By Sumeet Desai and Lesley Wroughton

LONDON (Reuters) - France threatened on Tuesday to storm out of this week's G20 summit if it did not get the results it wanted, despite Britain's call for countries to unite and restore confidence to a broken world economy.

As leaders of the world's big powers converged on London for Thursday's crisis meeting to chart a way out of the worst global downturn since the Great Depression, the World Bank announced a $50 billion program to get international trade flowing again.

The International Monetary Fund also looks poised to get a huge cash boost to its ability to help countries being ravaged by the recession, and the leaders will likely announce common codes on financial regulation to prevent future crises.

"I want results," French president Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters. "We have to get results, there's no choice, the crisis is too serious to allow us to have a summit for nothing."

Shattering any impression of unity, his finance minister warned that Sarkozy would not sign the G20 communique if the summit failed to satisfy his objectives.

"(He) was very clear on that front. He said if the deliverables are not there, I won't sign the communique -- that means walking away," Christine Lagarde said in a TV interview.

A spokesman for summit host Gordon Brown said the British prime minister and French president had talked constructively on Monday and that Britain was looking forward to Sarkozy's participation.

Brown also desperately needs the summit to provide concrete results, just as much to revive his own political fortunes as to get the British economy out of recession.

But the run-up to the April 2 meeting have been marred by divisions between the United States and Britain on one side and the continental Europeans on the other over the right scale of fiscal stimulus and regulation.

Lagarde has said France may do more on the spending front if necessary, but that nations should wait to see the effect of current stimulus measures before taking any further action. Also, Europe has pushed for a strict overhaul of financial regulation while Britain and the United States appear to favor a lighter touch.

"Leaders meeting in London must supply the oxygen of confidence to today's global economy and give people in all of our countries renewed hope for the future," Brown said.

OBAMA TO EUROPE

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said on Tuesday the economies of its 30 members would shrink by 4.3 percent in 2009, costing 25 million jobs.

"The first major risk comes from a potential economic collapse of emerging markets," Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said as he arrived in London. "The second major risk to global recovery is the process of deleveraging."

To prevent that, the G20 is expected to more than double the $250 billion available to the IMF to help struggling nations. Rudd said its funding should be tripled if necessary.

Speaking at a Thomson Reuters event, World Bank President Robert Zoellick announced measures to reverse a sharp drop in trade flows.

He said the $50 billion program would include funding from governments, starting with contributions from Britain and the Netherlands, regional development banks and private-sector banks such as Standard Chartered, Standard Bank and Rabobank.

A draft of the communique, obtained by Reuters this week, shows the G20 will pledge to avoid competitive devaluation of their currencies and other protectionist measures.

Lagarde told Reuters on Tuesday that currency imbalances will not be a feature of Thursday's meeting but the issue may require a separate summit.

China and Russia have started a debate about reserve currencies by raising the prospect of developing the IMF's Special Drawing Rights as the basis for a new global currency.

"We should think about creating a new currency system...The current system is not ideal,"" Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said. "We cannot develop in the next 10 years if we do not create a new infrastructure including new (currency) systems."

But for now the dollar's supremacy looks unchallenged.

The U.S. dollar is now and will remain the world's currency, a spokesman for the White House said as President Barack Obama's plane touched down at London's Stansted Airport for his first trip to Europe.

By David Morgan and Jonathan Thatcher

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - A missile North Korea could launch as soon as this weekend appears to have a bulb-shaped tip that gives credence to Pyongyang's claim it plans to put a satellite in space, U.S. defense officials said on Tuesday.

Washington and others have voiced concern the launch will be a test of a long-range missile that could carry a warhead as far as U.S. territory. Pyongyang's plans have alarmed the region and intensified pressure on the North not to launch its Taepodong-2. A Taepodong-2 test in 2006 failed.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the launch, which North Korea says will occur between April 4 and 8, would deal a blow to six-party talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

Further stoking tensions, North Korea said on Tuesday it would put on trial two U.S. journalists arrested this month on its border with China.

The reclusive state accused the two female reporters, Laura Ling and Euna Lee from the U.S.-based media outlet Current TV, of unspecified "hostile acts."

