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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 19:28 by David Gardner
In 1992, I was 26 and already spending my fair share of time online. For several years, I'd been a satisfied customer of America Online. Although I liked the service, I decided not to buy shares of the company at the initial public offering that year. I thought I'd wait awhile. (Idiot.)
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 19:20 by Inderjit Singh
Washington-- David Kellermann, acting chief financial officer at the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., was found dead Wednesday morning in his Virginia home, police said.
Kellermann, 41, who was appointed to his latest position in September 2008, apparently committed suicide, CBS News reported.
Fairfax County Police said they dispatched a crime unit to Kellermann's home after his wife called to alert them of his death. The police department said they found no evidence of foul play.
Kellermann's promotion to acting chief financial officer came as the government seized control of Freddie Mac, leading to the resignation of Anthony Piszel.
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 19:18 by Inderjit Singh
Boston, April 22 -- Poor health of a little girl leads to poor health of the children she has many years later, Indian-American researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found, using data from India.
The study revealed an association between the height of mothers and several indicators of her children's health, including risk of death, risk of being underweight, and anaemia.
Children with mothers shorter than 4 feet 9 inches were 70 percent more likely to die than those whose mothers were at least 5 feet 3 inches tall. Maternal height was viewed as an indicator reflecting a mother's own childhood health environment, and thus the study suggests Indian women are effectively passing along their early health status to the next generation.
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 19:16 by Inderjit Singh
Linwood -- Miss Puerto Rico will compete in the Miss America Pageant in January for the first time since 1961, organizers said.
The 2010 Miss America Pageant will showcase 53 women live on TLC from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The pageant's date has yet to be announced.
"We are truly excited to welcome Puerto Rico back to the Miss America Organization and are thrilled to have Miss Puerto Rico competing this year," Art McMaster, president and chief executive officer of the Miss America Organization, said in a statement. "The Miss Puerto Rico Organization has a tremendous amount of pageant expertise and business savvy, and will surely thrive as part of the Miss America program."
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 19:13 by Inderjit Singh
Washington -- The volume of applications for U.S. mortgages increased last week, rising by a seasonally adjusted 5.3 percent, an industry group said.
The Market Composite Index, which measures mortgage loan application volume, rose from 1,113.2 to 1,172.2 in the week ending April 17, the Mortgage Bankers Association said in a release Wednesday.
The Refinance Index also increased, up 7.7 percent to 6,540.7, the MBA said.
The average interest rate for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages increased from 4.7 percent to 4.73 percent with points falling from 1.23 to 1.12, the organization said.
Rates for the average 15-year, fixed-rate mortgage remained unchanged at 4.46 percent. Points in 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages rose from 1.04 to 1.18.
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 18:58 by Inderjit Singh
Washington -- The Walgreen Co., operator of the largest U.S. drugstore chain, is among the latest companies recalling possibly tainted pistachio products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Walgreens is recalling Deerfield Farms Mediterranean Fruit and Nut Blend sold in its 6,736 drug stores March 5-April 21. The product might contain pistachios from Setton Pistachios of Terra Bella, Calif. Setton is being investigated for potential salmonella contamination of its pistachios.
Other recent pistachio recalls include:
-- Virginia Diner Inc.: Virginia Diner-, Galloway's-, Joe's Market-, Lund's & Byerly's-, Publix-, and Sam's-brand Gourmet Deluxe Mixed Nuts sold nationwide.
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 18:21 by Inderjit Singh
Washington, April 22 -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Wednesday offered its most dire picture yet of a world that is plunging into by far its deepest recession since World War II.
The IMF further slashed its economic forecast from just one month ago, predicting the global economy will shrink by 1.3 percent in 2009 and recover to only 1.9-percent growth in 2010. The IMF in March predicted a range of 0.5-1 percent for this year.
All corners of the globe are feeling the pinch this year, including developing countries, as a financial crisis which originated in the US has engulfed many of the world's banks and wider economies.
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 17:58 by Inderjit Singh
Seoul -- A South Korean parliamentary committee approved a free trade agreement with the United States, sending the deal to a plenary session for ratification.
The free trade agreement, signed in June 2007, has found opposition in both countries, Yonhap news reported Wednesday.
Before the vote in Seoul, opposition lawmakers held a press conference asking representatives to postpone the vote until lawmakers in Washington appeared more likely to endorse it. They also reviewed concerns over a lack of safeguards for South Korean farmers.
After the vote, Grand National Party officials said the plenary session would be scheduled after a meeting between Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Barack Obama that is scheduled for June.
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 17:57 by Inderjit Singh
Madrid, April 22 Spain's Repsol YPF and its Austrian partner OMV have discovered hydrocarbons in Libyan waters, the Spanish company told securities regulators in Madrid.
The well, with a depth of 4,820 metres and in some 50 metres of water, is the first drilled in the Sirte basin, located about 15 km off the coast.
The exploration block containing the well was awarded to Repsol and its partners by Libya's state-owned National Oil Corporation, or NOC, in November 2003.
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 17:49 by Inderjit Singh
London, April 22-- An anti-government Sri Lankan newspaper, whose editor was shot dead in January by unknown gunmen, has been named for a prestigious freedom of expression award in London.
The Sunday Leader was given the top Guardian Journalism Award as part of the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression awards Tuesday.
"The Sunday Leader and its journalists have been subject to continual threats and brutal harassment since it was launched 15 years ago," Index on Censorship said.
"The assassination of the Sunday Leader's editor and co-founder Lasantha Wickrematunge in January provoked protests and vigils around the world. His brother Lal has since bravely taken on the position of editor, continuing the important work of the newspaper."
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 17:39 by Jamie Anderson
Washington, April 22: California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona registered the highest rates of foreclosures in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2009 as the unrelenting recession led to increase in unemployment and fall in property prices.
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Wed, 22/04/2009 - 17:32 by Inderjit Singh
Washington, April 22-- President Barack Obama has invited his counterparts from Pakistan and Afghanistan, Asif Ali Zardari and Hamid Karzai, to discuss the "Af-Pak" policy here next month, a media report said Tuesday.
The May 6-7 talks will elevate to summit level a trilateral exchange begun by the administration with senior aides from each government in late February, the Washington Post reported.
Zardari and Karzai will meet Obama separately before the three sit down together, the report quoted officials as saying.
The administration considers cooperation between the two often-estranged governments crucial to the success of its Afghanistan-Pakistan policy.
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