Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday called for regional connectivity and cooperation to boost economic growth and stability in the south Asian region.

On a two-day state visit to Pakistan which culminated on Saturday, Rouhani met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and held talks on matters of mutual interest including more connectivity between the two countries and a shared role to bring stability in the region.

For decades, Hong Kong thrived as an Asian business hub thanks to its killer combination of Western freedoms, independent courts and closeness to mainland China's booming market. Now political and economic ills from the mainland are eroding that edge.

Swedish-Chinese author Gui Minhai was counting on Hong Kong's freedoms when he chose the city as the base for the publishing empire he has built up over the past decade, churning out exposes on elite Chinese politics that were snapped up by visitors from mainland China, where they are prohibited.

It's early morning and the sun shines down on a line of cars in southern Spain waiting to cross into Britain... or rather its overseas territory Gibraltar where a potential Brexit has set alarm bells clanging.

Miles away from the debate gripping Britain over whether to leave or stay in the European Union, this rocky outcrop of 33,000 residents where fish and chips and double-decker buses are a fixture is nevertheless eyeing June's upcoming referendum with increasing alarm.

Pakistan and Iran agreed on Friday to enhance economic ties and open two more border crossings to increase trade, the government said.

After struggling in the final three months of 2015, the U.S. economy is thought to be rebounding in the current quarter, though not as strongly as most analysts had once expected.

On Friday, when the Commerce Department issues its third and final estimate of growth for the October-December quarter, it's expected to say the economy expanded at a 1 percent annual rate. That would be the same estimate it made a month ago and would amount to just half the 2 percent annual growth in the July-September period.

Helicopters dropping money in the streets: it's a vivid metaphor for a drastic form of central bank stimulus that is gaining attention as a possible way to help the global economy out of its malaise.

The idea of "helicopter money" is straightforward: central banks would create new cash and give it to people, like an air drop of supplies. As people spend or invest it, economic growth and inflation would rise.

The dollar rose against the yen and euro Friday in Asia, boosted by growing speculation the Federal Reserve will lift interest rates again soon after a pick-up across world markets over the past month.

After the sharp sell-off across assets in January and February, world stock indexes have enjoyed a rally in March boosted by a series of monetary easing measures by central banks from Asia to the Americas.

ANZ Bank Thursday warned sour loans will cost it at least A$900 million in the first-half, and analysts warned of more trouble ahead as slumping commodity prices squeeze Australia's resources companies.

The bank said weakness in the mining and energy sectors means it now expects bad debts to cost A$100 million ($75 million) more in the first half of the financial year than it did last month.

Asian shares dropped on Thursday, with energy stocks taking a hammering from a slide in oil prices while a stronger dollar piled pressure on commodity producers. 

Energy stocks dragged Wall Street and European equities lower on Wednesday after U.S. oil prices dipped below $40 a barrel for the first time in five sessions.

Brazil's unemployment rate hit 8.2 percent last month, the highest level for February since 2009, official data said Wednesday, as the country struggles through twin political and economic crises.

Latin America's largest economy is mired in a deep recession and weighed down by political uncertainty as President Dilma Rousseff faces impeachment proceedings and the fallout of a massive corruption scandal.