"The illegal entry of U.S. reporters into the DPRK (North Korea) and their suspected hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their statements, according to the results of intermediary investigation conducted by a competent organ of the DPRK," North Korea's KCNA news agency said.

U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a commercial satellite image of the Musudan-ri missile test site showed a Taepodong-2 missile with a bulb-shaped payload cover, consistent with a satellite payload, rather than a warhead.

The image was posted on Sunday on the website of the Institute for Science and International Security, or ISIS, a Washington-based group devoted to informing the public on security issues including nuclear weapons.

The bulb shape is similar to the nose cone standard for military and commercial satellite launches, concluded officials, including analysts at the U.S. Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center in Dayton, Ohio.

"They probably are launching a satellite. But the issue is that the steps they're going through to do that run parallel to them being able to have other capabilities," senior ISIS analyst Paul Brannan said.

U.S. DEPLOYMENT

One Seoul-based analyst said intelligence reports indicated North Korea appeared to have built nuclear warheads for its mid-range Rodong missiles, which can reach Japan.

"I have some intelligence assessments that indicate they have assembled nuclear warheads for Rodong missiles," said Daniel Pinkston, an analyst with the nongovernmental International Crisis Group. "No one can know this with 100 percent accuracy."

A U.S. official who spoke on condition he not be identified cast doubt on the report, saying, "I know of zero evidence to support that contention."

Many proliferation experts believe the North, whose only nuclear test in 2006 was seen as a partial success, does not have the technology to miniaturize a nuclear device for a warhead. It might be able to place a biological or a dirty bomb, where radiation is spread through conventional explosives.

North Korea's planned rocket launch is certain to feature on the sidelines of the G20 summit this week in London when U.S. President Barack Obama meets global leaders, including President Hu Jintao of China, the nearest the North has to a major ally.

China has avoided directly criticizing Pyongyang, urging all sides to exercise restraint.

The United States, Japan and South Korea are deploying missile-interceptor ships in the area.

All have said they would shoot down the rocket if it threatened their territory and that the launch would be in violation of U.N. resolutions. Both houses of Japan's parliament passed a resolution urging North Korea not to fire the rocket.

(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington, Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo, Jack Kim, Jon Herskovitz and Kim Junghyun in Seoul, Editing by Peter Cooney)

By Richard Cowan and Ayesha Rascoe

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives launched a sweeping effort on Tuesday to control greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time help industries that will struggle to meet the proposed environmental requirements.

The draft legislation, which will be considered by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in coming weeks along with other panels, marks the latest attempt by Congress to bring the United States into a global effort to curtail emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

Many scientists think the growing amounts of pollutants are contributing to extreme weather, melting polar ice and threats to humans, animals and plant species.

"This legislation will create millions of clean energy jobs, put America on the path to energy independence, and cut global warming pollution," said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman.

Chances for a climate change bill being enacted have improved with the election of Barack Obama as president and Democrats' growing majorities in Congress. But it is still likely to be a tough fight, especially in the Senate.

In February, Obama proposed his own climate change initiative and just last week his administration declared that climate-warming emissions are a danger to human health -- a move toward regulating the pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

But the proposal circulated on Capitol Hill by Waxman and Representative Edward Markey would establish a new "cap and trade" regime for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases separately from the Clean Air Act. Proponents think it would be a more targeted way of limiting emissions.

In a cap and trade system, owners of power plants and other industries that emit carbon dioxide would need permits for every ton they emit. Unused permits could be sold to other companies, but overall emissions would gradually drop.

83 PERCENT REDUCTION BY 2050

Under the Waxman-Markey proposal that uses 2005 as a base year, U.S. carbon emissions would have to be reduced by 20 percent by 2020, 42 percent by 2030 and 83 percent by 2050. Those goals are somewhat more aggressive than timetables Obama proposed.

The deep economic recession the United States is going through makes enacting a climate control bill all the harder.

Republicans, who will oppose the legislation in the House, have been eager to point out that at least in the short term, energy prices will rise, hitting consumers and resulting in more domestic job losses.

