Rate on 30-year mortgage hits 2-year high

WASHINGTON (AP) — The average U.S. rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage rose this week to 4.51%, a two-year high. Rates have been rising on expectations that the Federal Reserve will slow its bond purchases this year. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average on the 30-year loan jumped from 4.29% the previous week. Just two months ago, it was 3.35% — barely above the record low of 3.31%. HOUSING: Mortgage applications continue to fall The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage rose to 3.53% from 3.39% last week. That's the highest since August 2011. Chairman Ben Bernanke has said the Fed could slow its bond purchases this year if the economy strengthens. The purchases have kept rates low. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which mortgage rates typically track, has been rising. Even with the gains, mortgage rates remain low by historical standards. Low rates have helped fuel a housing recovery that is helping to drive economic growth this year. The annual sales pace of previously occupied homes topped 5 million in May for the first time in 3.5 years. And sales of new homes rose at the fastest pace in five years. Greater demand, along with a tight supply of homes for sale, has pushed up home prices. It also has led to more home construction, which has created more jobs. To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday each week. The average doesn't include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1% of the loan amount. The average fee for a 30-year mortgage was 0.8 point this week, up from 0.7 point last week. The fee for a 15-year loan also rose to 0.8 point from 0.7 point. The average rate on a one-year adjustable-rate mortgage was unchanged at 2.66%. The fee rose to 0.5 point from 0.4. The average rate on a five-year adjustable mortgage rose to 3.26% from 3.10%. The fee was unchanged at 0.7 point.

new source: usatoday.com

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Prosecution paints Zimmerman as angry vigilante in closing arguments

