It News

September 12, 2012

$104 million reward

UBS whistleblower nets $104 million reward

By James O'Toole @CNNMoney September 12, 2012

PHOTO: This undated handout photo released by the National Whistleblowers Center, shows former UBS employee Bradley Birkenfeld who was awarded $104 million by the IRA for providing information about overseas tax cheats ? the largest amount ever awarded by

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A former UBS banker who provided information on the firm's vast business of helping wealthy Americans hide their assets from the Internal Revenue Service has received a $104 million whistleblower reward, which his lawyers said was the largest in U.S. history.
Bradley Birkenfeld's tips helped pave the way for a 2009 settlement between the U.S. government and UBS (UBS) under which the bank agreed to pay $780 million in penalties and turn over the account information of thousands of U.S. clients.

Chesapeake Energy to raise $6.9 billion from asset sales

Wed Sep 12, 2012

Chesapeake Energy Corporation's 50 acre campus is seen in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, April 17, 2012. REUTERS/Steve Sisney

(Reuters) - Chesapeake Energy Corp said it will sell most of its Permian Basin properties to Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Chevron Corp and a majority of its pipeline assets to raise about $6.9 billion in cash.

The company, which has been shedding assets to raise cash to meet an estimated $10 billion funding gap, said it would use the proceeds to repay $4 billion of term loans in the fourth quarter.

Chesapeake has been working to sell the Permian Basin assets since February. The company holds 1.5 million acres in the basin, spread across the western part of Texas and the southeastern part of New Mexico.

As Elections Loom, Delayed Deportations Get Approval

Published September 12, 2012
Fox News Latino

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration approved the first wave of applications from young undocumented immigrants who want to avoid deportation and get a work permit, less than two months before the presidential election where both the Obama camp and the Romney are looking for the upper hand when it comes to the Latino vote.
The Homeland Security Department is notifying a small group of people this week that they have been approved to stay in the country for two years as part of President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The first approvals come just three weeks after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services started accepting applications for the program that Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano first announced June 15.

Chicago teachers strike threatens to become protracted struggle

Wed Sep 12, 2012
* Two sides far apart on new teacher contract

* Union opposed to evaluations based on student test scores
By Greg McCune

CHICAGO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Chicago teachers stayed away from public schools for a third day on Wednesday in a strike over Mayor Rahm Emanuel's demand for tough teacher evaluations that U.S. education reform advocates see as crucial to fixing urban schools.

With some 350,000 children from kindergarten to high school age out of school, the patience of their parents began to fray as hopes were dashed for a quick resolution to the biggest U.S. labor strike in a year.

US 'has no moral right to prevent Israel acting against Iran'

Benjamin Netanyahu denounced American efforts to restrain Israel from striking Iran, saying that no-one had a "moral right" to prevent his country from acting against a mortal threat.
By Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem and David Blair8:42PM BST 11 Sep 2012

The White House on Tuesday denied reports of a rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that he and President Barack Obama have reaffirmed the two countries' commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The Israeli prime minister's words followed a secret visit by an unnamed British official last month, who is understood to have delivered a warning from David Cameron against attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.
Mr Netanyahu wants America to lay down clear "red lines" beyond which Iran would risk war by pressing on with its nuclear ambitions. He fears that Iran is successfully playing for time while the nuclear programme advances. In response, Mr Netanyahu is pressing Washington to impose a deadline on diplomatic efforts to

Trading in your old iPhone? Here's what it's worth

By Julianne Pepitone @CNNMoneyTech September 12, 2012

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- If you're planning to upgrade to the new iPhone that Apple is about to release, you can still score cash for your old iPhone to offset the cost -- but you'll have to move fast.
Trade-in services offer up a price based on supply. The fewer phones are being offered, the more money a customer gets. The best chance to lock in a top-dollar iPhone trade was three to four weeks ago. Trade-in companies say prices will decline quickly once Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) makes the iPhone 5 official.

Markets rally after German high court gives nod to European bailout package

By Associated Press, Published Wednesday, September 12,2012

KARLSRUHE, Germany — Germany’s highest court paved the way on Wednesday for the creation of Europe’s €500 billion ($640 billion) rescue fund, after it rejected calls to block it.

The Federal Constitutional Court’s decision clears the way for German President Joachim Gauck to ratify the fund, the European Stability Mechanism. Jean-Claude Juncker, who chairs meetings of the 17-nation euro area’s finance ministers, said he planned to convene the first meeting of the fund’s board of governors on Oct. 8.

