NEW YORK – The European Central Bank and the Bank of England  cut interest rates to record lows yesterday to battle a  recession that has threatened the survival of General Motors and  undercut fellow U.S. corporate giant General Electric .

BRUSSELS – In its first public overture to Tehran, the Obama  administration intends to invite Iran to an international  conference on Afghanistan planned for this month, Secretary of  State Hillary Clinton announced yesterday.

BRUSSELS – NATO agreed yesterday to resume formal ties  with Russia, suspended after Moscow’s war with Georgia, in the  hope of winning greater Russian support for its struggle to  stabilise Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama opened his drive for a  healthcare overhaul at a White House forum yesterday, seeking  momentum to change a costly and inefficient system he says is  dragging down the U.S. economy.

BAGHDAD – A car bomb exploded in a livestock market in  Iraq’s southern Babil province yesterday, killing 12 people,  wounding 40 and shattering a peace that had held in the area for  some time, police said.