Sterling slid Wednesday on a report that a Brexit deal might be impossible unless the UK government budges from its stance, dealers said.

China said Tuesday there was "no difference" with the United States on reaching a trade agreement, amid scepticism over what US President Donald Trump has called a "substantial phase one" deal.

Asian markets mostly rose but investor caution returned as the optimism fanned by Donald Trump's much-vaunted China trade deal wore off, while the pound was boosted by a report saying a Brexit deal was taking shape.

Bangladesh's already congested capital Dhaka was further disrupted Monday as thousands of Uber drivers went on strike in the city of 20 million, demanding a cut in the commission they pay to the global ridesharing giant.

Total has agreed to buy a 37.4 percent stake in India's Adani Gas, the two firms said Monday, with the French giant spending $600 million to expand its access to the energy-hungry country.

Nigeria's customs chief on Monday said a ban on goods coming into the country across its land borders will last as long as it takes for neighbors to stem the flow of smuggled merchandise. 

Asian investors on Monday cheered a partial trade deal between China and the United States, sending regional markets rallying, though observers were sceptical about the overall significance of the agreement.

Energy superpowers Saudi Arabia and Russia on Monday signed a key deal to bolster cooperation among the world's oil giants, as visiting President Vladimir Putin sought to defuse political tensions in the Gulf.

Iran has discovered a gas field near the Gulf with enough reserves to supply the capital for 16 years, state media reported on Sunday.

Betty Johnson, who has worked on General Motors assembly lines in Michigan and Tennessee for more than 34 years, said she knew a strike by the United Auto Workers union would mean personal sacrifice.