NEW YORK

If Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas and candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, is trying to show that he's qualified to lead an enlightened, diverse, complex society amid a period of economic, social, and technological change, he's doing an awful bad impression.

Gold mining company stocks jumped shortly after trading began Friday as the price of the yellow metal surged and the broader market resumed its downward spiral.

Mourners from around the world will pay their last respects this weekend to Dr. Zachery Tims, Jr., the founder and senior pastor of one of Florida's most largest churches.

The price of silver rose early Friday at a rate that was nearly double the rate at which gold is rising.

Autonomy's founder and chief executive Mike Lynch, who owns an 8.2 percent stake in the company, could walk away with £582-million ($960-million).

An exploding monetary indicator suggests that there could be a flight from European banks into America.

Gold charged to a record high early Friday in electronic trading as a host of bad economic news from around the world drove investors away from stocks for the safety of the yellow metal.

A tribute service and a public viewing for Pastor Zachery Tims will be held Friday at the New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Fla., the church announced on its Web site. The public viewing is between 3 and 7 p.m., while the tribute will follow at 7 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. A funeral service will take place the next day at the First Baptist Church of Orlando, where there will be a viewing from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The National Hockey League completed two days of experiments in a not-so-secret Toronto laboratory Thursday that would have hockey purists squirming in horror as it tinkered with ways to upgrade the game.

Umpires blew a call on a home run ball that helped the slumping Kansas City Royals beat a New York Yankees team battling for top spot in the American League East, Major League Baseball (MLB) said on Thursday.

Body armor worth $2.5 billion that the Department of Defense's Inspector General found had been improperly tested poses no hazard to troops, according to the Army.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the rating agency Standard & Poor's over its actions on mortgages leading up to the financial crisis, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, according to a government report released Thursday that suggested hiring in August was steady but not robust.

The highly-trafficked area around Central Park is over-run with rabbit size rats.

A public memorial and funeral was schedule to be held this week after the body of mega-church pastor Zachery Tims Jr. was found in a hotel in New York, but family members have revised the plans.

Wind power producer China Wind Power International Corp said it signed an engineering contract with China Ming Yang Wind Power Ltd for the construction of its wind farm project in the Asian country.

Colorado Rockies minor leaguer Mike Jacobs became the first North American professional sports league athlete to be suspended for testing positive for human growth hormone, Major League Baseball (MLB) said Thursday.

The number of adults and children getting CT scans to diagnose appendicitis has shot up since the 1990s, a new study finds -- raising questions about whether the high-tech X-rays are being overused.

Mid- and small-capitalization stocks sank for a third straight day on Thursday in a wide selloff on continued fears about the global economy's growth prospects.

A Kentucky man is suing a doctor for amputating his penis without consent during what was supposed to be a routine circumcision to relieve inflammation.

Shares of large gold mining companies took it in the neck Thursday, falling along with the broader stock market even as the price of gold notched a fresh record.