Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, self-styled head of the Al Qaeda front group the Islamic State of Iraq, said in a speech posted on an extremist Web site that it would be better "for you and us" to "withdraw your forces," according to the SITE Intelligence Group that monitors militant Web sites.

"YOU DO NOT INTERFERE IN THE AFFAIRS OF OUR COUNTRIES," he continued in an apparent reference to Muslim dominated nations. "WE, IN TURN, WILL NOT PREVENT COMMERCE WITH YOU, WHETHER IT IS IN OIL OR OTHERWISE." Al-Baghdadi blamed the global financial crisis on the wars "launched in Muslim countries" and said he was issuing the call on behalf of "my brothers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Chechnya," SITE said.

The U.S. military says al-Baghdadi is an actor who provides a voice for Al Qaeda in Iraq propaganda. In a separate statement, the Mujahedeen Army, a Sunni insurgent group, urged Obama to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq or face "DAYS THAT WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT THAN THE NIGHTMARE EXPERIENCED BY HIS PREDECESSOR."

More and more boys are being born with GENITAL DEFECTS and are suffering from LEARNING DISABILITIES, AUTISM AND TOURETTE'S SYNDROME, among other disorders. HIGH MISCARRIAGE RATES AND AN UNUSUALLY HIGH number of children suffering from asthma were also noted by researchers.

Male infertility rates are on the rise and the quality of an average man's sperm is declining, according to some studies. But perhaps the most disconcerting of all trends is the growing gender imbalance in many parts of heavily industrialized nations, where the BIRTHS OF BABY BOYS HAVE BEEN DECLINING FOR MANY YEARS.

Although the link between pollutants and human reproduction has not been firmly established, there is growing evidence that the birth sex ratio can be altered by exposure to certain chemicals, such as dioxin, PCBs and pesticides. Brophy said studies done in the United States, Japan and Europe seem to support the theory that the so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals have a particular effect on males.

The Labor Department said on Friday the jobless rate rose a steep four-tenths of a percent to 6.5 percent in October, the highest since March 1994, and that job losses in September and August were deeper than previously thought. So far this year 1.2 million U.S. jobs have been lost, with 651,000 in the past three months alone as the slide in the national labor market picked up in intensity.

"WE HAVE ENTERED THE PHASE OF SERIOUS RECESSION CONDITIONS. UNFORTUNATELY WE WILL ENCOUNTER MORE OF THIS," said Richard DeKaser, chief economist for National City Corp in Cleveland. Goldman Sachs economist Jan Hatzius said the data implied the U.S. economy was sinking into a deep recession in which the jobless rate could climb to 8.5 percent by the end of 2009.

The jobs report showed the construction industry shed 49,000 jobs last month, the 16th straight monthly loss. It also showed a whopping 90,000 manufacturing jobs were cut in October -- reflecting in part 27,000 striking workers at Boeing Co and marking the 28th consecutive month in which factory employment has fallen. Earlier this year, job losses had been concentrated on the goods-producing side of the economy. But the latest data showed the pain spreading further into the vast services sector. Service industries cut 108,000 jobs last month, on top of 201,000 lost in September.

Three blast furnaces, at Port Talbot and Scunthorpe in Britain, and one in the Netherlands, will shut temporarily. Corus, which is owned by India's Tata Steel, blamed the global economic downturn for the cuts. Chief executive, Philippe Varin, said CORUS HAD TO ADAPT "TO THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT WITH MAXIMUM SPEED".

The cut is greater than expected. Last month, CORUS SAID IT WOULD CUT PRODUCTION BETWEEN OCTOBER AND DECEMBER BY A MILLION TONNES OF CRUDE STEEL - ABOUT 20% OF ITS OUTPUT. In a statement the firm said it had NOW DECIDED TO EXTEND THESE PRODUCTION CUTS beyond December. Corus said no jobs would be lost as a result of the production cutback. The firm, which employs more than 24,000 workers in the UK, announced 400 job losses in its distribution business, on 6 November.

