After weeks of protests, Bulgaria's new technocrat caretaker government must urgently restore trust in state institutions or risk exacerbating an already dire economic situation in the European Union's poorest country, analysts say.

"If protests continue and political instability drags on, it is set to pose problems for the economy by pushing new investors away and prompting those already here to postpone any development plans," Institute for Market Economics analyst Kaloyan Staykov told Agence France Presse.

The Philippines makes its biggest bet this weekend in a high-stakes bid to join the world's elite gaming destinations, with the launch of a $1.2-billion casino on Manila Bay.

Solaire Manila Resorts is the first of four enormous entertainment venues slated to rise over a giant chunk of prime, reclaimed land that industry and government leaders expect will attract millions of cashed-up Asian tourists.

The cabinet on Tuesday approved the result of the tender organized to operate the Deir Ammar power generation project, which was won by the Greek construction group J&P-Avax.

“The relevant measures will be taken in order to finalize the process of signing the contract,” Information Minister Walid al-Daouq told reporters after a cabinet session at the Grand Serail.

Syria will buy 10 civilian aircraft from Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov for its state-owned airline, the official SANA news agency said on Tuesday.

"Cabinet has approved a contract between Syrian Arab Airlines and Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov for the purchase of 10 civilian aircraft, in a bid to strengthen Syria's fleet," SANA said.

Abu Dhabi struck deals worth billions of dollars with Malaysia on Tuesday, a state-owned company announced, as Kuala Lumpur seeks investment to boost the economy before polls due by June.

The deals were announced after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak met United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, just outside Kuala Lumpur

Italy has easily sold €7.75 billion ($10 billion) in 12-month bonds, though at slightly higher interest rates, in the first test of market sentiment since Fitch downgraded its rating due to political uncertainty.

In Tuesday's auction, Italy paid 1.28 percent interest on the debt, up from 1.09 percent in the last such auction a month earlier. Demand was stronger than in February, however, at 1.5 times the amount on offer.

India's largest state-run bank has received 1.7 million applications for just 1,500 entry-level clerk jobs -- and has promised to examine all of them, a report said on Tuesday.

State Bank of India chairman Pratip Chaudhuri attributed the huge interest to good marketing and attractive employment terms, with the number of applications underlining the appeal of "jobs for life" in the Indian public sector.

Israeli restrictions and closures coupled with the worsening fiscal situation of the Palestinian Authority is causing "lasting damage" to the competitiveness of the Palestinian economy, the World Bank warned on Tuesday.

In a report issued ahead of a meeting of international donors in Brussels on March 19, the World Bank explored the long-term damage to the competitiveness of the economy as a result of the worsening financial crisis facing the Ramallah-based government and the absence of peace talks, which have been stalled since late September 2010.

Data published on Monday confirmed recession in the eurozone's weakest economies last year, breathing new life into a heated debate on whether aggressive austerity measures may come at the cost of economic growth.

The dire individual statistics for Italy, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus come just days ahead of a EU summit where the bloc's leaders are to mull ways to tackle the debt crisis, with countries led by France calling for growth measures while others led by Germany are holding firm for fiscal discipline.

The International Monetary Fund said Monday that it could provide an emergency short-term loan to Egypt if needed, as talks for a longer-term $4.8 billion financing program have bogged down.

But the global crisis lender said that even for a loan from its Rapid Financing Instrument program, Cairo has to show its commitment to a broader reform plan.