NEW YORK – U.S. mortgage applications fell for a second consecutive week as interest rates on home loans climbed to 16-month highs, an industry trade group said on Wednesday. The Mortgage Bankers Association (search) said its index of mortgage application volume for the week ended October 28 declined 4.8 percent …
Read More »Ex-Wife's Comments Stir Up N.J. Gov. Race
MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Gubernatorial candidate Doug Forrester aired a TV commercial featuring a quote from his opponent’s ex-wife that Sen. Jon S. Corzine “let his family down, and he’ll probably let New Jersey down, too.” Hours later, the Corzine campaign fired back, accusing Forrester of bringing “Bush-Rove smear tactics to …
Read More »Stocks May Climb on 'Retail Therapy'
NEW YORK – U.S. stocks could edge higher next week on hopes for strong holiday spending after retailers’ October sales were healthier than expected. Crude oil prices at $60 a barrel, though, could spoil the mood on Wall Street. Some market strategists see stocks struggling for direction, with most earnings …
Read More »Sony BMG Software May Contain Open-Source Code
BARCELONA – Controversial copy-protection software used by music publisher Sony BMG on music CDs appears to have tapped an open-source project, raising questions about copyrights, software experts said on Friday. The XCP program, developed by British software firm First4Internet and used by Sony BMG to restrict copying and sharing of …
Read More »Clintons Tour Israel, Share Condolences With Jordan
JERUSALEM – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she supports the separation barrier Israel is building along the edges of the West Bank. The New York Democrat toured a section of the controversial structure, which is being built around Jerusalem. She says the barrier isn’t against the Palestinian people, but “against …
Read More »Amtrak Train Hits 2 Men, 1 Killed, in Maryland
ROCKVILLE, Md. – An Amtrak train struck and killed one man and seriously injured another just outside Washington D.C. at the height of the evening commuter rush on Tuesday. The men were walking along the tracks behind a shopping center when they were hit, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue (search) …
Read More »Assassination Attempt in Abkhazia
SUKHUMI, Georgia – The prime minister of Georgia’s separatist Abkhazia (search) region survived an assassination attempt by unknown assailants, his deputy said Tuesday. Gunmen opened fire at Prime Minister Alexander Ankvab’s (search) car late Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Leonid Lakerbaya said. He and Ankvab were riding in the same car, …
Read More »Intel Agencies Brace for WMD Report
WASHINGTON – None of the 15 U.S. agencies that collected or assessed intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (search) is likely to be commended for doing an exemplary job, according to officials familiar with a report being prepared by a presidential commission. The nine-member panel led by Republican …
Read More »Five Killed in Tehran Soccer Stampede
TEHRAN, Iran – Thousands of soccer fans rushed for the exits after Iran beat Japan in a World Cup (search) qualifying match, setting off a stampede that crushed five people to death and injured 40 others, state-run TV said Saturday. No reason was given for the rush to leave the …
Read More »Wolfowitz Confirmed as World Bank Chief
WASHINGTON – The World Bank’s (search) board on Thursday unanimously approved the nomination of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz (search), an architect of the Iraq war, to be the next president of the 184-nation development bank. President Bush earlier this month surprised the international community by recommending Wolfowitz for the …
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