The Office

Home prices fall again as May confidence dips - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Consumers turned more pessimistic this month, while home prices fell back below crisis-era lows in March, pointing to an economy that continues to struggle.

There were also more signs of softness in manufacturing, as a barometer of business activity in the U.S. Midwest fell to its lowest reading since November 2009, data showed on Tuesday.

Other regional reports have pointed to weaker growth in manufacturing this month amid supply chain disruptions from the March earthquake in Japan. A gauge of the U.S. national sector from the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index is due on Wednesday.

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Bangladesh woman cuts off 'attacker's' penis - Yahoo! News

DHAKA (AFP) – A 40-year-old Bangladeshi woman cut off a man's penis during an alleged attempted rape and took it to a police station as evidence, police in a remote part of Bangladesh said Monday.

The woman, a married mother of three, was attacked while she was sleeping in her shanty in Jhalakathi district, some 200 kilometres (120 miles) south of Dhaka, on Saturday night, officers said.

"As he tried to rape her, the lady cut his penis off with a knife. She then wrapped up the penis in a piece of polythene and brought it to the Jhalakathi police station as evidence of the crime," police chief Abul Khaer told AFP.

The woman has filed a case accusing the man -- who is also 40 and a married father of five -- of attempted rape, saying that he had been harassing her for six months.

The severed penis has been kept at the police station and the rape suspect was undergoing treatment in hospital.

"We shall arrest him once his condition gets better," Khaer added.

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David Hyde Pierce starring in psychological thriller - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Backstage) – David Hyde Pierce, best known for his Emmy-winning role as neurotic shrink Dr. Niles Crane on "Frasier," will show a different side in the upcoming psychological thriller "The Perfect Host."

He plays a seemingly well-to-do, uptight suburban man set to be victimized by a criminal seeking refuge for the night. But Pierce's character has a dinner party to throw that night, and instead of playing hostage, he decides to play host -- and hostage taker. The film opens July 1 in Los Angeles and New York through Magnolia Pictures.

The actor is also venturing into directing. His first staging venture will be "It Shoulda Been You," a new musical starring Tyne Daly, set for the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, N.J., this fall.

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Lockheed says thwarted "tenacious" cyber attack - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lockheed Martin Corp., the U.S. government's top information technology provider, said on Saturday it had thwarted "a significant and tenacious attack" on its information systems network a week ago but was still working to restore employee access.

No customer, program or employee personal data was compromised thanks to "almost immediate" protective action taken after the attack was detected May 21, Jennifer Whitlow, a company spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement.

She said the company, the world's biggest aerospace company and the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales, was working around the clock to restore employee access to the targeted network while maintaining the highest security level.

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LCH.Clearnet confirms had offers from exchanges - Yahoo! News

LONDON (Reuters) – European clearinghouse LCH.Clearnet confirmed on Saturday it has received a string of offers from exchange operators interested in pursuing some form of business tie-up but said talks were still at an early stage.

On Friday a source told Reuters that NYSE Euronext, Nasdaq OMX Group and London Stock Exchange Group Plc had made bids for LCH in the last two weeks, after the clearer decided to consider its strategic alternatives.

In a statement LCH, Europe's largest independent clearinghouse, said it has "received various proposals indicating an interest in pursuing some form of possible business combination or other cooperation."

Noting press speculation the group said considerations were at a preliminary stage and there was no certainty of a deal.

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Consumer spending tepid as inflation accelerates - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Consumer spending rose modestly in April, starting the second quarter on a soft note as high gasoline prices continued to squeeze household finances and keep inflation pressures simmering.

Further evidence of anemic economic activity was also offered by another report on Friday showing pending sales of previously owned homes plunged to a seven-month low in April.

Consumer spending increased 0.4 percent for a 10th straight month of gains, the Commerce Department said, after rising 0.5 percent in March. It also said annual inflation rose at its fastest pace in 12 months.

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Cheryl Cole 'dropped from US X Factor' - Yahoo! News

LONDON (AFP) – British singer Cheryl Cole has been kicked off the judging panel of the new US version of "The X Factor", a US report said on Thursday.

Celebrity website TMZ reported that producers dropped the 27-year-old from Newcastle, in northern England, because they feared US audiences would have trouble with her accent.

Ex-Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, who has appeared on the UK show, was tipped as a likely replacement.

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Wall St dips at open after weak data - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks opened down slightly on Thursday after evidence the economy grew at a slower-than-expected pace in the first quarter, underscoring recent equity weakness.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 28.53 points, or 0.23 percent, at 12,366.13. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was down 2.97 points, or 0.22 percent, at 1,317.50. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was down 2.83 points, or 0.10 percent, at 2,758.55.

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Durable orders slump in April on autos, aircraft - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods recorded their largest decline in six months in April as aircraft and motor vehicle bookings tumbled, indicating the economy remained stuck in a soft patch.

The Commerce Department said on Wednesday durable goods orders dropped 3.6 percent, worse than economists' expectations for a 2.2 percent fall. March's orders were revised up to a 4.4 percent rise from a 4.1 percent increase.

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'4th and Forever': Its goal line is a better life - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK – It's not uncommon for football teams to play as if their lives depended on it.

For the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits, their lives really do.

"4th and Forever" tells the tale. An absorbing new docu-series on Current TV, it chronicles the high-stakes 2010 football season of California's Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where life is tough but the football team is tougher. Or better be. (It premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. EDT.)

"What the heck is going on? Fighting is not football!" moans coach Raul Lara when an on-field brawl erupts during a preseason scrimmage with rival St. John Bosco High School.

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