A Florida prosecutor painted George Zimmerman as an angry vigilante who "tracked" Trayvon Martin through a gated community and provoked the confrontation that claimed the teenager's life in a scorching summation Thursday. "A teenager is dead," said prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda in his closing argument. "He’s dead not just because the man made those assumptions, but because he acted on those assumptions and unfortunately, because his assumptions were wrong, Trayvon Benjamin Martin no longer walks on this Earth." The closing prosecution arguments brought the case one step closer to the jury. On Friday morning, defense lawyers were scheduled to present their closing arguments, followed by a prosecution rebuttal. Then the case will move to the all-female, six-member jury. De la Rionda told the jury Thursday that Zimmerman wanted to be a police officer and that's why he followed Martin through his neighborhood even though the teen wasn't doing anything wrong. "He assumed Trayvon Martin was a criminal. That is why we are here," de la Rionda said. Zimmerman showed ill will and hatred when he whispered profanities to a police dispatcher over his cell phone while following Martin, said de la Rionda as he urged jurors to hold Zimmerman accountable for his actions. In order to get a second-degree conviction, prosecutors must show Zimmerman showed ill will, hatred or spite. "The law doesn't allow people to take the law into their own hands," de la Rionda said. De la Rionda dismissed defense claims that Zimmerman acted in self-defense, accusing the neighborhood watch volunteer of lying about what happened. The prosecutor also showed jurors a headshot photo of Martin taken from his autopsy. Jurors trained their eyes on de la Rionda, barely taking notes. "The truth does not lie," De la Rionda said. The prosecutor's closing arguments came after Judge Debra Nelson ruled jurors can consider manslaughter in addition to the second-degree murder charge -- but stopped short at granting the prosecution's bid to include felony murder -- based on child abuse -- in the jury instructions. Nelson ruled against the prosecution's request that jurors be able to consider a third-degree felony murder charge based on child abuse. Under felony murder statutes, a defendant can be charged with murder if he or she causes someone's death while committing a felony, in this case, according to the prosecution, child abuse. At 17, Trayvon Martin was a minor when he was killed. "I just don’t think that the evidence supports that," Nelson said of the felony murder charge. "And if I’m not sure about that, I’m not going to charge the jury on that." Earlier, defense attorney Don West bristled when the prosecution first proposed the third-degree felony murder charge, alleging it was a "trick" by the state. "Just when I thought this case couldn't get any more bizarre, the state is seeking third degree murder charges based on child abuse?" he said after the prosecution's request. "It's outrageous that the state would seek to do this at this point." Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty in the fatal shooting of the Florida teen, claiming he shot Martin in self-defense. The six-member all-female jury is expected to get the case as early as Friday. Zimmerman could face up to life in prison if convicted of second degree murder using a firearm. A manslaughter conviction in the case could result in a maximum sentence of 30 years. "Just when I thought this case couldn't get any more bizarre..." - Defense attorney Don West Zimmerman’s lead attorney, Mark O’Mara, told reporters Wednesday after resting his case that the jury’s only option should be the second-degree murder charge brought by prosecutors. If jurors are unable to convict Zimmerman of murder, then he should be acquitted, O’Mara said, because the shooting on Feb. 26, 2012 was intentional. “What George did was an intentional act that he knew he was pulling the trigger, the reason why he did it was self-defense and that doesn’t suggest the manslaughter charge would be appropriate,” O’Mara said. GAVEL-TO-GAVEL COVERAGE: ZIMMERMAN TRIAL Zimmerman never testified. But jurors saw repeated video recordings of Zimmerman telling his side of the story to investigators. He claims that he shot Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed, in self-defense while the teen straddled and punched him. Defense attorney Mark O'Mara told reporters that Zimmerman wanted to testify but his attorneys felt he had already told his version of events in multiple police interviews played for jurors. "I think he really wanted to be able to interact with this jury and say to them `This is what I did and this is why I did it. And as importantly, this is what was happening to me at the time that I decided to do what I had to do,"' O'Mara said. "So in that sense, yes, I think he wanted to tell his story." Still, O'Mara said his client is "worried" because he faces up to a life sentence in prison if convicted for what O'Mara called a classic case of self-defense. Asserting that Zimmerman "believed he did what he had to do to protect himself from great bodily injury that was already being visited on him," O'Mara added, "If we presented evidence that helped the jury understand that, then we've done our job." O'Mara told CNN on Wednesday night that he believes there is "overwhelming evidence" that Zimmerman acted in self-defense, but that he has concerns about jurors returning "a compromise verdict." Some legal analysts have suggested that the jury could convict Zimmerman of a lesser offense of manslaughter. "We don't want a compromise verdict, just like we don't want a jury pardon," O'Mara said. "We want a verdict based on the facts of the law and that's an acquittal." Asked if the prosecution had proved second-degree murder, Martin family attorney Daryl Parks told CNN: "I think they either have it or they're very close, and I think that's why the law allows the lesser included offenses. At this point all we want is justice, and so we believe we're very close to getting that justice." The defense started its case last Friday and presented half as many witnesses in half of the time that prosecutors did. Friends, parents and an uncle of the defendant testified that it was Zimmerman screaming for help on a 911 call that captured sounds of the fatal fight. Martin's mother and brother had testified for the prosecution that it was Martin yelling for help.

new source: foxnews.com

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Egypt unrest: Interim leader outlines election timetable

