10 things you need to know today: May 21, 2012
Protesters march against NATO, NASDAQ is embarrassed by its blunders, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion
1. ANTI-NATO PROTESTS ROCK CHICAGO
Chicago is bracing for another day of protests Monday, as world leaders meet for the second day at a NATO summit to discuss the war in Afghanistan. Occupy Chicago protesters are planning to march on the Boeing Corp., because the company builds aircrafts for the U.S. military. Police and demonstrators clashed Sunday as thousands marched through downtown Chicago. Forty-five protesters were arrested, and four police officers were injured, including one who was stabbed in the leg. Some businesses downtown have advised employees to stay home today to avoid traffic and protests. [CBS News/Associated Press]
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2. NASDAQ "HUMBLY EMBARRASSED" BY BLUNDERS
NASDAQ chief executive Robert Greenfield said the exchange is "humbly embarrassed" by a number of glitches that happened Friday when Facebook made its long-awaited Wall Street debut. There was a 30-minute trading delay in the morning and a backlog of orders that slowed down trading and confused investors, as well as an unspecified problem with cancelled orders. Facebook shares had an IPO price of $38 and opened at $42.05, only to close at a disappointing $38.23 on Friday. [The Verge]
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3. FAMILY TO BURY LOCKERBIE BOMBER IN LIBYA
Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan man convicted in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Scotland that left 270 dead, is to be buried in Libya in a quiet ceremony. He died Sunday from cancer at the age of 60. Megrahi was sentenced to a minimum of 27 years, but, in a controversial move, he was released in 2009 after serving just eight years because he had terminal cancer and was expected to die within months. Megrahi professed to be innocent, and many believe he was a mere scapegoat. [Reuters Africa, AFP]
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4. BEE GEES' ROBIN GIBB DIES
Bee Gees co-founder and singer Robin Gibb died Sunday night after a battle with colon and liver cancer. He was 62. Gibb is remembered for his "distinctive vibrato voice" that helped give the disco trio its unique sound on classic hits like "Stayin' Alive" and "Jive Talkin'." [Reuters]
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5. EARTHQUAKE AFTERSHOCKS HIT ITALY
Aftershocks continue in northeastern Italy, where a magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck early Sunday, killing seven and rattling ancient buildings. The affected region is known for for its Parmesan cheese; officials says 200,000 enormous rounds of cheese were damaged in the quake — an estimated $65 million loss for area cheesemakers. [Associated Press]
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6. JUDGE TO SENTENCE EX-RUTGERS STUDENT
Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers student convicted of intimidating and spying on his gay roommate, Tyler Clementi, will be sentenced Monday. Clementi jumped to his death after he found out that Ravi had broadcast one of his sexual encounters with another man. Ravi could be sentenced to 10 years in prison and possibly be deported to India, where he is originally from. [CNN]
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7. MISSISSIPPI PRISON RIOT LEAVES GUARD DEAD
One prison guard was killed, and five other officers injured when a riot broke out Sunday afternoon at a correctional facility that houses illegal immigrants in Natchez, Miss. Three inmates were also injured. Dozens of prisoners are said to have been involved and hostages were taken at one point. The situation is now said to be under control. [Associated Press]
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8. BATTLESHIP FAILS AT THE BOX OFFICE
The board game-based movie opened to just $25.3 million, failing to beat The Avengers and disappointing studio execs. The Universal Pictures spectacle cost $209 million to make and stars Taylor Kitch, who was also on the marquee for another notorious bomb, John Carter, earlier this year. [Los Angeles Times]
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9. ALIBABA BUYS BACK HALF OF YAHOO'S STAKE
Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba has agreed to pay Yahoo at least $7.1 billion for half of the U.S. search company's 40 percent share in Alibaba. Yahoo made an initial investment of $1 billion in the company in 2005, so the deal is a solid return on that investment. [Wall Street Journal]
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10. THREE PEOPLE DIE DESCENDING MT. EVEREST
Officials say three people died attempting to descend Mt. Everest over the weekend, and two others are reportedly missing. With the three deaths taken into account, five people have been killed on the mountain so far this season. Earlier this month, two sherpas died. [CNN]
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