ALASKA - A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes Atka, Alaska, the USGS reported. A tsunami warning was issued for the Aleutian Islands, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center told Reuters that it does not see a widespread destructive tsunami from the earthquake.
USA - The federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to file suits against more than a dozen big banks, accusing them of misrepresenting the quality of mortgage securities they assembled and sold at the height of the housing bubble, and seeking billions of dollars in compensation.
LONDON, UK - World stocks and the euro slipped on Friday while core government bonds rose as concerns about the euro zone debt crisis resurfaced and investors braced for jobs data that could signal the US economy is heading for recession.
ISRAEL - Almost a third of a century ago, on 26th March 1979, Israel and Egypt signed the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. The main provisions of the Treaty were that Israel would withdraw from the entire Sinai Desert and hand it over to Egypt, and that Egypt would keep the Sinai desert almost demilitarized.
NASA - Space junk orbiting Earth is colliding and shattering into a growing cloud, posing a threat to thousands of satellites, scientists warn. The amount of junk in space is rising exponentially, with continuous collisions between abandoned equipment, spent rockets and other debris creating ever growing clouds of dangerous fragments, an influential report warned on Thursday.
LONDON, UK - Live coverage of a Proms concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was pulled last night after disruptions by protesters chanting 'Free Palestine'. The BBC was forced to take the broadcast off air because of the outbursts during the event at London's Royal Albert Hall.
UK - Now we know where the tipping point lies. Debt becomes poisonous once it reaches 80-100 per cent of GDP for governments, 90% of GDP for companies, and 85% of GDP for households. From then on, extra debt chokes growth.
UK - A STAGGERING four million households in Britain have no income apart from state handouts, it was revealed today. The number of households with no one on a pay roll hit 3.88 million, a drop of just 0.3 per cent since last year, according to the Office of National Statistics. The figures will serve to place added pressure on Employment minister Chris Grayling to get Britain's workshy back into employment.
USA - A key warning signal of global financial stress has shot above the extreme levels seen at the height of the Lehman crisis in 2008. Central banks and official bodies have parked record sums of dollars at the US Federal Reserve for safe-keeping, indicating a clear loss of trust in commercial banks.
FRANCE - As David Cameron joins Nicolas Sarkozy for a post conflict summit with over 50 countries, Nato and the United Nations in Paris, Russia dropped its opposition to military intervention in Libya and demanded that rebels honour lucrative energy and construction contracts signed by Gaddafi and worth billions.
EUROPE - Euro zone economic sentiment fell more than expected in August, underlining prospects for slower economic growth and expectations that the European Central Bank may cut inflation forecasts and cease raising interest rates.
USA - Tropical Storm Katia strengthened into a hurricane over the Atlantic on Wednesday, while another mass of thunderstorms that could become a named storm this week triggered evacuations of some oil workers from the Gulf of Mexico.
FRANCE - France's President Nicolas Sarkozy warned on Wednesday that Iran's alleged attempts to build long-range missiles and nuclear weapons could lead unnamed countries to launch a pre-emptive attack.
CHINA - A retired Chinese general recently revealed that his country might be planning a surprise missile attack on the United States. The public comment of Xu Guangyu came in response to WikiLeaks revelations that last year Washington had warned its allies beforehand of China's test of a missile interceptor.
USA - Hurricane Irene caused over 6 billion pounds ($10 billion) in damages as it swept across US east coast, according to industry estimates. Barack Obama on Wednesday approved federal disaster assistance for seven North Carolina counties hit hard by Hurricane Irene.