Eurozone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund struck a deal early Saturday to bail out Cyprus with aid of up to 10 billion euros, diplomats said after some 10 hours of talks.

Eurozone finance ministers thrashed out a bailout for Cyprus late on Friday, edging towards a new and reduced framework for a fifth member state in the three-year debt crisis.

US Treasury sanctions chief David Cohen will travel to Asia next week to discuss the implementation of sanctions against North Korea and Iran, the Treasury Department said Friday.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will press Beijing on cybersecurity issues when he meets with China's new leadership next week, a senior US administration official said Friday.

Europe's main stock markets fell on Friday in downbeat pre-weekend trading before the outcome of a major eurozone ministers meeting aiming to agree a bailout for the Cyprus government, dealers said.

London shares closed in the red on Friday in downbeat pre-weekend deals before the outcome of a major eurozone ministers meeting that seeks to agree a bailout for the Cyprus government.

Japan's hard-charging prime minister on Friday said he wanted in on talks to forge a huge trade pact, the latest bold move from a man who says he is determined to lick the frail economy into shape.

Europe's main stock markets fell on Friday in downbeat pre-weekend deals before the outcome of a major eurozone ministers meeting that seeks to agree a bailout for the Cyprus government, dealers said.

Spain's public debt hit a new record of 84.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of 2012, owing to increases both at the federal level and that of the country's 17 autonomous regions, official data released on Friday showed.

Europe's main stock markets fell on Friday in downbeat pre-weekend deals before the outcome of a major European Union summit that seeks to agree a bailout for the Cyprus government, dealers said.

Asian markets were mixed on Friday following another strong lead from Wall Street, where traders took heart from more upbeat US jobs numbers.

Inflation in the 17-nation eurozone fell sharply in February to 1.8 percent, putting it below the European Central Bank's target rate for the first time in more than two years, official data showed on Friday.

Japan's hard-charging prime minister got his pick installed as central bank chief Friday, then readied to tackle the powerful farming lobby by committing the world's number three economy to pan-Pacific trade talks.

Eurozone veteran Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday that Eurogroup finance ministers meeting later in the day must agree on a bailout for the near-bankrupt Cyprus government.

Japan's parliament on Friday approved a new central bank management team that is widely expected to support the government's demands for more action to stoke the world's third-biggest economy.

European Union leaders wrestled with German demands for strict austerity and a French-Italian push for growth-friendly spending at a summit coloured by fears that rampant unemployment is destroying the bloc, and clouded by a bailout for Cyprus.

Japan's parliament on Friday confirmed the appointment of Haruhiko Kuroda as Bank of Japan governor, with the new central bank chief expected to launch aggressive easing to stoke the economy.

Outgoing Italian premier Mario Monti urged EU partners on Thursday to grant Italy and other countries facing pressures on public finances leeway to spend for jobs -- or face a voter backlash as he did last month.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Thursday that he was not worried about a potential financial bubble forming as Wall Street stocks racked up record highs.

The Federal Reserve on Thursday cited weaknesses in the capital programs of top banks Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, raising questions about their plans for dividends and share buybacks to reward investors.