VATICAN - When the Vatican began an inquiry seven months ago into the "soundness" of American nuns, it adopted a discreet approach. But as details have emerged about the investigation into the beliefs held by nuns - and of the way they worship - the disquiet and irritation felt in religious communities has started to spill into the public arena.
CHINA - Waves as high as 9m have been reported on China's south-east coast. Authorities have evacuated almost one million people living on China's south-eastern coast ahead of the impending arrival of Typhoon Morakot.
USA - US President Barack Obama faced a growing revolt against his $1.5 trillion health care reforms as his approval rating slumped to an all-time low and Democratic congressmen received death threats.
ZIKETAN, CHINA - A dog is suspected to be the origin of an outbreak of pneumonic plague in northwest China that has killed three people and left 10,000 under strict quarantine, state media reported.
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — The Obama administration's policy on Israel is misguided, puts too much emphasis on the issue of settlements and ignores the bigger threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, a US delegation of Republican congressmen visiting Israel said Thursday.
WASHINGTON, USA - Fannie Mae plans to tap $11 billion in new government aid after posting another massive quarterly loss as the taxpayer bill from the housing market bust keeps growing.
GERMANY - Swine flu symptoms may generally be mild but in a bid to prevent a pandemic health officials and pharmaceutical companies are planning to administer a new, little-tested vaccine to millions of Germans. Meanwhile, officials in the United States are taking a more cautious approach to fighting the virus.
WASHINGTON, USA - For the first time, more than 34 million Americans received food stamps, which help poor people buy groceries, government figures said on Thursday, a sign of the longest and one of the deepest recessions since the Great Depression
UK - The Bank of England's rate-setters have decided to pump another £50bn of new money into the economy in their programme of quantitative easing. It will take their total spending to £175bn, unexpectedly going over the £150bn set aside by the chancellor.
USA - It's no secret that sedentary behavior contributes to obesity and chronically poor health. BUT NOT ALL SEDENTARY BEHAVIORS ARE CREATED EQUAL, according to a new study that examines the link between blood pressure in children and their choice of inactive pastimes, including watching TV, using the computer and reading.
USA - Memories in the financial markets are notoriously short, and not even a global meltdown can change that. BUT SHORT ATTENTION SPANS ALSO MEAN LESSONS ARE LOST VERY QUICKLY.
USA - The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), concerned about the exponential growth of hyper-frequency trading, announced on Tuesday, August 4, that it was considering a ban on one form of this activity, known as flash trading.
NEW YORK, USA - The junk-stock rally lives on. The biggest winners since the US stock market got another dose of bull market fever in mid-July have been the companies with the most beaten-down shares and the ones whose business outlooks are seen as the riskiest within the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX).
NEW YORK, USA - The percentage of US homeowners who owe more than their house is worth will nearly double to 48 percent in 2011 from 26 percent at the end of March, portending another blow to the housing market, Deutsche Bank said on Wednesday.
MIAMI - Weather experts on Wednesday reduced the number of projected hurricanes in the north Atlantic this season to four, two of them major hurricanes with winds above 178 kilometers (111 miles) per hour.