EARTHQUAKE

Japanese banks backed by more than $6 billion in spare cash are in talks to buy assets from European banks, sources familiar with the discussions said, as euro zone leaders try to coax foreign capital to help overcome the bloc's debt crisis.

Turkish rescue teams are busy digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings to find survivors after a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Van.

A key gauge of Japan's corporate capital spending fell more than expected in September and manufacturers expect a further drop this quarter as business confidence sags in the face of the strong yen and slowing global growth.

The impact of Thailand's floods on Honda Motor Co has extended to a fourth continent, while in contrast Toyota Motor Corp showed further signs of recovery from the disaster.

Is the recent rate of earthquakes in Turkey, and the rest of the world, anything to be worried about?

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit near Van, Turkey on Wednesday, causing at least 18 buildings to collapse, including a six-story hotel where rescuers are now working to free 35 trapped people.

People in the U.S., who brave hurricanes, storms and other natural disasters every year, will now get emergency alerts as an emergency alert system will be tested across the country on Wednesday.

Severe weather that swept southwestern Oklahoma on Monday damaged an agriculture office and other structures, while a tornado demolished the Oklahoma State University extension office and a hay barn at a dairy, authorities said.

Toyota has withdrawn its profit and sales forecasts for the full fiscal year given the continuing uncertainties posed by the Thai flooding.

Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist who was detained in April this year for alleged tax evasion, is in a dilemma - if he should pay the tax amount or fight the charge against him and face detention again.

Toyota Motor Corp posted a 32 percent drop in quarterly operating profit and withdrew its full-year profit forecasts.

Another earthquake of magnitude 4.7 hits Oklahoma near the town of Prague on Monday at 08:46:57 PM local time.

An earthquake of 6.9 magnitude was recorded, off the northwest coast of Okinawa, Japan, at noon on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

A small devil was discovered in a Giotto fresco in the Basilica of St Franscis in Assisi.

Things were shaky in Oklahoma on Saturday, but the 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Lincoln County was not all that abnormal.

The largest earthquake to have hit Oklahoma in recorded history, with 5.6 magnitude, destroyed fourteen homes and caused two minor injuries which was didn't require hospitalization. The earthquake's epicenter was located 44 miles east of Oklahoma City and was felt as far away as Wisconsin and South Carolina.

Highlights and photos from the Nov. 6 ING New York City Marathon, including Geoffrey Mutai's record-breaking win, which may get him to the 2012 Olympics, and Amanda McGory's course-setting record for the NYC Marathon's women's wheelchair race.

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake rocked Oklahoma on Saturday continuing into the weekend, bringing countless aftershocks in what was the strongest quake ever according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

A magnitude-5.6 earthquake struck in Oklahoma late Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, toppling a chimney, damaging buildings, and sending a boulder the size of a sport-utility vehicle onto a rural road.

First injury has been reported in the largest earthquake that hit Oklahoma State Saturday. One person injured when he hit his head against a wall while try to run out of his house during the quake.

According to authorities, the fourth in a series of earthquakes hit central Oklahoma, late on Saturday night.