NEW YORK - October 24, 2011 - The total of U.S. state debt, including pension liabilities, could surpass $4 trillion, with Kalifornia owing the most and Vermont owing the least, a new analysis says.

NEW YORK - October 24, 2011 - A growing number of states are sharply limiting hospital stays under Medicaid to as few as 10 days a year to control rising costs of the health insurance program for the poor and disabled.

Advocates for the needy and hospital executives say the moves will restrict access to care, force hospitals to absorb more costs, and lead to higher charges for privately insured patients.

NEW YORK - October 24, 2011 - Nearly a million and a half American homes are currently in foreclosure, which means many residences in various neighborhoods are now sitting empty and abandoned. According to a recent report by The New York Times, criminals of all stripes - from prostitutes and drug addicts to gang members and thieves - are taking over these properties and "squatting" them indefinitely.

LONDON, England - October 17, 2011 - Northern Europe must share the burden with southern Europe or face a "monumental economic failure", writes Stephen King, global chief economist for HSBC, in The Independent.

NEW YORK - October. 20, 2011 - While the number of unemployed workers has held steady at around 14 million in recent months, another telling measure of frustration in the labor market - the number of underemployed individuals - rose for a third consecutive month in September, by almost a half of a million people.

NEW YORK - October 19, 2011 - Think life is not as good as it used to be, at least in terms of your wallet? You'd be right about that. The standard of living for Amerikans has fallen longer and more steeply over the past three years than at any time since the U.S. government began recording it five decades ago.

ATHENS, Greece - October 19, 2011 - More than 60,000 protesters marched in Greek cities on Wednesday, police said, as a two-day general strike began against a new austerity bill demanded by Greece’s international creditors to avert bankruptcy.

The highest turnout was in Athens where over 52,000 people converged on central Syntagma Square, where Parliament is located, in separate protests organized by unions but also joined by unaffiliated Greeks fed up with austerity cuts.