Greece has begun tough negotiations with its creditors as hopes rise that a make-or-break meeting next week could reach a deal on the new government's demands to overhaul its huge international bailout.

The technical talks in Brussels Friday came a day after Greece's anti-austerity Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras laid out his plans to sceptical counterparts including German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his first European summit.

Two popular taxi-booking apps backed by Chinese tech behemoths Alibaba and Tencent announced Saturday they would merge to create a new company reportedly valued at $6 billion.

Kuaidi Dache -- part-owned by Alibaba -- and Didi Dache -- backed by Tencent -- together control 99 percent of China's domestic market for booking taxis by smartphone, with apps developed along similar lines to San Francisco-based Uber.

Since the 1970s, the renewable energy sector has usually trembled each time oil goes through the "bust" phase of the commodity cycle.

When crude was dear, users became interested in wind, solar and hydro.

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.