Sky News — The Dow Jones of leading US shares was up more than 3% in early trading after big gains in Asia. more info

Guardian Music — In a small village school in West Yorkshire, lessons have been interrupted by the unlikely appearance of three American woodsmen. One is a big, bear-like character grappling with a huge accordion. Another, who has the wild hair and resigned expressio... more info

JamBase — OUR WEEKLY SHOWCASE FOR GREAT ALBUMSGETS BLINDED BY THE LIGHT Manfred Mann's Earth Band doesn't get a lot of props. While not often cited as an influence on the jam scene, his prog-rock-jazz outfit was capable of adapting Holtz and Tchaikovsky... more info

Undercover, Australia — Finalists for Sutasi, the talent quest in Asia, have been shortlisted and filming has wrapped up for the first series of the program. more info

Sky News — Wall Street opened sharply down today after big falls in London and Asia sparked by fears of a global recession and a wave of profit warnings. more info

Sky News — Wall Street has opened sharply down after big falls in London and Asia earlier today. more info

Sky News — The FTSE100 index fell around 5%in early trading as investors reacted to a third successive day of heavy losses in Asia. more info

CNN Showbiz — In the run-up to the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, CNN features the energy and creativity of Asia-Pacific cinema in four half-hour documentaries broadcast on CNN International every weekend until to November 3. more info

Roadrunner - Blabbermouth — MÖTLEY CRÃœE played its only show in Asia outside of Japan on October 16, 2008 at Fort Canning Park in Singapore. more info

JM Coetzee is nominated for a new prize for fiction with the biggest payout for a literary award in Australia and Asia. more info