A freight train loaded with Chinese goods worth 3 million U.S. dollars left Dalian, a port city in northeast China's Liaoning Province Friday, heading for Bratislava in Slovakia.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday asked for "calm" in the wake of the decision taken by the Catalan Parliament to proclaim the independence of the region.

The Russian central bank Friday lowered its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 8.5 percent for the fifth time this year with inflation and economic growth levels close to the target.

Over 2,000 foreign nationals have returned to their countries from Greece with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) which assisted with the voluntary return and reintegration programs, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Thursday.