Global Affairs and Finance for November 10, 2009

CBS News is reporting that President Obama wants about 40,000 new troops to Afghanistan —four combat brigades plus thousands more in support.

North and South Korean naval patrol boats exchanged fire on Tuesday near the island of Daecheong-do, 20 miles off the North Korean coast.

Communications were intercepted between the Army major charged in the Fort Hood killings and a radical cleric, but took no action.

The Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people was said by hospital officials Monday to be able to talk.

Cardholders are seeing their interest rates rise and credit lines get cut as financial firms struggle to make money in their card units.

Dow hits a high for the year, 10,226.94.  As the dollar weakens, Asian markets followed suit with the Dow and opened strong today.

Google is set to acquire the Internet search company ADMOB for $750 million.

Lloyds to lay off an additional 5,000.

Police question Tatsuya Ichihashi over British teacher's death, just a few days after it was revealed he had plastic surgery.

Jupi Nakoolak is 'in decent shape' after drifting in -15C temperatures with two bear cubs and the carcass of their mother - too strange not to mention!

Lebanon formed a new cabinet on Monday, ending five months of gridlock.

Fuel from dismantled nuclear bombs, including Russian ones, generates about 10 percent of America 's electricity.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Lebanon ’s new national unity government to fully implement the Security Council resolution that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah three years ago.   That resolution called for an end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants.

The head of the United Nations food agency today welcomed the declaration by the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

“Millions of people in the U.S. are spending high percentages of their income to make their monthly rent and mortgage payment, face foreclosure or eviction, and live in overcrowded and substandard conditions,” said Raquel Rolnik, the UN Special Reporter on adequate housing, in a statement following her first official visit to the United States.

DUBAI: Two hundred UN staff will be relocated to Dubai from Afghanistan after five of its staff was killed in an ambush in the capital Kabul.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has started construction of an ambitious light-rail project exclusively for the capital city.

A total of 1,500 families have been displaced by the conflict between the Saudi army and the infiltrators from Yemen

Militant attacks killed six troops in Pakistan ’s tribal belt.

The accusations against three Americans who strayed across the border this summer drew a rebuke from Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Kraft makes a hostile bid for Cadbury.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced confidence for an agreement next month on fighting global warming even as key issues remain unresolved.

Lawmakers approved a law to administer a critical election that could determine how quickly U.S. combats forces leave.

Lobbying by Catholic bishops helped push a block on using federal subsidies for insurance covering elective abortions.

Environmentalism is given the same weight as religion in British employment laws.

While the crisis that plagued eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last year and threatened to engulf the entire region has eased, some of the factors that led to the fierce fighting and the displacement of hundreds of thousands must still be dealt with, a senior United Nations envoy said today.

The United Nations and its non-governmental organization (NGO) partners today called on Israel yet again to immediately open crossings into the Gaza Strip to give Palestinians access to desperately needed materials, especially in view of the coming winter and rainy season.

Colombia states it will move forward and appeal the UN Security Council and the Organization of American States after Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, ordered his military to prepare for war to counter the military cooperation pact signed between Colombia and the United States last month.

An International Energy Agency official says the world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates indicate.