International ratings agency Moody's on Monday downgraded to negative from stable the outlook on Lebanon's banking system, due in part to upheavals in the Arab world, especially in neighboring Syria.

Moody's said slower economic growth and the banks' asset and loan exposures to other regional countries experiencing political unrest or economic slowdown, such as Egypt and Jordan, contributed to the new rating.

The European Union needs a "fiscal union" in order to overcome the eurozone debt crisis, Germany's finance minister said on Monday ahead of vital talks in Paris between the German and French leaders.

"A fiscal union has to be created alongside a political union," Wolfgang Schaeuble said during a visit to Hungary.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told Greek political leaders Monday his government is "standing with you in solidarity," at the start of a crucial week for the future of the debt-saddled eurozone.

Biden, who traveled from Turkey, met with President Karolos Papoulias before starting talks with new Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and leaders of the main parties backing the country's new coalition government.

Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on Monday that the kingdom's oil output has jumped to more than 10 million barrels per day, up from an estimated 8.8 million bpd in April.

"Saudi Arabia is currently producing more than 10 million bpd," Naimi said in a speech read out on his behalf by a ministry official at a conference in Riyadh.

Italy's political parties voiced support for Prime Minister Mario Monti on Saturday and urged him to focus on fairness as he prepared to unveil urgent reforms to pull the country out of a debt crisis.

"Our main advice is to proceed with equity (so that) the burden is in line with what taxpayers can afford," Angelo Alfano, head of former premier Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party, said after meeting with Monti.

Egypt's future finance minister said on Saturday it was too soon to say whether the country would take a loan of $3.2 billion offered by the International Monetary Fund to fund its budget deficit.

"It is too soon to know the outcome for this agreement with the IMF for a loan of $3.2 billion dollars, (for) the budget deficit estimated at 134 billion Egyptian pounds ($22 billion)," Mumtaz Said said in a statement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's uncompromising stance on Europe's financial crisis faced mounting criticism Saturday as senior political figures urged her to reconsider her rejection of Eurobonds.

"One cannot categorically rule out resorting to Eurobonds. They could become vital," European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said in an interview with Die Welt.

Leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean pledged to work together to fend off the effects of the world financial crisis and safeguard the region's growing economies.

Several presidents stressed at the start of a two-day summit Friday that they hope to ride out turbulent times by boosting their local industries and increasing trade within the region.

For more than half a century, the legacy of World War II has meant that the mere mention of a new rise of German power sent shudders through European nations. Now, Germany is increasingly calling the shots for the entire continent — and few seem to mind.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski — whose nation lost millions of people in the Nazi invasion and occupation — shocked many this week when he made a dramatic appeal for greater German influence.

Hoping to harvest some fresh cash, the online game company behind "FarmVille" said Friday that it plans to raise $1 billion in an initial public offering of up to 100 million shares.

Zynga Inc. is the latest in a spate of IPOs by Internet companies this year, ranging from professional networking service LinkedIn Corp. to the online deals site Groupon Inc.