German heavy industry giant ThyssenKrupp said Friday it got off to a good start to the year and returned to profit in the first three months. 

ThyssenKrupp, which runs its business year from October to September, said in a statement that it swung to net profit of 50 million euros ($57 million) in the three months to December from a loss of 65 million euros a year earlier.

Under the patronage Prime Minister, Tamam Salam, the Ministry of Tourism launched on Wednesday its new initiative, “Rural Tourism Strategy for Lebanon” at the Grand Serial and in the presence of Minister of Tourism, Michel Pharaon, Minister of Environment, Mohammad al-Machnouq, Minister of Information, Ramzi Jreij, Minister of Youth and Sports, Abdul Motleb al-Hennawi and Minister of Culture, Raymond Araiji.

Following the Lebanese national anthem and opening remarks, a short video was screened under the theme of “Live Love Lebanon,” featuring vibrant snapshots of Lebanon’s natural scenery taken by ordinary Lebanese citizens.

Asian markets mostly rose Friday after European leaders and Russia agreed a plan to end Ukraine's 10-month war, while confidence Greece would reach a debt overhaul deal with its creditors boosted the euro.

The upbeat outlook for both of the crises plaguing Europe provided a catalyst for an equities rally in Europe and the United States, a mantle picked up in bourses across Asia.

Canada asked the World Trade Organization on Thursday to arbitrate an ongoing trade row with China over its imposition of punitive tariffs on bleached wood pulp.

Trade Minister Ed Fast said an investigation China had carried out into Canada selling the forestry product at slashed prices was flawed, so the Asian country's reaction to restrict Canadian imports was unwarranted.

It's another "troika" bound up in Greece's debt drama, with their own set of torments.

The three Greek reporters assigned to the International Monetary Fund in Washington are supposed to cover dispassionately what the Fund says.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem agreed Thursday to renew efforts to resolve a bitter row over extending Greece's current bailout after talks overnight collapsed acrimoniously.

The breakthrough was made on the sidelines of an European Union summit and comes after talks Wednesday between Greek Finance Minister Yaris Varoufakis and his 18 eurozone counterparts ended without an accord after six tense hours.

The Venezuelan government's bank accounts at the Swiss division of HSBC, which were revealed in the "SwissLeaks" scandal, are "totally transparent," said the South American country's economy minister.

Venezuela ranked third among the countries with the largest dollar amounts in the leaked Swiss files, behind Switzerland and Britain, journalists with access to the secret documents said at the weekend.

The International Monetary Fund and conflict-torn Ukraine have reached a preliminary deal on a new financial rescue plan worth $17.5 billion that could be a "turning point" for Kiev, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Thursday.

In total, Ukraine will receive $40 billion (35 billion euros) in assistance over four years coupled with bilateral loans from other sources, Lagarde said, helping to stabilize Kiev's finances after 10 months of conflict in the east.

A former HSBC employee who leaked documents alleging the bank helped wealthy customers dodge tax said Wednesday he had tried to alert British authorities about evasion in 2008.

The leaks about the Swiss arm of Britain's largest bank have caused shockwaves across the world and sparked a political furore in London.

Inflation in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, dipped into negative territory in January for the first time in five years, largely due to lower energy prices, data showed on Thursday.

The annual rate of inflation in Germany stood at -0.4 percent last month, the federal statistics office, Destatis, calculated in final data.