NEW YORK - Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley said Thursday they'll try to raise billions in fresh capital, becoming the first major banks to scramble for money after the government said 10 large financial institutions need $75 billion in new funds. Meanwhile, American Express Co. became the first major financial institution to formally request permission to return federal bailout money provided under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. Wells Fargo & Co. said it's seeking to raise $6 billion by offering common stock to investors. The San Francisco-based bank announced the plans after the government's stress test results showed that Wells...
MoreFirst, let me please wish Emily and family all the best on the birth of her second child, the most precious gift imaginable. And thank you to all at The Planetary Society for the opportunity to guest blog from the Kennedy Space Center press center and launch facilities on the imminent and exciting shuttle flight to Hubble. Previously it was my privilege to report to you all on the successful blast off of the Dawn Asteroid Orbiter in September 2007 and which recently flew past Mars, my favorite planet, for a gravity assisted boost towards Vesta. The final Space Shuttle flight...
MoreThe Taliban raised fears in Pakistan last week by briefly seizing new territories near the capital, Islamabad. But in its own way, the Obama administration offered as much reason for panic about the deteriorating situation in that nuclear-armed Muslim country. In the course of just three days, the U.S. secretaries of State and Defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the commanding general of American forces in the Middle East all publicly warned, in blunt and dire language, that Pakistan was facing an existential threat -- and that its government and Army were not facing it. "I think that...
MoreWhen a scientific principle is common knowledge even in grammar schools, you know it's long since crossed the line from theory to established fact. That's the case with dinosaur extinction. Some 65 million years ago — as we've all come to know — an asteroid struck the Earth, sending up a cloud that blocked the sun and cooled the planet. That, in turn, wiped out the dinosaurs and made way for the rise of the mammals. The suddenness with which so many species vanished after the 65-million-year mark always suggested a single cataclysmic event, and the 1978 discovery of a...
MoreMEXICO CITY – The swine flu epidemic crossed new borders Tuesday with the first cases confirmed in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region, as the number of deaths in Mexico blamed on the virus surpassed 150. With the swine flu having already spread to at least six other countries besides Mexico, authorities around the globe are like firefighters battling a blaze without knowing how far it extends. "At this time, containment is not a feasible option," said Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, which raised its alert level on Monday. New Zealand reported Tuesday that 11 people who recently...
MoreFidel says Obama "misinterpreted" conciliatory remarks by Raul on U.S.-Cuba relations. HAVANA - Fidel Castro wrote in an essay published yesterday that President Obama had "misinterpreted" his brother Raul's seeming conciliatory remarks regarding the United States, and he bristled at the suggestion that Cuba should free political prisoners or cut taxes on dollars that Cuban Americans send to the island. His comments put into doubt the true meaning of his brother's statements and raised questions about Cuba's position on detente with the United States. Although he surrendered the presidency to Raul in February 2008, Fidel Castro retains enormous influence and remains head of...
MoreA Boston University medical student who appeared in court Tuesday on a murder charge searched Craigslist to find his victims, prosecutors say, highlighting the potential dangers of social networking websites. Police in Boston and Warwick, R.I., say Philip Markoff, 23, may have preyed on other women he found on the website, where people can post most ads for free, says Jake Wark, a spokesman for the district attorney in Suffolk County, Mass., who brought the charges. A judge ordered Markoff jailed without bail. R.I. POLICE: Case similar to Boston Craigslist slaying He is charged with murdering one woman and robbing and kidnapping another....
More(CNN) -- North Korea said Saturday any sanctions or pressure applied against it following its rocket launch earlier this month will be considered a "declaration of war." In an announcement on state-run television, the country said it was ready to step up efforts to develop nuclear weapons and poised for a military response to any moves against it. "The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK are always keeping themselves fully ready to go into action any moment to mercilessly punish anyone who encroaches upon the sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK even a bit," it said. On Monday the United Nations condemned...
MoreLos Angeles, California (CNN) -- Porn icon Marilyn Chambers was found dead in her Los Angeles home Sunday night, but investigators do not suspect foul play, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman. Chambers began her career in 1970 as a model for Ivory Snow soap, and starred two years later in the porn classic "Behind the Green Door." "She was a really nice girl," said actor Ron Jeremy, who co-starred with Chambers in adult films starting in the 1970s. Chambers' death was a "total shock," Jeremy said, because they had been scheduled to sign a contract Monday to perform together...
MoreLos Angeles, Calif. -- Mel Gibson 's wife, Robyn, has filed for divorce from the actor, Access Hollywood has confirmed. "Throughout our marriage and separation we have always strived to maintain the privacy and integrity of our family and will continue to do so," the Gibsons said in a joint statement released to Access on Monday. Robyn signed the divorce papers on Thursday and filed the papers on Monday morning in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split. However, Access has learned the couple has actually been separated for nearly three years. Mel and Robyn were married...
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