Minutes after Robin Gibb’s death , it began — the tweets of misery, the hashtagged mourning, the maudlin aphorisms streaming up and down Facebook walls and across Pinterest boards . The musician’s life was collated and curated by fans and passersby who felt compelled to make sense of it all in 140 characters or less. Read full article > >

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Tweet it and weep? Online, grief over dead celebrities is about us.

Chris LeBarton jumped at the chance to get in on Facebook’s initial public offering. The Potomac investor and a group of friends pooled $50,000 to purchase $35 pre-offering shares through a hedge fund connection. Read full article > >

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Facebook shareholders express anger, confusion about botched IPO

BAGHDAD — A faltering diplomatic effort to persuade Iran to curtail its nuclear program was salvaged Thursday by an agreement to hold further talks next month in Moscow, concluding two days of negotiations that exposed the difficulty of bridging the chasm between Tehran’s ambitions and the West’s demands. Read full article > >

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Iran, world powers to keep talking, but no progress on a deal

Over at FT Alphaville, Cardiff Garcia passes along this striking stat from Credit Suisse: Vehicle purchases by consumers alone accounted for 30% of all the GDP growth in the last two quarters. Cars are, ahem, driving the recovery. But will it continue? Auto analysts are expecting another record month of car sales in May: TrueCar.com announced today that it was predicting the highest monthly level of vehicle sales since 2007, up 32 percent since this time last year. Read full article > >

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Auto sales are propping up the U.S. economy

The Senate held two votes Thursday on measures to ensure that student loan rates for millions of college students do not double in July — and at the conclusion of the legislative action, the issue remained exactly where it began: stuck. Read full article > >

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Senate fails to agree on student-loan-rate freeze

At Patriot High School in Prince William County, the countdown is on. “21 Days Remaining – Just Keep Swimming,” is scrawled on the whiteboard of a staff room at the sprawling new school west of Manassas. “Dewey Beach, Toes in the sand!” declares another one in the science lounge. “July 18th: Fenway!” Read full article > >

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Teachers’ summers off squeezed by second jobs, training

Net migration to the UK remains more than double the government’s target figure, according to new statistics.

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Migration to UK is above target

Confession: I don’t remember who spoke at my college graduation. I vaguely remember that it was a guy, but I can’t tell you what he said. When I asked my Facebook friends and followers about their memories, several were able to name the speaker but few could recall the message. Read full article > >

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You, too, could be a commencement speaker

Radiation levels in most of Japan are below cancer-causing levels a year after the Fukushima plant accident, a World Health Organisation report says.

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Japan radiation levels are ‘low’

The UK economy shrank by 0.3% in the first three months of the year, more than previously estimated, revised figures show.

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Economy shrank more than thought

Federal investigators are looking into allegations that the Secret Service deviated from normal polygraphing methods in the wake of a Cartagena prostitution scandal — including claims that polygraphy experts inside the service were uncomfortable with the deviations. Read full article > >

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Secret Service scandal: Did agency cut corners in rush to handle embarrassing incident?

SABMiller reports annual pre-tax profits of $5.6bn boosted by the sale of units in Russian and Ukraine.

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SABMiller reports strong profits

Babywear retailer Mothercare reports a hefty annual loss as it seeks to tackle the poor performance of its UK business.

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Weak UK business hits Mothercare

Miami Heat superstar LeBron James has more ability than anyone playing basketball today. He won his third NBA MVP award this season; only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain have won more. This week, James delivered consecutive virtuoso performances while carrying the injury-weakened Heat to a three-games-to-two lead in its Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers . Read full article > >

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LeBron James: We still can’t tell if he has the heart of a champion

The Secret Circus may soon be looking for a new ringmaster. The prostitution scandal involving a dozen Secret Service agents in Cartagena, Colombia, is spreading into a broader burlesque for the agency, furthered by a Washington Post report that tolerance of a frat-house culture has induced some employees to come up with the “Secret Circus” name. Read full article > >

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Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan sees no cause for alarm