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Ukrainians Feel the Pinch as Crimea Crisis Simmers

As world powers and international institutions cobble together aid packages for a debt-laden Ukraine on the brink of default, regular Ukrainians feeling the pinch fear they will see none of the cash.

At an outdoor market north of Kiev's city center on Friday, stallholders sold everything from colorful stuffed toys to freshly baked pastries and bouquets of flowers for International Women's Day.

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MasterCard, Visa Plan Group Focused on Security

Visa and MasterCard are forming a group that's intended to help the retail and banking industries come together on more-secure credit card payments.

Credit card breaches at Neiman Marcus, Target and other retailers have put a spotlight on the weak spots in the security of credit card payments.

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Govt: China Posts Unexpected Trade Deficit in February

China recorded an unexpected trade deficit of $22.98 billion in February, official figures showed Saturday, with authorities blaming the country's holiday season for the weak performance.

The figure compared with a surplus of $14.8 billion in the same month last year, and a median forecast of an $11.9 billion surplus in a poll of 13 economists by Dow Jones Newswires.

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Panama Warns Venezuela on Debt as Rift Widens

Panama's president told Venezuela on Friday that its decision to break off diplomatic ties should not be an excuse to renege on its massive debt to the Central American nation.

President Ricardo Martinelli's warning came a day after Venezuela ordered the expulsion of Panama's ambassador and three other diplomats in a worsening dispute stemming from protests against the Caracas government.

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Gazprom Warns Ukraine it Could Cut Gas Exports

Russian energy giant Gazprom on Friday warned Ukraine it could cut off gas exports if the new authorities in Kiev did not pay a bill for debt that now stands at $1.89 billion.

"Ukraine has de facto stopped paying for gas... We cannot deliver gas for free. Either Ukraine pays the debt and pays for current supplies or the risk appears of a return to the situation at the start of 2009," said Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller, quoted by Russian news agencies.

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Rising Output Heralds Early Spring for German Economy

Spring appears to be arriving early for the German economy as industrial production picked up speed in January, official data showed on Friday.

Industrial output expanded by 0.8 percent in January, after inching up by 0.1 percent in December, the economy ministry calculated in preliminary data.

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China's Commerce Minister Warns against Over-Expansion

China's commerce minister on Friday warned industries and companies not to over-expand, after the collapse last year of a key unit of the world's biggest solar firm.

The country's decades-long boom has turned it into the world's second-largest economy and a key driver of global growth, but at the same time major internal imbalances have developed.

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Entrepreneurship Grows in Egypt's Flailing Economy

In Egypt's newest reality television show, contestants sold fruit juice from push carts in Cairo's busiest market and later organized a desert safari for tourists, hustling to make sales in the capital's crowded streets.

The program, called "The Project" in Arabic, highlights entrepreneurship and small business acumen — something experts say is more crucial than ever as Egypt tries to claw its way out of tough economic times.

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Oil Rises on Hopes of More U.S. Jobs, Ukraine Crisis

Oil prices rose Friday as the Ukraine crisis took a new twist and expectations rose for a solid increase in U.S. employment.

Benchmark U.S. crude for April delivery was up 31 cents to $101.87 per barrel at 0720 GMT in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Thursday, the contract rose 11 cents to close at $101.56. Brent crude, used to set prices for international varieties of crude, was up 21 cents to $108.31 per barrel on the ICE exchange in London.

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Man Said to Create Bitcoin Denies It

Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto said Thursday that he is not the creator of bitcoin, adding further mystery to the story of how the world's most popular digital currency came to be.

The denial came after Newsweek published a 4,500-word cover story claiming Nakamoto is the person who wrote the computer code underpinnings of bitcoin.

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