Credit rating agency Moody's raised Ireland's sovereign debt rating on Saturday, citing confidence in the eurozone member's ability to further cut its deficit after finally forming a government.

Moody's, which pointed also to a strong economic recovery in Ireland, raised its key rating for the country's sovereign debt by one notch to A3 from Baa1, adding that the outlook on the long-term rating remains "positive".

Global ratings agency Moody's on Saturday cut Poland's outlook from stable to negative over "fiscal risks" posed by its rightwing government, but left its investment grade unchanged.

Moody's change in outlook is its first in over a decade and comes after a deeper ratings cut in January by Standard and Poor's, which blamed the Law and Justice (PiS) government for "weakening institutions."

Embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a three-month state of emergency late Friday to face "threats from abroad," as his emboldened opposition geared for a vote to oust him from office.

In an address to the nation, Maduro said he had signed a new state of emergency decree "to neutralize and defeat foreign aggression," which he says is closing in on the country.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to postpone a sales tax hike a second time, judging that boosting the tariff could hurt the world's third-largest economy, a newspaper said Saturday.

Abe has already informed senior government officials he plans delay the consumption tax hike, scheduled for next April, that would raise levy from eight to 10 percent, the Nikkei business daily said.

SWIFT, the global financial system used to move hundreds of billions of dollars a day, on Friday said highly sophisticated hackers had gained access to a bank aiming to hijack fund transfers made via the network.

The International Monetary Fund on Friday warned that Britain's potential exit from the European Union posed a "significant downside risk" to the economy.

Tokyo stocks fell Friday morning after a series of disappointing corporate earnings, but Nissan surged on news it was buying a major stake in Mitsubishi Motors.

The Japanese market got a weak lead from overseas as Wall Street and European bourses put in a lackluster session, while a pick-up in the yen also hit exporters.

Oil fell in Asia Friday as investors took a breather from a recent price rally spurred by the International Energy Agency's forecast that the crude oversupply would shrink dramatically later this year.

The uptrend is likely to continue as the IEA report shows that a rebalancing of the supply and demand situation could come in sooner rather than later, analysts said.

Tokyo stocks fell in early trade Friday, tracking a weak lead from Wall Street, but Nissan surged more than seven percent after throwing a financial lifeline to troubled Mitsubishi Motors.

Nissan on Thursday announced plans to buy a one-third stake in scandal-hit Mitsubishi for $2.2 billion, forging an alliance to challenge some of the world's biggest auto groups.

Poultry workers in the United States are routinely denied bathroom breaks to the point of being forced to wear diapers while on the production line, a new report claims.

The "vast majority" of 250,000 workers in the sector are mocked, ignored or threatened with being fired when they ask to go to the bathroom, Oxfam America said in the study.