Blind Chinese activist leaves for US
A blind Chinese activist was hurriedly taken from a hospital Saturday and boarded a plane that took off for the United States, closing a nearly monthlong diplomatic tussle that had tested U.S.-China relations.
3 charged with terror conspiracy ahead of NATO
Three men arrested earlier this week when police raided a Chicago apartment were being held on terrorism conspiracy charges Saturday stemming from allegations that they tried to make Molotov cocktails ahead of the NATO summit, but the first major dress rehearsal of this weekend’s large-scale protests was relatively peaceful.
Greece bridles at Merkel referendum suggestion
Greek political leaders reacted angrily on Saturday to a suggestion, attributed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, that the country hold a referendum on euro membership alongside an election next month.
Obama pledges tough enforcement of Wall Street reforms
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Saturday called on the U.S. Congress to back his efforts for tough new financial industry oversight, saying a $2 billion trading loss at JPMorgan underscored the need for such regulation. “We’ve got to finish the job of implementing this reform and putting these rules in place,” Obama said in a weekly radio address that accused some on Wall Street of causing the 2007-2009 economic crisis because they “treated our financial system like a casino. …
Possible engine problem delays U.S. rocket launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – The launch of a privately owned Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was delayed on Saturday when a computer detected a possible problem with one of the rocket’s engines, a Space Exploration Technologies official said. Preparations for the company’s trial cargo run to the International Space Station proceeded smoothly until 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 GMT) when, instead of the Falcon 9 rocket’s main engines igniting, an onboard computer scrubbed the launch. “Liftoff … we’ve had a cutoff. …
G-8 leaders put focus on European financial crisis
Drawn together in this serene mountain outpost, leaders of the major industrialized nations are prodding Germany to balance its push for European fiscal austerity with doses of stimulus spending to avoid an economic calamity that could reverberate worldwide.
Facebook’s messy debut on Wall Street
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks fell on Friday after a sloppy debut by Facebook Inc spoiled hopes that a spectacular open for the most-anticipated stock sale in years would brighten the mood in what has been a gloomy month for equity markets. Shares of Facebook, the social networking giant, were volatile in the busiest day ever for a trading debut. After early gains of more than 10 percent, Facebook shares fell back to the $38 issue price, ending up just 0.6 percent at $38.23. It was the Nasdaq’s most actively traded stock, with more than 566 million shares traded. …
Greek poll-front runner backs staying in euro
Greek poll front-runner Alexis Tsipras, buoyed by a groundswell of opposition to EU-IMF imposed austerity measures, says forcing his country out of the eurozone would sink the region as a whole.
Rubio’s past includes political vulnerabilities
Sen. Marco Rubio has close ties to a colleague accused of questionable financial dealings. The freshman senator also once was enmeshed in a controversy over the use of the state party’s credit card for his personal expenses. And he has faced increased scrutiny over his personal background since bursting onto the national political scene, including conflicting details of his parents’ immigration from Cuba and his recently disclosed ties to the Mormon faith.
Witnesses paint graphic picture of fight
But nobody saw how the deadly altercation began.