MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, USA - Six people were killed in Tennessee and three in Mississippi by a line of storm that brought heavy flooding and possible tornados to the region over the weekend. More rain and storms loomed Sunday as emergency officials in Tennessee sought help from the state's Army National Guard, and urged people to stay off roads and interstate highways turned into raging rivers.
USA - In a speech before the elitist Council On Foreign Relations organization in New York earlier this week, President of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet called for the imposition of global governance to be bossed by the G20 and the corrupt Bank of International Settlements in the name of safeguarding the global economy.
UK - A Christian street preacher has been arrested and charged with a public-order offence after saying that homosexuality was sinful. Dale Mcalpine was handing out leaflets to shoppers when he told a passer-by and a gay police community support officer that, as a Christian, he believed homosexuality was one of a number of sins that go against the word of God.
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, USA - President Barack Obama took aim Saturday at the angry rhetoric of those who denigrate government as "inherently bad" and said their off-base line of attack ignores the fact that in a democracy, "government is us."
USA - The cord-grass marshes of south Louisiana are nurseries for baby shrimp, stalking grounds for blue crabs, and barriers that slow down waves before they bite off more of the mainland. On Friday, they were becoming defenseless sponges for sticky, dark oil. The locals said the foul-smelling mass had the goopy look of chocolate mousse. The scientists said the enormous slick had the potential to bring environmental ruin to this treasured coastline.
ISRAEL - Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks are set to start next week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says. Mrs Clinton told reporters in Washington that US special envoy George Mitchell would be returning to the region next week. Plans to launch the indirect negotiations failed last month over a row about Israeli plans to build 1,600 homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
USA - Tens of thousands of people have joined protests in the US against a controversial anti-immigration law introduced in Arizona. The biggest protest took place in Los Angeles, but others were planned in more than 70 cities across the country.
USA - Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has warned that the sprawling Gulf of Mexico oil slick threatens the very way of life of people in his state. As President Barack Obama prepared to fly in to see the devastation for himself, experts said the slick had tripled in size in just days.
GREECE - The Greek government is due to meet shortly to discuss the terms of a deal with the European Union and IMF to rescue the nation's embattled economy. There are fears Greece's debt crisis could spread to other countries using the European single currency. Police clashed with demonstrators in Athens yesterday during a protest against government austerity measures.
USA - Barack Obama has warned Israel he will pave the way for an independent Palestinian state if the peace process remains deadlocked until the autumn. The US president is proposing to hand control of the Middle East peace process to the international community unless there is a breakthrough in the next few months, Israeli officials have said.
USA - Rising rates of obesity among young Americans could undermine the future of the US military, two retired generals have warned. More than a quarter of young Americans are now too fat to fight, they said. Writing in the Washington Post, the ex-commanders said the fat crisis ruled out more potential military service recruits than any other medical factor.
SPAIN - Spain's jobless rate has surpassed 20 per cent for the first time since 1997, sparking investors' fears that the country could soon be facing a debt crisis of Greek proportions. The Spanish government revealed the figures today as it offered more dismal news for a recession-plagued economy that is being dragged into Europe's debt crisis.
VATICAN - In a move likely to raise tensions between the two Churches, a group of Church of England bishops met last week with advisers of Pope Benedict XVI to set in motion steps that would allow priests to convert to Catholicism en masse.
UK - Dylan Wilson has yet to reach his fifth birthday - but he has already been excluded from school five times for violent behaviour. His misdemeanours have included spitting, kicking, biting and throwing books. The latest involved an exasperated teaching assistant allegedly slapping Dylan after he grabbed her breast.
GERMANY - Knowing a bailout for Athens would be unpopular, Chancellor Angela Merkel wanted to postpone taking action on the Greek crisis until a key state election on May 9. But financial markets don't care about domestic German politics. Her delay could end up costing the country billions.