The financial crisis in Europe has "entered a potentially disastrous phase," the New Yorker reports, with "dire consequences" predicted for the entire world—even America!—if the European governments don't take swift action. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD] released a report today warning that the euro crisis is "a key risk to the world economy," and the "contagion" could destroy even the pitiful economic recovery we've experienced here since the Great Recession officially began in December 2007. Here's a fun video about how we're all potentially doomed: more ›

As you've probably heard, an asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier will be passing very close to our planet tonight. Don't panic! Even though this is the closest approach by an asteroid of this magnitude that scientists have known about in advance—and if it hit us it would make a crater four miles wide and 1,700 feet deep, creating a shock equivalent to a magnitude seven earthquake—there is no cause for alarm. In this video, a scientist on the government's payroll explains why everything's going to be just fine, addressing humanity from what appears to be a windowless, climate-controlled bunker: more ›

Now that a Republican has won the Congressional District that had been held by Democrats for 88 years, after Anthony Weiner's social media idiocy, everyone is wondering if this means President Obama is screwed next year. Forget the Democratic candidate kinda sucked, didn't even live in the district and ran a stupid campaign. And ignore that Israel was a huge issue. Because political strategist James Carville thinks Obama better start firing people NOW. more ›

This morning, a flight from JFK Airport, headed to Phoenix, was diverted to St. Louis' Lambert Airport. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the diversion was "for security reasons after three male passengers acted suspiciously, officials say." However, it wasn't a terrorist issue... it possibly has something to do with seat assignments and backgammon. more ›

Nobody panic or anything, but the Department of Health says there have been an increase in the number of measles cases in NYC this year, prompting them to send an alert to city doctors. And it's not just happening here: Vermont, Arizona and Utah have also all reported new measles cases this year. So why is it happening, and what can we do to prevent 28 Days Later from coming to be? more ›

Panic! Panic! Run for the hills! The AccuWeather.com website has already been practically paralyzed! Who will buy the last loaf of bread at Fairway before the overhyped storm of the century arrives? more ›

As four schools are reopening today after large numbers of students (and teacher) have come down with swine flu-like symptoms, six more schools—four in Queens, two in Brooklyn—are closing. The Department of Education has finally put a list of closed schools as well as open schools with their attendance rates online— the third letter in the code represents the borough (M for Manhattan, X for the Bronx, K for Brooklyn, Q for Queens and R for Staten Island). For instance, Louis Brandeis High School in Manhattan has an attendance rate of 64% and Richmond Hill High School in Queens has one of 65%. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg sought to calm worried parental units at a City Hall press conference yesterday, telling the press that most of the people going to the hospital with swine flu symptoms aren't sick, just scared: "While there are an abnormal number of people going to the hospital who are worried, virtually none, a very tiny percentage of them, have any symptoms whatsoever." But the mayor's downplaying of the outbreak comes as the city closes an additional three schools (bringing the current total to 25), and mourners bid farewell to Queens assistant principal Mitchell Wiener, swine flu's first city victim. more ›

This morning, parents, worried about the swine flu and their children's health, held a rally demanding that their Queens public schools be shut down. Currently, there are 21 public schools and five private schools closed due to swine flu concerns. The city maintains that they are monitoring schools, but one parent told NY1 that illness could have been avoid, "My daughter came to school on Monday, she came to school very healthy and when she went home, she was crying for her throat and her head. And then an hour later, she had a high fever." more ›

The NYC Health Department announced that the baby who died at Elmhurst Hospital Center Monday night did not have swine flu. According to the Daily News, "tests on nasal swabs taken from 16-month-old Jonathan Zamora... showed no signs of the H1N1 virus. But because a fatality was involved, 'It is necessary to take extra steps to get definitive results,' the Health Department said in a statement." The CDC will be examining specimens from the autopsy. The baby's father Zeferino Zamaro, who said his son simply became very weak and extremely feverish, told the News, "People should not panic. It's not what people think." more ›

St. Francis Prep, the private school in Queens where many students came down with the swine flu, will reopen on Monday. A group of students had gone to Mexico for spring break and, in turn, infected some of their classmates. NY1 reports that most of the students have recovered or are "close to it"—and the school says its air system has been purified. more ›

Let's take the Air Force One flyover incident into yet another day! Fox News wanted to calculate the cost beyond the $328,835 it cost to fly the Boeing 747 and fighter jets on Monday, so it asked Mayor Bloomberg's office "how much the city had to spend to deal with the panic." Apparently NYC 911 got flyover-related 97 calls (about a 15% increase) in an hour while Jersey City said it received about 13 calls. more ›

Maybe Senator Chuck Schumer has the right idea with being constantly ticked off by the Federal Aviation Administration—it turns out that the FAA was well aware that the Boeing 747 and military jets (also known as the "Presidential Airlift Group") would scare the bejesus out of people in lower Manhattan and New Jersey as they did on Monday. From WCBS 2:

In a memo obtained by CBS 2 HD the Federal Aviation Administration's James Johnston said the agency was aware of "the possibility of public concern regarding DOD (Department of Defense) aircraft flying at low altitudes" in an around New York City. But they demanded total secrecy from the NYPD, the Secret Service, the FBI and even the mayor's office and threatened federal sanctions if the secret got out.

This morning's Boeing 747+fighter jet fly-over was, as we now know, nothing to worry about because it was a photo opportunity for Air Force One photographers or something. But it's not like hundreds, if not thousands of New Yorkers in lower Manhattan, weren't just a little startled by the low-flying aircraft, evacuating buildings and sending worried calls or texts to friends. [Update: The White House has apologized! More below.] more ›

Update, 1:20 p.m.: The Obama administration has declared a "public health emergency" with further cases of swine flu expected to emerge. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called the declaration of a public health emergency "standard operating procedure." more ›

Almost all of the injuries suffered by tenants in Thursday night's high rise fire on the Lower East Side were preventable and the result of panic and poor decision making by residents. In addition to the 30 firefighters who reported injuries fighting the blaze on Grand St., 16 tenants of the 26 story building were injured--two seriously. FDNY officials say that all of the injuries to the tenants could have been avoided. more ›