New York  - African leaders warned Monday that the financial crisis enveloping advanced economies around the world should not spark a pull-back of aid to poorer countries.

Africa is in danger of falling far short of meeting a series of dramatic poverty-reduction goals set by the United Nations in 2000. Leaders warned during a one-day conference on Africa that they would not be able to get on track without help from the international community.

Bangkok  - Thailand's new Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat, kept the country guessing Monday, not yet making an expected cabinet announcement.

Somchai said the cabinet line-up was complete, but he would not name ministers until the secretariat of the cabinet examined all the proposed minister's qualifications.

Only then would the list be submitted to King Bhumibol Adulyadej for royal approval.

Under Thailand's constitutional monarchy the appointments are not official until approved by King Bhumibol, who is head of state.

London  - Britain's battered ruling Labour Party was urged Monday to "defeat fatalism" and replace it with hope despite widespread economic gloom and poor opinion poll ratings for the party and Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The message of optimism was relayed to delegates at Labour's annual party conference in Manchester by David Miliband, the 43-year- old Foreign Secretary seen as the frontrunner to replace Brown in a possible future leadership contest.

Dhaka  - Bangladesh will go to the polls on December 18 to elect a new parliament, caretaker government chief Fakhruddin Ahmed announced nationwide on television and radio Saturday.

Ahmed also said in his televised address that the local polls in over 400 sub-districts would be held on 24 and 28 December.

The former central bank governor promised to relax the state of emergency rule during the elections.

Johannesburg  - South Africa was thrown into turmoil Saturday after President Thabo Mbeki caved into pressure from the governing African National Congress (ANC) to resign his office.

The ANC said earlier it was recalling Mbeki as president in a bid to heal divisions in the party following a court finding of political interference in the corruption case of Mbeki's rival, ANC leader Jacob Zuma.