World leaders wrestled anew Wednesday with recession fears as stock values cascaded, defying hopes of US and European governments that their escalating interventions into the finance system, mostly recently the purchase of bank shares, would stabilize the markets.

A US central bank official, Janet Yellen, president of the San Francisco branch of the Federal Reserve, said that the US economy "appears to be in a recession," based on data and the consensus among top analysts.

US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke warned that the emergency actions of the last month were unlikely to produce a swift economic turnaround, even if markets stabilize.

London, Oct 15 : The British government’s effort to push ahead with a counter-terrorism plan has sparked an outcry, as the government’s terrorism watchdog expressed alarm over the measure to create a “Big Brother” giant database to keep a tab on the activities of Britons.

Counter-terrorism measures for a “Big Brother” giant database were first announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in February under the ‘Intercept Modernisation Programme’.

The government’s terrorism watchdog has condemned the plan to create a giant database holding information about every phone call, email and internet visit made in the UK, The Independent reported.

New Delhi, Oct. 15 : "We will survive without GM (Genetically Modified) food but we will never be able to survive the change unleashed by the tide of modification that is called Genetic Engineering" said Aruna Roy, at the launch of Greenpeace''s Genetic Gamble report on India''s GM Food proliferation on the eve of World Food Day.

Others who made strong public statements against GM food included Dr. Mira Shiva, Initiative for Health and Equity & Society and Mr. Bejon Misra, Consumer Voice.

"Studies from across the globe have shown that GM food has caused a series of health problems including adverse effects on growth, impaired immune system, and organ damage that can be carried over generations" stated Dr. Mira Shiva.

Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of the Petrole

Washington, Oct 15 : People, who think they ''know-it-all'' might not be as knowledgeable as they believe, suggests a new study.

The new research suggests that they might be knowledgeable, if talking about products like wine or motorcycles, but when it comes to health plans, social policy, or nutrition, they lack adequate knowledge.

During the study, the international research team conducted a meta-analysis of 103 consumer knowledge research studies that took place between 1980 and 2007.

Washington, October 15 : A research council in the United Kingdom has launched the world’s largest ever household longitudinal study to understand how changes occurring in the ever-evolving societies affect human communities.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) hopes that the ‘Understanding Society’ project will provide valuable new evidence to inform research on the vital issues facing our communities.

The initial funding of 15.5million dollars for the project comes from the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the ESRC.

This project is said to eb the largest single investment in academic social research resources ever launched in the UK.