CAMPSITE TRAPPED IN WILD FIRE

2012/9/11

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ANDREW'S TOP 5 FOR FLORIDA

2012/9/11

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Historic New York

by Jennifer Plum Auvil
2012/9/11

Explore the City of Immigrants

New York has evolved since its early days as the home of the Wappinger Indians and later the Dutch settlers who founded New Amsterdam in 1624. Today, it's true to its roots and remains a city of immigrants with inspiring architecture, a thriving arts scene and a starring role in the economy of the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Neighborhoods
From the refined brownstones of the Upper West Side to the tall office buildings lining the streets of the Financial District, New York is made up of a series of neighborhoods. There are countless enclaves with history, but here are some of the highlights.

Ravens Head to Uneasy Philadelphia After Slaughtering Bengals: A Fan's Outlook

By Robert Dougherty | Yahoo! Contributor Network
2012/9/11

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (C) is lifted up by teammates after scoring the Ravens' first touchdown of the 2012 NFL football season against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half in Baltimore September 10, 2012. (GARY CAMERON/REUTERS)

The Philadelphia Eagles made everyone react the same way against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 9. Every Eagles fan like myself echoed that if the Birds faced anyone other than the Browns, they would have lost instead of stealing a 17-16 win. When Philadelphia faces a real team, things will get more difficult - and unfortunately, a real team is coming to town as soon as next week.
The Baltimore Ravens further proved that they are a real team, and could be a pretty dominant one this season. They were certainly dominant against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 10, as the Ravens turned a close game into a 44-13 slaughter in the span of a half.

Jessica Simpson loses 40 pounds after pregnancy

Sep 11, 2012

katie-couric-jessica-simpson-weight-loss-pics-fat-photos-skinny-katie-abc.jpg

Jessica Simpson recently revealed her post baby body on the premiere of Katie Couric's talk show, asserting that shedding off those extra pounds were challenging.

The actress disclosed that she lost 40 pounds since the birth of her son, Maxwell Drew Johnson in May.

During pregnancy, I didn't really think about it, ABC news quoted Simpson as telling Couric.

Inside Blake Lively and Ryan Reynold's top-secret wedding

news.com.au
September 11, 2012

THEY pulled their marriage off without a whisper in the gossip pages, but details of Blake and Ryan's big day are starting to emerge.
The couple who met on the set of "The Green Lantern" in 2011 married after just a year of dating.
Here's what we know so far about the newlywed's top-secret nuptials.
THE DRESS

Rihanna Gets Chest Tattoo in Memory of Her Late Grandmother
by Elizabeth Snead, The Hollywood Reporter | September 11, 2012

Rihanna has now paid tribute to her late grandmother, who passed away in July after a long battle with cancer, with a mammoth tattoo of an Egyptian goddess on her chest.

MTV VMAs 2012: Rihanna, One Direction Find Love & Moonmen

Japan buys disputed islands, China sends patrol ships

Sep 11, 2012
* Japan finalises $26 mln buy of disputed islands

* China sends two patrol ships, military issues warning

* Tokyo says has only peaceful intentions

By Kiyoshi Takenaka

TOKYO, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Japan brushed off stern warnings by China and bought a group of islands on Tuesday that both claim, in a growing dispute that threatens to deepen strains between Asia's two biggest economies.

Chinese official media said Beijing had sent two patrol ships to waters surrounding the islands to reassert its claim and accused Japan of "playing with fire" over the long-simmering row. The army warned that further, unspecified steps could follow.

Gold Advances on Outlook for Further Stimulus From Fed

By Maria Kolesnikova on September 11, 2012

Gold eases but remains near 6-month high, eyes Fed

Gold rose as the outlook for more stimulus from the U.S. Federal Reserve spurred demand for the metal as a store of value.

The policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee will consider asset purchases at its Sept. 12-13 meeting, with unemployment stalled above 8 percent for 43 months. Chairman Ben S. Bernanke signaled last month that a third round of quantitative easing may be needed to reduce joblessness. Gold almost doubled from December 2008 to June 2011 as the Fed bought $2.3 trillion of debt in two previous rounds of QE.

“That’s where the focus is, especially for gold,” Marc Ground, a commodities strategist at Standard Bank Plc in Jonannesburg, said today by phone, referring to the Fed meeting. “The market is pricing in the order of $500 billion in outright easing, but I’m not sure the Fed would do something on that scale just yet. So we could see a pullback at the end of the week.”

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September 12, 2012

September 11, 2012