Geneva - The global financial crisis could cost some 20 million jobs worldwide, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) warned Monday.

ILO Director-General Juan Somavia issued the warning in Geneva, coupled with the advice that "we need prompt and coordinated government actions to avert a social crisis that could be severe, long-lasting and global."

By current calculations, worldwide unemployment could rise from 190 million last year to a level of 210 million by the end of 2009.

Washington - US growth will remain weak for "several" quarters as the world's largest economy works through a financial and housing crisis that has sharply reduced spending, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Monday.

Amid fears that the US has already dipped into a recession, Bernanke told a congressional hearing that a second fiscal stimulus package could help kick-start the economy.

Vienna - As Austria's parliament passed bail-out measures for banks Monday, some of the country's financials institutions said they would make use of the government's capital injections and guarantees for inter-bank credits.

All five parties in parliament unanimously approved the package worth 100 billion euros (134 billion dollars).

As the global financial crisis has led to a lack of trust between banks, the parliament also set aside 75 billion euros as government guarantees for inter-bank lending.

Washington - US growth will remain weak for "several" quarters as the world's largest economy works through a financial and housing crisis that has sharply reduced spending, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Monday.

Amid fears that the US has already dipped into a recession, Bernanke told a congressional hearing that a second fiscal stimulus package could help kick-start the economy.

Reykjavik/Stockholm - Iceland was reported Monday to be inching closer to secure support for a rescue package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and several central banks.

The online edition of the Financial Times reported that the plan was worth 6 billion dollars, and that the IMF was to provide some 1 billion dollars.

Other central banks in the Nordic region as well as the central bank of Japan were also part of the overall deal, the report said.