Woman walks past financial display board in central London, 07 Oct 2008

WORLD ECONOMY:  World markets are showing uncertainty again today, following Monday's major losses. Stock markets in Europe opened higher, but quickly lost ground. However, at midday, they are up from closing Monday when markets in Europe suffered their worst one-day loss performance. Asian markets lost early, but began gaining after Australia's central bank announced a larger than expected interest rate cut. Market analysts say investors are hoping other central banks will also cut interest rates in the hope of easing the tight credit market.

Anti-government protesters argue with riot police in front of parliament in Bangkok, 07 Oct 2008

THAILAND - PROTESTS:  A suspected car bomb has killed a woman in Thailand, near where security forces clashed with anti-government protesters. Thai officials say it was not clear if the car explosion in central Bangkok was connected to the protest of thousands of demonstrators outside parliament. Thai police repeatedly fired tear gas to break up protesters blockading the parliament building. Protesters were trying to keep lawmakers from leaving the building after an opening session chaired by the new Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. \

US Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs Mark Kimmitt (L) speaks during news conference in Hanoi as Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh listens, 06 Oct 2008

VIETNAM - US:  U.S. and Vietnamese officials have held their first strategic dialogue on political, security and defense issues and discussed expanding military cooperation, disaster relief support among other issues. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State (for Political-Military Affairs) Mark Kimmitt told reporters Monday that the meetings also explored the possibility of the sale of U.S. weapons and spare parts to Vietnam. The delegations also discussed how the U.S. military could provide Vietnam with disaster relief, as well as the participation of Vietnamese soldiers in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

China

CHINA - HEALTH:  China has fired nine medical officials, including the president and vice president of a prestigious hospital, after the deaths of eight newborn babies were allegedly covered up. The official Xinhua news agency said today that eight babies died from September fifth to the 15th from infections acquired while at the Number One Hospital. The hospital is affiliated with the medical school of Jiaotong University in the northern city of Xian. The deaths were not announced until September 25th, sparking widespread outrage. 

Turks march to protest against Kurdish rebels who killed 15 Turkish soldiers Friday at Turkey-Iraq border, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, 05 Oct. 2008

TURKEY - KURDS - IRAQ:  Turkey's military says its warplanes have bombed more than 20 suspected Kurdish rebel targets inside the country and across the border in northern Iraq. A statement released by the military in the Ankara says the attacks occurred today in two mountain regions in southeastern Turkey, along with the Avasin Baysan region in northern Iraq. This is the fourth air raid on suspected Kurdish rebel bases in the area since 17 Turkish soldiers were killed when militants raided a military outpost near the border last week. 

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NOBEL PRIZE - PHYSICS:  One American and two Japanese scientists have won the 2008 Nobel prize in physics. The Nobel commission in Stockholm recognized Yoichiro Nambu of the United States for the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics. Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Maskawa will share the prize for their discovery of the origin of the broken symmetry, which predicts the existence of at least three families of quarks in nature. Four more Nobel prizes will be announced during the next six days, with the peace prize recipient being revealed Friday.

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US POLITICS:  U.S. presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama are making final preparations for their debate in (the southern city of) Nashville, Tennessee, later today, after sharpening their verbal attacks on each other Monday. At a student rally in (the southwestern city of) Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, McCain accused Obama of accepting campaign money from failed mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while turning "a blind eye" to their impending collapse. The Obama campaign released an ad about McCain's role in a 1980s financial scandal.

Democratic Republic of Congo

DRC LOGGING:  The Democratic Republic of Congo says it plans to cancel two-thirds of its 156 logging contracts. Environment Minister Jose Endundu said Monday that the owners of about 110 contracts have 15 days to appeal the decision.  DRC began a World Bank-backed review of the contracts in July in an effort to recoup millions of dollars in lost taxes and clean up a business rife with corruption. The government is also concerned about the environmental impact of the illegal logging.  The central African nation is home to the world's second largest tropical forest after the Amazon.

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