World share markets roared higher on Friday as hopes built that the United States and China were starting to repair their badly damaged trade relations.

Two falls on an "off day" did not prevent Simone Biles from becoming the first woman to win four all-around titles at the gymnastics world championships on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who spoke by telephone on Thursday, expressed optimism about resolving their trade dispute ahead of a high-stakes meeting at the end of November in Argentina.

Bayer AG's chief executive said this week the company might consider settling lawsuits over Monsanto's glyphosate-containing weed-killers depending on how high court costs rise, but stressed it remained focused on defending the combined company against claims they cause cancer.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet approved draft legislation on Friday to open the door to more overseas blue-collar workers in sectors grappling with labor shortages, a controversial policy shift in immigration-shy Japan.

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday unveiled an indictment against two companies based in China and Taiwan and three individuals, saying they conspired to steal trade secrets from U.S. semiconductor company Micron Technology Inc relating to its research and development of memory storage devices.

The European Union will consider stripping Sri Lanka of its duty-free access if it backs off commitments on rights, the EU ambassador said, amid worries stoked by the president's replacing of the elected premier by a wartime nationalist.

Asian shares rocketed to three-week highs on Friday while the dollar softened on a report that U.S. President Donald Trump is taking steps to resolve a damaging trade war with China that has cast a pall over the global economy and financial markets recently.

China's foreign ministry said on Friday that the previous day's telephone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump was quite positive.

The European Union will consider stripping Sri Lanka of its duty-free access if it backs off commitments on rights, the EU ambassador said, amid worries stoked by the president's replacing of the elected premier by a wartime nationalist.

Asian shares jumped to three-week highs on Friday and U.S. equity futures rebounded on a report that U.S. President Donald Trump has asked officials to draft terms for a potential trade deal with China following a phone call with leader Xi Jinping.

Indonesian divers on Friday resumed a search for a second black box amid the sunken wreckage of a nearly new aircraft that slammed into the sea off Jakarta this week, killing all 189 people on board.

An incendiary speech by a top Reserve Bank of India (RBI) official last Friday blew the lid off an increasingly toxic dispute between the central bank and the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over monetary policy and who controls the institution's reserves.

U.S. job growth likely rebounded in October, with wages expected to have recorded their largest annual gain in 9-1/2 years, pointing to further labor market tightening that could encourage the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates again in December.

A San Francisco 49ers cheerleader was pictured kneeling during the United States national anthem at a National Football League game on Thursday.