The US and China's top economic officials agreed by phone Saturday to "continue to communicate" on trade issues, Chinese state media said, as President Donald Trump pledged his escalating trade showdown would get results despite pushback from Europe and Beijing.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed a $1.3 trillion compromise federal spending bill despite being "unhappy" with many of its provisions -- thereby averting what would have been the third government shutdown of 2018.

The United States launched Friday a challenge at the World Trade Organization against China over intellectual property breaches, a statement said.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announced Thursday he would re-value the crisis-wracked country's bolivar currency, cutting three zeroes from current values to combat hyperinflation.

Australia's Commonwealth Bank plans to enter mediation with the country's financial intelligence agency over a major anti-money laundering civil case that could be hugely costly for the lender.

The US Senate passed a $1.3 trillion federal spending bill in dramatic dark-of-night fashion early Friday, overcoming hurdles that threatened to send the government into its third shutdown of 2018.

EU proposals for a digital tax targeting U.S. tech giants could reap rewards for the block and help overcome the hole left by Britain's departure, French President Emmanuel Macron has said.

Growth in eurozone business activity grew at its slowest rate for over a year in March, a key survey showed on Thursday, signalling that the economic recovery in the single currency area's was losing momentum.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said Thursday Europe could still avoid a trade war with the United States by securing an exemption from metals tariffs announced by President Donald Trump.

The dollar extended losses in Asia on Thursday after the Federal Reserve stuck to its target for interest rate hikes this year, but fresh fears of a trade war hit equity markets as Donald Trump prepared fresh sanctions on China.