London - The world's biggest economic powers reached a deal Thursday aimed at forging a new global financial order and shielding poor countries from the fallout from the economic downturn by boosting funds for international organizations by more than 1 trillion dollars.

After seven hours of tough wrangling over how to tackle the global recession, the Group of 20 (G20) of the world's most advanced and emerging economies pledged in their communique "to do whatever is necessary to restore confidence, growth and jobs."

London  - Pirates hijacked a British luxury yacht off the Seychelles on Wednesday, the tour group that owns the boat reported Thursday.

The ship's passengers had disembarked shortly before the attack, said a spokeswoman for Aquatours on Thursday. However, the seven- person crew of the Indian Ocean Explorer was taken hostage.

The attack occurred near the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. The site, a UNESCO world heritage site, is a favourite for divers and naturalists.

London  - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner praised Thursday what she perceived as Latin American successes in the Group of 20 (G20) summit in London.

She highlighted the elimination of a graph from the summit's final document that had favoured the flexibility of labour laws.

In comments to reporters at the end of the summit, Fernandez de Kirchner said she asked that the paragraph be scrapped based on Argentina's "disastrous" experience with such practices.

London  - Alan Shearer was unveiled as Newcastle United manager until the end of the season on Thursday, saying England striker Michael Owen can help the team to avoid relegation from the English Premier League.

Shearer reiterated that he would be at the club for eight games only and admitted that he was taking on a tough job.

Newcastle are third from bottom in the league and play third- placed Chelsea on Saturday in Shearer's first game.

London  - Under the unwritten rules of summit politics, everyone is a winner and failure is not an option.

So it was no surprise that it was smiles all around as global leaders ended their one-day summit in London to fix the world economy.

"A new world order is emerging, a new progressive era of international cooperation," said summit host Gordon Brown.

He has reason to be pleased.

London, Apr. 2: On day two, the three thousand journalists who have come from around the world to cover the G-20 summit are all but acutely aware of the difference in styles of the current US President Barack Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush.

There is no backslapping, chummy chummy shoulder massage, or man-hugs with Obama. He is reserved, but warm. A style that is similar to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is never effusive, however warm his ties with world leaders. Bush and Singh had a warm chemistry, but all the demonstrativeness of warmth came from Bush, not Singh