WASHINGTON, August 6, 2008 (AFP) - Troubled mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac on Wednesday reported an 821-million-dollar net loss in the second quarter as the US housing collapse further dug a hole in the company's finances.

At 1.63 dollars per share, the loss was more than triple most analysts' forecasts of 53 cents per share.

NEW YORK, August 4, 2008 (AFP) - These days, even a leather armchair and hot-dog-sized cigar won't calm Wall Street's jittery workers.

'The mood is not good,' drawls one corporate lawyer through a sweet cloud of cigar fumes at Barclay-Rex, an upscale tobacconist near the New York Stock Exchange.

TOKYO, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda was set to bring in a new top economic team Friday of political veterans who could give fresh impetus to efforts to revamp Asia's largest economy, reports said.

TOKYO, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Bunmei Ibuki, the secretary general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will become finance minister of Asia's largest economy in a reshuffle Friday, reports said.

KUWAIT CITY, July 31, 2008 (AFP) - One of Kuwait's most high-profile businessmen and global investors, Jassim Mohammad al-Bahar, has died in Portugal aged 66, the Kuwaiti press reported on Thursday.

ZURICH, July 29, 2008 (AFP) - The Euro 2008 football championship generated record profits of 250 million euros (392 million dollars), European football's governing body UEFA announced on Tuesday.

A total financial turnover of 1.3 billion euros was generated during the June 7-29 tournament which was co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland.

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - The Treasury and four large US banks endorsed plans Monday for 'covered bonds,' flexible mortgage-backed securities to help pump additional liquidity into the strained housing market.

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - The credit crisis stemming from the US housing slump has triggered a 'negative feedback loop' in the global economy that poses risks for growth, the International Monetary Fund said Monday.

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, one of the most prestigious US investment firms, announced its intentions Sunday to sell its shares publicly on the New York Stock Exchange.

The announcement came as part of a transaction, under which KKR would take over its European affiliate KPE.

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2008 (AFP) - The US Senate on Saturday approved an elaborate housing rescue plan designed to help thousands of homeowners avert foreclosure and bolster mortgage finance giants that have struggled amid a volatile housing market.