USA - President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, as Tropical Storm Isaac threatens to hit the US as a category two hurricane. Isaac is heading for New Orleans, possibly as early as Tuesday night, nearly seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. President Obama approved Louisiana's request for a federal disaster declaration, making available federal funds for recovery activities such as clearing debris. As much as 78% of the Gulf's crude oil production and 48% of its natural gas production had been closed ahead of the storm, government figures showed.

BANGKOK, THAILAND - China's currency could be eventually used as an alternative to the US dollar and Euro by southeast Asian countries, experts said. Phathanaphong Phusuwan, a senior official of the Bank of Thailand, said in a seminar on Thai-Chinese trade, investment and finance relations on Saturday that the yuan would likely be used more between China and ASEAN member states in the long run. From 2015 onwards, trade with Asia will largely increase under the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area agreement, which will influence the use of the yuan and the local currencies.

UK - Teenagers who smoke cannabis regularly could be permanently damaging the development of their brain and are likely to end up with significantly lower IQ scores than teenagers who do not use the illicit drug, a major study has found. The findings will help to dispel the common belief among teenagers that cannabis is a harmless drug and will lend weight to calls for more to be done to prevent cannabis use among teenagers, the researchers said.

EUROPE - European leaders are unconvinced that the Greek government's austerity efforts will produce quick results. Greece's fate is now likely to be decided at the EU summit in October. The country's European partners will have to choose among a number of equally unattractive alternatives.

UK - Desperate gardeners will try every trick in the book to prevent their lovingly tended plants being obliterated by the scourge of slugs. But those who use a popular organic method to protect their vegetables could be hit by a secondary pest – the EU.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Water scarcity's effect on food production means radical steps will be needed to feed population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Leading water scientists have issued one of the sternest warnings yet about global food supplies, saying that the world's population may have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years to avoid catastrophic shortages.

JAPAN - A powerful typhoon has crashed into the Japanese island of Okinawa, forcing thousands of residents to take cover. Forecasters are predicting slow-moving Typhoon Bolaven could be the strongest storm to strike the island in more than 50 years. Japan's meteorological agency estimated wind speeds near the storm's centre at around 180km/h (112 mph), while extremely strong gusts were reaching 252 km/h. The latest typhoon is the 15th destructive storm of the season in East Asia.

EUROPE - The European Central Bank plans to resume buying the bonds of crisis-hit countries on a large scale. Jens Weidmann, head of the German central bank, is firmly opposed to the idea, arguing that it will lead to inflation and lessen pressure on governments to carry out reforms. But he is becoming increasingly isolated within the ECB and in the political world. To retain his credibility, [Mr] Weidmann would eventually have to oppose the program. Then [Mrs] Merkel would drop him - just as she drops everyone who gets in her way.

USA - Since 9:30 PM PDT, there have been sixty earthquakes in the Brawley, California region, near the Mexican border. The depths have been less than 20km below the surface and of modest magnitude. Does this foretell a major event? Quite possibly. However, the best gauge of any future event would be a continuing of the events, or a spread along the San Andreas fault.

EL SALVADOR - A major earthquake of 7.4 magnitude hit in the Pacific Ocean about 78 miles off the coast of El Salvador late Sunday night, the US Geological Survey said. No destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is expected, and there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

USA - A series of earthquakes measuring up to 5.4 rattled southern California, Arizona and the Mexican border region Sunday, seismologists said, although no damage or injuries were immediately reported. The small- and medium-level quakes were felt from San Diego and Orange County in California east into Arizona, and swamped the temblor-measuring resources of the US Geological Survey (USGS). The quakes began around 12:16 pm (2016 GMT) with a magnitude 4 temblor 16 miles (26 km) north of El Centro, California, and lasted more than two hours. The biggest shakes included a magnitude 5.4 at 13:57, with the same epicenter. The so-called "seismic swarm" is a relatively rare occurrence.

MIAMI, USA - Heavy rain and strong wind from Tropical Storm Isaac pounded parts of south Florida on Sunday, but the threat to the state lessened as forecasters said the storm would move west of its originally predicted path. Isaac, which should strengthen into a hurricane in the next day or two, is expected now to strike further west, anywhere between Florida and Louisiana. The entire area from east of Morgan City, Louisiana, to Destin on the Florida Panhandle was under a hurricane warning. CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said there are so far some eerie similarities between Hurricane Katrina and Isaac.

GERMANY - German chancellor Angela Merkel told a Jewish leader that her government is working "with vigor" to reach a quick solution in the brouhaha over a court decision to forbid the practice of Brit Mila, or Jewish circumcision of infants. In a letter to Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the Rabbinical Center of Europe, [Mrs] Merkel wrote that freedom of religion is a component of Germany's democratic society "as a matter of principle," and that "there must be no doubt on this matter." She added that the German government is committed to supporting Jewish religion and culture, and that she is "grateful that the Jews have once again found a homeland in Germany."

MIDDLE EAST - Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas frequently refers to the “alleged” Jewish Temple, but if it was not Jewish, there is no basis for Christian belief, as written in the New Testament in Matthew (21:12), that Jewish “moneychangers" chased Jesus from the Holy Temple. However, Christians so far have not reacted to the implicit denial of their belief. The PA campaign to eradicate Jewish history at the Temple Mount, as well as in the rest of Israel, has escalated sharply in the past two years.

WASHINGTON, USA - The United States is planning a significant military presence of 13,500 troops in Kuwait to give it the flexibility to respond to sudden conflicts in the region as Iraq adjusts to the withdrawal of American combat forces and the world nervously eyes Iran, according to a congressional report. The report emphasized that the region is critical as a counterbalance to Iran, whose conventional military includes 350,000 ground forces, 1,800 tanks and more than 300 fighter aircraft. It also has ballistic missiles with the range to target regional allies, including Israel.