Visa credit cards issued in Syria, by Syrian banks or those with branches in the country, have stopped working from Wednesday, bank officials and users told Agence France Presse.

"Clients were sent SMS messages Tuesday evening informing them they could no longer use their Visa cards in Syria, or even abroad if it was issued in Syria," said Wissam Abu Ghazala, director of a branch of Lebanon's Byblos in Damascus.

The head of Italian auto giant Fiat, Sergio Marchionne, said Wednesday that issuing Eurobonds is the only solution to the looming Eurozone debt crisis -- following Italy's lead on supporting the idea.

"I do not believe that there are any other solutions to the problem," he said on the sidelines of a conference in Rimini.

Iraq and Kuwait, two countries that share a small border and big history of mutual suspicion and war, are at it again. This time they are arguing about Kuwaiti plans to build a mammoth port that Iraq claims interferes with its shipping lanes in the Gulf.

Although it seems unlikely the tiff could escalate into another conflict, the remarks are disturbingly reminiscent of the recriminations that preceded Saddam Hussein's invasion of Iraq in 1990 and point to the uneasy relationship that has persisted long after Saddam's ouster.

The indebted state developer behind Dubai's man-made islands says it has completed a long-awaited financial restructuring and will issue over $1 billion in Islamic bonds to some of its creditors.

Nakheel said Wednesday that the Islamic bonds, known as sukuk, would be issued on Thursday.

Rental car company Hertz Global Holdings says it plans to partner with General Electric in offering electric vehicles in China and expanding the charging networks needed to run them.

An agreement to be signed in Shanghai's "Auto City" of Anting on Wednesday calls for building 770 charging stations in major Chinese cities including Shanghai and Beijing, said Richard Broome, Hertz's senior vice president for corporate affairs.

Private sector economic activity in the Eurozone stagnated in August, with a closely-watched survey showing only marginal growth overall and a switch into negative territory for manufacturing.

Eurozone growth remained stuck at two-year low, with the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) leading indicator, compiled by London-based researchers Markit, logging 51.1 points, unchanged from July.

World stock markets regained some vitality Tuesday as investors hung hopes on action from the Federal Reserve to keep the U.S. from sliding back into recession.

Oil prices rose to near $86 a barrel as traders scaled back expectations that Libyan oil would be quickly restored to world markets as fighting raged in Tripoli between rebels and forces loyal to Gadhafi. The dollar weakened against the yen and the euro.

A chance meeting in an airport lobby between the top executives of Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. has evolved into a deal between the auto giants to jointly develop a gas-electric hybrid engine for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles.

The companies signed the agreement Monday to share development costs, saying they want to make the technology more affordable for customers and bring it to market faster. Many details have yet to be worked out, but both said their vehicles would remain unique even if they share the same drive systems.

BP said on Monday that it would seek to return to Libya to continue its exploration program "when conditions allow" as Libyan leader Moammer Gadhafi faces imminent defeat.

"We intend to resume our activities and return to the country when conditions allow," a BP spokesman told Agence France Presse.

Gold hit a record high near $1,900 an ounce in Monday trade as lingering fears of a fresh global recession caused dealers to snap up the precious metal regarded as a safe-haven investment.

Gold struck an all-time peak of $1,894.80 on the London Bullion Market, beating its high of $1,878.15 recorded last Friday.