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MOSCOW (AP) — Ukraine's president is calling it a "practical step" toward bringing peace to the eastern part of his country. He's welcoming today's move by Russia's Vladimir Putin, who asked parliament to cancel a resolution allowing the use of military force in Ukraine. Putin's announcement came after pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine said yesterday that they would respect a cease-fire declared by Ukraine's leader. It raised hopes for an end to months of fighting.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are feeling pretty good about the economy these days. The Conference Board says its confidence index is at its highest level since January of 2008. More Americans are optimistic about business conditions and the outlook for jobs, but they're less confident that their incomes will grow.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The housing sector is bouncing back. The government says sales of new homes rose last month to their highest level in six years. Sales peaked last year before losing altitude. The decline reflected an increase in mortgage rates after the Fed began talking about pulling back on its monthly bond purchases.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — An autopsy shows that a man was intoxicated when he shot his wife and children and set their house on fire before killing himself last month in a Florida home belonging to retired tennis player James Blake. The Tampa Tribune reports Darrin Campbell had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 at the time of his death. Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies believe Campbell shot his wife, Kimberly, and his teen-aged son and daughter. Autopsy reports show his wife and children were each shot once in the head -- and that they apparently died before Campbell set fire to the home.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sunday's World Cup soccer game between the U.S. and Portugal -- which ended in a 2-all tie -- is almost certainly the most-watched soccer game ever in the United States. The Nielsen company says it was seen by an average of 24.77 million viewers on ESPN and Univision. And ESPN says about a half-million others streamed coverage of the game on their mobile devices. It's a sign of soccer's rising popularity in a country that hasn't been as quick to embrace the sport as the rest of the world has.
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