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Economy
4:21 am
Tue May 8, 2012

Germany Stays The Course On Austerity Measures

Originally published on Tue May 8, 2012 6:41 am

The elections in France and Greece signaled a resounding popular rejection of the tough austerity measures being pushed by Germany, Europe's largest economy. But Berlin doesn't appear to be changing course.

Asia
4:21 am
Tue May 8, 2012

Pakistan's Prime Minister Refuses To Step Down

Originally published on Tue May 8, 2012 6:41 am

Opposition politicians in Pakistan are calling for the prime minister to step down. The country's Supreme Court convicted him of contempt for refusing to re-open a corruption case against the president.

Business
4:21 am
Tue May 8, 2012

Business News

Originally published on Tue May 8, 2012 6:41 am

The resignation came after shareholder's rejected an $8 million pay package for Andrew Moss. Aviva is the fourth major British company in recent weeks to have executive pay rejected by shareholders.

NPR Story
4:19 am
Tue May 8, 2012

Mortgage Update

Credit Chuck Burton / AP
Bank of America is offering to reduce an average $150,000 in principal for borrowers who qualify, a bank official says.

Originally published on Tue May 8, 2012 9:03 am

Bank of America is offering about 200,000 homeowners a chance to wipe out a big chunk of their mortgage debt. The offers are part of the settlement Bank of America and other major banks reached with state and federal regulators earlier this year, and it's one of the biggest principal forgiveness opportunities so far.

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NPR Story
4:19 am
Tue May 8, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Tue May 8, 2012 6:41 am

Beatles tunes are very hard to license — the surviving band members and heirs have been choosy about who can play their songs. AMC's Mad Men made the cut. For a reported $250,000, the show was allowed to pay "Tomorrow Never Knows."

NPR Story
4:19 am
Tue May 8, 2012

What Hollande's Anti-Austerity Rhetoric Means

Originally published on Tue May 8, 2012 6:41 am

Socialist Francois Hollande won the French presidency over the weekend, in large part due to his pledge to push for growth and battle the German-led austerity approach to Europe's fiscal problems. But what does that pledge mean in practical terms?

Europe
2:17 am
Tue May 8, 2012

Why The Markets Shrugged Off French Vote

Credit Thomas Coex / AFP/Getty Images
A supporter of French President-elect Francois Hollande wears a mask of outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Originally published on Tue May 8, 2012 6:41 am

The arguments for growth policies as opposed to austerity are taking center stage in Europe after the French and Greek elections.

His rhetoric aside, France's President-elect Francois Hollande is not rejecting austerity. In fact, he pledged to balance France's budget by the end of his five-year term, just one year later than his opponent, outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy.

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Theater
2:16 am
Tue May 8, 2012

A Test Of Hearts, Minds And 'Hands On A Hardbody'

Originally published on Wed May 9, 2012 3:04 pm

About 20 years ago, a Texas car dealership started a competition: Contestants had to keep one hand on a brand-new, fully loaded truck; the last person standing got to keep it.

It may not seem like a gripping drama, but it was the subject of a 1997 documentary. And now, it's the basis of a musical.

It's called Hands on a Hardbody, and that hardbody is, yes, the truck. At a rehearsal at the La Jolla Playhouse in California, it's on casters so the actors can spin it around the stage.

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Family Matters: The Money Squeeze
2:14 am
Tue May 8, 2012

Long-Term-Care Insurance: Who Needs It?

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 9:50 am

Americans routinely buy all sorts of insurance — for cars, homes, health and even pets and boats.

But when it comes to long-term-care insurance, relatively few sign up. Out of more than 313 million Americans, only about 8 million have any such protection, according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. The low participation rate largely reflects the high cost of long-term-care insurance.

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Business
1:29 am
Tue May 8, 2012

Shhhh! (Facebook's About To Go Public)

Credit Timur Emek / AP
The world's biggest social network is expected to go public on May 18. And like all companies facing an initial public offering, Facebook is staying quiet about its financials and stock potential.

Originally published on Tue May 8, 2012 9:07 am

Facebook started what's called a "road show" this week, pitching itself to potential big investors across the country. It's one of the last steps before a company goes public — which Facebook reportedly plans to do next Friday.

But that pitch has to be very carefully calibrated — as you can tell from all the warning language that precedes it on Facebook's road show website.

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