Brown talks economy with Obama

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spoken with Barack Obama for the first time since his inauguration as president of the United States, Downing Street said on Friday. The telephone conversation, described by a spokesman as "friendly and substantive," covered subjects including the economy and the Middle East as well as other unspecified issues. No further details were available about how long the talks lasted or who initiated the call. Earlier in the day, Brown had said he was spending a "great deal of my time talking to other countries" about how best to tackle the economic downturn. He has called for international joint action to fight the global financial crisis. Obama spoke to a number of world leaders on Friday including Saudi King Abdullah and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the White House said.