China and Russia have vowed ever closer economic ties despite disapproval from the West that promised to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The United Kingdom (UK) and Switzerland have inked a landmark post-Brexit financial services deal on Thursday.

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has successfully secured registration with France's financial markets regulator, paving the way for the US-based company to offer crypto services in the French market.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has issued decrees granting the government to seize and forcibly sell multi-billion-dollar energy assets from European companies considered "unfriendly" to new state-approved owners.

The central bank of Hungary is expected to press ahead with monetary easing in 2024 due to the sharp drop in inflation last month.

Following a series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Iranian-backed Houthi militants, shipping giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have rerouted their vessels, opting for the longer Cape of Good Hope route in South Africa.

As foreign aid starts to dry up, a top Ukrainian commander said Ukraine had to downsize its military operations in the war with Russia.

Oil giant British Petroleum (BP) has temporarily halted all its tanker transits via the Red Sea after attacks on ships by Iranian-backed Houthi militants based in Yemen escalated.

Shipping giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have temporarily suspended their container ship travel through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Middle East, citing security risks.

China has reportedly recorded its fastest industrial expansion since February 2022 in November. China has reportedly recorded its fastest industrial expansion since February 2022 in November, which signals a complex recovery in the world's second-largest economy.