French bank BNP Paribas confirmed that it has taken control of the Belgium and Luxembourg operations of troubled finance group Fortis.

The German government, the central bank and private banks have agreed on a 50-billion-euro rescue plan for troubled bank Hypo Real Estate, the finance ministry said.

The much-awaited “Angolagate” trial opens on Monday in Paris. High-profile French names, including Jean-Christophe Mitterrand (pictured), are accused of receiving kickbacks for helping a businessman clinch illegal arms-for-oil deals with Angola.

A suicide blast in the Sri Lankan town of Anuradhapura killed 22 including Janaka Perera, a former army general who is the leader of the opposition United National Party.

Despite US Congress' approval of a bailout, the Asian markets took a tumble in early Monday trading, with Japanese share prices falling 3.6%, with Seoul and Hong Kong showing similar losses.

Mauritanian police used tear gas in the capital, Nouakchott, on several dozen protesters who gathered to protest a recent military coup despite the ban on all protests. FRANCE 24's Marc-André Boisvert was at the scene.

Presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama traded barbs over health insurance and foreign policy as the campaign entered its final month. Republican VP pick Sarah Palin accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists".

European Union monitors in Georgia witnessed the dismantling of a Russian checkpoint near the South Ossetia border in the "first open sign" of a pullback ahead of the Oct. 10 deadline agreed upon under a French-brokered peace plan.

Eleven Iraqis were killed, including three women and three children, when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest during a US raid on a house in northern Mosul, the US military said.

The governments of Belgium and Luxembourg are scrambling to find a solution for the troubled financial group Fortis after the European Commission approved the nationalisation of its Netherlands-based operations by Dutch authorities.

Defending French champions Olympique Lyon have lost their first match of the season against Rennes, 0-3, but remain leader in the French Ligue 1 after eight matches. Rennes forward Mickael Pagis scored a hat trick.

Thousands of people, including hundreds of Chinese immigrants, demonstrated near Rome's Coliseum against a surge in racist attacks, two days after a 36-year old man from China was beaten up by a group of teenagers in the Italian capital.

North Korean state media report that Kim Jong-il made his first public appearance at a football match on Saturday after US and South Korean reports said he may have suffered from a stroke last month.

Four major storms that pounded Haiti in August and September killed 793 people and left more than 300 others missing. A French NGO recently discovered a group of forgotten flooded villages where 2,400 people were left without assistance.

Colonel Ivan Petrik, chief of staff of the Russian mission in South Ossetia, was killed in a car bomb attack Friday near his base in Tskhinvali, according to Russian media, which cited investigators as saying Georgia was behind the attack.

Investors remain anxious following the adoption of the Paulson bailout plan by the US Senate and House of Representatives. Despite the $700 billion financial rescue package, confidence in US markets remains severely shaken.

Former American football legend O.J. Simpson, 61, was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping for 'retrieving' sports memorabilia in a Las Vegas hotel room with the help of several armed sidekicks. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

A bomb exploded outside a court in the town of Tolosa in Spain's northeastern Basque region, following a warning call from the armed Basque separatist group ETA. The blast was limited, and no injuries were reported.

Four major storms that pounded Haiti in August and September killed 793 people and left more than 300 others missing. A French NGO recently discovered a group of forgotten flooded villages where 2,400 people were left without assistance.