THE EU Commission fined seven airlines a total of 799m euros for operating a cartel in air cargo traffic between 1995 and 2006. Air France received the biggest penalty, of 340m euros; British Airways was fined 104m euros -- less than it had expected.
VOTERS in Greece supported the socialist prime minister George Papadreous in local elections despite the severe austerity measures he has introduced. He threatened to quit if he was not supported at the polls.
OLEG Kashar, a Russian journalist, was badly beaten by unknown assailants in the latest of many such attacks; twenty journalists have been killed in the past ten years.
IN Haiti the death toll from cholera approached one thousand as floods from tropical storms spread infected water in earthqauke emergency camps in the capital Port au Prince.
AGREEMENT on a coalition government was reached in Iraq with the incumbent prime minister, al-Maliki, retaining his position. However, many observers considered the coalition's chances of survival uncertain.