Washington - US president-elect Barack Obama on Thursday tapped former senator Tom Daschle to help revamp the country's outdated health care system, one of the top domestic campaign issues during the general election.

Daschle will head both the US Department of Health and Human Services and a new White House Office of Health Reform, giving him tremendous leeway to lead the incoming Obama administration's push for legislative reforms to lower costs and extend access to more than 40 million uninsured.

Berlin - Tensions grew Thursday within German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition over plans to spur growth in Europe's biggest economy in the face of the global economic slowdown.

A leading member of Merkel's conservative bloc roundly lashed out at German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck over his criticism of Britain's attempt to limit the fallout from the economic downturn by boosting public spending.

Luxembourg  - Luxembourg's parliament voted nearly unanimously Thursday for a constitutional change that would reduce the ability of its Grand Duke to block laws.

Under the change, the Grand Duke would only be able to proclaim new laws. Currently, all laws must receive the duke's final approval before implementation.

Brussels - European Union leaders on Thursday were debating a French proposal to boost massively climate-friendly technology in developing countries as part of the fight against global warming.

The proposal from the French government, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, held out special hope for poor island nations, which are at risk of being flooded by rising sea levels and which have not yet benefited as much as they had hoped from international sponsorship systems.

New Delhi - Evidence gathered by Indian security agencies established conclusively that militants based in neighbouring Pakistan were involved in the Mumbai terrorist attack and hard decisions would be taken to protect the country and its people, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram said in parliament Thursday.

"The finger of suspicion points to the territory of our neighbour, Pakistan," Chidambaram said while making a statement on the November 26 terrorist attack that left at least 170 dead in India's financial capital.