The level of bad loans weighing on Spain's banks hit a new record in June, official figures showed Monday, a sign of persistent weakness in the bailed-out sector.

Doubtful loans rose to 176.42 billion euros ($235.14 billion), or 11.61 percent of total loans, some six billion euros more than in May, the Bank of Spain said.

Austrian oil and gas giant OMV is buying North Sea oil and gas assets from Norwegian group Statoil for $2.65 billion (1.99 billion euros), the two companies announced on Monday.

The deal also covers collaboration on possible exploration off Norway and west and north of the Shetland Islands, as well new technologies for extracting hydrocarbons from mature fields.

President Barack Obama returns to Washington on Sunday after a brief summer vacation readying for what is expected to be a rocky autumn dominated by showdowns with Republicans.

Obama interrupted an eight-day break at exclusive Martha's Vineyard last week to denounce the bloody crackdown in Cairo by Egypt's military.

The world of Cath Kidston is instantly identifiable, full of bright colors, cheerful prints and nostalgia for an imagined English way of life -- and has made the homeware company one of Britain's global success stories.

A cult following for the vintage-themed bags, clothes and kitchenware, particularly in Asia, helped the company break through the £100 million ($155 million, 117 million euro) sales barrier this year for the first time.

Governments face a rise in their borrowing costs due to the winding down of monetary stimulus programmes and as investors bet on central banks hiking interest rates sooner than promised.

Moody's Analytics warned this week that "U.S. rates could rise as the Fed moves to slow its purchases of long-term debt, which in turn could push up the yields on European government bonds."

JP Morgan Chase is being investigated by U.S. authorities over claims the bank hired the children of influential Chinese officials to secure business in the country, the New York Times reported Saturday.

The Times reported on its website, citing a confidential United States government document, that a bribery investigation had been opened to study the allegations.

With a cast of TV news stars, deep pockets and an ambitious agenda, Al-Jazeera launches its U.S. news channel on Tuesday, aiming to shake up the broadcast journalism market stateside.

The U.S. cable channel will reach more than 40 million households and vastly expands the footprint of the Qatar-based media group, despite questions about how it will be received by American viewers.

Spanish fishermen say their catch has been ruined by Gibraltar's decision to drop concrete blocks in waters surrounding the tiny British outpost.

The British-held territory's unilateral decision in July to set up an "artificial reef" to protect fishing grounds blocked Spanish fleets, infuriating Madrid.

Thousands of Spaniards in the depressed southern region of Andalusia are queuing up to play the role of slaves in film-maker Ridley Scott's Biblical epic "Exodus", hoping for a way out of unemployment.

In a region with unemployment at 35 percent, the prospect of work as an extra with a daily wage of 80 euros ($107) has sparked a rush in Almeria where casting is being held for the story of Moses and the Jewish exodus to the promised land.

Qatari telecoms giant Ooredoo on Friday pledged to introduce "affordable" phone services to Myanmar next year as it pumps $15 billion into one of the world's few remaining frontier mobile markets.

The firm, which in June along with Norway's Telenor won bids to provide mobile coverage to a nation where less than 10 percent of the population has telephone access, should be formally awarded its 15-year 3G licence by the end of this year.