LOS ANGELES, Kalifornia - December 20, 2008 - A year ago, a day-laborer center adjacent to a Home Depot here teemed with Latin American immigrants who showed up and found a sure day's work painting, gardening or hauling.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - November 18, 2008 - Saudi Arabia has no plans to contribute extra funds to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or any other institution, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said Saturday.

WASHINGTON - November 20, 2008 - New claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to a 16-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, providing more evidence of a rapidly weakening job market expected to get even worse next year," AP reported early Thursday.

DETROIT, Michigan - November 20, 2008 - Alan Mulally of Ford, Robert Nardelli of Chrysler and Richard Wagoner of General Motors, flew privately to the U.S. capital yesterday in a bid to secure a $25bn (£17m) loan package for the ailing car industry.

WASHINGTON - November 19, 2008 - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday sharply lowered its projection for economic activity this year and next, and signaled that additional interest rate reductions may be needed to help combat the worst financial crisis in more than a half-century.

BRASILIA, Brazil - November 18, 2008 - The General Motors Corporation (GM) has decided to invest 1 billion U.S. dollars in Brazil to expand business there, local media reported Tuesday.

NEW YORK - November 18, 2008 - The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reportedly is ready to make deep cuts in its budget that could lead to reduced service, layoffs and more crowded trains. Sources tell CBS 2 the association board is preparing a worst case "Doomsday" scenario that will be presented during its monthly meeting on Thursday.