In America’s Financial Apocalypse, I discussed numerous flaws in the calculation of poverty levels within the U.S. This discussion was one of several that pointed to the vulnerable state of the U.S., which I predicted would sink into a deep depression triggered by the real estate bubble. Only after the commencement of America’s Second Great Depression have the economists and analysts begun to... 

Spectacular: A time-lapse photo shows lightning bolts striking around the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain. The Chilean volcano which erupted on Monday has sent a towering plume of ash across South America, forcing thousands from their homes, grounding airline flights in southern Argentina and coating ski resorts with a gritty layer of dust instead of snow. Booming explosions echoed across the... 

Dust-bowl refugees walk towards Los Angeles during the Great Depression. House prices have now fallen further than in the 1930s. The economic powerhouse of the 20th century emerged stronger from the Depression. But faced with cultural decay, structural weaknesses and reliance on finance, can the US do it again? America clocked up a record last week. The latest drop in house prices meant that the cost... 

German Health Minister Daniel Bahr puts on gloves and a mask during his visit at the University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Sunday, June 5, 2011. German-grown bean sprouts could be the source of the deadly E.coli outbreak that has killed 22 people in Europe and infected at least four in US. The news came from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC),... 

An extensive check has shown that earthquake-hit Christchurch escaped any serious damage from a 5.5-magnitude aftershock on Monday. The jolt occurred at 9.09am and was centred 20km southwest of Christchurch at a depth of 15km. Two more aftershocks have been recorded: a 3.8-magnitude tremor at 11.41am and one measuring 4.7 at 5.04pm on Monday. Both were 20km west of Christchurch at a depth of 10km. The... 

Beset by Christian guilt, the Continent won’t defend Christians persecuted by Islamists. This year the leaders of France and Britain declared that their countries’ policies of multiculturalism had failed. As when Germany’s Angela Merkel made similar statements last year, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron sparked a political firestorm. Europe’s debate over multiculturalism,... 

China's President Hu Jintao and South Africa's President Jacob Zuma (r.) inspect honor guards during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Aug. 24. Zuma called for greater investment in his country from China, as South Africa seeks to narrow its trade deficit with Beijing and bring growth to its sluggish economy. By some counts, at least half the foreigners living... 

A branch of the World Health Organization announced Tuesday cell phones are “possible carcinogens” a statement that was met with skepticism from many American cancer experts. The statement came from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which convened 30 international experts in Lyon, France, this past week to sort through data on cell phone safety, reports Lancaster Eagle Gazette. The... 

So, after everyone pointed the finger at the Spanish and their cucumbers, after tonnes of the crop were destroyed, after Spain’s agriculture lost its reputation and thousands of jobs, now they decide the source of the German E.coli outbreak was not Spain after all. It’s a bit late now, isn’t it? Then what was the source? Terrorism? The form of E.coli sweeping across northern Germany... 

Oslo police spokeswoman Hanne Kristine Rohde According to Oslo police spokeswoman Hanne Kristine Rohde, in Oslo all identified sexual assaults involving rape in the past year have been committed by men of non-western background. This was the conclusion of a police report published few days ago. This means that every single rape assault in the last five years, where the rapist could be identified,... 

Russia has banned the import of all fresh vegetables from the European Union because of the E. coli outbreak centred on Germany. The country’s chief medical officer said EU-produced vegetables would be seized across Russia. More than 1,500 people have been infected by enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), which can cause the deadly haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS). Seventeen people have died... 

Multiple tornadoes slammed western and central Massachusetts, destroying buildings, flipping vehicles and leaving four people dead and dozens injured. At least three tornadoes struck the city of Springfield, Mass., alone, with a fourth unconfirmed twister possibly touching down in the city, Mayor Dominic J. Sarno said. Many of those storms also blasted the areas surrounding the city of more than 150,000... 

A sweetener used in Diet Coke and many other products is to undergo a safety review over fears that it has harmful effects on human health. An artificial sweetener used in Diet Coke is to undergo an urgent EU safety review. Aspartame is ingested every day by millions of people around the world in more than 6,000 well-known brands of food, drink and medicine. However, it has been the subject of a number... 

EU ambassadors in Dublin have been informed that their nationals living in Ireland should not make up baby bottles with tap water. Following an Open Letter (1) to the European Commission by leading Dutch paediatrician, Dr Gavin ten Tusscher and others associated with Amsterdam University and the NGO Ecobaby, EU diplomacies in Dublin have been alerted to the risks from tap water in Ireland which contains... 

Australia has suspended exports of live cattle to a number of killing facilities in Indonesia following exposure of brutal practices in some of the country’s abattoirs. Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said the decision was based on footage collected by Animals Australia that showed cattle being mistreated before slaughter. “I have decided to halt the trade of live animals to the facilities...