On Wednesday, the Harvard University scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. appeared on Oprah Winfrey's celebratory post-election special. After learning the news, Gates says, "we jumped up, we wept, we hooped and hollered." IT IS HARD TO OVERESTIMATE THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ELECTION OF THE FIRST BLACK U.S. PRESIDENT. For many blacks, and certainly for much of the country and world, Obama's victory is an extraordinary step toward THE REDEMPTION OF AMERICA'S ORIGINAL 400-YEAR-OLD SIN.

It is astonishing not least for its quickness, coming just 145 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation effectively ending slavery and FORTY YEARS AFTER THE ASSASSINATION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. And it is even more astonishing for its decisiveness — Obama carried Virginia, once the home of the Confederacy, a place whose laws just five decades ago would have made the interracial union of his parents illegal.

"Just a little more than 10 years ago," Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin told TIME this week, "it was inconceivable to any of us that we would see an African American win a national party's ticket and then compete effectively. It's mind-boggling," she continued, "how much this means about the opportunities available to all people — Asians, Latinos and other people who've historically been locked out of the system."

Demonstrators marched Wednesday night through West Hollywood, Hollywood and Santa Monica. Several stopped at busy intersections and blocked traffic, prompting police intervention. An additional group of about 500 protesters gathered near CNN's Los Angeles bureau, where they were seen banging on the doors and walls. The demonstrations caused the Los Angeles Police Department to declare a tactical alert — one requiring all available officers, including some from other precincts, to respond.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom expressed frustration with the ban, but said he is hopeful it will be overturned in court. The loss was a political defeat for Newsom, who's been one of the most prominent advocates of same-sex marriage. However, he believed the effect on his gubernatorial aspirations is "trivial" and "irrelevant."

City attorneys of Los Angeles and San Francisco, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, filed requests for the state Supreme Court to overturn the gay marriage ban on Wednesday. Meg Waters, part of the Yes on 8 campaign team, told City News Service, "gay and lesbian couples have exactly the same protections under the law with civil unions. Marriage has been defined as a man and woman since time began," Waters said. "The people of California have voted twice, so I think the best thing to do is for everybody involved to figure out a way to move forward."

Waters said she understands "how gays and lesbians may feel concerned about this. If they stop and look at the situation, they have the exact same legal protections and rights under the law today they had yesterday," Waters said. "YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF SOMETHING THAT EXISTED FOREVER BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE IT."

Locked away in his Chicago home, Mr Obama received his first national security intelligence briefing yesterday as he wrestled with appointments for his Cabinet. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was first to lay down a challenge to America's new leader - by increasing tension in a stand off reminiscent of the Cold War. In a provocative speech FROM THE KREMLIN, he threatened to base warheads along the Polish border if Mr Obama goes forward with a Bush administration plan to create a missile shield in Eastern Europe.

THEN ISRAEL WARNED last night that the new U.S. Commander-in-Chief's campaign claim that he was ready to open talks with Iran could be seen in the Middle East as a sign of weakness. After eight years of staunch support from President Bush, the Israelis are now watching Mr Obama closely - even though he does not take power until January - looking for indicators as to how he will handle the nuclear threat from Tehran.

IN AFGHANISTAN, President Hamid Karzai demanded that Mr Obama 'put an end to civilian casualties' by changing U.S. military tactics to avoid airstrikes in the war on the Taliban. He spoke out after seven wedding party guests were accidentally killed by an American airstrike in the southern Kandahar province. Afghan officials said last night 13 gunmen were killed in the attack.

As if the instant foreign policy tests were not enough, Mr Obama was also facing more economic problems with the Dow Jones Index dropping for a second successive day. WALL STREET GREETED HIS ELECTION WIN BY PLUNGING NEARLY 500 POINTS ON WEDNESDAY and it was down again by 274 points in afternoon trading.

Until Mr Obama takes office on Jan 20, the United States must make do with THE LAME DUCK LEADERSHIP OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH. This creates an obvious window for America's opponents and friends alike to exploit.

RUSSIA AND FRANCE HAVE ALREADY SEIZED THEIR CHANCE. The Kremlin chose the day of Mr Obama's victory speech to deploy nuclear-capable missiles in Russia's Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, bordering Poland and Lithuania, both members of Nato and the European Union. Moscow also announced a package of constitutional reforms apparently designed to allow Vladimir Putin, now prime minister, to return to the presidency and serve another 12 years at the pinnacle of power. RUSSIA MADE THESE MOVES SECURE IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT A LEADERLESS AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REACT.

