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Japan's prime minister has unveiled a $300bn spending package to give a boost Asia's largest economy. Exports are down, and many large corporations are reporting poor earnings and profits. And as Al Jazeera's Aya Asakura reports, local businesses are being hit as well.

Even though the Dow Jones Industrial Average is on the way back up this week, thousands of New Yorkers have lost their jobs in the last several months in the financial crisis. As one large financial firm after another has failed or been swallowed by others, the city's tax base and service industries that depend on the high pay of the financial industry, which account for an estimated one-third of all wages earned in the city. Now New York is bracing for the continuing impact of the financial meltdown. VOA's Carolyn Weaver talked to a variety of New Yorkers about the mood of the city and what they expect next.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson lays out steps to shore up the nation's banking system by having the government buy shares in leading banks, something he 'regrets' doing but says is necessary for the health of the economy.

The effects of the US financial meltdown are spreading throughout the economy, freezing credit markets and hurting banks. Despite the 700 billion dollar rescue plan for Wall Street, ordinary Americans are now beginning to feel the effects of the financial crisis and are worrying about making ends meet. VOA's Alex Villarreal gives us a Main Street perspective of the problem from a different kind of Wall Street.

Finance leaders from around the world meeting in Washington agree on principles to help solve a growing financial crisis gripping the globe, but the AP's Lee Powell says markets may demand something extraordinary.

The Treasury Department is set to buy stakes in many U.S. banks in an effort to help thaw out the credit freeze. Thalia Assuras reports.

When the banks are broken - a rush to gold is regarded as a safe bet for investors. Today prices jumped more than 4% on the latest shares meltdown. But as ever it comes at a cost.....and in this case a HUMAN cost. Sky's Emma Hurd reports from South Africa - the world's second biggest producer of the precious metal.

Part 1 Part2 We take a look at the economic fears on Main Street. Riz Khan speaks with Robert Engle, the 2003 winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics, and Avis Jones-DeWeever, the director of the Research, Public Policy, and Information Center for African-American Women.

Indonesian stocks have been hit the hardest in Asia with trading halted since Wednesday, following the sell-off on Wall Street. Declining demand from the US, its second-biggest export market, is threatening to leave hundreds of thousands of Indonesians without jobs. Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen shows just how susceptible Indonesia's economy is to a financial crisis on the other side of the planet.

Learn more at  http://www.keatingeconomics...  (corrected audio version)

More Americans are filing for jobless benefits, and the economic crisis worsens.

Inside Story asks if amendments to the original bailout plan will force a change in position among US politicians. Part 1 Part 2

Investors were nervous ahead of the U.S. Senate's Wednesday vote on the $700 billion bailout plan aimed at easing the financial crisis caused by toxic mortgage assets.

According to recent polls, most Americans see the current financial crisis as a serious matter that needs immediate attention. But most are unhappy with the current bailout bill in Congress. While lawmakers are in recess for the Jewish holiday, Jeff Swicord sat down with average Americans in the Washington area, young and old, and asked them how they feel about the current crisis.

Asian markets continued to slide on Tuesday, following one of the worst days in Wall Street's history. Indexes in Asia fell anywhere from two to five percent.