"Tuesday's cap and trade bill marks a triumph of fear over good sense and science and it couldn't come at a worse time because it proposes to save the planet by sacrificing the economy," said Representative Joe Barton, the senior Republican on the energy and commerce panel.

But Markey, who chairs a special committee to deal with global warming problems, countered: "We will create jobs by the millions, save money by the billions, and unleash energy investment by the trillions."

REBATES AND OFFSETS

Among the proposals aimed at protecting domestic industries are "rebates" to help them compete with overseas companies and up to 2 billion metric tons annually in "offsets" they could claim along with buying permits that push them to emit fewer greenhouse gases. The provision could be particularly important to heavy industry, such as steel, cement and glass.

Total U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide are now around 6 billion metric tons a year.

Such offsets could include an array of activities, such as installing energy-efficient measures, buying forests, investing in a farmer's commitment to non-polluting practices, or even closing a plant.

The legislation, according to the committee, would give the president the power to establish a "border adjustment" program if industry rebates prove insufficient. "Under that program, foreign manufacturers and importers would be required to pay for and hold special allowances to 'cover' the carbon contained in U.S.-bound products," the committee said.

It was unclear whether the proposal would be in line with U.S. commitments in global trade pacts.

Other initiatives in the House proposal are requirements on utilities to produce 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources, like solar and wind, by 2025 and to take steps to reduce their energy consumption.

Waxman and Markey leave up to the committee the potentially controversial decision of how to allocate permits for industries' carbon emissions under the cap and trade program.

While opposition to the Waxman-Markey bill could ramp up as it moves through the House and more details are filled in, diverse groups gave their early support.

"The discussion draft provides a solid foundation to create a climate strategy that both protects our economy and achieves the nation's environmental goals," said the United States Climate Action Partnership, a coalition of industry and environmental groups ranging from Alcoa and Caterpillar to the Nature Conservancy and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

However, Lou Hayden, a senior policy analyst with the American Petroleum Institute, warned that lawmakers must be realistic with their goals, especially concerning the use of cleaner transportation fuels.

"We worry that if the timelines aren't practical, if they aren't reasonable, you may end up passing along a cost (to consumers) without achieving emissions reductions," Hayden told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Timothy Gardner in New York; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

By Martinne Geller

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A California nut grower and processor issued a nationwide recall of pistachios on Tuesday due to possible salmonella contamination, and authorities said consumers should avoid all pistachio products until more information was available.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said several illnesses had been reported that may be associated with the contaminated pistachios. The FDA said it and the California Department of Public Health were investigating the matter.

The FDA said it first learned of the problem on March 24, when Kraft Foods Inc informed the agency that Back To Nature trail mix was contaminated. Kraft had identified the source of the contamination as Setton.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

The recalled nuts were shipped on or after September 1, 2008, by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. The FDA said the recall would likely include many products in which pistachios were used as ingredients.

Last week, Kraft recalled Back To Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix containing pistachio nuts, and grocery chain Kroger Co recalled its Private Selection shelled pistachios, which are sold at its various chains.

Kraft said on Tuesday that it was recalling almost two dozen products under the Planters and Back to Nature brands supplied by Setton after September 1.

Setton also provides the pistachios sold in Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Sam's Choice private brand of pistachios.

A spokeswoman for Wal-Mart said that although the retailer had been assured by Setton that its Sam's Choice pistachios were not part of the recall, Wal-Mart was taking them off its shelves in an "abundance of caution" after talking to the FDA.

Supervalu Inc, which owns Albertsons, Jewel-Osco and other food store chains, said it was removing all pistachios and products containing them from its stores until it gets more information about specific products being recalled.

The pistachio contamination is not connected to the recent salmonella outbreak involving peanuts and peanut butter.

Pistachios are not consumed as widely in the United States as peanuts, but are often used in such products as ice cream and in Middle Eastern desserts such as baklava.

TWO MILLION POUNDS OF NUTS

A week after Kraft recalled its trail mix, Setton recalled specific lots of bulk-roasted shelled pistachios and roasted unshelled bagged pistachios in 2,000-pound, 1,800-pound, 1,700-pound and 1,000-pound amounts sold to wholesale customers.

