Costa Concordia shipwreck captain to face manslaughter trial

The capsized cruise liner Costa Concordia lies surrounded by cranes outside Giglio harbourROME (Reuters) – The captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, which capsized off Italy's west coast last year killing 32 people, will face trial for manslaughter as well as other charges, an Italian judge ruled on Wednesday. The giant Costa Concordia flipped on its side outside the Tuscan port of Giglio in January last year after it struck rocks during a maneuver that brought it too close to the shore. The accident triggered a chaotic night-time evacuation of more than 4,000 passengers and crew from the 290-metre-long ship (951-ft), which still rests on a rock shelf outside the port. …

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Existing home sales highest in almost three-and-a-half years

An existing single family home which is up for sale is pictured in BurbankWASHINGTON (Reuters) – Home resales rose in April to the highest level in nearly 3-1/2 years as surging prices lured sellers back into market, which should support the housing sector and the overall economic recovery. The National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday existing home sales advanced 0.6 percent to an annual rate of 4.97 million units, the highest level since November 2009. The March sales pace was revised up to 4.94 million units from the previously reported 4.92 million units. The increase, however, was below expectations for a rise to a 4.99 million-unit rate last month. …

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Xbox One game sales and used game policies: What we know

Sony might not have revealed its console hardware during the PlayStation 4 unveiling, but at least we walked away with a pretty good idea of how buying and selling games would work. Microsoft finally took the wraps off of its next-generation Xbox One video game console on Tuesday and many people were left with more questions than answers. The gameplay demos we saw during the presentation looked fantastic, but how exactly does buying and reselling those wonderful new games work? Eurogamer on Tuesday managed to have a lengthy chat with a Microsoft PR rep in an effort to clarify Microsoft’s policies surrounding buying and selling Xbox One games. There are still plenty of open questions, but the blog managed to

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Witness undermines case against Russian protest leader

Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny addresses supporters during a protest rally in MoscowKIROV, Russia (Reuters) – A Russian official undermined state prosecutors' case against protest leader Alexei Navalny at his trial on theft charges on Wednesday, saying that he had done no harm. Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin's biggest critics, said the testimony of Kirov region governor Nikita Belykh showed he was not guilty of charges of stealing from a timber company. But he said he still expected to be convicted because he was not getting a fair trial. …

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