
The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday in a nod to concerns about a weak world economy, but left open the possibility of a modest policy tightening later this year. In what amounted to a tactical retreat, the US central bank said an array of global risks and other factors had convinced it to delay what would have been the first rate hike in nearly a decade.

Consumer prices in the United States fell in August as petrol prices dropped and a strong dollar curbed the cost of goods, the US Department of Labor has said. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) slipped 0.1% last month, the first decline since January. But in the 12 months to August, the CPI rose 0.2% after a similar gain in July.

US Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush has picked the UK's former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, as his choice for the face of the $10 bill. The former Florida governor made the surprise suggestion during a televised debate for the top Republicans vying for the presidential nomination.

The US Federal Reserve must be certain that the job market and inflation are strong enough to justify raising interest rates, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said after a G20 meeting focused on the pressure the increase might place on the global economy.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump has bowed to pressure from the party establishment and signed a pledge not to run as an independent candidate in the November 2016 presidential election.

United States inflation will likely rebound as pressure from the dollar fades, allowing the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates gradually, Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said on Saturday in a speech careful not to overreact to a possible Chinese slowdown.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday is proposing a faster timetable for buying a new heavy icebreaker for the U.S. Arctic, where quickly melting sea ice has spurred more maritime traffic, and the United States has fallen far behind Russian resources.

Shares rise and oil prices jumped 9% after revised figures showed the US economy grew by far more than had been thought between April and June. The economy grew by an annualized rate of 3.7%, up from the first estimate of 2.3%. Growth of 0.6% in the first three months of the year was not revised.

The US has announced sanctions against four alleged members of Colombia's Farc rebel group, accusing them of drug trafficking and money laundering. The four men used a shop in Switzerland as a front for their activities, the US treasury department said. It says the Farc still use drugs to fund their “ruthless operation”.

Shares on Wall Street finished with their biggest rise in four years ending another rocky day of trading on global markets. The mood was lifted by comments from US Federal Reserve official William Dudley that a rate rise in September seemed less compelling.