IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Sunday measures taken to fight financial woes in Europe and the U.S. were starting to pay off, in a cautiously upbeat assessment of the global economy.

But Lagarde -- in Beijing for a two-day trip to attend a high profile forum on China's development and hold meetings with her economic counterparts -- also warned that "major" vulnerabilities still remained.

Kuwait Airways, the Gulf state's national carrier, extended flight cancellations across its route network into a second day Sunday as it scrambled to cope with a strike by workers.

The action by Kuwait Airways employees follows a work stoppage by customs officials that began last week and is blocking food items from entering the country. Workers are demanding higher pay and other benefits.

Oil prices rose on Friday having endured a roller-coaster ride the previous day following a report, later denied, that the United States and Britain had agreed to supply the market with crude reserves.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, rose 14 cents to $105.25 a barrel.

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday reiterated Germany's view that the eurozone's bailout fund did not need fresh funds and said a decision on the issue would be taken at the end of the month.

Speaking to reporters after meeting top German bosses, Merkel said eurozone finance ministers had tasked the European Commission to come up with possible ways to bolster defences against the debt crisis.

Europe's main stock markets drifted higher in late morning deals on Friday, as investors tracked positive US economic data and easing concerns over the Greek debt crisis.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index of leading shares added 0.39 percent to 5,963.29 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 rose 0.39 percent to 7,172.66 points and the Paris CAC 40 gained 0.23 percent to 3,588.37.

Apple shares briefly soared past $600 for the first time on Wall Street on Thursday, a day ahead of the launch of the next-generation iPad.

Shares of the Cupertino, California-based gadget-maker hit $600.01 shortly after the ringing of the opening bell at 9:30 am (1330 GMT). An hour later, they were trading at $590.12, up 0.09 percent over Wednesday's close.

Sometimes, giving two weeks' notice just isn't enough.

The Goldman Sachs muppet manifesto — a departing executive's lengthy and very public screed against the company's blind pursuit of profits — is only the latest example of taking bridge-burning to an art form.

The French treasury said Thursday that it had sold a total of 8.46 billion euros ($11 billion) in short- to medium-term bonds at sharply lower interest rates, a development seen also in Spain.

Pressure thus appeared to be easing on indebted Eurozone members since a Greek bailout was secured and the European Central Bank made a second massive injection of cash into the Eurozone banking sector.

Italy's public debt reached a record 1.94 trillion euros ($2.47 trillion) in January, the Bank of Italy said Thursday, pushed upwards in part by higher borrowing costs.

The public debt increased by 37.9 billion euros from December, the central bank said, citing seasonal factors, the higher cost of servicing Italian debt and a contribution to the European financial rescue fund.

Oil prices were mixed in Asian trade Thursday, as investors weighed concerns over a supply disruption in the Middle East and a surge in US crude stockpiles, analysts said.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April was up 38 cents to $105.81 while Brent North Sea crude for April delivery shed four cents to $124.93 in the afternoon.