Reuters - The Dow briefly fell below the crucial 10,000 mark on Thursday as stocks suffered their worst losses in more than nine months.

AFP - Wall Street shares plunged Thursday as weak US data combined with heightened fears of debt problems in European Union countries sent shockwaves through the markets.

Reuters - New York's attorney general charged Bank of America Corp , former Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis and former Chief Financial Officer Joe Price with fraud for allegedly misleading shareholders about the acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co.

AP - Stocks buckled Thursday under the growing belief that the global economy is weaker than many investors expected and likely to stop companies from hiring. The Dow Jones industrials briefly traded below 10,000 for the first time in three months.

Reuters - Asian stocks fell to five-month lows on Friday as investors dumped riskier assets after growing sovereign debt problems in the euro zone and rising U.S. jobless claims sparked jitters about the global economic recovery.

AFP - The leading stock exchange fell at the start of trade on Friday amid a fierce global equities sell-off that was sparked by fears of a sovereign debt default in Europe and poor US data, analysts said.

AP - World stocks tumbled Friday as ballooning European debt and a rise in U.S. unemployment claims added to fears the global economy could slip back into recession.

AFP - Mounting fears about tattered government finances in Europe drove the euro down and hammered stock markets across Asia on Friday following New York's worst finish since November.

AFP - The crisis surrounding Toyota's recall of millions of cars around the world weighed on Japanese stocks on Thursday as profit-taking also sent regional markets lower.

AFP - Europe's main stock markets fell Thursday, before key interest rate decisions in the region and as investors digested fresh company results.

AP - Stock markets in Portugal, Spain and Greece led a sharp global retreat for the second day running Thursday as investors fretted over their governments' ability to get a grip on their borrowings. The euro plunged towards $1.37, hitting its lowest since May.