The group "prayed that the government would remove the decrees against Jews on the Temple Mount, and that this year we will merit to see the Mount restored to its days of glory as the center of the people of Israel's national home, with the Temple restored to its rightful place," said sources in the Temple Mount Heritage Institute, which led the tour.

*Things are so bad in America that now Hallmark is actually offering a 6 card line of "job loss" greeting cards.

*Things are so bad in America that now gangster rappers are actually making rap videos about using food stamps.

*Things are so bad in America that the number of Americans that are submitting applications for temporary work visas in Canada has approximately doubled since 2008.

*Things are so bad in America that thieves are now stealing air conditioners, drain covers, hair extensions and even embalming fluid.

But things are especially bad for children.

The following are some jaw-dropping statistics about how children are faring in our declining economy...

*The poverty rate for children living in the United States increased to 22% in 2010. That means that tonight more than one out of every five US children is living in poverty.

*Right now, one out of every four American children is on food stamps.

*There are 314 counties in the United States where at least 30% of the children are facing food insecurity.

*In Washington DC, the "child food insecurity rate" is 32.3%.

*More than 20 million US children rely on school meal programs to keep from going hungry.

*Approximately one-third of the entire population of Alabama is now on food stamps.

*The number of Americans that are going to food pantries and soup kitchens has increased by 46% since 2006.

*It is being projected that approximately 50 percent of all US children will be on food stamps at some point in their lives before they reach the age of 18.

*Last year, the number of Americans living in poverty increased by an all-time record 2.6 million.

*It is estimated that up to half a million children may currently be homeless in the United States.

*More than 45 million Americans are now on food stamps. The number of Americans on food stamps has increased 74% since 2007.

Sometimes it is hard to believe that this is still the United States of America.

Aren't we supposed to be the most prosperous nation on the planet?

IT IS ALMOST AS IF WE ARE UNDER SOME SORT OF A CURSE.

But Mr Clarke accused her of 'misrepresenting' the judgment. Yesterday it was revealed that the Bolivian not only argued that he would suffer from being separated from his cat, but also that his pet's quality of life would be affected. It emerged that officials discovered he had arrived in Britain as a student in 2002 and overstayed his two-year visa only when he was arrested for shoplifting in 2007. He was never charged over the shoplifting allegations.

The fallout from the row continued yesterday as David Cameron, in his own Conference speech, publicly sided with Mrs May.

He also slapped down Mr Clarke and appeared to mock the Justice Secretary for being on the side of criminals. Immigration Judge James Devitte allowed the Bolivian to stay in this country under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act - the right to a private and family life.

The Chancellor has cleared the Bank to increase the scale of its quantitative easing (QE) programme from 200 billion pounds to 275 billion pounds due to the deterioration in the economic outlook. In his letter of authorisation to Sir Mervyn King, the Bank's Governor, George Osborne hinted that the Bank could consider using the funds to buy up to 50 billion pounds of "private sector assets", which would potentially transform the way QE has been operated.

Leaving rates on hold at 0.5%, Sir Mervyn said in his letter to the Chancellor: "The pace of global expansion has slackened, especially in the UK's main export markets. Vulnerabilities associated with the indebtedness of some euro-area sovereigns and banks have resulted in severe strains in banks funding markets and financial markets more generally. These tensions in the world economy threaten the UK recovery."

"The available indicators suggest that the underlying rate of growth has moderated. The squeeze on households' real incomes and the fiscal consolidation are likely to continue to weigh on domestic spending, while the strains in banks funding markets may also inhibit the availability of credit to consumers and businesses."

Foreign troops are starting to head home anyway, he argues, and the Taliban are tough enough to keep on fighting for years. "The only way to finish the fight against the Taliban is to bring them to power and get foreigners out," Muttawakil said in an interview at his Kabul home, perched on a mock tiger-skin sofa and dressed in a traditional white shalwar kameez baggy tunic and trousers.

Besides, he adds, corruption, insecurity and immorality have flourished since US-backed troops ousted the group from Kabul, and their return would end much of that. Other Afghans are not as enthusiastic about the reappearance in government of a group they remember as cruel and oppressive rulers. But as foreign troops start to head home with the war far from over, it is a future many are planning for.

