GERMANY - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is putting up a lot of money to try to quiet hysterical markets. At the same time, though, Germany and Europe appear to be sinking quickly into a recession. Experts believe a massive economic stimulus package is needed to stop the slide.
UK - Children with fathers who take an interest in their education are likely to achieve better exam results and be better behaved, a study has found.
NIGERIA - Hundreds of people are reported to have been killed in central Nigeria after Christians and Muslims clashed over the result of a local election.
MOSCOW - Russia will complete Iran's first nuclear power plant in 2009, Itar-Tass news agency quoted the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation as saying on Thursday.
PARIS - There is both growing public reluctance to make personal sacrifices and a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the major international efforts now underway to battle climate change, according to findings of a poll of 12,000 citizens in 11 countries, including Canada.
CAIRO, EGYPT - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader appeared in a new video posted Friday calling on Americans to embrace Islam to overcome the financial meltdown, which he said was a consequence of the Sept. 11 attacks and militant strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
MUMBAI, INDIA — Officials say the death toll in the terrorist attacks on Mumbai has risen to 195 as more bodies have been discovered after commandos ended the siege on a luxury hotel. Shantaram Jadhav, an official at Mumbai's disaster control office, says 195 people have been killed and 295 wounded.
USA - Jdimytai Damour of Jamaica, Queens, was pushed to the ground by the 2,000-plus crowd just before 5 a.m. as management was preparing to open the store, which is located across from the main Green Acres Mall building. HUNDREDS STEPPED OVER, AROUND AND ON THE 34-YEAR-OLD WORKER as they rushed into the store.
INDIA - The fanatics behind the Mumbai bombings would like to trigger nuclear war. The purpose of terrorist attacks is often to provoke an extreme response. The danger here is that India and Pakistan could find themselves once again at loggerheads. A terrifying prospect because both countries are nuclear powers.
BRUSSELS - The global financial crisis creates new losers each day. So far, though, THE EU IS LOOKING LIKE A WINNER. For many countries along the continent's northern edge, euro-skepticism is a luxury they can no longer afford.
LONDON - Police state UK: David Cameron today led a furious outcry at the arrest and detention for nine hours of the Conservative Shadow Immigration Minister Damian Green.
USA - Gold is poised for a dramatic surge and could blast through $2,000 an ounce by the end of next year as central banks flood the world's monetary system with liquidity, according to an internal client note from the US bank Citigroup.
INDIA - As India burns, Amir Taheri examines how radical Islamists may be changing their tactics to inspire home-grown jihadists
UK - CCTV cameras which predict crimes before they have been committed in an echo of the film Minority Report have been introduced for the first time in Britain.
UK - A report shows that one in four sex offenders were given a caution last year. This included 34 rapists or attempted rapists being effectively handed a ticking off - an increase of 40 per cent on the previous 12 months. Campaigners said the soft punishments would let offenders think they can get away with their sick crimes.