Adly Mansour's decree envisages changes to the Islamist-drafted constitution and a referendum, which would pave way the way for elections early next year. This comes as at least 51 people were killed in the capital Cairo. The Muslim Brotherhood says its members were fired on at a sit-in for ousted President Mohammad Morsi. The army says it responded to an armed provocation. Continue reading the main story Adly Mansour's transition timeline Panel formed within 15 days to review constitution Constitutional amendments to be finalised and put to referendum in four months Parliamentary elections to be held by early 2014 Presidential elections to be called once new parliament convenes Mr Morsi, an Islamist and Egypt's first freely elected leader, was removed from office by the army last week after mass protests. His supporters accuse the military of staging a coup, but his opponents say the move is the continuation of the revolution that deposed President Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Protests Mr Mansour issued the decree late on Monday. It says that a panel to amend the constitution - which was suspended last week - would be formed within 15 days. The changes would then be put to a referendum - to be organised within four months. This would lead to parliamentary elections - which could be held early in 2014. Finally, presidential elections would be called once the new parliament convenes. The Muslim Brotherhood has so far made no public comment on the proposed timetable. Mr Mansour's move comes amid continuing mass protests by both supporters and opponents of Mohammad Morsi. Spokesman for the Egyptian ministry: "There was a treacherous attack" The situation will have to improve radically if Mr Mansour's timetable for elections is not to prove hopelessly unrealistic, the BBC's Jim Muir in Cairo reports. In the meantime, the focus will remain on trying to prevent another explosion of violence and to agree on an interim prime minister to form a transitional government to stabilise the country and prepare for elections. Meanwhile, the United States has condemned the violence in Egypt, calling for "maximum restraint". A White House statement said Washington was "not aligned" with any political movement, adding that cutting military aid to Egypt was not in US interests. 'Assassin and butcher' There were conflicting reports over what happened outside the Presidential Guard barracks in Cairo on Monday morning. The Muslim Brotherhood put the number of dead at 53, and said children were among the victims. It said the army raided its sit-in at about 04:00 (02:00 GMT) as protesters were praying. Later, in an emotional news briefing, members of the Muslim Brotherhood accused military chief Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi of being "an assassin and a butcher". The health ministry said at least 51 people were killed and 435 people wounded. Speaking to journalists, army spokesman Col Ahmed Mohammed Ali said a group armed with live ammunition, petrol bombs and stones had attacked security forces. He said that two police and one soldier were killed in the exchange of fire. Eight soldiers were critically wounded. The spokesman added that one soldier had been shot through the top of the head from above, indicating that snipers were firing from high buildings. Col Ali also disputed claims that children had died, saying pictures of dead children posted on the internet were in fact images taken in Syria in March. Mr Morsi is believed by the Muslim Brotherhood to be held at the barracks, but the military says he is elsewhere.

 News source: www.bbc.co.uk

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Firefighters are battling a blaze that has already forced the evacuation of dozens of homes