Fox Television, a unit of News Corp, issued a tough statement after a report that it had threatened to end the subversive series unless the voice actors take a 45 percent pay cut. "We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model," Fox said. "We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows 'The Simpsons' to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come," the statement added.

"The Simpsons" is the longest-running comedy series on US television and is currently in its 23rd season on Fox. The show also generates billions of dollars through global syndication, as well as DVD and merchandise sales. "The Simpsons" is broadcast in more than 100 countries and 50 languages and has become a staple of American culture, with the family earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Lily will be revealed in a one-hour Sesame Street primetime special, Growing Hope Against Hunger, which is being sponsored by Walmart. The special will star country singer Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams Paisley, as well as the Sesame Street Muppets.

"Food insecurity is a growing and difficult issue for adults to discuss, much less children," said the Paisleys in a statement. "We are honored that Sesame Street, with its long history of tackling difficult issues with sensitivity, caring and warmth asked us to be a part of this important project."

The special will share the stories of real-life families to raise awareness of hunger issues in the United States, as well as strategies that have helped these families find food. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 17 million American children - nearly 1 in 4 - have limited or uncertain access to affordable and nutritious food. Walmart is sponsoring the show as part of a $1.5 million grant toward the initiative and holding screenings in select communities.

The special is set to air nationwide on October 9.

Families were more dependent on government programs than ever last year. The share of people relying on government benefits has reached a historic high, in large part from the deep recession and meager recovery, but also because of the expansion of government programs over the years.

Means-tested programs, designed to help the needy, accounted for the largest share of recipients last year. Some 34.2% of Americans lived in a household that received benefits such as food stamps, subsidized housing, cash welfare or Medicaid (the federal-state health care program for the poor). Another 14.5% lived in homes where someone was on Medicare (the health care program for the elderly). Nearly 16% lived in households receiving Social Security.

High unemployment and increased reliance on government programs has also shrunk the nation's share of taxpayers. Some 46.4% of households will pay no federal income tax this year, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. That's up from 39.9% in 2007, the year the recession began.

The late-day "melt-up" that pushed the S&P 500 index out of bear-market territory might be construed as good news. But it brings back echoes of the "flash crash" that saw markets dive by several hundred points in a matter of minutes, and it's a big reason many are staying away from the market.

"Everyone is scared in both ways - the shorts are scared, the longs are scared, everyone is scared. The high-net-worth investor is very, very scared," said Stephen Solaka, managing partner at Belmont Capital Group in Los Angeles, which manages money for independent wealth advisers and family offices.

Tuesday's move was the latest example of an erratic, high-octane stock market increasingly driven by levered exchange traded funds and complicated hedging and options strategies that unwind with dizzying speed. It's a far cry from when the US stock market was viewed as a place for capital-raising by businesses seeking to expand and a place for investors looking to put their savings to work.

The IMF also warned that a recession in Europe in 2012 could not be ruled out. Separately, a Markit PMI study said the eurozone's service sector shrank for the first time in two years last month. The IMF's warning came in its latest 100-page report on the economic outlook for Europe."Finding a durable solution to the euro area sovereign crisis has become more than overdue," the IMF said in its report.

"(This) will require some difficult decisions to improve crisis management and a demonstration of unity behind the project of economic and monetary union that will convince markets. The pursuit of nominal deficit targets should not come at the expense of risking a widespread contraction in economic activity," the IMF said.

"If (economic) activity were to undershoot current expectations and risk a period of stagnation or contraction, countries that face historically low yields (for example, Germany and the UK) should also consider delaying some of their planned consolidation."

It also emerged there are three times more senior officers than Apache attack helicopters, which play a vital role in Afghanistan. The disturbing imbalances were discovered by Frank Ledwidge, who served on the frontline in Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo. 'Our priorities are hugely skewed,' he said. 'The British Army is over-burdened and over-staffed with senior ranks. We need to think about cutting top brass and the focus now should be on our conflicts rather than promotion.'

He believes retaining so many one-star generals and above earning £100,000-a-year plus while cutting spending is devastating morale in the Armed Forces. One tank officer said: 'When the MoD is making large cuts to equipment and personnel, the troops are rightly going to question why we need to retain so many well-paid senior officers living a good life.' The Royal Navy is suffering a similar plight with more admirals than active warships, according to an 2008 study. Following the recent defence cuts, the senior service now has just 20 fighting surface ships, which are destroyers and frigates.

