Singapore  - DBS Group, Singapore's largest bank, announced 900 jobs cuts after it suffered a sharp drop in third quarter profit, a news report said Saturday.

About half of the retrenchments, which amount to 6 per cent of the company's total staff will affect its Singapore operations, a report by the Straits Times newspaper said. The cuts are to be carried out before Christmas, the report added.

DBS employs 7,600 staff in Singapore and 4,200 in Hong Kong, which will also be affected by the cuts.

Washington  - If Barack Obama thought he'd get a break after the election, reality has proven otherwise: His life as president- elect has shown to be every bit as busy as life on the gruelling campaign trail.

From receiving his first intelligence briefing, to picking his staff, speaking with world leaders, finding a plan to lift America out of the economic morass, and trying fulfill a family promise, Obama's had a full plate of challenges.

Bangkok  - Britain has revoked tourist visas for fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman, media reports said Saturday.

Thai newspapers claimed a cancellation notification was sent to various airlines by the British UK Border Agency at a time when the former first couple were travelling outside London where they have been living in self-exile.

"Airlines are advised not to carry these passengers to the UK," said the e-mail message to airlines, signed by Bangkok-based immigration liaison manager Andy Gray.

Berlin  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US president-elect Barack Obama agreed in a telephone call to work together to help solve global challenges, a Berlin government spokesman said Friday.

The stabilization of Afghanistan, the global financial crisis, climate change and Iran's controversial nuclear programme require closer cooperation, the spokesman said in a statement following Thursday evening's telephone call.

Merkel also congratulated Obama on his "historic" election victory, the statement said.

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