YARNELL, Ariz. -- Nineteen firefighters died battling a fast-moving wildfire here Sunday, officials said. Arizona State forestry officials confirmed Sunday night that 19 firefighters have died in the Yarnell Hill Fire that has ripped through half of the town. It is the state's worst ever wildfire firefighter tragedy. "It's a dark day," said Mike Reichling, Arizona State Forestry Division spokesman. Reichling said the 19 firefighters were found in area that also had 19 fire shelters deployed. Some of those found were inside a shelter. "My heart weeps for those who lost their lives and were affected by today's Yarnell Hill Fire,'' said U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.. Earlier Sunday, the wildfire prompted evacuations of 50 homes in several communities about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix. Later Sunday afternoon, the Yavapai County Sheriff's office expanded the evacuations to include more residents. Officials at the scene of the blaze said they expect about half of the town's 500 homes to be destroyed by the fire. It has burned more than 2,000 acres and is uncontained, fire officials said. Reichling said federal firefighting help is on the way and that the number of firefighters on the scene will reach 400. Wickenburg Community Hospital is expecting to treat about eight firefighters who were among about 22 injured battling the fast-moving, 2,000-acre Yarnell Hill Fire that has burned through have the town, officials said Sunday evening. The spokeswoman for Wickenburg hospital, Roxie Glover, said there are reports of as many as 22 firefighters being injured. About eight from that group were headed to the Wickenberg facility, some were being air lifted to a Phoenix burn unit and others were being transported to Yavapai Regional Medical Center, Glover said. Jim Tavary, CEO of Wickenburg hospital, said his facility was put on alert to expect several injured firefighters but did not know their conditions or the extent of their injuries. "We are setting up an incident command," Tavary said. It's unclear if any in this missing group is among the dead firefighters. Homes have burned and hospitals have reported injuries from the blaze that had reached Yarnell. Fire officials Sunday afternoon ordered the evacuation of Yarnell and parts of Peeples Valley, Reichling said. The wind-whipped blaze also prompted officials to shut 25 miles of State Route 89 between Congress and Kirkland, but residents of the hundreds of evacuated homes could still travel the estimated 30 miles to a shelter in Prescott, Reichling said. The Yarnell Hill Fire, ignited at about 5:30 p.m. Friday, was moving north and east at the rate of about half a mile per hour, fire officials said. As about 250 firefighters fought to keep the blaze at bay Sunday, officials evacuated three subdivisions outside Yarnell, officials said. Speaker of the state House Andy Tobin, R-Paulden, was shaken Sunday evening during a brief interview with The Arizona Republic. He could not confirm details of the number of people injured, and said the Department of Safety was on its way to take him to the scene. "I'm going to the scene, I'm going there," he said, adding he just spoke with his friend, Yavapai County Sheriff's Officer Scott Mascher. "The fire took an incredibly swift turn is all he (Mascher) said and he said it is very, very bad. Tonight, we need all of Arizona's prayers." About 14 Yarnell-area residents Sunday afternoon had arrived at the shelter at Yavapai College near Prescott, located about 30 miles from Yarnell, according to Brian Gomez, spokesman for the Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter. He said the power went out at the shelter due to monsoons but was restored. More people were expected to need shelter as officials ordered still further evacuations, Gomez said. The Red Cross was poised to open a shelter at Wickenburg High School, he said. Officials opened a shelter for livestock and large animals at Hidden Spring Ranch on Highways 89 in a part of Peeples Valley that as of Sunday was safe from the fire, officials said. The Yarnell Hill Fire had burned 300 acres Sunday morning, had scorched about 1,000 acres Sunday afternoon, and had probably grown to 2,000 acres Sunday evening, Reichling said. Fueled by chaparral and grass, the blaze was burning uphill on state land about 25 miles north of Wickenburg with 15-to 20-foot flames, he said. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office evacuated the Double Bar A Ranch and Model Creek areas, officials said. A reverse 911 call was sent and sheriff's deputies went door-to-door to alert residents. The temperature warmed to 101 degrees Sunday afternoon and southwest winds were blowing up to 22 miles per hour, Reichling said. The low humidity, type of fuel, topography and northwest direction of the wind was feeding the and pushing it up the hill toward the communities, Reichling said. Firefighters were establishing structure protection in the Yarnell area and directly attacking the fire along its eastern flank. A large animal shelter was set up at the Hidden Springs Ranch on Arizona 89 southwest of Hayes Ranch Road, he said. A shelter for people and small animals is being opened at Yavapai College at 1100 E. Sheldon in Prescott. Fire crews across the state also were battling three other blazes, including firefighters in Prescott who continue to work to get the Doce Fire fully contained, authorities said. Contributing: William M. Welch, USA Today; The Associated Press

new  source: .usatoday.com

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James Gandolfini's Family and Friends Attend Private Wake in New Jersey

