German Chancellor Angela Merkel is holding a special, two-day cabinet meeting to come up with a savings plan for the country's budget.

An aid ship intercepted by the Israeli military while trying to break the blockade of Gaza has arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Calling him one of America's "most experienced and most respected intelligence professionals," President Barack Obama has nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper to be the new director of national intelligence.

Finance ministers from the world's leading economies ripped up their support for fiscal stimulus on Saturday, recognising that financial market concerns over sovereign debt had forced a much greater focus on deficit reduction.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) has formally asked the UN Security Council for action over what it says was the Democratic People Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s sinking of one of its warships in March, the Mexico UN. mission said.

Israel has reiterated that a ship carrying aid and international activists will not be allowed to break its blockade of the Gaza Strip.

US President Barack Obama has said it is "way too early to be optimistic" as he makes his third visit to the oil-hit Gulf of Mexico coast.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urged his Group of 20 counterparts to keep stoking global growth to counteract Europe's woes and put the onus on China, Germany and Japan to boost domestic demand.

International donors have pledged US$1.1 billion in aid to Cambodia this year, a substantial increase from the US$951.5 million the country received in 2009.

Laos and Malaysia signed a series of bilateral cooperation agreements during the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s visit to the country from June 2-4.