FRANCE, WHICH PRESENTLY HOLDS THE EU'S PRESIDENCY, ALSO SEIZED THE MOMENT. Paris has quietly proposed to begin formal talks between Russia and the EU on a new partnership agreement, a process which had been frozen after the war in Georgia in August. If this goes ahead – and America is in no position to protest – Russia will escape the only real diplomatic penalty it suffered for invading its neighbour.

Other countries may also exploit Washington's power vacuum. Perhaps the most dangerous – though remote – possibility is that AL-QAEDA may try to disrupt the entire transition from one president to another BY MOUNTING A SPECTACULAR ATTACK IN THE AMERICAN HOMELAND. This presents an obvious opportunity, but whether the terrorist network is still capable of this kind of action is open to doubt.

Obama needs to pump serious cash into the economy in a way that promotes his long-term priorities. That means billions for energy-efficient and climate-friendly infrastructure like wind turbines, solar panels and mass transit, but nothing for new sprawl roads that ravage nature and promote gas-guzzling. That means stronger levees and restored wetlands that will help protect New Orleans from the next storm, but no more traditional pork-barrel water projects that destroy wetlands and waste money. Mostly, it means revamping Washington's dysfunctional method of selecting and funding infrastructure projects.

AMERICA'S INFRASTRUCTURE IS BROKEN, with more than 150,000 structurally deficient bridges, 3,500 unsafe dams and antiquated sewer systems that need an estimated $400 billion worth of improvements. That's a big long-term problem for America's economic competitiveness.

To jump-start the economy, Obama needs to spread hundreds of billions of dollars, and he'd be wise to start with the currently underfunded efforts to restore the Everglades, coastal Louisiana and the Great Lakes; to repair crumbling dams, dikes, sewer pipes and bridges; to promote high-speed rail, light rail and other transit systems besieged by skyrocketing demand; even to accelerate research into renewable energy and alternative fuels.

Barack Obama's election on Tuesday set off international celebrations and ignited a fervor for the United States that has been unseen since the days immediately following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

To some observers, the international reaction has elevated America's president-elect to an unparalleled post: PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD. In Kenya, where Obama's father was born, a national holiday was declared on Thursday. In Indonesia, children danced at the school Obama attended when he was a young boy, embracing him as much for what he represents abroad as for the policies he advocates at home.

"PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER AFRICA, ESPECIALLY IN KENYA, WHERE THIS IS A HOLIDAY, ARE FEELING THAT THE MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN THE WORLD DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A WHITE GUY. That's a huge breakthrough for the United States and for humanity," said Walter Russell Mead, the Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"THIS IS THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL TIMES TEN," Rama Yade, France's junior minister for human rights, told French radio. "On this morning, we all want to be American, so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes."

Medvedev Wednesday proposed increasing the presidential term to six years from four years, a step the newspaper said was part of a plan drawn up by Vladislav Surkov, who serves as Medvedev's first deputy chief of staff. Under the plan, Medvedev could implement changes to the constitution and unpopular social reforms "SO THAT PUTIN COULD RETURN TO THE KREMLIN FOR A LONGER PERIOD," the newspaper said.

"Under this scenario Medvedev could resign early citing changes to the constitution and then presidential elections could take place in 2009," the newspaper said, citing the unidentified source close to the Kremlin. The paper said Putin, who is currently prime minister, could then rule for two six year terms, so from 2009 to 2021. The paper cited Putin's spokesman as saying he saw no reason for Putin to return to power in 2009.

INVESTORS, ALREADY JITTERY OVER THE IMPACT OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS ON RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC BOOM, ARE TRYING TO WORK OUT WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE OF RUSSIA, the biggest question for those seeking to ascertain political risk. They are seeking any details on how the current set up - with Medvedev as president and Putin as prime minister - could change. During Medvedev's speech Wednesday the Russian stock market erased most of the gains it made earlier in the day.