Family and friends attended James Gandolfini's private viewing held at the Robert Spearing Funeral Home in Park Ridge, New Jersey on Wednesday, June 26. The actor's widow Deborah Lin, teenage son Michael, and 9-month-old daughter Liliana were among the first wave of mourners who arrived at the funeral home. Baby Liliana was shielded by umbrellas as she entered the funeral home inside a baby carrier with her mother. Gandolfini's sisters Johanna Antonacci and Leta also joined their aunt, uncle and cousin at the invitation-only wake, which was scheduled to run until 9 P.M. Around 18 local police officers were assigned at the site to keep order. Police shut down a side street adjacent to the home at about 11 A.M., and the media and the public respected the boundaries. "It's been somewhat uneventful, which is what we hoped ... we asked people to respect the family and overall people heeded that," said Capt. Joseph Rampolla of the Park Ridge Police. Gloria Lowell, who was among the guests, described the situation inside the funeral home, "Jim sucked all the air out of the room." Another friend, Dan Katz, said Gandolfini "would probably be incredulous at the fuss being made over him in death ... He would be laughing at the flag [at the state government buildings] flying half staff. He was a very private person. He didn't like the limelight." James Gandolfini died of heart attack on Wednesday, June 19 while vacationing with his 13-year-old son in Italy. His body arrived in the U.S. earlier this week and a public funeral is scheduled to take place Thursday at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, with celebrity friends expected to attend. 

new source: aceshowbiz.com

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After three decades, Texas executes 500th inmate

HUNTSVILLE - As scores of death penalty protesters chanted, clapped and sang Wednesday, Dallas County convicted murderer Kimberly McCarthy became the 500th Texas inmate executed since the state reactivated the death penalty 31 years ago. On the other side of the prison, a small group of capital punishment supporters silently watched as witnesses entered the red brick death house. Inside the execution chamber, McCarthy, in standard prison garb and strapped down with leather belts, looked toward family and friends in the witness room. "Thank you everybody," she told them. "This is not a loss, this is a win. You know where I am going. I am going home to be with Jesus. Keep the faith. I love you all." The lethal dose of pento­barbital was injected at 6:17 p.m., and McCarthy was declared dead 15 minutes later. She was executed for the July 1997 robbery and murder of her Lancaster neighbor, Dorothy Booth, 71. 'Justice fulfilled' Ads by Google Do You Feel Alone In ThisWorld? Do you wonder if anyone cares about you? Find out here. peacewithgod.jesus.net/AnyoneCare Hotels in DubaiWe have complete offer of hotels. Book online. Best Price Guaranted! www.hotelium.com/Dubai Free IT TrainingImprove Your Computer Skills, Sign Up Now For Free Online Courses free-online-training-courses.com After the execution, Booth's daughter Donna Aldred told reporters her mother was "an incredible woman who was taken before her time." "After almost 16 years," she said, "the finality of this event has allowed me to say goodbye to my mother. We are grateful to see justice fulfilled." Randy Browning, a family friend, told those gathered beneath a blistering afternoon sun that the victim's family and friends would "accept closure in whatever form comes our way." McCarthy, he said, never expressed remorse over killing Booth or the elderly victims of two other slayings prosecutors attributed to her. As the time for the execution approached, protesters from Houston and Dallas gathered in a parking lot adjacent to the prison. "It just seems so obviously wrong," said Kelly Epstein, an anti-death penalty advocate from Spring. "And we just keep doing this. It's part of our violent society - our love of guns, our love of violence. I think each person, even McCarthy, has value and worth." Led by Houston activist Gloria Rubac, protesters - ultimately about a hundred - joined in a chant. "Harris County says death row!" Rubac shouted. "We say hell no!" came the response. "Perry says death row!" Rubac prompted. "We say hell no!" "The death penalty is guilty and should be stopped right now!" Rubac shouted. The Rev. Peter Johnson, of Dallas, told the crowd that "the death penalty is not only economically stupid. It says something about our moral fiber … The solution to murder cannot be murder." Across the prison grounds, Houstonian Jordan Rhea said he supported McCarthy's execution because "If you take a life, justice needs to be done. It's an eye for an eye." Inmate's last hours Another capital punishment supporter, Destiny Thompson, also of Houston, said she felt death was an appropriate punishment because of the brutality of McCarthy's crime. "It was violent, premeditated and inhumane," Thompson said. McCarthy, who consistently refused to talk with the media while on death row, occasionally joked with prison staff while she whiled away her final day in a holding cell just a few feet from the execution chamber. But for the most part, prison spokesman John Hurt said, she was subdued and pensive. The inmate was served a breakfast of oatmeal, fruit and chicken sandwiches at 1:48 a.m. Later in the day she read, packed her belongings and visited with her spiritual advisor, her ex-husband and a prison chaplain. There was no question that McCarthy would be put to death after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Tuesday rejected her second appeal in as many days. Her lawyer, Maurie Levin of the University of Texas Capital Punishment Clinic, had asked the court to review claims that African-Americans improperly were kept from serving on McCarthy's jury. Three blacks were eliminated in the selection process, and only one ultimately served on the jury. McCarthy was African-American. "The shameful errors that plague Ms. McCar­thy's case - race bias, ineffective counsel, and courts unwilling to exercise meaningful oversight of the system - reflect problems that are central to the administration of the death penalty as a whole," Levin said after the court's decision. Criminal history McCarthy had no further recourse to the federal courts, her lawyer said. Testimony in the trial indicated that McCarthy, addicted to crack cocaine, approached Booth ostensibly to borrow sugar, then repeatedly stabbed her. McCarthy severed her victim's finger to obtain a ring, which, along with other stolen items, was converted to cash to buy drugs. During the punishment phase of McCarthy's trial, prosecutors told jurors that she also had killed two other women, both of them in their 80s. Both of those victims were related to or were close friends of her family.

