USA - Washington Mutual Inc, the biggest US savings and loan, had its credit rating cut to junk by Standard & Poor's because of the deteriorating housing market.
USA - American International Group Inc. was facing a severe cash crunch last night as ratings agencies cut the firm's credit ratings, forcing the giant insurer to raise $14.5 billion to cover its obligations.
UK - More than half of women would think about asking a friend to have children with them if the right person doesn't come along, a survey has said.
LONDON - Losses on stock markets have continued after the collapse of fourth largest US investment bank, Lehman Brothers, which has filed for bankruptcy protection.
NEW YORK - Insurer American International Group Inc struggled for survival a day after a financial tsunami swept away investment bank Lehman Brothers and forced the sale of rival Merrill Lynch in the biggest financial industry shake-up since the Great Depression.
FAR EAST - Leading Asian markets have plunged in the aftermath of the demise of top US investment bank Lehman Brothers. Shares in Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan are down by 4 to 6%, having been shut on Monday for a bank holiday.
USA - The decision by the American government to allow the Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers to fail marks a significant escalation of the global credit crunch.
NEW YORK - As Lehman Brothers Holdings stared failure in the face on Sunday, anxiety intensified about the health of several other big U.S. financial institutions. "We will see other major financial firms fail," former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said.
MELBOURNE - Scientists have discovered that going veggie could be bad for your brain - with those on a meat-free diet six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage.
UK - Bank of England pumps £5bn into markets after collapse of Wall Street giant Lehman Brothers
UK - Across Britain, children are half-gleeful and half-groaning as they finally head back to school. But amidst the bustle of the school-run, there are tens of thousands of forgotten children who aren't going anywhere. They are being denied an education – and set up to fail for life.
USA — Federal officials say it appears Hurricane Ike destroyed a number of production platforms and damaged some of the pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico.
USA - Hurricane Ike left Houston without drinking water today and severed power to millions after ripping through America's fourth-largest city yesterday, flooding homes, shattering office windows and shutting oil refineries.
INDONESIA - At least 21 people have been killed and several others have been injured in a stampede in Indonesia, according to local officials and media reports. The crush happened as people waited for charity handouts from a wealthy family in the East Javan town of Pasuruan.
FRANCE - Pope Benedict XVI urged more than 150,000 followers at mass Sunday in the French shrine town of Lourdes to hold firm in their faith, telling them "love is stronger than evil."