Bad Wildungen, Germany  - The most common symptoms of an acute urinary tract infection are a burning sensation during urination, pain in the lower abdomen, and an unusually frequent urge to pass water - with only small amounts passed.

An inflammation confined to the urethra and bladder is not dangerous for an otherwise healthy person. But all cases should be treated to prevent complications.

Hong Kong  - Hong Kong shares shot up by more than 5 per cent to break through the 15,000 point barrier in early trading Monday.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index rose by 762.86 points, or 5.36 per cent, to 15,006.29 in the first 45 minutes of trading of the week.

The early gains consolidated a 3 per cent rise in share prices Friday in response to a cut in local interest rates aimed at freeing up capital.

Sao Paulo  - Finance ministers of the world's 20 leading economies agreed Sunday in Brazil that global stability and growth must be the cornerstones of any plan to bring volatile markets under control and fight off worldwide recession.

While emerging economies demanded a greater voice in any new regulations or systems that may emerge from the emergency finance summit planned for Saturday in Washington, the European Union had a different opinion.

Tokyo  - Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average Monday crossed the 9,000-point threshold, ending morning trading up more than 5 per cent thanks to a strong rally on the US market before the weekend.

The Nikkei index surged 470.9 points, or 5.49 per cent, to 9,053.9.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also up 36.52 points, or 4.15 per cent, to 915.52.

On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar was quoted at 98.97-99.02 yen, up from Friday's 5 pm quote of 97.58-60 yen.

Be

Johannesburg  - The suffering of Zimbabweans looked set to continue for some time to come Sunday after a summit of Southern African leaders tried but failed to breathe life into Harare's floundering power-sharing agreement.

After more than nine hours of talks among leaders of the 15-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC), Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai remained far apart on how to divide power.