German party fined for illegal donations

Germany's parliament on Thursday fined the opposition Free Democratic Party some euro4.3 million ($6.06 million) for accepting illegal donations between 1996 and 2000.

The fine is related to a series of untraceable cash donations passed by Juergen Moellemann, the one-time party chief in North Rhine-Westphalia state, to the regional party's treasurer.

The donations were then broken up and paid into the party coffers under false names, the lower house of parliament's administrative office said.

"These donations are each viewed as violating laws that prevent political parties from accepting donations from sources that cannot be …

Experts Search for Blast Center

How do you investigate a bombing?

Experts zero in on the center of a blast to determine what kindof explosive was used, a federal investigator said Wednesday.

"When you get to an explosion scene and the victims have beentaken care of, you basically go through the bomb damage," said AgentJerry Singer of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

"What looks like rubble to normal people will look like evidenceto our agents," said Singer, spokesman for the Chicago ATF office."You can get some idea of where the blast originated by how the itemsare damaged - the way things are mangled. Once you get close to thecenter of the explosion, you can find …

Shipper Moller-Maersk returns to full-year profit

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish container shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S said Wednesday it returned to a profit last year, citing a recovery in world trade flows and higher oil prices.

The company posted a net profit of 26.5 billion kroner ($4.84 billion) in 2010, compared with a loss of 7.0 billion kroner in the previous year, when the shipping industry suffered from the severe economic downturn.

Higher freight rates and volumes in its container activities helped boost Maersk's revenue to 315.4 billion kroner from 260 billion kroner in 2009. The company does not release a quarterly breakdown of its results.

"There has been a turnaround in the container …

Fashion students at Va. university design abayas

The assignment for Virginia Commonwealth University fashion students: design an abaya, an enveloping cloak worn by Muslim women, that is stylish yet acceptable in Arab countries.

The results: elaborately beaded designs, a flamenco-influenced abaya, a punk rock abaya _ and perhaps a better understanding of cultural norms in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, where the university has had a campus for 10 years.

"We were trying to make a feeling of youth _ but still be true to their culture," said Kendra Palin, a fashion design major who partnered with classmate Shelby Day to design an abaya with looped buttonholes, princess seams and a high waist. …

MOVE OVER MICHAEL MOORE Spike Lee takes aim at American corporate corruption with 'She Hate Me'

NEVER ONE TO SHY AWAY FROM CONTROVERSY, here comes Spike Lee withhis latest take on contemporary American corporate corruption -- butthere's a twist. * As much as the activist director is concernedwith launching "our salvo at what we think is the poor moral andethical climate of big business in America today" -- Lee is equallyinterested in entertaining viewers with "She Hate Me," when it opensFriday in Chicago. * In the film, Jack Armstrong (played by AnthonyMackie) is suddenly ostracized when his unscrupulous bosses make itappear he may be responsible for a corporate scandal jeopardizing hisfirm's ability to produce and market a groundbreaking new AIDSvaccine.

As his …

Payá Merece Nuestro Respeto

En esta larga lucha, ya de cuarenta y cinco a�os, �casi medio siglo!, es usual y casi perdonable que muchos, algunos bien intencionados, pierdan la perspectiva y sin percatarse de que los tiempos y las circunstancias var�an a golpe de cambios e historia, no quiera aceptar ni entender que viejas estrategias fracasadas deben ser sustituidas por nuevos procedimientos que sin ser definitivos pueden marcar pautas para lograr el anhelado fin.

El pueblo de Cuba, que debe ser uno solo, encuentra dividido en dos por razones pol�ticas formativas y geogr�ficas; m�s de once millones prisioneros dentro de la isla y un par de millones en el Exilio, prisioneros de humanas ambiciones personales y …

Stocks head for lower open after bank bailout plan

Wall Street headed to a lower start while the Treasury market calmed only slightly Monday as investors cautiously awaited further news about the government's plan to buy $700 billion in banks' mortgage debt.

Dow Jones industrial average futures were down moderately, and the yield on the 3-month Treasury bill remained below 1 percent, indicating that investors were still willing to take low returns on a safe asset.

Investors are relieved that federal authorities are taking action to relieve the nation's banks of their toxic assets. But it is not sure yet how successful the plan will be in loosening up the credit markets and propping up the sinking housing …