Interpol's acting President, Arturo Herrera Verdugo, handed an Interpol flag to the secretary-general of the governorate of Vatican City, Bishop Renato Boccardo. Monsignor Boccardo said the Holy See was joining Interpol because it "shared its views on dealing with global challenges". The Vatican set up new anti terrorism units earlier this year.

Although the Vatican plays down terrorist threats it has stepped up security, with visitors to St Peter's Basilica required to pass through metal detectors. Its 160 strong security force, the Vatican corps of gendarmes, is staffed entirely by Italians.

The gendarme corps is distinct from the Swiss Guard, the Pope's personal protection force, but works closely with it. Domenico Giani, the corps commander, said the Holy See was also considering a new "agreement of cooperation with Italian police," due to the "upsurge in criminal activity". The duties of the Vatican gendarme corps include border control, crime prevention and investigation, and the enforcement of financial regulations. It was founded in 1816 by Pope Pius VII.

Wilton Daniel Gregory, 60, the Archbishop of Atlanta, said that in the past POPE BENEDICT XVI HAD HIMSELF SUGGESTED THAT THE ELECTION OF A BLACK PONTIFF WOULD "SEND A SPLENDID SIGNAL TO THE WORLD" ABOUT THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH.

Archbishop Gregory, who in 2001 became the first African American to head the US Bishops Conference, serving for three years, said that the election of Mr Obama was "a great step forward for humanity and a sign that in the United States the problem of racial discrimination has been overcome". Like Mr Obama Archbishop Gregory comes from Chicago, and was previously Bishop of Belleville, Illinois.

He said that recent Popes, beginning with John XXIII and Paul VI, had brought prelates "FROM ALL NATIONS AND RACES" to Rome to take up senior positions in the Curia, the Vatican hierarchy. This offered "AN INTERNATIONAL VISION OF A CHURCH RICH IN DIVERSITY", he told the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

Archbishop Gregory said that the next time cardinals gathered to elect a Pope they could "in their wisdom" choose an African pontiff. "My own election as head of the US Bishops Conference was an important signal. In 2001 the American bishops elected someone they respected regardless of his race, and the same thing could happen with the election of a Pope."

Comments from Cisco that it saw a steep drop in orders in October and reports from retailers that consumers are skipping trips to the mall provided fresh evidence of the economy's struggles. While sales at Wal-Mart Stores Inc benefited from bargain-seekers, some specialty retailers posted huge drops in monthly sales.

Adding to investors' list of worries, the Labor Department said the number of people continuing to draw unemployment benefits jumped to a 25-year high, increasing by 122,000 to 3.84 million in late October. It marked the highest level since late February 1983, when the economy was being buffeted by a protracted recession.

While new claims for unemployment benefits dipped by 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted level of 481,000 last week, the levels remain elevated. The findings added to the market's unease ahead of Friday's October employment report, a widely watched barometer of the economy's health. "I think everybody kind of simultaneously - the consumers and businesses - is tightening belts so that's triggering a reasonably precipitous slowdown that's widespread," said Ed Hyland, global investment specialist at JP Morgan's Private Bank. "THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN, THIS LEVEL OF THIS RAPID AND SIGNIFICANT PULLBACK BOTH IN THE MARKET AND THE ECONOMY."

THERE HAD BEEN WIDESPREAD CALLS FROM INDUSTRY FOR A MAJOR CUT AS THE COUNTRY BEGINS TO FACE UP TO THE PROSPECT OF A DEEP RECESSION. It is the most dramatic cut since a two percentage point reduction in 1981. The cut comes after a raft of weak economic data recently. It is the first time the Bank has cut rates by more than half a percentage point since gaining its independence in 1997.

"This cut should help to ease conditions in the credit markets, and allow banks to pass the benefits on to their customers." BBC economics editor Hugh Pym said: "The Bank of England is using terms like 'very marked deterioration in the outlook' and 'severe contraction'. IT IS CLEARLY VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A PROLONGED RECESSION IN THE UK."

"The risks of high inflation have now evaporated, and because the bank is worried that inflation will now fall well below its target, it has felt the need to come up with this cut, which is much bigger than expected." Following the announcement the FTSE stock market gained more than 100 points, to stand down 86 points, or 1.90%, at 4444.67 by 12:45 in London.