The United States is taking aim at "excessive" business class air travel by U.N. staff as it presses a campaign to restrain the global body's multi-billion dollar budget.

Complaints by the United States and other cash-strapped western nations have been bolstered by revelations that nearly three quarters of the money spent on air fares at U.N. headquarters goes on business class.

Qatar is considering an £8 billion ($12.1 billion, 9.2 billion euro) bid for British retailer Marks & Spencer, Britain's Sunday Times newspaper reported.

The Gulf state's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, has approached leading banks and private equity houses ahead of a potential move on the high street chain, senior sources in London's financial industry told the broadsheet.

Ratings firm Moody's on Friday downgraded Argentina's foreign law bonds, citing an increased risk of default linked to the outcome of a U.S. lawsuit filed by hedge funds.

The bonds, the part of the country's debt that was restructured after Argentina's 2001 default, were cut from "B3" to "Caa1," seven notches below investment grade.

Toyota Motor will recall 209,000 sport utility vehicles it has sold in the United States due to a possible seat-belt fault, Kyodo News reported on Saturday.

FJ Cruiser models made between 2007 and 2013 will be recalled, Kyodo said, quoting company officials.

The Philippines was set to open a $1.2 billion giant casino on Saturday in a high-stakes bid to join the world's elite gaming destinations.

Solaire Manila Resorts is the first of four huge entertainment venues slated to rise on reclaimed land on Manila Bay that industry and government officials hope will draw millions of newly well-off Asian visitors.

Eurozone finance ministers agreed early Saturday on a bailout for Cyprus, the fifth international rescue package in three years of the debt crisis.

After Greece, Ireland and Portugal each secured massive bailouts, Spain proved a special case as Madrid sought limited help only for its stricken banks, insisting that it did not need and would not seek a full debt bailout.

Spain's public debt hit a new record of 84.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of 2012, owing to increases both at the federal level and that of the country's 17 autonomous regions, official data released on Friday showed.

The figure, which gained 14.8 percentage points last year to total 884.4 billion euros ($1.15 trillion), was well above the European Union (EU) limit of 60 percent of GDP, but came in a bit below the government's own forecast of 85.3 percent.

March 14th, Beirut: A global boom in the digital sector has attracted the interest of telecom operators worldwide, who are working to carve their role in the ecosystem of mobile content, applications and services, with Lebanon as no exception.

Leading Lebanon’s push into digital is the Ministry of Telecommunications, which has driven major infrastructural improvements in the sector. Enabled by these developments, Lebanon has witnessed an exceptional growth in 3G subscriptions, jumping from 280,000 users in 2011 to more than 1.3M users today according to statistics provided by Alfa and Touch. Smartphone penetration is also on the rise, with more than 1.8M devices registered across the two networks.

Russia's central bank on Friday left its main interest rate unchanged at 8.25 percent in a closely-watched decision that followed the appointment of a new governor with close ties to President Vladimir Putin.

The Bank of Russia kept the same rate for the sixth month running despite pressure to act in the face of weakening growth.

Inflation in the 17-nation eurozone fell sharply in February to 1.8 percent, putting it below the European Central Bank's target rate for the first time in more than two years, official data showed on Friday.

It was the lowest level since September 2010, and confirmed a constant easing trend of consumer prices since last year.