UKRAINE

Europe's energy networks will receive a 4-billion-euro ($5.3 billion) upgrade to make them more robust and flexible in future energy crises following a vote in the European Union assembly on Wednesday.

Mexico said a new flu virus has killed up to 149 people and it ordered all schools to close across the country on Monday as the disease spread in the United States, Canada and Europe, raising fears of a pandemic.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will release a new $2.8 billion loan to Ukraine to help the country weather the economic crisis., official said on Friday.

Stronger emerging economies are likely to pull further ahead from weaker peers following the moves by global leaders to augment the lending capacity of the International Monetary Fund.

Dutch ING plans to sell operations worth up to 8 billion euros ($10.6 billion) to reduce risk, focus its bank on Europe, and manage its banking and insurance separately, boosting its shares on Thursday.

The financial crisis provides an incentive for countries that use the euro to remain inside the monetary union, billionaire investor George Soros said on Monday, though countries on the periphery still face serious problems.

The European Union on Friday pledged more than $100 billion in new loans to the International Monetary Fund to bail out countries in the global recession and urged the G20 economic powers to help double its funding.

Big gaps remain in a new U.N. deal on global warming meant to be agreed in December and time is running worryingly short with just 265 days left, the U.N. climate chief said on Tuesday.

On March 10, the total number of U.S. soldier deaths stood at 4,256 who died since the Iraq war began the same month six years ago according to an Associated Press count.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience on Friday never waste a good crisis, as she highlighted the opportunity of rebuilding economies in a greener, less energy intensive model.

NATO foreign ministers agreed Thursday to resume high-level formal ties with Russia, suspended last year after Moscow's military thrust into Georgia.

Toyota Motor Corp said on Monday it aimed to boost its market share in Europe to 6% in 2009 from 5.3% last year, although it expects industry-wide sales in the region to decline by nearly 30% to 15 million vehicles.

On Monday a Ukrainian business man secured the release of 20 crewmen held on their ship by Somali pirates for five months, according to reports from his office, Reuters reported.

The market for government-level emissions rights under the Kyoto Protocol is alive and well, mostly unfazed by the global economic downturn. Through the most opaque of the emissions trading schemes under the Kyoto climate change pact, nations comfortably below greenhouse gas targets can sell excess emissions rights to other countries in the form of credits called Assigned Amount Units (AAUs).

US Treasuries fell in Wednesday's session, after the results of the government's sale of $32 billion of five year notes, the debt instruments considered to be on the long end of the recession /recovery curve

to try to ease the deepening recession, but some have been criticized for putting national interests before trade commitments. ACT TOGETHER What shocks me, you see, what bothers me a bit is that in the international arena ... everyone agrees that we need to work and act together, IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn told France Inter radio. Then when everyone goes home, everyone has his nati...

to try to ease the deepening recession, but some have been criticized for putting national interests before trade commitments. ACT TOGETHER What shocks me, you see, what bothers me a bit is that in the international arena ... everyone agrees that we need to work and act together, IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn told France Inter radio. Then when everyone goes home, everyone has his nati...

Countries must keep their promises to coordinate measures to revive the global economy rather than pleasing voters with protectionist policies, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

The European Union lives relying on Russia for one-quarter of its gas supplies. If supplies are for some reason cut, many parts of Europe are left to shiver in the cold.

On Tuesday Russian gas supply pumped to Europe through Ukraine resumed following a two week long price battle with Ukraine.

Gazprom, Russia's state gas- export monopoly and NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy agreed to resume natural-gas flows to Europe today at 10:00 a.m. Moscow time.