STORM

Firmer U.S. stocks pulled world shares higher on Thursday as strong U.S. jobs data took some of the focus away from renewed fears about the health of the euro zone banking system.

YouTube sensation Rebecca Black has left her school in California to be homeschooled because of constant bullying by classmates and to focus on her career.

Power grids, GPS systems and satellites could be among the technologies affected by surges of energy released by the sun's swelling magnetic field, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The euro fell to fresh five-month lows against the yen in Asia on Thursday and looked set to stay under pressure as worries about the euro zone sovereign debt crisis spread to the region's banking sector.

The newest version of Apple Inc's popular iPhone has already hit the Chinese market -- the fake market that is.

Shares of Societe Generale plunged as much as 23 percent amid a whirlwind of rumors questioning its financial solidity, before closing 15 percent lower after the French bank denied all speculation about its health.

Powerful bursts of energy from the sun are set to become increasingly common in the next few years, potentially disrupting the earth's magnetic field in a way that could affect power grids, GPS systems and satellites, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

This week, the world was warned of solar flares that could possible shut down electrical and communication grids. Scientists are saying the sun will near maximum level of activity in 2013.

Gold hit fresh record highs on Wednesday as U.S. stock markets resumed their decline on concerns over the U.S. and euro zone economies, and after the Federal Reserve said U.S. interest rates would stay near zero for at least two years.

A new solar flare Tuesday is the biggest in several years and is part of a pattern of solar storms scheduled to last until 2020, experts say.

Gold Resource Corp., which produces gold in southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, said Wednesday it swung to a profit in the second quarter on record output.

An extremely powerful solar flare, which is the largest in the current solar weather cycle, rocked the Sun on Tuesday, resulting in coronal mass ejection (CME). But as the gigantic bursts of radiation occurred near the western limb of the sun, it is unlikely to wreak any serious havoc on Earth.

The sun was rocked by an extremely powerful solar flare on Tuesday, which, according to scientists, was the largest in four years. However, the bursts of radiation were not likely to cause any serious chaos on Earth since they were not aimed at the planet, they added.

Early Tuesday, the sun unleashed an extremely powerful solar flare, the largest of the current sun weather cycle which began in 2008.

The solar eruption was facing away from the Earth, averting potentially major disruptions.

In times of market volatility stemming from global economic and sovereign debt uncertainties, FBR Capital Markets believes investors are faced with increasingly difficult decisions about how best to position their portfolios to maximize alpha while carefully balancing portfolio risk.

The annual Perseid meteor shower, which is caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle and observed for about 2000 years, will be at peak coming Friday and Saturday. There might be some serious hamper for viewers due to the full moon on Saturday.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted the occurrence of a severe solar storm that could wreak havoc on Earth and severely disrupt human health and property.

Tech stocks took a hit, but not as bad as the overall market in Monday's rout.

As the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 500 points on Monday, banking giant Bank of America saw its share price get hammered.

U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted four "extreme" solar emissions which could threaten the Earth this decade, and with solar flare activity expected to peak around 2013, the Sun is entering a particularly active time and big flares like recent one will likely be common during the next few years, federal scientists say.