U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed that their countries are ready to work together again, after a diplomatic drama surrounding a submarine deal that put the relationship at a historic low.

Harris met with Macron on Wednesday evening at the Elysee presidential palace, as part of a weeks-long effort by Washington to mend relations with France, America's oldest ally.

A top European Union court on Wednesday rejected Google's appeal of a 2.4 billion euro ($2.8 billion) fine from regulators who found the tech giant abused its massive online reach by giving its own shopping recommendations an illegal advantage in search results.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's top competition watchdog, punished Google in 2017 for unfairly directing visitors to its own shopping service, Google Shopping, to the detriment of competitors. The EU's General Court dismissed Google's appeal of that antitrust penalty and upheld the fine.

The Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) has announced a US$ 18 million contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in support of its core resources for 2021 and 2022.

The total contribution of US$ 18 million will be disbursed in multiple tranches, with US$ 10 million in 2021 and US$ 8 million in 2022.

The storied American company General Electric will divide itself into three public companies focused on aviation, healthcare and energy.

The company, founded in 1892, has refashioned itself in recent years from the sprawling conglomerate created by Jack Welch in the 1980s to a much smaller and focused entity. It was heavily damaged by the financial crisis.

Nissan reported a profit for the July-September quarter, managing to reverse earlier losses despite challenges that include shortages of computer chips and rising costs for materials.

The 54.1 billion yen ($479 million) profit for the last quarter compared with a 44 billion yen loss racked up in the same period of 2020.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris landed in Paris on Tuesday at the start of a four-day visit and charm offensive aimed at shoring up the U.S. relationship with France, America's oldest ally.

Washington's relations with Paris hit a historic low this year after a U.S.-British submarine deal with Australia scuttled a French deal to sell subs to the Australian navy.

U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will have a rare virtual encounter this week as they gather online with other Pacific Rim leaders to chart a path to recovery out of the crisis brought on by the pandemic.

New Zealand is hosting this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which culminates in a leader's meeting on Saturday. Continued outbreaks of the coronavirus and related travel restrictions have confined the meeting to the virtual realm for a second straight year.

From the front porch of their cinderblock home, Garry and Amanda James gaze over Dubai's soaring skyscrapers and massive malls.

It's a skyline that in their young days had seemed impossibly far off. Outside Amanda's childhood home in the same spot three decades ago were just miles of empty desert.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati confirmed Monday that the parliamentary polls will be held before May 21st. "No one can prevent the holding of elections,” he affirmed.

He also said that the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund are “on the right track,” and that the World Bank is “fully cooperating.”

Global stock markets and Wall Street futures declined Monday after stronger U.S. hiring and a double-digit rise in Chinese exports.

London and Frankfurt opened lower. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney declined while Shanghai advanced.