German industrial orders, a key measure of demand for German-made goods both at home and abroad, rose in February, but not as strongly as the previous month, data showed Friday.

Industrial orders were up 0.6 in February compared with the level in January, boosted primarily by domestic orders, the economy ministry said in a statement.

A new Syrian commercial airline plans to start operating to several Arab cities next month, its chairman told Agence France Presse on Thursday, despite the conflict raging in the country.

"We hope to operate our first flights in mid-May," Kinda Airlines chairman Naim al-Jarrah said, adding that the exact timing of the launch hangs on international insurance issues and aircraft testing.

Two major Japanese utilities are reportedly asking for a combined $1.5 billion in bailout funds, underscoring the strain on power companies' balance sheets after the Fukushima atomic crisis.

Kyushu Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Power are in separate talks with the government-linked Development Bank of Japan as they struggle to contain mounting debt, the leading Nikkei business daily and other Japanese media reported this week.

France's new Finance Minister Michel Sapin said Thursday that the "pace" of the country's deficit reduction would be discussed with the European Union.

In his first public comments since being named on Wednesday, Sapin said he would work with the European Commission to "find the path to common interests" as the EU pushes France to reduce its deficit.

The European Central Bank is not expected to cut its key interest rates on Thursday, even though inflation in the euro area slowed sharply last month, analysts said.

The ECB has held eurozone borrowing costs at their current all-time lows since November.

China has announced a set of steps to boost slowing growth in the world's number-two economy, including extending tax breaks for small businesses and support measures for poor urban districts.

The State Council, China's cabinet, announced the mini stimulus late Wednesday after a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

Greece, fighting to emerge from bailouts which began in 2010, will try to return to borrowing normally on the medium-term debt mark by June, Greek press reports said on Wednesday citing the finance minister.

This is some months earlier than had been expected.

Moscow on Wednesday threatened retaliatory action against U.S. diplomats after U.S. bank JP Morgan blocked a transfer of funds carried out by a Russian envoy.

Russia considered as "unacceptable, illegal and absurd the decision of JP Morgan Chase bank to block the transfer by the Russian ambassador in Astana to insurance company Sogaz," said Alexander Lukashevich, a spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry.

German stock market operator Deutsche Boerse said Wednesday that its clearing and settlement unit Clearstream is the target of a money-laundering probe in the United States.

"Clearstream Banking has been informed that the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York has made Clearstream subject of criminal investigation in connection with alleged violations of U.S. money laundering and Iran sanction laws," Deutsche Boerse said in a statement.

Italy's unemployment hit 13 percent for the first time in February and is expected to remain high for months to come, raising the pressure on new Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

The country's jobless rate continued to inch stubbornly up, defying improving economic conditions elsewhere in Europe and breaking January's record, Italy's national statistics agency said Tuesday.