Greece was expected Wednesday to bid for extra debt crisis aid from the EU without strings attached, ahead of a closely-watched ECB meeting on the country's emergency funds.

Athens will send a letter to Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the head of the Eurogroup, requesting a six-month extension on its European loan agreement while sidestepping the duties of a full-blown bailout, Greek public television said.

The chief of Qatar Airways, Akbar al-Baker, has furiously denied claims that its flight attendants are sacked if they get married.

Baker told CNN that the claims were untrue and his company's employment practices were "very progressive".

The euro held steady on Wednesday as investors hoped that last-ditch talks on Greece's debt would see a breakthrough deal that keeps it in the eurozone.

In Tokyo trading, the common currency bought $1.1405 and 135.84 yen, down from $1.1413 and 136.13 yen in New York but well above $1.1357 and 134.70 yen in Tokyo earlier Tuesday.

An article published on the website of Turkmenistan's oil and gas ministry Monday attacked Russia's energy giant Gazprom, calling the company an unreliable partner for the reclusive Central Asian state. 

The article by the state-run Turkmen Institute of Oil and Gas comes shortly after Gazprom's announcement it would be cutting gas imports from the secretive republic by nearly two-thirds, and Turkmenistan's 19 percent devaluation at the New Year of its national currency, the manat.

Japanese household spending in 2014 declined at its fastest pace in eight years, official data showed Tuesday, underscoring the impact of the country's first sales tax hike in nearly two decades.

The figures come a day after the government said Japan's economy limped out of recession in the last quarter of 2014, with a weaker-than-expected 0.6 percent expansion between October and December.

The euro weakened Tuesday after the showdown debt talks between Greece and its creditors collapsed, raising the prospect the country will be dumped out of the eurozone.

However, many equity markets were unfazed by the trouble in Europe as trade begins to wind down in several Asian bourses before the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of the week.

With car sale booming and the spring sales season about to get underway, Japanese and Korean carmakers are feeling the pressure from their resurgent American competitors.

But the Japanese carmakers, counting on the American market for profits, insist they welcome the competition and that opportunities abound.

Cyprus signed an energy deal with Egypt on Monday that could see the island supplying its Mediterranean neighbour with gas.

Cyprus is keen to exploit the Aphrodite field off its southeastern coast but the reserves proven so far are not considered sufficient to make it viable for the island to develop onshore export infrastructure of its own.

Kuwaiti Oil Minister Ali al-Omair said Monday that world crude prices have recovered "faster" than expected and that recent gains will likely hold.

"Oil prices have improved faster than expected," Omair told reporters.

Eurozone ministers handed Greece an ultimatum to request an extension to its bailout program on Monday after crunch talks collapsed, deepening a bitter stand-off that risks seeing Athens bid farewell to the euro.

Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem said Greece had the rest of the week to request an extension to the program, which expires at the end of the month, challenging Athens to cave in on a dearly held position.