US judge declares Swiss banker, lawyer fugitives

sacbeeWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A federal judge in Florida has declared a banker and lawyer from Switzerland who were indicted on fraud charges as fugitives from justice.U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley signed the order against banker Hansruedi Schumacher and attorney Matthias Rickenbach on Thursday in West Palm Beach.Schumacher and Rickenbach are accused of helping rich Americans evade… Read more

Green doesn’t like Suh’s chances

ESPNFormer Pittsburgh All-America defensive end Hugh Green watched last week’s Big 12 championship game with interest. EnlargeGeorge Gojkovich/Getty ImagesHugh Green was the favorite for the 1980 Heisman.Nearly three decades ago, Green was considered a Heisman Trophy favorite in 1980, along with South Carolina running back George Rogers.Green, who now lives in his hometown of Natchez, Miss.,… Read more

Nearly 10,000 U.S. deaths caused by swine flu

MSNBCSwine flu has caused nearly 10,000 deaths in the United States, part of an outbreak that has infected about 50 million Americans, government health officials said Thursday.The deaths as of mid-November included about 1,100 children and 7,500 younger adults, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 200,000 people have been hospitalized, he… Read more

KAR Auction IPO raises less than hoped

ForbesKAR Auction Services Inc. shares will make their trading debut Friday, but the auctioneer of used and salvaged vehicles raised less than it had hoped in its initial public offering. The company’s IPO priced well below its expected range at a time of deep uncertainty in the auto industry.Vehicle sales in the U.S. have been at historic lows this year as the recession weighed on consumers’… Read more

It’s Done: Stephanopoulos to Join ‘Good Morning’

New York TimesABC News has made official the long-rumored appointment of George Stephanopoulos to succeed Diane Sawyer as the anchor of ‘Good Morning America’ – and its top executive promised on Thursday that the show would move ‘in a new direction,’ toward more news and substantive information.David Westin, the president of ABC News, who made the announcement on Thursday, conducted a three-month… Read more

Pakistan arrests students who vanished from US

ChicagoTribuneWASHINGTON – — Five young students who recently vanished from the Washington area have been arrested in Pakistan, authorities confirmed Wednesday, raising fears that they are part of a recent wave of U.S.-based Muslims traveling to South Asia and other extremist hot spots to engage in terrorist activities.Authorities did not release the names of those arrested but said they were… Read more

Quitting smoking can reverse asthma-inducing changes in lungs

PhysOrgAsthmatic smokers may be able to reverse some of the damage to their lungs that exacerbates asthmatic symptoms just by putting down their cigarettes, according to research out of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.The research is published in the December 15 issue of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.”We found that… Read more