UK - Union barons warned yesterday that Britain could be on the brink of the first general strike since 1926. On the first day of the TUC conference, they revealed that a debate will be held tomorrow on staging the first national stoppage for 86 years. Vital services would be wiped out with key workers – including teachers, prison guards, firemen, nurses, dinner ladies and paramedics – likely to walk out. Public sector workers’ leaders are furious at the Government’s imposition of a two-year pay freeze on staff who earn £21,000 or more.

GREECE - A giant 'balloon of magma' is inflating under the volcanic Greek island of Santorini, warns a new study. The balloon is so big it has forced the island upwards by 14cm between January 2011 and April this year. It has also triggered a series of small earthquakes, the first seismic activity in 25 years - raising fears that the volcano could erupt for the first time since 1950. Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 120 miles south east of the Greek mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera.

This year's dreadful weather has cost rural Britain at least £1 billion, according to an investigation by BBC One's Countryfile. Data from farmers, tourist businesses, insurers and events organisers show the wettest summer for 100 years has hit the countryside hard. Factors include reduced visitor numbers at countryside attractions such as stately homes and camp sites. Meanwhile, some country events were cancelled due to bad weather. The biggest loss to farmers though is in poor yields as crops rotted and damp-loving diseases spread.

GERMANY - Public figures from the fields of politics, sport, culture and entertainment in Germany presented a statement in Berlin on 5 September making an urgent call for unity between the Catholic and Protestant churches.

BRUSSELS, EUROPE - Greece should impose a six-day week to secure the next tranche of its bail-out package, according to a leaked letter sent by the country's creditors. Under a heading "increase flexibility of work schedules" the Troika - which is composed of officials from the European Commission, European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) - states that the country should "increase the number of maximum working days to six days across all sectors."

ISRAEL - The Israeli government's failure to respond adequately to Jewish extremist attacks against churches and monasteries is fostering a climate of intolerance towards Christianity in the country, a senior Vatican official in Jerusalem has warned.

RUSSIA - According to the World Gold Council, Russia has more than doubled its gold reserves in the past five years. Putin has taken advantage of the financial crisis to build the world’s fifth-biggest gold pile in a handful of years, and is buying about half a billion dollars’ worth every month. Gold now accounts for 9% of Russia’s reserves, and that figure is rising. It emerged last month that financial gurus George Soros and John Paulson had also increased their bullion exposure.

EUROPE - Moody’s recent step to cut the eurozone’s outlook has become another sign for investors as well as for other European countries to stay away from the troubled [monetary] group. Poland and Bulgaria separately said they put on hold plans to adopt the euro. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Poland hasn’t given up the idea of joining the euro, but only after the member countries solve their financial problems.

USA - In this year's US presidential election, truth is in short supply. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have become more unabashed in their lies than ever before. With a mainstream media weakened by the appearance of partisan bias and editorial staffs that have been ravaged during the crisis, many of the whoppers won't be second-guessed.

EUROPE - Germany should leave the euro zone if it is not prepared to take a more decisive lead in helping the euro zone's weaker nations escape a spiral of increasing indebtedness and economic decline, veteran financier George Soros said on Saturday. Soros said Europe faced a prolonged depression and an acrimonious end to the European unification project if steps were not taken to help its southern nations grow their way out of the debt crisis by collectively assuming some of their debt and relaxing its German-led insistence on austerity.

SPAIN - In July, Spaniards withdrew a record €75 billion, or $94 billion, from their banks — an amount equal to 7 percent of the country’s overall economic output — as doubts grew about the durability of Spain’s financial system. The withdrawals accelerated a trend that began in the middle of last year, and came despite a European commitment to pump up to €100 billion into the Spanish banking system. Analysts will be watching to see whether the August data, when available, shows an even faster rate of capital flight.

JAPAN - Japanese scientists predict Mount Fuji will blow due to new tectonic pressures that are higher than when the volcano last erupted more than 300 years ago. Estimates say the eruption will affect more than 400,000 people and cost over $30 billion. Mount Fuji has already been classified as an active volcano, but scientists revealed new readings that show that the current pressure is at 1.6 megapascals, nearly 16 times higher than that required to trigger an eruption (0.1 megapascals).

CHINA - At least 80 people are now known to have died in a series of earthquakes in south-western China, as rescuers struggle to reach remote areas. More than 730 people were injured after the quakes hit Yunnan and Guizhou provinces on Friday, state media said. The tremors struck mostly mountainous areas, causing landslides that blocked some roads. The US Geological Survey registered the two strongest of the quakes at 5.6 magnitude.

NICARAGUA - The Nicaraguan government says about 3,000 people are being evacuated from areas near the San Cristobal volcano, which is spewing ash and gas. Soldiers have been sent to the region, northwest of the capital Managua, after the government ordered local communities to leave. The volcano began erupting on Saturday morning, shortly after powerful explosions were heard. The authorities say they expect more gas emissions and sporadic explosions. Some 20,000 people could eventually be affected, said government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo.

COSTA RICA - A powerful earthquake has shaken the north-west of Costa Rica killing at least one person. A 55-year-old woman died of a heart attack near the epicentre of the quake, the Red Cross said. The US Geological Survey said the 7.6-magnitude quake occurred beneath the Nicoya peninsula, 140km (87 miles) west of the capital, San Jose. The quake rattled buildings in some parts of the capital, San Jose, Reuters news agency reported.