Tuesday other news: Pound climbs against the dollar after 23-year low

From Wall Street

* The Dow Jones closed up 38.47-points at 8116.03, the Nasdaq added 12.17 to 1489.46, while the S&P closed at 836.57 up 4.62-points.

War, Strife, Conflict and Terrorism

* There has been an explosion along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military had no immediate confirmation of any casualties, though one Arab news agency said an Israeli soldier had been killed. There has also been a report of clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants near the border. Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza last week after an offensive to stop militant rocket fire. More than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died.

Credit Crisis Fallout

* The pound climbs against the dollar after sinking to 23-year low

* The International Monetary Fund will unveil a new raft of economic downgrades tomorrow as the global hurricane gathers force

* The Dutch government has announced plans to bail-out financial giant ING

* The already fragile US labour market weakened further yesterday as American companies announced almost 60,000 job cuts, underlining the need for President Barack Obama's £594-billion fiscal stimulus plan.

* Barclays Bank admits £8-billion of writedowns in open letter

News from Home

* A Labour peer at the centre of the House of Lords "cash for amendments" scandal has faced questions over his links to a controversial defence industry lobbyist. The Daily Telegraph reports that Lord Moonie, a former defence minister, recently gave a parliamentary pass, primarily intended for staff, to Robin Ashby, who has previously lobbied for BAE Systems, Northern Defence Industries, Boeing and Rolls-Royce.

* TV presenter, Sir David Attenborough, has disclosed that he receives hate mail from viewers, because he does not credit God in his nature programmes.

News from Abroad

* President Barack Obama has promised that the US will lead the world on climate change and make cleaner energy a priority.

* US President Barack Obama has used his first formal TV interview since taking office to reach out to the Muslim world - saying Americans are not its enemy. Speaking to the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya network, Mr Obama reiterated that the US would extend the hand of friendship to Iran if it "unclenched its fist".

* Former Lehman Brothers chairman and chief executive Dick Fuld has sold his $13-million (£9.3-million) Florida mansion to his wife for just $100, in a controversial move likely to anger former workers and investors who suffered as a result of the bank's spectacular collapse last year.

* A US woman has given birth to eight babies, becoming just the second person recorded in the US to have delivered a set of living octuplets. The six boys and two girls, who were nine weeks premature, were delivered by Caesarean section in the hospital in Los Angeles, California. The babies weighed in at between 1lb 8 ounces and 3lb 4oz and are all said to be doing well. They were screaming and kicking around very vigorously, a doctor said.