monetary policy, citing ongoing concerns about the global economy.

Yellen signaled U.S. interest rates were unlikely to rise before June, and that when the central bank does tighten policy, it will be slow and gradual. 

Britain's defense minister said on Tuesday that a deal to sell Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes to Qatar was "definitely still on the table."