Brussels  - The European Union flirted with chaos Monday as top diplomats complained about a "cliquey" response to the recession and failed to agree on the use of community funds to aid economic recovery.

"I must admit I'm extremely worried about the EU's institutional chaos. Never in the EU's history has there been a period like this with so many cliques," Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said after regular talks in Brussels with his EU counterparts.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama is urging states to spend the government's money wisely despite a deepening recession, ahead of his annual address to Congress Tuesday that will outline the long-term budget priorities for his administration.

Addressing a meeting of the country's governors Monday in Washington, Obama said he was relying on states to quickly implement the 787-billion-dollar stimulus package that became law last week and is aimed at halting the country's disastrous economic slide.

Dublin - Up to 120,000 people protested in the Irish capital Dublin on Saturday against the government's handling of the economy and the activities of the banks during the financial crisis.

The demonstration, one of the largest ever in the city, was called for by a number of Ireland's unions. State employees vented their anger over government cutback plans and the effect that the recession, which began late in 2008, is having on workers.

Berlin  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Saturday for unified international rules for the financial markets, on the eve of a meeting with the heads of Europe's leading economies.

There could no longer be "blank spots" where regulations don't apply in the wake of the financial meltdown, Merkel said in her weekly video podcast.

Washington  - President Barack Obama met with dozens of the country's mayors at the White House Friday, promising close cooperation but urging them to spend government funds wisely in order to halt the country's economic slide.

US cities and states have faced huge budget shortfalls in the country's year-long recession, forcing many to contemplate cutbacks in services just as demand for government benefits is rising.

Baghdad  - Mostafa Hussein, a young man from Baghdad, once dreamed of joining Iraq's security forces to help end the fighting that has torn his country apart in recent years.

And so Hussein joined the Sunni tribal police as a first step. He tried not to let the death threats he received as a result bother him. Undeterred, he applied for a job with the Iraqi police.

When the police turned him down, Hussein did not give up. He tried bribing his way into a job, also without success. All the government jobs, he said, are reserved for friends and relatives of government officials.