A government minister on Friday said Japan had to decide on its participation in a huge Pacific-wide free trade deal before national polls, in what could be an early salvo in the election campaign.
French shoemaker Christian Louboutin can trademark his famous red soles, a US court ruled Wednesday, reversing a ruling that would have allowed rival Yves Saint Laurent to paint its outsoles scarlet.
The United States welcomed Friday a deal to cut tariffs on dozens of "green" products in the Asia-Pacific, saying it would boost the region's economies as well as help protect the environment.
Asia-Pacific leaders gather in Russia's far east this weekend for talks aimed at promoting trade but territorial disputes and other regional tensions may cloud the event.
Iraq insisted on Monday that its trade with neighbouring Iran was above board, and denied reports that it was helping the Islamic republic skirt sanctions by smuggling oil and secretly moving cash.
Global commodity markets mainly fell in subdued trade this week as investors expressed disappointment at the lack of central bank action to kick-start the struggling global economy.
UN negotiations to draft the first international treaty on the multi-billion-dollar arms trade have ended without a deal, with some diplomats blaming the US for the deadlock.
A host of EU solar makers haved called on the European Commission to probe alleged dumping practices by its Chinese rivals, as Beijing warned an investigation could trigger a trade war.
Global policing body Interpol announced Tuesday a pioneering initiative to crack down on trade in fake goods, using an app developed with the help of search giant Google.
An EU scheme to boost trade with developing nations is fuelling land grabs in Cambodia, activists say, with thousands evicted from their property to make way for a booming sugar industry.