EUROPEAN UNION

EU officials have been keen to trumpet the latest euro zone Band-Aid as a triumph for collective action and an answer to critics who accused the group of acting too slowly and with not enough money in the past.

Google was targeted for unethical and anti-competitive business practices once again when a non-profit organization working on public interest issues filed a complaint against the search engine giant with the anti-trust body, Competition Commission of India (CCI), Friday. This comes at a time when Google India is already facing a formal probe on a similar complaint filed by an Indian matrimonial site.

Spanish officials appeared hesitant to recognize the reality of their country's situation on Saturday as the nation agreed to accept as much as ?100 billion ($125 billion) in a bailout of its cash-strapped financials sector by one or both of the euro zone's rescue funds.

Crude oil production from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose 40,000 barrels per day (b/d) to 31.75 million in May, a new survey has shown.

Asian markets rose this week amid hopes that policy makers would take concrete measures to tackle the financial crisis and regain the economic growth momentum.

A deluge of data is due over the weekend and next week, including almost all of China's key barometers of economic health. The worsening European debt crisis is casting a pall over everything, and has slowed down growth in the world's economic powerhouse.

Russia and China remain opposed to any external intervention efforts int Syria by foreign countries, even as UN observers come under fire during their investigations of a civilian massacre.

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Friday resumed talks in Vienna, hoping to sort out the differences on conducting investigation into the alleged nuclear weapon program in the Islamic republic.

Not a chance.

The discovery of ?vampire? skeletons in the Black Sea town of Sozopol made headlines across the globe and now the local Bulgarian media reports that tourism officials believe the frenzy can pump more blood into the nation?s growing tourism industry.

Stocks jumped at the open on Thursday after China's central bank cut bank lending and deposit rates, fueling hopes of simultaneous action to aid a flagging global economy.

Italian banks appear close to joining Spanish banks as the euro zone's latest contribution to the financial world's endangered species list.

Asian markets rose Thursday amid hopes that the U.S. Fed would announce another round of monetary easing and European policy makers would take concrete measures to tackle the debt crisis looming over the euro zone.

Spain will attempt Thursday to sell as much as 2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) of bonds at interest rates expected to be dangerously high.

Syrian troops and militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad stood accused by opponents Thursday of a new massacre of scores of villagers, hours before the United Nations Security Council convenes again review the crisis.

Resisting crisis pressure, the European Central Bank did as expected and held rates steady at 1.0% overnight.

The focus has turned to Spain, where banking debts last week sent Liberbank, Ibercaja and Caja 3, who together hold toxic real estate assets valued at around ?11.8 billion ($14.8 billion), into merger talks.

The European Central Bank on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate steady for the sixth consecutive month, keeping pressure on European politicians to more forcefully address the continent's deteriorating finances.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel appears to have altered dramatically her long-held opposition to euro zone nations sharing responsibility for the debts of the monetary union's most troubled banks.

Spain said on Tuesday that credit markets were closing to the euro zone's fourth biggest economy as finance chiefs of the Group of Seven major economies were to hold emergency talks on the currency bloc's worsening debt crisis.

Finance chiefs of the Group of Seven leading industrialized powers will hold emergency talks on the euro zone debt crisis on Tuesday in a sign of heightened global alarm about strains in the 17-nation European currency area.