Current News Today
Brotherhood make claims as Egypt polls close
CAIRO (Reuters) - Millions of Egyptians, choosing their leader freely for the first time in their history, voted on Thursday with the Muslim Brotherhood saying their candidate had an early lead over fellow Islamists and rivals who served ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Counting started after polls closed at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT) with no reliable exit polls available. The Brotherhood said on its television channel that its candidate Mohamed Mursi was ahead based on the tally from some districts. The influential Islamist group, with its well-organized support base, had been expected to do well. ...
Thu, 24 May 2012 16:56:08 -0400
| U.S. soldier, two Chinese charged with smuggling guns to China
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A member of the U.S. National Guard and two Chinese citizens have been charged with smuggling multiple shipments of firearms from New York City to China, federal prosecutors said Thursday. Joseph Debose, 29, a staff sergeant with a unit of the U.S. Special Forces National Guard, was arrested Sunday in a sting operation by federal agents in North Carolina, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Brooklyn. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying a .45 caliber pistol and 12 other firearms he intended to send illegally overseas, prosecutors said. ...
Thu, 24 May 2012 16:09:03 -0400
| U.S. senators penalize Pakistan for jailing doctor who aided CIA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. senators scandalized by Pakistan's jailing of a doctor for helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden voted on Thursday to cut aid to Islamabad by $33 million -- one million for each year in the doctor's sentence. "It's arbitrary, but the hope is that Pakistan will realize we are serious," said Senator Richard Durbin after the unanimous 30-0 vote by the Senate Appropriations Committee. "It's outrageous that they (the Pakistanis) would say a man who helped us find Osama bin Laden is a traitor," said Durbin, the Senate's number two Democrat. ...
Thu, 24 May 2012 17:45:44 -0400
| Both sides in Syria abuse human rights: U.N. report
GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - A U.N. investigation on Thursday said both sides in the Syrian conflict had committed serious human rights abuses, with government forces executing entire families in their homes and rebels torturing and killing soldiers and government supporters. The United Nations report into the 14-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad said government forces routinely drew up lists of wanted people and their families before blockading then attacking a village or neighborhood. ...
Thu, 24 May 2012 16:52:38 -0400
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Current News Today
Tech pressures Nasdaq in volatile trading
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks ended slightly higher in a third session marked by late-day swings, but the Nasdaq fell after NetApp gave a weak revenue forecast, casting doubt on the outlook for tech spending. Major indexes were lower for much of the session, as investors found little reason to buy following three days of gains. In addition, economic figures suggested slowing demand in both Europe and the United States. However, Wall Street reversed course late in the session and the S&P extended its gains to a fourth straight day. Underscoring the vulnerability of U.S. ...
Thu, 24 May 2012 16:36:05 -0400
| Economy trudges along despite Europe turbulence
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits dipped last week, indicating the economy is plodding along even though headwinds from Europe cut into U.S. factory activity growth this month. The data on the U.S. economy on Thursday was a bit lackluster, but it showed the recovery remained resilient even with growth in China slowing and the euro zone edging toward recession. ...
Thu, 24 May 2012 18:10:09 -0400
| SEC unlikely to file charges in Lehman case: memo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has concluded its investigation into Lehman Brothers Holdings and will not likely recommend charges, according to the excerpt of a memo sent to Reuters. The excerpt, which was not dated, was sent along with an anonymous letter to Congress alleging that SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro made inaccurate statements about the agency's Lehman probe during a hearing last month. Schapiro told a House Financial Services panel on April 25 that Lehman "remains under investigation" and "is still under review. ...
Thu, 24 May 2012 18:01:49 -0400
| DOJ receives rare praise in financial crisis cases
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One part of the U.S. Justice Department has been receiving something in short supply for those investigating conduct tied to the financial crisis: praise. A unit in the civil rights division focused on discrimination in the housing market has been churning out cases accusing major lenders of charging African-American and Hispanic borrowers higher interest rates than similar white borrowers. In April, for example, it sued GFI Mortgage Bankers Inc on such grounds for loan activity from 2005 through 2009. ...
Thu, 24 May 2012 17:55:42 -0400
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Current News Today
The dumb report on congressional dumbness
Are conservatives stupider than liberals?
Thu, 24 May 2012 13:43:33 -0400
| Beginning of the end for internet anonymity?
Anonymity is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the United States was founded, in part, thanks to Thomas Paine's anonymously written, pro-revolution pamphlet Common Sense. On the other hand, 12-year-olds who post anonymously on the internet can be rather unpleasant … Continue reading →
Thu, 24 May 2012 12:25:49 -0400
| Zimmerman flip-flopped on view of police
George Zimmerman's view of the Sanford, Fla., Police Department shifted during an eight-month period in 2011, CNN is reporting. Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of teenager Trayvon Martin, called what he saw on ride-alongs with police "disgusting" at a public community forum in January 2011. However Zimmerman changed his tune [...]
Thu, 24 May 2012 14:35:27 -0400
| Senate rejects dueling GOP, Dem student loan plans
The Senate rejected dueling Democratic and Republican plans on Thursday for averting a July 1 doubling of interest rates on federal college loans for 7.4 million students, pushing back efforts to resolve the election-season showdown until next month.
Thu, 24 May 2012 16:58:55 -0400
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