Over the last nine months the lions have begun marking their territory in northeastern sector of the reserve.

BBC: Malawi��s mane event heralds a fresh dawn

Meanwhile, Germany's services sector slipped into contraction territory in June.

WSJ: Stocks Fall Back in Europe

Russian troops drove deep into Georgian territory in the country's western sector Monday after crossing into South Ossetia to support separatists who want the region to break away from Georgia.

NPR: Why Georgia-Russia Conflict Is Significant For U.S.

To be fair, big 2012 gains from financial names including BofA, which doubled last year, helped put the market in position to hit its current levels and the sector overall was in positive territory Thursday.

FORBES: Stocks Hit Five-Year High, No Thanks To Big Banks

Not so good is its feedback on private sector recruitment in Scotland, which has fallen into negative, job-shedding territory for the first time in seven months.

BBC: Banking on the future

Another sector very much in focus Wednesday was defense, with most names trading in negative territory including a 4.7% drop for Northrop Grumman and a 4.6% fall for Lockheed Martin.

FORBES: Stocks Slump As Market Reacts To Obama Win, Draghi's Germany Warning

Stocks opened in positive territory and maintained the early gains through the afternoon as investors weighed news reports of rising private-sector participation in Greece's debt-restructuring plan.

WSJ: Stocks Notch Another 'Up' Day

On the basis of earlier surveys, most analysts thought stronger performance by the services sector, which produces three-quarters of total output, would keep overall GDP in positive territory.

ECONOMIST: Britain��s stuttering economy