Linz, Austria - German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Saturday for greater transparency in financial markets, following the global upheavals caused by the US credit crunch.

Merkel said it was unfair that the losses arising from the crisis have been "shed fairly equally around the world."

Europe needed to do more for greater transparency and to ensure that such a scenario does not repeat itself, she told a rally of the conservative Austrian political party OeVP.

Merkel said greater trans-Athaltic cooperation was needed in the financial sector.

Vienna - An earth tremor recorded by the meteorological institute in the Austrian capital turned out be a detonation from an unexploded World War II bomb, police said Saturday.

Vienna  - Austrian diplomat Werner Almhofer will be the new chief of the Kosovo mission of the Organization for Security and Co- operation in Europe (OSCE), Austrian news agency APA reported Thursday.

Finland, which currently chairs the OSCE, appointed the 48-year-old Austrian to succeed Tim Guldimann of Switzerland, who had led the mission since last October.

Since 2005, Almhofer has been Austria's ambassador in Bosnia- Herzegovina.

APA quoted unnamed diplomatic sources who said Serbia was angry that it was not adequately consulted about the decision.

Vienna - After dropping more t

Vienna - Europe's biggest Jewish school, ranging from kindergarten to high school, was inaugurated in Vienna on Wednesday.

As enrollment in Vienna's four Jewish schools is rising, the Zwi Perez Chajes school decided to construct a new 19,400-square-metre campus for up to 600 pupils.

"With this school complex, we have the best infrastucture of all Jewish communities in Europe," said Ariel Muzicant, president of the Vienna Jewish Religious Community, which operates the school.

Besides the standard Austrian curriculum, boys and girls from 60 countries are being taught in Hebrew, as well as Jewish religion and history. Pupils have to travel to Israel once during their time at the school.

Rome - Troubled Italian carrier Alitalia said Tuesday it was forced to cancel 40 flights to and from Rome's Fiumicino airport due to a strike by one of several unions opposing a government-backed rescue plan for the state-controlled airline.

The flights involved - almost half of which are international - where those initially scheduled to operate between 12 pm and 4 pm (1000-1400 GMT) Alitalia said on its website.

CUB, a union representing cabin crew and not affiliated to Italy's main labour confederations, announced its members would stage a four-hour stoppage beginning at noon.