"The FBI is aware of these schemes and threats and is looking into the matter," FBI spokesman Tim Flannelly told FoxNews.com. The hackers say they plan to launch a DDoS (or distributed denial of service) attack on the NYSE's computer systems -- the same type of computer attack that brought down numerous websites last Spring, making them inaccessible.

Anonymous has also separately declared the Stock Exchange announcement a hoax, and it remains unclear whether this is an official effort by Anonymous, a group of rogue hackers or someone else entirely. Either way, the FBI is investigating. "It is a crime to show the intent to carry out a hack when you are in possession of software or computer applications to do so and we take it seriously," FBI spokesman Flannelly said.

In one of the videos, which was addressed to the media, a narrator states, "We can no longer stay silent as the population is being exploited and forced to make sacrifices in the name of profit. We will show the world that we are true to our word. On October 10, NYSE shall be erased from the Internet... expect a day that will never, ever, be forgotten."

Welcome to the new normal. Billions of pounds were wiped off the value of shares in London on Tuesday 4 October. Dexia, a bank jointly owned by the French and the Belgians, teetered on the brink of collapse. One of the main barometers of Wall Street sentiment slid into bear-market territory. An emergency press conference called by Greece's finance minister was delayed because the building was being picketed by civil servants.

The UK construction sector looked like it was heading for recession as public sector projects dry up and in Spain more than one in five are out of work. The French and Belgian governments were forced to pledge that no depositor in Dexia would lose a cent let alone a euro as they tried to avoid a Northern Rock-style run on the bank. Traders, unsurprisingly, were scrabbling for their tin hats.

The turmoil overshadowed the Conservative party conference in Manchester just as it did three years ago in Birmingham when the shock waves from the collapse of Lehman Brothers diverted attention from David Cameron's attempts to portray himself as a prime minister in waiting. Coalition ministers know now, as Gordon Brown as his team knew then, that the global economy is teetering on the brink of recession. Jean Claude-Trichet, in his last few days as president of the European Central Bank, said: "We are experiencing the worst crisis since world war two."

So what happens now? Some things are not in doubt. It will be a tough winter. Greece will default at some point. Policy will respond to economic weakness. But answers to the bigger questions remain unclear. Will the euro survive? Will there be a second banking meltdown? Is the world facing a decade or two of sluggish growth to match the Great Depression of 1873-1896, as some historians believe. Nobody really knows. Which is why the new normal is not really normal at all.

In a report released after US stock markets closed on Tuesday, Moody's downgraded Italy's government bond ratings from Aa2 to A2 with a "negative outlook", suggesting further cuts could be to come. The move threatens to increase Italy's cost of borrowing, and will add yet more pressure to European finance ministers now wrestling with a financial crisis that has spread across the continent. Italy's prime minsiter Silvio Berlusconi criticised Moody's rival Standard & Poor's when it cut Italy's credit rating last month, saying the ratings agency's action was "dictated more by newspaper stories than by reality".

In its report, Moody's said the decision had been driven by three main factors: the debt crisis, which was causing a "sustained and non-cyclical erosion of confidence" in Europe and increasing "long-term funding risks" for Italy; the increased downside risks to economic growth due to macroeconomic structural weaknesses; and a weakening global outlook. "The implementation risks and time needed to achieve the government's fiscal consolidation targets to reverse the adverse trend observed in the public debt, due to economic and political uncertainties," Moody's said.

"Bank of America customers, vote with your feet, get the heck out of that bank," Durbin said on the Senate floor. "Find yourself a bank or credit union that won't gouge you for $5 a month and still will give you a debit card that you can use every single day. What Bank of America has done is an outrage." Durbin said consumers are rightfully outraged about last week's announcement.

"It is hard to believe that a bank would impose such a fee on loyal customers who simply are trying to access their own money on deposit at Bank of America," he said. "Especially when Bank of America for years has been encouraging their customers to use debit cards as much as possible." Most basic checking accounts at Bank of America will see a 40 percent jump in monthly costs and the bank says the debit fee will be waived for customers who upgrade to "premium" accounts that require higher minimum balances.