RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - November 18, 2008 - Saudi Arabia has no plans to contribute extra funds to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or any other institution, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said Saturday.

WASHINGTON - November 20, 2008 - New claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to a 16-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, providing more evidence of a rapidly weakening job market expected to get even worse next year," AP reported early Thursday.

DETROIT, Michigan - November 20, 2008 - Alan Mulally of Ford, Robert Nardelli of Chrysler and Richard Wagoner of General Motors, flew privately to the U.S. capital yesterday in a bid to secure a $25bn (£17m) loan package for the ailing car industry.