JAKARTA, INDONESIA - A powerful earthquake off eastern Indonesia damaged dozens of buildings and sent panicked residents fleeing to higher ground Thursday, some climbing trees to escape a feared tsunami, officials and witnesses said. At least 17 people were injured.
EUROPE - New statistics released on Thursday show that Europe's industrial woes are even worse than expected. Many are concerned that the bad economy could lead to more protectionism.
USA - This week Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner unveiled a financial stabilization plan that could cost $2 trillion, in addition to the $790 billion that Congress plans to spend on economic stabilization. ALL THIS WITHOUT ANY CONSULTATION WITH CONGRESS. That's financial stability?
USA - US officials are publicly taking a wait-and-see approach to the formation of a new Israeli government, but privately many have expressed concern that Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu might preside over a right-wing coalition.
CHINA - China will continue to buy US Treasury bonds even though it knows the dollar will depreciate because such investments remain its "only option" in a perilous world, a senior Chinese banking regulator said on Wednesday.
USA - About half-way through President Obama's press conference Monday night, he had an unscripted question of his own. "All, Chuck Todd," the President said, referring to NBC's White House correspondent. "Where's Chuck?" He had the same strange question about Fox News's Major Garrett: "Where's Major?"
GERMANY - Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, trains its own hackers - - and it's not the only official effort to defend a nation from denial-of-service attacks. Governments around the world are preparing for the future of war.
USA/RUSSIA - A commercial satellite owned by a U.S. company was destroyed in a collision with a defunct Russian military satellite in what NASA said was the first such accident in orbit, raising new concerns about the dangers of space debris.
UK - Britain's economy could shrink by as much as 6 per cent this summer as the country grapples with a 'deep recession', the Bank of England has warned. Governor Mervyn King said it will take a long time to recover and the slump will become even worse if the Government fails to restore the health of the banking system.
ARGENTINA - Gustavo Grobocopatel is called "the Soybean King" here because he oversees a farming empire the size of Luxembourg. Nowadays, that distinction brings more grief than glory.
EUROPE - With anger mounting over a French plan to bail out its domestic automobile industry and protectionist comments made by President Nicolas Sarkozy, European leaders are calling for a discussion on the perils of protectionism at an upcoming special summit.
GERMANY - In some countries social order has already begun to break down in the face of soaring food prices and spreading hunger. Could the worldwide food crisis portend the collapse of global civilization?
USA/UK - People are up in arms about bankers receiving bonuses when the banks they worked for have gone down the pan. But isn't it just as shocking that so many state-backed financial firms still subsidize the eye-popping wages of sporting superstars through rich sponsorship deals?
AUSTRALIA - Angry residents last night accused local authorities of contributing to the bushfire toll by failing to let residents chop down trees and clear up bushland that posed a fire risk.
UK - Sir James Crosby has resigned as deputy chairman of City watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The move follows allegations that, when head of HBOS, he sacked senior manager Paul Moore who had raised concerns the bank was exposed to too much risk.