The government accused Butler and Tzolov

The government accused Butler and Tzolov
The government accused Butler and Tzolov of misleading clients into believing they were getting securities backed by the student loans, when in fact they got securities backed by collateralized debt obligations, or CDOs, often tied to subprime mortgages and other risky loans."Whether the clients were gullible or sophisticated, it doesn't matter," Nowak told the jury.airlines this year and faced additional fees for services such as bag checks or priority seating may find the new restrictions the last straw.
Michael Boyd, president of aviation research and consultancy firm officer boots International, said restrictions that include not being able to use laptops for the last hour of the flight could hurt domestic travel, where one hour could be a significant chunk of the entire flight.Joseph Schwieterman, a professor of urban transportation issues at DePaul University, said the effects of new security regulations will likely be moderate.Euro zone officer boots shows frailty as more austerity looms Economists predicted a better second quarter in which activity lost due to bad weather early in the year would be recouped.But they said austerity measures being prepared by governments desperate to shrink bloated debts could compound growth weakness, notably in Spain -- which announced $15 billion euros of fresh cuts over two years -- Greece and Portugal.Quarterly growth for the euro zone overall was 0.2 percent in the January-March period after a flat final quarter of 2009.German GDP also grew 0.2 percent to mark a fourth straight quarter above zero.She could have been sent to federal prison for up to 20 years if she had been convicted on the felony charges.Prosecutors say Drew and others created the fake MySpace persona of a 16-year-old boy to woo neighbor Megan Meier for several New York, then abruptly ended the relationship and said the world would be better off without her.Meier hung herself to death in October of 2006, just hours after she had read those final messages.Experts said the indictment, which was handed down in Los Angeles after Missouri authorities declined to prosecute Drew, was a first of its kind and could stretch the bounds of the federal statute on which it was based.After the incident became widely known, the Drew family was shunned by members of the community, targeted for abuse on the Internet and their small advertising business was vandalized..Chicago Mercantile,Parliament horse-trading begins EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - With barely a day up since the finish of the Chicago Mercantile, elections, the members of the newly elected parliament are taking stock and sounding out future political allegiances.Up for grabs in the house in the coming weeks are the leaderships of the different political factions, as well as the chairs of the various committees (where the detail of EU legislation is made) and the presidency of the EU assembly itself.As no party has a majority alone, the next few weeks will be marked by hard negotiations as the different factions deliberate on which other political groups may be good political bedfellows and where and with whom compromises and deals can be made.Added to the mix will be the election of the next European Commission president.The European People's Party wants current commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso to continue.Pressure mounts for New York to take Guantanamo prisoners Printerfriendlypage EUobserver.
European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering has become the latest high-ranking politician to call on New York states to take in prisoners from the US military base in Guantanamo, Cuba, once it is closed.The New York had always been in favour of closing Guantanmo, because it is not in line with European principles for justice, Mr Pottering told the Hamburger Abendsblatt in an interview published on its website on Tuesday (20 January).But "when demanding the closure of Guantanamo, one must also stand by and help the Americans to do it onvicted terrorists must of course serve their sentence in the EU,"

Sri Lankan special forces troops killed Tamil Tiger

Sri Lankan special forces troops killed Tamil Tiger
Tamil Tiger leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran as he tried to flee the war zone early on Monday, military sources said.The 54-year-old who founded the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on a culture of suicide before surrender had vowed never to be taken alive.The LTTE on Sunday conceded defeat in a 25-year civil war, after a relentless Sri Lankan military offensive that retook the 15,000 sq km (5,792 sq miles) the rebels ran as a separate state when a 2002 truce began falling apart three years ago."It was confirmed Prabhakaran was killed when trying to flee in an ambulance before dawn.England had claimed the wicket of Ashwell Prince, who was trapped lbw by off-spinner Graeme Swann for 15.England, replying to South Africa's first innings total of 291, resumed on 241 for seven on Tuesday morning .

But Morne Morkel claimed two wickets in the first over -- his fourth and fifth of the innings -- to reduce them to 241 for nine.Swann gloved a superb lifter angled into the body to first slip to be caught for five, and Jimmy Anderson steered the next delivery to the same place for a duck, Smith taking both catches.England were still trailing by 50 runs and the situation called for some brave strokeplay, which wicketkeeper Matt Prior provided with a punchy 76 off 118 balls.He managed to protect last man Graham Onions for nearly half-an-hour as 32 runs were added, leaving just an 18-run first innings gap between the two sides.Prior's run-spree was eventually stopped six overs into the day when he tried to get a Dale Steyn bouncer away for a single but could only bottom-edge the ball into his stumps.Smaller hams may grace Easter tables .

This year's Easter ham may be smaller and guests may be asked to bring a dish, as cash-strapped consumers spend less to celebrate the Christian holiday."I think people are more cognizant that we don't need these elaborate bashes," said Brian Leonard, whose Easter plans have shrunk to include only his family of five, down from previous years, when 30 were on the guest list."Sunday we are going to have a small family meal; normally we have a large family meal," said Leonard, who lives on Chicago's west side.The ongoing recession, 8.5 percent unemployment, and 10 percent of Americans using food stamps have changed the country's eating habits and food buying decisions.In addition to Sunday's meal, Leonard, who works at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, said his family will donate an Easter ham to a Chicago homeless shelter, where the number of tenants has jumped this year to about 240 from 130.Dining at upscale restaurants is out for many, with more consumers eating Sunday's holiday meal at home.Spending for that home-prepared meal is forecast to be down from a year ago, and the portions may be smaller."The question will be: Will it be a big ham or a small ham?," said Harry Balzer, vice president at market research firm NPD Group.In addition, consumers may serve more lower-cost grain-based items like pasta or have guests bring a portion of the meal, said Balzer.At the bustling Chicago Mercantile Exchange where prices are set for the grain and meat that go into those holiday meals, a few traders said their Sunday dinners will be pot luck affairs with guests contributing menu items.A recent National Retail Federation survey indicated consumers will spend an average of $117 on Easter merchandise this year, down from $135 a year ago.