THE intriguing possibility that a real UFO may have passed over Havering was revealed this week.
Documents released for the first time state that 17-years ago, a mysterious missile-shaped object travelling at an estimated 120mph, almost caused an aeroplane on route from Milan to Heathrow to crash in the Kent countryside at 7.58pm on April 21st [...]

Alitalia pilot Achille Zaghetti thought it was a missile.
Zaghetti was at the helm of a jet from Milan to London’s Heathrow Airport on the evening of April 21, 1991 when a flying object streaked across his field of vision.
"At once I said, ‘look out, look out,’ to my co-pilot, who looked out and saw what [...]

The euro had its biggest one-day drop against the yen since its debut in 1999 as the deepening credit crisis prompted European governments to pledge bailouts for troubled banks while stopping short of coordinated action.
The 15-nation currency declined to a 14-month low against the dollar and the weakest in 2 1/2 years versus the [...]

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday her government was scrambling to salvage a rescue plan for Hypo Real Estate, saying she would not allow problems at the stricken commercial property lender to infect the entire banking system.
“We won’t allow troubles at one financial institute to affect the entire system," Merkel said on Sunday. “The German [...]

PARIS - French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Friday the world stood on the "edge of the abyss", gripped by a global financial crisis now threatening industry, trade and jobs worldwide.
Fillon’s words echoed a growing sense of alarm sweeping EU capitals ahead of an expected U.S. Congressional vote on Friday on a $700 billion [...]

Pope Benedict gave George W. Bush an unprecedented welcome in the tranquility of the Vatican Gardens on Friday before the U.S. president resumed his campaign to rally European support for sanctions against Iran.
Under tight security, Bush was driven from the bustle of Rome into the idyllic setting. As birds chirped, the two entered a restored [...]

MOSCOW (AFP) - Ukraine may join the WTO on unfavorable terms just to beat Russia to it and gain advantage, Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Saturday, adding that Russia would only take an offer that guarantees its economic stability.
“On the wave of its political relations with the West, Ukraine will most likely join (the [...]

MOSCOW - A suspected crime boss sought by the FBI for years has been arrested on a Moscow street in connection with a tax evasion probe into owners of a cosmetic-shop chain, officials said Friday.
Semyon Mogilevich, a Ukrainian-born Russian citizen accused by FBI officials of involvement in criminal enterprises ranging from securities fraud to weapons [...]

GENEVA (AFP) - Forget retail therapy for some relief from that winter cold — a study by Swiss scientists revealed on Wednesday that the flu virus can nestle and survive on banknotes for more than two weeks.
Scientists from Geneva’s University Hospital were asked by a Swiss bank to carry out the study amid worries that [...]

FRANKFURT (AFP) - The European Central Bank said Wednesday it drained a further 168.64 billion euros (247.61 billion dollars) from eurozone money markets with a new offer aimed at mopping up excess liquidity.
The tender had a fixed rate of 4.0 percent, the same level as the ECB’s benchmark lending rate. Fifty-four banks participated in the [...]

WARSAW, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Five chickens have been found infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus on a private farm in Poland in the latest outbreak of the disease in the country, state news agency PAP said on Monday.
Emergency services set up a safety perimeter around the site near the northern city of [...]