 new source: chron.com

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Nelson Mandela still critical; bishop prays for leader's 'peaceful, perfect, end'

Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Cape Town's archbishop led Nelson Mandela's family in prayer on Tuesday, calling for "a quiet night and a peaceful, perfect, end" for the former South African president. Archbishop Thabo Makgoba prayed with Mandela's family at the Pretoria hospital where the anti-apartheid icon remains in critical condition, the South African Press Association reported. "Fill them with your holy courage and the gift of trusting faith, and take away their fears so that they may dare to face their grief," he said, according to a copy of the prayer posted on the bishop's website. "Guide the medical staff so that they may know how to use their skills wisely and well, in caring for Madiba and keeping him comfortable," Makgoba said, using Mandela's traditional clan name. "And uphold all of us with your steadfast love so that we may be filled with gratitude for all the good that he has done for us and for our nation, and may honor his legacy through our lives." Dozens gather to pray for Nelson Mandela Daughter: He is at peace Mandela relatives lay claim The whole world prays for one man As night fell, well-wishers outside the Pretoria hospital where Mandela lay chanted his name, hung signs of support on bulletin boards and left flowers. "We wish him well. We are calling on the world to unite and pray for Madiba," said 24-year-old Innocentia Moselane. "He is our icon, and we love him." During his 27 years behind bars for fighting apartheid, Mandela became a rallying symbol for those fighting South Africa's white-minority rule at home and abroad. His release in 1990 was the beginning of the end of apartheid, the system of legalized racial segregation the South African government enforced for more than 45 years. "He is our hero. He is my mentor, my father. He is everything to me," 36-year-old Kuda Nyahumzvi told CNN outside the hospital. "But when it is his time, we wish his soul could just rest. He spent so long in jail and struggling." While crowds of supporters appeared to have gone home by early Wednesday morning, the South African Press Association reported, scores of journalists remained outside the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria. Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, spends every night at the hospital, where the former president has been since June 8 for a recurring lung infection. Previously, authorities had described his condition as serious but stable. But over the weekend, his health took a turn for the worse, with the South African president's office saying he was in critical condition. "The doctors are doing everything possible to ensure his well-being and comfort," President Jacob Zuma told the nation Monday. When the country held its first multiracial elections in 1994, Mandela became the South Africa's first black president. He stepped down in 1999 after serving a single term. Though he continued to be a voice on the world stage for developing nations, human rights and the fight against AIDS after leaving office, Mandela, 94, has been sidelined by advancing age and bouts of illness in recent years. He last appeared in public in 2010.

new source:  cnn.com

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