Week in pictures: June 27 2008

The oil price rebounded after Opec announced a surprise cut in production in an attempt to halt the recent decline in the cost of a barrel of crude. Having fallen by almost 30% in the last two months to the fringes of the symbolic $100 mark, US crude jumped back above that level Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

The Qatari ruling family and other institutions based in the Gulf state could end up with a stake of 10% in Barclays as result of efforts by Britain's third-biggest bank to raise £4.5bn of fresh funds from existing and overseas investors Photograph: Karim Jaafar/AFP

Bradford & Bingley, which is currently attempting a repriced rights issue and a major tie-up with a US investor, said it could not recommend an audacious bid from financier Clive Cowdery that could lead to the merger of several small UK banks Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has written to Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy to urge the UK grocer to start talks with a US trade union over workers' rights at its new California-based business Photograph: David McNew/Getty

The Halifax announced the biggest one-month jump in house prices in more than six years today as fresh evidence emerged of the impact of record low interest rates on the property market. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty

Comet owner Kesa's chief executive Jean-Noel Labroue talked of a 'clear slowdown'. Like-for-like sales have fallen at Comet in the UK in the past six weeks Photograph: David Devins/Newscast

Shares in ScS Upholstery were suspended after the troubled sofa chain received a takeover offer that would virtually wipe out its current investors Photograph: PR

Tuesday: Debenhams slashed its dividend after a reporting like-for-like sales fell by 4.2% in September and early October Photograph: David Parry/Newscast

The government's budget deficit lurched to a worse than expected £9.3bn last month, the worst ever June figure. It goes some way to explaining why the Treasury is said to be considering altering one of Gordon Brown's fiscal rules which states that net debt remain below 40% of national income. Read the article Photograph: David Levene/Guardian

America's biggest sub-prime mortgage lender, Countrywide Financial, and its chief executive Angelo Mozilo, were slapped with a prosecution for unethical business practices just hours before its shareholders were due to vote the company out of existence Photograph: Rick Francis/AP