BBC News with Jerry Schmitt.

The Democratic Party's candidate for the United States presidency Barack Obama has refocused his campaign on America's deepening economic crisis. In a speech in North Carolina, his first since Hillary Clinton pulled out of the race for the Democratic nomination, Senator Obama attacked the Republican presidential candidate John McCain, accusing him of, in his words, "a full-throated endorsement of President Bush's economic policies". James Coomarasamy reports.

Senator Obama seized on the No.1 issue concerning American voters. He painted John McCain as the candidate of big business, using the Arizona Senators' support for the Bush administration's tax cuts to link him to an unpopular president. The McCain campaign has called Senator Obama a typical tax-and-spend liberal, who doesn't understand the US economy and whose policies would not appeal to those independent voters, who are likely to decide the election in November.

President Bush is in Slovenia on a farewell visit to Europe. He'll meet European Union leaders at a summit. He’s expected to have visited Europe to reach an agreement between the United States and Europeans, such as the need for more action against Iran and Zimbabwe.

The United Nations envoy to Somalia says a peace deal has been signed by the transitional government with an alliance of some opposition groups. Delegates signed the agreement after a week of indirect talks through UN mediators in Djibouti. But it does not include many of the armed Somali groups at present fighting the transitional government and the Ethiopian troops backing it. Adam Mynott reports.

Just hours ago, it appeared that the talks in Djibouti between Somalia's transitional government and opposition leaders had failed. But the United Nations envoy to Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, made a dramatic announcement that an agreement had been reached to end fighting. Government soldiers backed up by Ethiopian forces have been engaged in near-continuous conflict with opposition militia since January last year. The deal includes an appeal to the United Nations to send a peacekeeping force to Somalia. When this force is in place, Ethiopian troops will withdraw.

The parents of the Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped two years ago by Palestinian militants, have received a letter from their son. The abduction of Mr. Shalit in 2006 prompted a major Israeli incursion into Gaza, in which many Palestinians were killed. Will Davis reports from Jerusalem.

The handwritten letter, in which Gilad Shalit pleas for his life, was delivered to his family by representatives of the former American president, Jimmy Carter. During a recent peace mission to the region, Mr. Carter had been promised by Hamas leaders that such a letter will be forthcoming. The 21-year-old Army Corporal was snatched in a raid by Hamas-backed militants almost exactly two years ago. The subsequent bombardment and invasion of Gaza by Israeli troops failed to secure his release.

BBC News.

A leading American think tank has become the latest organization to accuse members of Pakistan's Intelligence Service, the ISI, of aiding Taliban fighters in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan has always denied such allegations. But in a new report funded by the Pentagon, the Rand Corporation said individual Pakistani agents have provided intelligence to insurgents.

The Bangladeshi government has proposed a 20% pay increase for about two million government employers and pensioners starting in July. Correspondents say the move is designed to help workers in various state agencies hit by a 50% rise in food prices since January. The government has also announced plans to raise its emergency food stocks.

Saudi Arabia has said it will call for a meeting between oil producing and consuming countries to discuss record-high prices. There has been no word on when such a meeting might take place. Saudi officials have blamed the price rises on political tension and the actions of professional investors. They say the price moves are not related to issues of supply and demand.

Football, in the European Championship, the Netherlands have beaten the world champions Italy by three goals to nil. Supporters of the Dutch team have been celebrating in the Swiss capital, from where, Alex Capstick sent this report.

The Dutch celebration in Bern's city center will be long and loud. The Netherlands haven't beaten Italy in thirty years. But that winless streak has been ended with a thoroughly convincing display. This was a performance that harked back to the golden era of Dutch football when Johan Cruyff, Neeskens, and after them, Rudd Gullit to the current coach Marco van Basten were in their pomp, and how the tens of thousands of orange club supporters larked it up. They have been in a party mood all day and the fiesta will carry on into the early hours of the morning.

In today's another match, in what's seen as the tournament's toughest group, France and Romania, drew 0-0.

BBC News.