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Banks to close 5,000 branches by 2012: analystWhitney, CEO of Meredith Whitney Advisory Group LLC, said that reduced consumer and corporate appetite to borrow, mixed with new regulations, have permanently changed what was once a key source of industry profits. In turn, banks will be forced to shutter some of their branches. There were 83,320 U.S. commercial bank branches at the end of last year. "We believe the banking industry will simply no longer be able to service upwards of 10 percent of their current customer base," Whitney said. Banks' average loan-to-deposit ratios...
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Series of Earthquakes Shake ArkansasClaimsJournal.comA series of earthquakes, including one with a magnitude of 3.9, has rattled parts of Central Arkansas. The US Geological Survey reported a number of ...

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Spreadin' the glove:TSA infecting U.S.?Latex coverings 'have been in crotches,armpits, touching people who may be ill'

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Scientists challenge TSA on scanner radiation Warn of 'potential health consequences' to elderly, pregnant women, children--WND
WorldNetDaily Exclusive'Let's get the terror out of the airports!' Congress is responding to pressure, so turn it up, says Farah--WND

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Kansas pastor warns of creeping Shariah Charges police, court giving special treatment to Muslims

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IT BEGINS - North Korea fires artillery barrage on South

NKorea's military command vows 'merciless' military strike against SKorea...Fires artillery onto island...South denies seeking redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons...Returns Fire...May strike NKorea's missile base...'Intentional, planned attack'...Japan prepares for 'any eventuality'...CHINA WATCHES... WHITE HOUSE CONDEMNS...FLASHBACK: UK fears NKorean attack on Seoul G20 summit...

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More than 300 die in stampede at Cambodian festival...

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Grain Prices to Soar Pushing Food

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Dollar to Become World's `Weakest Currency,' Drop to 75 Yen JPMorgan Says

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China Advancing Laser Weapons Program

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Carved Up And Left To Die In Colorado, Us: Mysterious Horse Deaths Have Family Seeking Answers

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Ireland falls victim to international banksters...Irish government collapses after EU bailout sparks civil unrestAn extraordinary day in Irish politics ended in a major setback for Brian Cowen's government last night after his coalition allies forced him to concede an election as soon as his budget goes through. The Green party, which has kept Mr Cowen's Fianna Fail in power for several years, effectively pulled the plug by calling for an election in January, giving him little notice of its demands. After a day of frantic activity in which it became clear the government would not last beyond January, the Irish Prime Minister gave way to the demands of the Greens, who specified they would stay in government until the budget was passed and an agreement...
Civil unrest and riots feared as Ireland’s bank crisis worsens
Irish PM is forced to agree to dissolve government

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The EU debt dominos start to fall. Is Portugal next? Now that Ireland has become the second of the fiscally battered euro zone countries to reluctantly accept a rescue package, the question is not whether there will be more bailouts, but who comes next. Portugal stands at the top of most analysts’ lists, even though its economic fortunes have improved a bit recently and its banking sector is in better shape. Its budget deficit and public debt levels also stand well below those of Ireland or Greece, the first of the debt-ridden countries on the periphery of the euro zone forced to accept...

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South Korea: We may need US tactical nukes to deter North Korean attackSeoul will consider the deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea in response to North Korea's unveiling of a uranium enrichment facility, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said Monday. He said a joint committee between Seoul and Washington on nuclear deterrence "will review issues related to the deployment." The U.S. withdrew its nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991. Kim was replying to a question by Grand National Party Rep. Lee Jong-heuk in a session of the National Assembly's ad hoc committee on budget and fisca...

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Brazil unveils massive navy buildup plansBrazil's plans for a massive naval buildup, which would include nuclear-powered submarines, were greeted with concern that the country's huge defense outlay would trigger copycat actions in neighboring Latin American countries. Brazil's outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva justified the spending, financed by the country's commodity exports bonanza, as part of a strategy to secure Brazil's regional pre-eminence. Brazil is campaigning for permanent membership of the U.N. Security Council as part of its strategy to assert its leadership...

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Scientists Working To Create Genetically Modified Chocolate: They Say It Will "Make You Healthy"