The Pentagon warned its workforce on Monday that it is preparing for a possible government shutdown if Congress fails to break a political impasse.

If U.S. government agencies are forced to shutter, American troops around the world would stay on the job and some civilian employees would be ordered on unpaid leave, Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters.

The Syrian government has earmarked 50 billion Syrian pounds ($250 million) for reconstruction next year in the war-torn country, a pro-regime daily on Monday quoted the prime minister as saying.

"The government has increased its budget spending for emergency aid and reconstruction for 2014 to 50 billion Syrian pounds," Wael al-Halqi said in remarks published by al-Watan newspaper.

A record 8.3 million foreign tourists flocked to Spain in August, with British, French and German holidaymakers leading the charge, the Spanish government said on Monday.

It was the highest monthly number of foreign tourists to Spain since current records began in 1995 and 7.1 percent higher than August last year, the tourism ministry said in a statement.

One of China's richest businessmen plans to invest 50 billion yuan ($8.2 billion) to build the country's version of Hollywood in the eastern city of Qingdao

Wang Jianlin said Sunday that his company, Dalian Wanda Group, will build a massive, state of the art film studio complex in a bid to dominate China's rapidly growing movie market.

The euro rose against the dollar in Asian trade Monday after German chancellor Angela Merkel clinched her third term in a convincing election victory.

The euro bought $1.3529, up from $1.3524 in New York late Friday, while it also bought 134.15 yen compared with 134.36 yen.

Hard-up Italians have increasingly taken the place of immigrant seasonal laborers in the vineyards this harvest season -- and a new pilot project plans to increase the number even further.

In Oltrepo-Pavese, a wine region in northern Italy, the farmers' union Coldiretti has launched an initiative called the "Harvest of Solidarity."

Greece braced Sunday for a week of fresh strikes against planned job cuts, with civil servants announcing further protest action just as the country's international creditors launch a new audit.

Main public sector union ADEDY announced a two-day strike for Tuesday and Wednesday while teachers' union OLME and the union of municipal workers POE-OTA said they were planning a 48-hour strike Monday and Tuesday.

Pakistan's Prime Minister on Saturday announced a financial assistance package to empower youth and create employment opportunities in a nation struggling to find enough jobs for its swelling ranks of youngsters.

In a nationwide televised address, Nawaz Sharif announced six programs to help talented students and unemployed youngsters.

President Barack Obama on Saturday urged the US Congress to approve a budget to keep the government open after October 1, and raise the debt ceiling so the country can pay its bills.

Far-right Republicans in Congress want to take neither action in their attempt to defund a sweeping health care overhaul approved more than three years ago. Critics nicknamed the law "Obamacare," and Republicans have fought to repeal it since its passage.

British police have charged four men in connection with the theft of 1.3 million pounds ($2.1 million) from a Barclays Bank branch.

The men — aged between 26 and 47 — were arrested Friday and accused of installing a device on the bank's computer system made it possible to carry out the cyber theft.