Singapore- Singapore's business receipts for services industries rose by 11.6 per cent in the third quarter of this year over the same period of 2007, the Singapore Department of Statistics said Thursday.

Turnover of water transport services grew by 19.6 per cent in the third quarter from a year ago, with contribution from shipping lines and firms engaged in ship and boat leasing.

Revenue of the post and telecommunications industry rose by 4.6 per cent, while business receipts of the financial services industry grew by 5 per cent.

Manila - Malaysia said Thursday it was withdrawing its troops from an international peacekeeping mission in the troubled southern Philippines amid stalled peace talks between the Philippine government and Muslim separatist rebels.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim said Malaysia's troops were pulling out of the southern region of Mindanao as scheduled on November 30.

He said Malaysia, which has led the international monitoring team (IMT) in Mindanao since 2004, would consider rejoining the mission if the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) make progress in peace negotiations.

Seoul - Shares surged 3.3 per cent Thursday on the Seoul s

Jerusalem - Israeli Foreign Minister and Vice Prime Minister Tzipi Livni condemned Thursday the terrorist attacks across Mumbai, saying they underscored once again that terrorism was the "greatest challenge" the world was facing today.

"There is nothing which justifies the unforgivable murder of innocent civilians and as such the international community must work together in the ongoing war against this despicable and evil phenomenon," she said in a statement by her office.

Brussels - The European Union strongly condemns the Mumbai terrorist attacks that killed 101 people on Wednesday, officials in the bloc's Brussels headquarters said.

The European Commission, the EU's executive, "condemns in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attacks this night in Mumbai which have cost the lives of many innocent people and injured others," a statement released overnight said.

London - Seven British citizens have been injured in the attacks in Mumbai, Britain's High Commissioner in India said Thursday.