The United States could postpone tariffs on Chinese goods that are scheduled to take effect in December, President Donald Trump's chief trade adviser said Friday, in a sign of a potential progress in fraught negotiations.

The outgoing president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday he believes the US will not impose new tariffs on imported European cars in the coming days.

President Donald Trump's administration has been threatening since last year to impose tariffs on auto imports to defend the US automaking sector, a symbol of American manufacturing.

China and the United States have agreed a plan to remove tariffs imposed on two-way goods in stages, the commerce ministry said Thursday, as negotiators try to hammer out a trade deal.

"In the past two weeks, the negotiation leaders of the two sides have held serious and constructive discussions on properly resolving their core concerns and agreed to roll back the additional tariffs in stages, as progress is made towards a (final) agreement," ministry spokesman Gao Feng said at a press conference.

The shoes are coming off again in Iraq.

In years past, Iraqis have beaten their shoes against portraits of Saddam Hussein in a sign of anger and insult. In 2008, an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at a ducking President George W. Bush during a news conference to vent his outrage at the U.S.-led invasion.

Germany's top court on Tuesday put a cap on how far benefits for uncooperative jobseekers can be slashed, in a blow to the controversial unemployment reforms rammed through by Gerhard Schroeder's government in 2005.

The ongoing trade war between the United States and China is harming both economies, the U.N. said Tuesday, with a sharp drop in exports and higher prices for consumers.

A mounting death toll in Baghdad and across southern Iraq coupled with reimposed internet restrictions sparked concerns on Tuesday that anti-government protests would once again trigger chaos.

From tapping lenders to selling personal assets, Saudis are scrambling to raise cash to invest in Aramco stocks after the oil giant announced its blockbuster market debut even as it offered few listing details.

Hong Kong's economic woes showed no sign of easing Wednesday after a key measure of business confidence fell to its lowest level in more than a decade as the city reels from the global trade war and violent democracy protests.

The United Arab Emirates, a leading OPEC producer, on Monday announced "significant" oil and gas discoveries and launched a new pricing mechanism for Abu Dhabi flagship Murban crude.