On Tuesday, Setton said it had learned that a small amount of shelled pistachios it sold in late 2008 had tested positive for salmonella.

Setton is also recalling its Setton Farms brand roasted, salted, shelled pistachios in nine ounce bags, distributed in seven Southeastern states, with a "Best Before" date between Jan 6, 2010 and Jan 19, 2010.

Setton's recall involves more than 2 million pounds of pistachios, according to a spokeswoman for the company.

Diamond Foods Inc, which sells Diamond brand cooking nuts and Emerald brand snacking nuts, said it does not buy any nuts from Setton and does not believe any of its products are affected.

CVS Caremark Corp and Walgreen Co said none of their private branded products were affected by the recall.

(Reporting by Martinne Geller; Additional reporting by Jessica Wohl and Brad Dorfman in Chicago, Nicole Maestri in New York and Amitha Rajan in Bangalore; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Dave Zimmerman, Toni Reinhold)

By Caren Bohan

LONDON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama arrived in Europe on Tuesday with a hefty agenda for tackling the economic crisis and seeking support for his new Afghanistan strategy on a trip that will test his global leadership.

Flying into Stansted Airport near London to begin his first major foreign trip since taking office in January, Obama will quickly shift focus to international economics and diplomacy after a heavy emphasis on domestic issues.

He will attend a summit of the Group of 20 major economies this week in London, then go to a NATO summit on the French-German border before stopping in the Czech Republic and Turkey. His schedule includes meetings on the sidelines of the G20 with the leaders of Russia, China and other nations.

The Democratic U.S. president hopes to capitalize on a reservoir of goodwill because of the change in policies and style from his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, who was unpopular abroad.

Analysts said enthusiasm for Obama among the public in Europe will make for a positive tone in his meetings with allies such as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

But the warm personal reception Obama will receive might not ease the way for his aims of prodding European allies to spend more to rescue the global economy and offer more troops and resources for the Afghanistan war.

"He's obviously got a lot of charisma and it's his first big meeting. And I think people tend to be very polite in these situations but there could also be a level of awkwardness there," said Simon Johnson, a former IMF chief economist who is now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

One theme at the economic summit will be a view in many countries that the United States bears much of the blame for the global financial meltdown because of its lax financial regulation and the debt-fueled U.S. housing bubble.

ARRAY OF PROPOSALS

Obama has sought to distance himself from the Bush-era regulatory policy. He will take to the G20 an array of proposals to bring new oversight to hedge funds and other players and to give the U.S. government greater powers to deal with troubled financial firms deemed "too big to fail."

"It should be the case that he can walk in there and say, none of this was my fault and I'm cleaning up as fast as I can," Johnson said.

But the cloud of blame hanging over the United States is one reason Obama faces reluctance among Europeans to follow his lead and pursue big fiscal economic stimulus plans such as his $787 billion recovery package, Johnson said.

White House aides have sought to manage expectations before the G20 summit, telling reporters Washington is not necessarily asking countries to spend more right away.

P.J. Crowley, a former official in President Bill Clinton's White House, agreed that Obama still will have something of a honeymoon period with his European counterparts. But, similar to the G20 summit, there may be resistance at the NATO gathering to his pleas for support for Afghanistan.

"Because he is popular and he isn't George W. Bush, European leaders are going to have an interest in this being seen as a successful first encounter," said Crowley, who is now with the Center for American Progress think tank.

The improvement in tone "doesn't necessarily solve the problem that Afghanistan is a very complex situation" and persuading European allies to devote more resources to the war there at a time of economic crisis will be tough, Crowley said.

At the NATO summit in Strasbourg, France, the leaders will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the transatlantic alliance. In a move symbolizing closer Franco-American ties, France is rejoining NATO's military command after decades of self-imposed exile.

Obama will use the NATO summit to further explain a strategy he unveiled this week for Afghanistan that puts a strong focus as well on Pakistan. It sets as the main goal the defeat of al Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Obama will send 4,000 U.S. troops to help train the Afghan army and will add more civilian personnel, but he also wants NATO partners to pitch in more resources.

(Reporting by Caren Bohan; Editing by Chris Wilson)