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Russia agrees troops pullout from Georgia - Sarkozy

MEIENDORF CASTLE, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed at Moscow talks on Monday to pull his troops out of Georgia proper within a month, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy said.

McCain, Obama tied at 48 percent in CNN/Time opinion poll

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama are dead even at 48 percent in the race for the White House, according to a CNN/Time poll released on Monday.

Al Qaeda video slams Iran, "Crusader" war

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda has issued a video marking the Sept. 11 attacks, in which deputy group leader Ayman al-Zawahri accuses Iran of taking part in a Western "Crusader" war against Islam, Al Jazeera television said on Monday.

Thai PM vows to fight on despite court threat

UDON THANI, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej vowed on Monday not to resign or dissolve parliament ahead of a court ruling that could force him from power in less than 24 hours.

Hurricane Ike over Cuba, heading for U.S. Gulf Coast

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hurricane Ike is not yet weakening over Cuba and will likely reach the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 hurricane before taking aim at the oil-rich Texas-Louisiana coast later in the week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center forecast in its 11 a.m. EDT report on Monday.

New U.N. human rights chief calls for racism debate

GENEVA (Reuters) - The new U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanetham Pillay, called on Monday for an open debate about racism and religious intolerance, taking aim at countries threatening to boycott a summit on those issues.

Woman, 59, has triplets in Paris hospital

PARIS (Reuters) - A 59-year-old woman has given birth to triplets at a Paris hospital after seeking fertility treatment in Vietnam, a hospital spokeswoman said on Monday.

Difficult decisions loom for Syria's Assad

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - After basking in international limelight, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad faces difficult decisions that could change the political landscape of the Middle East.


Monday, September 08, 2008

Mortgage lender Nationwide announces merger

LONDON (AP) - The Nationwide Building Society, a British mortgage lender, said Monday it is taking over two smaller rivals. Nationwide said it will absorb the Derbyshire and Cheshire building societies.

Chinese protester freed after Olympics detention

BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese woman detained for a month after protesting about being evicted from her home ahead of the Olympics has been freed, the woman and her son said Monday.

6.5 quake shakes sea floor near Vanuatu

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A magnitude 6.5 earthquake has rocked the sea floor off the coast of the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, but there are no immediate reports of injury or damage.

Kiwis says Indian nuke commitments resolved concerns

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - India's clear commitment not to resume testing of nuclear weapons or spread atomic technology helped convince key countries to back a deal allowing it to trade in peaceful nuclear technology, New Zealand's leader said Monday.

Police arrest five in Nepal

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Police have arrested five men on suspicion of bombing the home of Nepal's vice president last month, officials said Monday.

Indian flood victims to spend 6 months in camps

PATNA, India (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of Indian flood refugees are likely to spend six months in state-run relief camps while authorities rebuild homes, roads and river embankments in the flood-ravaged north, officials said Monday.

Taiwan stock index jumps 5.6 percent

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan shares soared Monday as investors took cue from a planned government package to stimulate the sagging economy.

Russian sumo wrestlers expelled for marijuana

TOKYO (AP) - Two popular Russian sumo wrestlers were slapped with lifetime bans from Japan's ancient national sport for allegedly using marijuana and the head of the Japan Sumo Association resigned Monday to take responsibility for the scandal, officials said.

Australia's St. George agrees to Westpac takeover

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - St. George, Australia's fifth-largest bank, agreed to a revised 17.3 billion Australian dollar (US$14.4 billion) takeover proposal by larger rival Westpac Banking Corp. on Monday, in what would be the biggest banking acquisition in Australian history.

Oil jumps in Asia as Ike threatens Gulf of Mexico

SINGAPORE (AP) - Oil prices jumped Monday in Asia as Hurricane Ike looked poised to slam into the Gulf of Mexico later this week, delaying efforts to bring oil and gas production back online in a region still recovering from Hurricane Gustav.

Wall Street may cheer Fannie, Freddie bailout

NEW YORK (AP): Wall Street finally got what it's been angling for: a bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could aid a recovery of the broken U.S. housing market and arrest a slide in stock and credit markets worldwide.

50,000 villagers in flooded India refuse to leave

PATNA, India (AP): At least 50,000 people in India have refused to abandon their homes in flood-ravaged northern Indian despite pleas by authorities to evacuate.

Chinese banks welcome Fannie, Freddie bailout

BEIJING (AP) - Two major Chinese banks that own US$8 billion in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities welcomed Washington's bailout of the troubled mortgage lenders but declined to say Monday whether they expect to lose money.

Iran says OPEC considering production cut

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran's oil minister says he thinks there is too much crude on the market, adding that OPEC is reviewing whether it should cut back supplies.

Britney returns to MTV Video Music Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP): All Britney Spears needed to do was show up to the MTV Video Music Awards without stumbling and her appearance would have been considered a rousing success.

Protest against India's Tata Motors called off

CALCUTTA, India (AP) - Farmers and activists called off protests that halted production at an Indian plant building the world's cheapest car after the local government promised to compensate them for land they say was unfairly taken for the factory.


From ANN newspapers