San Francisco - YouTube began hosting its first full-length TV episodes Friday, accompanied with ads that were unusually intrusive for the Google-owned online video site.
The selection of reruns from CBS was less than impressive - five episodes each of Beverly Hills 90210, MacGyver, Star Trek: The Original Series, plus 14 episodes of The Young and The Restless.
But the move is seen as a first attempt by YouTube to become a major platform for showing advertising-supported TV shows over the internet.
Washington - The world's seven leading economies agreed to take "all necessary steps" to tackle a financial crisis that threatens to plunge the world into recession, and promised to provide banks the money they need to stay afloat, according to a joint statement by the Group of Seven on Friday.
The G7 finance ministers and central bank heads called for "urgent and exceptional action" to stabilize the financial system and unblock credit markets that have come to a virtual halt in the United States and Europe.
Washington - The US government plans to take ownership stakes in banks in a fresh bid to restore confidence in financial markets, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Friday.
The dramatic step comes as part of the 700-billion-dollar rescue package passed by Congress last week that gave the government broad new powers to buy up soured mortgage assets from troubled banks in the United States.
Washington - Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a spike in inflation and a slowdown in growth over this year and the next as it deals with the triple threats of food and fuel price surges and some spill-over from the financial turmoil, the International Monetary Fund warned Friday.
The region is still showing stronger growth than much of the world. Growth will fall to 6 per cent in 2008 and 2009, down from 6.5 per cent in 2007, according to the IMF's semi-annual economic report on the region.
Washington - Developing countries warned wealthier nations to meet their aid commitments and help avoid a spill-over of the financial turmoil that could prompt the collapse of some poorer countries' economies.
Ministers and central bankers from 24 developing countries meeting in Washington warned that their economies were now being struck by three crises - the financial turmoil as well as food and energy price surges - and would need help pulling themselves back from the brink.
Washington - The United States and India on Friday placed the final signatures on a landmark accord that allows US firms to sell civilian nuclear technology and material to India.
The bill reverses more than 30 years of US policy banning the export of nuclear technology to India in exchange for international inspections of India's civilian nuclear energy programme.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee signed the deal during a ceremony at the State Department, capping off three years of complicated negotiations.
San Francisco - YouTube began hosting its first full-length TV episodes Friday, accompanied with ads that were unusually intrusive for the Google-owned online video site.
Washington - The world's seven leading economies agreed to take "all necessary steps" to tackle a financial crisis that threatens to plunge the world into recession, and promised to provide banks the money they need to stay afloat, according to a joint statement by the Group of Seven on Friday.
Washington - The US government plans to take ownership stakes in banks in a fresh bid to restore confidence in financial markets, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Friday.
Washington - Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a spike in inflation and a slowdown in growth over this year and the next as it deals with the triple threats of food and fuel price surges and some spill-over from the financial turmoil, the International Monetary Fund warned Friday.
Washington - Developing countries warned wealthier nations to meet their aid commitments and help avoid a spill-over of the financial turmoil that could prompt the collapse of some poorer countries' economies.
Washington - The United States and India on Friday placed the final signatures on a landmark accord that allows US firms to sell civilian nuclear technology and material to India.
