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Bushes greet Obamas at White House

Bushes greet Obamas at White House Washington - President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, were greeted by President George W Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House on Monday.

The two men shook hands, while their wives exchanged a quick hug, before posing for pictures outside the executive mansion.

Bush then guided Obama to the Oval Office for private talks that will likely include the faltering economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and terrorist threats.

AIG gets more government support: 40 billion dollars

AIG gets more government support: 40 billion dollars New York - Struggling US insurer American International Group (AIG) Monday got another lift from the US government in the form of a 40-billion-dollar investment in preferred stock, once again underlining the key position held by the firm in the world economy.

AIG has already received loans totalling 143 billion dollars.

The White House said the new lifeline will allow AIG to restructure the current loans "in a way that will not hurt the overall economy."

Renault's Romanian plant plans three-week halt

Renault's Romanian plant plans three-week halt Bucharest - Renault SA's Romanian plant will halt production for three weeks as the country's car market slows, a news agency reported Monday.

Employees at Dacia, which makes budget-priced compact cars mostly for export, will get 85 per cent of pay during the November 20-December 7 break, the Mediafax agency said.

From January through October, Dacia's production ran at 17 per cent above last year's level. But production recently was halted for four days because of slowing demand.

IAEA found uranium traces at alleged Syrian nuclear site

IAEA found uranium traces at alleged Syrian nuclear siteVienna - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found uranium at an alleged secret Syrian nuclear reactor site that was bombed by Israel last year, a diplomat told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in Vienna on Monday.

Another diplomat indicated that IAEA inspectors had found traces of the metal during their first visit to the al-Kibar site in the Syrian desert in June, which was bombed by Israeli warplanes in September 2007.

Both diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity.

Obama to meet Bush, tour new home

Obama to meet Bush, tour new homeWashington - President-elect Barack Obama was on Monday to meet with the man whose role he will fill in January, as he and wife Michelle come to the White House for talks with President George W Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

Bush was a much-reviled figure on the campaign trail, as Obama attacked the unpopular president's handling of the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while accusing Republican rival John McCain of seeking to continue those policies.

Banking lobby calls for more measures to avert global recession

Banking lobby calls for more measures to avert global recessionWashington - The world's largest banking lobby Monday called for additional government intervention to help avoid a global recession, but warned that any state takeovers of the private sector must be temporary.

In an open letter to US President George W Bush, who will host a summit of the world's 20 leading economies in Washington on Saturday, the Institute of International Finance called on world leaders to better coordinate their efforts to stabilize the financial system.

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