Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Sunday called on his Greek counterpart to get "serious" about his country's debt-wracked economy, after Alexis Tsipras accused eurozone partners of undermining its negotiations with Brussels.

Rajoy was reacting to comments by Tsipras on Saturday, who said that during talks that earned Greece a four-month extension to its bailout, pressure from certain other European countries "had the character of blackmail" -- pointing especially to Spain and Portugal.

After unemployment and deflation, Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen finds herself in her toughest battle yet, fighting a push by Congress to assert itself over monetary policy.

Newly in control of both houses on Capitol Hill, Republicans accuse the Fed of misguided policies and political bias, saying the world's most powerful central bank is too autonomous and unaccountable. 

Japanese telecom giant NTT Communications is looking to acquire German data center operator e-shelter, as it seeks to cash in on growing demand in Europe, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Data centers are becoming crucial for IT companies operating in Europe, with many of the continent's consumers wary of U.S. surveillance in the wake of U.S. whistle-blower Edward Snowden's revelations.

India's finance minister pledged major investment in infrastructure on Saturday, saying it was time for the economy to "fly", as he unveiled the new right-wing government's first full budget.

Arun Jaitley said his government had inherited an economy dominated by "doom and gloom" when it took power last year, trumpeting its achievements in conquering inflation and kick-starting growth.

German lawmakers approved a hard-won bailout extension for Greece's new anti-austerity government in a move Berlin's finance chief called "not easy" but necessary, keeping a crucial lifeline open to Athens.

Greece's left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras welcomed the German vote Friday as "a political act of common sense and democracy", saying there would be no third bailout for his country and pledging to get to work on reforms.

Qatar's sovereign fund has taken control of one of Italy's prime business areas after buying out other shareholders in a move hailed as heralding a new era of inward investment for the recession-bound country.

Property group Hines Italia announced Friday that the Qatar Investment Authority had taken 100 percent control of the Porta Nuova district in Milan, in which it has held a 40 percent stake since 2013.

German lawmakers approved Greece's hard-won bailout extension Friday in a move the finance minister called "not easy" but necessary, removing the last hurdle to keep crucial international aid flowing to Athens.

Despite scepticism in Europe's top economy, the four-month reprieve for Greece won overwhelming backing as expected in the lower house of parliament where Chancellor Angela Merkel's left-right coalition commands a crushing majority.

After half a century lacking basic goods, many Cubans have become experts at fixing devices and cars long past their prime.

Cuba's "fixers" are ubiquitous on the street corners of the communist-run island, offering to repair items ranging from classic American cars to umbrellas, mattresses and appliances.

Russia has confirmed that it will attend talks with the European Union and Ukraine on Monday aimed at resolving a bitter gas supply dispute which threatens deliveries to Europe.

Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom threatened this week to cut deliveries to Ukraine over a dispute related to Moscow's move to start direct supplies to eastern parts of the country controlled by pro-Kremlin rebels.

Israel will stop cutting power to Palestinian cities over unpaid bills and will deduct funds from tax money to prevent the debt increasing, a government official said Thursday.

The official also said Israel would connect water to a Palestinian city so that it can be inhabited, after a minister's objection had been overruled.