Petrobras is the jewel in Brazil's crown: Latin America's most valuable enterprise, a $100-billion oil and gas group whose crude output puts the country in the top 10 league globally, rivalling that of many OPEC members.

The International Monetary Fund announced Friday it had reached agreement with Ukraine on economic policies that would unlock a new loan deal that will provide nearly $4 billion.

The crisis surrounding the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and concerns that he may have been killed in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, has highlighted the role of the Middle East kingdom in the U.S. economy, especially in Silicon Valley.

More than 50 European and Asian leaders backed free trade and the fight against climate change on Friday in a veiled swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump and his increasingly protectionist approach. 

EU member countries on Friday gave Brussels the green light to start talks with Washington aimed at ending a long-running row over U.S. beef imports and at easing broader trade tensions.

The European Commission on Thursday formally warned Italy that its budget plans for 2019 are a serious concern for Europe and an unprecedented deviation of EU budget rules.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday he will skip next week's Saudi investment summit, dealing another blow to Riyadh following the suspected murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Three European government ministers on Thursday joined an array of corporate chiefs in pulling out of an upcoming investment conference in Saudi Arabia, following the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has postponed a planned trip to the Middle East with a stop in Saudi Arabia for an investment conference, after a prominent journalist's disappearance.

Asian markets were mostly higher on Tuesday, though Chinese benchmarks fell after the government reported inflation rose for the fourth straight month.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.3 percent to 22,317.06. The Kospi in South Korea recovered 0.1 percent to 2,145.71. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index, which has fallen 22 percent since early January, slipped another 0.2 percent to 25,396.19. The Shanghai Composite dropped 0.2 percent to 2,564.24. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4 percent to 5,859.20. Shares rose in Taiwan, and Indonesia but fell in Singapore and Thailand.