Asian markets fell Friday as investors took a breather following a strong week for global equities as Joe Biden took up residence in the White House, though there are concerns about the outlook for his new stimulus proposal.

Iran's capital and major cities plunged into darkness in recent weeks as rolling outages left millions without electricity for hours. Traffic lights died. Offices went dark. Online classes stopped.

With toxic smog blanketing Tehran skies and the country buckling under the pandemic and other mounting crises, social media has been rife with speculation. Soon, fingers pointed at an unlikely culprit: Bitcoin.

A former head of the Vatican bank, Angelo Caloia, was on Thursday found guilty of embezzlement and money laundering and sentenced to eight years, 11 months in prison.

It was the first ever jail sentence issued by a Vatican state court in relation to financial crimes -- a milestone in Pope Francis' ongoing efforts to clean up Vatican governance.  

While Google has reached a deal with French dailies on compensating them for "neighboring rights", the internet giant has piqued the anger of the Australian government while signing up publishers in several countries to its new news scheme.

Here is a look at the situation.

European stock markets lost steam Thursday and slid lower following a meeting by directors of the European Central Bank (ECB).

In New York, the Dow Jones index dipped as investors mulled mixed economic data on housing and jobs.

Asian and European markets welcomed Joe Biden's first day as US president with broad gains Thursday as investors looked forward with optimism about his economic and Covid-19 recovery plans.

Asian investors pushed markets higher again Wednesday as they await the swearing-in of Joe Biden, while they have taken heart from comments by Treasury nominee Janet Yellen as she looks to push through the new president's stimulus proposals.

Eurozone banks further tightened conditions for approving loans in the fourth quarter of 2020, a European Central Bank survey showed Tuesday, as a resurgence of Covid-19 clouded the outlook.

Optimism about the global economic recovery and vaccine rollouts trumped ongoing concerns about soaring virus infections Tuesday with most Asian markets clocking up big gains.

Cyprus went from record tourist arrivals in 2019 to one of its worst ever years, with visitor numbers plunging 84 percent amid Covid-19 restrictions, official data showed Monday.