Washington  - US President Barack Obama's economic recovery package was expected to clear its final hurdles Friday as both houses of Congress prepared to vote on a 789-billion-dollar compromise bill.

Obama, addressing business leaders at the White House, called the stimulus package a "once-in-a-generation chance to act boldly and turn adversity into opportunity."

Harare  - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe swore some of his fiercest critics into a power-sharing government on Friday, sealing the beginning of a reluctant union which Zimbabweans hope will end the country's economic crisis.

Two days after he ceded a portion of his powers to long-time opposition leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe swore in ministers from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and his own Zanu-PF into a 31-ministry coalition cabinet.

Cairo  - Although the announced intention behind the visit of Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to Iraq was strengthening economic ties, the timing of the visit this week can also reveal unannounced reasons.

"Now, Iran is trying to open a new dialogue with the US, and the situation in Iraq is one of the related topics to be discussed," said Gamal Abdul-Gawad, a researcher at Al-Ahram Strategic Centre for Political Studies.

Washington  - US lawmakers reached a compromise deal Wednesday on a record economic recovery package, which could allow the plan to pass both houses of Congress before the end of the week.

The Senate and House of Representatives ironed out differences in separate versions of the stimulus bill and knocked the total price tag down to 789 billion dollars, including a mixture of tax cuts and government spending projects to pull the US out of its worst recession in decades.

Amman  - The Jordanian government said Wednesday it hoped to see the formation of a new Israeli government committed to the Middle East peace process and prepared to enter into "serious and fruitful" negotiations with the Palestinians.

In the first official reaction to the outcome of the Israeli general elections, Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Bashir said that any new Israeli government "should also commit itself to the cessation of settlement activity and stop Judaizing East Jerusalem".

Berlin  - The governments of Germany, Britain and the Netherlands pledged Wednesday to increase cooperation on countering Islamic extremism, at the opening of a joint symposium.

The opening event was attended by German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, his British counterpart, and a representative of the Dutch interior ministry.

British Interior Minister Jacqui Smith said, "It's clear that we share a common threat that demands a united response, even if the specific nature of that threat differs from country to country."

"We can learn a lot from each other, not only in how we can counter the threat, but also how we can coordinate our actions," she added.