 | Pakistan promises to cooperate in fighting terrorism
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has promised US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that his government will take "strong action" against any Pakistanis who were involved in last week's Mumbai attacks. Zardari told Rice during talks in Islamabad, that he would not allow Pakistan to be used a safe haven for terrorists. Rice said Pakistan officials were cooperating with investigations. She met with Indian leaders in New Delhi the day before. India is holding the banned Pakistani Islamist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba responsible for the coordinated terrorist attacks on Mumbai, that left around 180 people dead. Meanwhile major airports in India have been placed on high alert after warnings that militants may have slipped into the country to try and hijack passenger planes. Security has been stepped up at New Dehli, Bangalore, Mumbai and Calcutta airports.
|  | | Bangkok airports to be fully operational by Friday
Thai officials say Bangkok's main international airport will be fully operational again by Friday, offering hope to tens of thousands of tourists left stranded by the country's political crisis. Anti-government protestors ended their airport blockades after Thailand's top court banned parties from the ruling coalition and barred Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from politics for five years. The banned parties have vowed to re-group under other names. The anti-government protestors, who are loyal to the country's monarchy, have warned of further action if the re-formed government chooses a new premier who is too close to former leader Thaksin Shinawatra. Meanwhile, Thailand's royal family says the king has failed to make a traditional speech due to ill health. The announcement has prompted speculation that he wishes to stay out of the country's political troubles. | | | Double suicide car bombing in Fallujah kills 10 people
At least ten people have been killed and more than a hundred wounded in a double suicide bombing in Iraq. Officials said the blasts in the former Sunni insurgent stronghold of Fallujah struck within minutes of each other, outside two police buildings. A senior Iraqi police officer in Fallujah said a police station in the northern part of the city was levelled and several nearby houses heavily damaged. Meanwhile, the US military says two American soldiers were killed when a driver blew up a car near a checkpoint in Mosul. Nine civilians were injured in the attack. | | | Bundestag passes 32 billion euro spending package
Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag has passed a two-year, 32 billion euro economic stimulus package. 12 billion euros were passed on Thursday, 20 billion were approved earlier in October. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the rescue plan would secure one million jobs and boost consumption and investments in industry, private households and local councils. Merkel rejected opposition calls to cut taxes. Looking ahead to the next week's EU summit and the planned climate protection measures, Merkel called for exceptions for energy-intensive industries.
| | | European Central Bank cuts interest rates a record 0.75 percent
The European Central Bank has cut interest rates by a record 0.75 percent to 2.50 percent to stave off a recession. It is the biggest cut in the bank's 10-year existence and follows two cuts of half a percent each made since October. Thursday's interest rate reduction is larger than economists had forecast but in line with expectations of financial market traders. Earlier in the day, the Bank of England lowered interest rates by one percent; Sweden's central bank announced a huge cut of 1.75 percent. | | | Zimbabwe declares cholera outbreak a national emergency
Zimbabwe has declared a cholera outbreak a national emergency and appealed for international aid to tackle the epidemic. The official death toll stands at 565 and nearly 12,000 Zimbabweans have been infected, forcing hundreds to cross the border with South Africa to seek treatment. Most public hospitals in the capital Harare have shut down due to drug and equipment shortages. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has announced emergency measures to increase health services, provide nutritional supplements and widen access to safe water in Zimbabwe. | | | Dalai Lama speaks to European Parliament
The president of the European Parliament, Hans-Georg Pöttering, has defended a decision to invite Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to speak at the Strasbourg-based assembly. Pöttering said European lawmakers wanted to express their solidarity for Tibet's religious and cultural identity. In a speech to the EU parliament, the Dalai Lama said that Tibet was seeking genuine autonomy within China and that he was not heading a separatist movement. He also said he was looking forward to meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Poland this weekend. Bejing cancelled an EU-China summit scheduled for the beginning of this month, after Sarkozy said would meet the Dalai Lama.
| | | Luxembourg court tells EU to remove Iran group off terror list
A top European court has ruled that the EU wrongly froze the funds of Iran's main opposition group in exile and violated its rights by not justifying why it should be on a terror list. The Luxembourg-based Court of First Instance ruled that the EU had failed to provide the People's Mujahedeen of Iran or PMOI, with new information which the bloc said justifies keeping it on its list of suspected terror organisations. The PMOI was put on the list in 2002, as part of anti-terror measures established in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the US. The EU can appeal the court's decision. | | | 93 countries sign treaty banning cluster bombs
Over 90 countries have the signed a treaty banning cluster bombs at a two day ceremony in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. Activists say more countries may still sign in the coming weeks as they clear up bureaucratic details. The United States, Russia and China snubbed the conference, saying cluster bombs have legitimate military uses. Afghanistan surprised the treaty's organisers by unexpectedly reversing its position and signing the pact. Cluster bombs scatter a large amount of small munitions over a wide area. Some fail to explode immediately and can kill people years later. | | | Credit Suisse, AT&T and DuPont to cut thousands of jobs
Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse has announced it will cut around 10 percent of its 51,300 workforce worldwide. Its investment banking unit will be hit hardest. The bank said it had lost 1.95 billion euros at the end of November, mostly in investment banking. Meanwhile US telecommunications giant ATßamp;T has announced it will cut 12,000 jobs and reduce capital spending due to the economic downturn. Job cuts were also announced by media giant Viacom and chemical maker DuPont. | | | | |
European Stocks Rebound After Central Banks Cut Rates
