Washington  - US President Barack Obama on Saturday thanked Congress for passing a 787-billion-dollar economic stimulus bill, which he called "a major milestone on our road to recovery."

In his weekly address he also warned that "this historic step won't be the end of what we do to turn our economy around, but the beginning."

Washington  - US President Barack Obama's economic recovery package was set to clear its final hurdles Friday as both houses of Congress voted on a nearly
790-billion-dollar compromise bill to help pull the United States out of recession.

The House of Representatives approved the stimulus package - the largest single spending proposal in US history - by a vote of 246-183 Friday afternoon. The Senate was expected to follow suit Friday evening.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama's economic recovery package was set to clear its final hurdles Friday as both houses of Congress voted on a nearly
790-billion-dollar compromise bill.

The House of Representatives approved the stimulus package - the largest single spending proposal in US history - by a vote of 246-183 Friday afternoon, with no support from the chamber's minority Republicans. The Senate was expected to follow suit Friday evening.

Washington  - The US House of Representatives app

Washington  - US President Barack Obama's economic recovery package was expected to clear its final hurdles Friday as both houses of Congress prepared to vote on a 789-billion-dollar compromise bill.

Obama, addressing business leaders at the White House, called the stimulus package a "once-in-a-generation chance to act boldly and turn adversity into opportunity."

Cairo  - Egypt's central bank on Friday announced it would cut interest rates for the first time since 2006, in response to slowed economic growth and inflation.

The Central Bank of Egypt lowered the overnight deposit and lending rates by 100 basis points to 10.5 and 12.5 per cent, respectively, its first cut since April 2006.