By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

LONDON, England - August 31, 2011 - Global trade buckled suddenly in the second quarter as Europe flirted with recession and Asia came off the boil, while Canada's bellwether economy contracted outright, adding to the darkening picture across the world.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (PNN) - August 31, 2011 - The first people arrived when it was still dark and by 7.30 a.m. more than 150 of them were lining up outside the church in northeast Las Vegas, waiting for the food bank truck to unload its cargo of fruit, vegetables and canned goods.

ST. LOUIS, Missouri - August 29, 2011 - There’s an alert out about recent assaults on bike riders in south St. Louis.

Trailnet.org, an organization that promotes hiking and biking, is cautioning riders to be on the alert for roving bands of teenagers who swarm and attack riders.

NEW YORK - August 28, 2011 - Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) appeared on FOX News Sunday for his turn in the show's continuing series of interviewing Republican presidential candidates vying for the party's nomination.

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

LONDON, England - August 28, 2011 - German Chancellor Angela Merkel no longer has enough coalition votes in the Bundestag to secure backing for Europe's revamped rescue machinery, threatening a constitutional crisis in Germany and a fresh eruption of the euro debt saga.

NEW YORK (PNN) - August 26, 2011 - The U.S. economy grew much slower than previously thought in the second quarter, as business inventories and exports were less robust, a government report showed on Friday, although consumer spending was revised up.

The Department of Commerce said gross domestic product growth rose at annual rate of 1.0%, a downward revision of its prior estimate of 1.3%. It also said after tax corporate profits rose at the fastest pace in a year.

NEW YORK (PNN) - August 25, 2011 - New U.S. claims for jobless benefits rose last week, lifted by striking workers at Verizon Communications, according to government data that showed little sign of layoffs in response to plunging share prices.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 417,000, the Department of Labor said on Thursday. The level suggests the job market continues to be mired in the throes of Depression.