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CITIGROUP architect now calls deal 'mistake'... Ex-UBS chief pushes for bank's break-up... Bernanke Defends BEAR STEARNS Rescue... TRADERS' FALSE RUMORS TOOK BANK TO THE BRINK... Corn Hits $6 a Bushel on Tight Supplies... Venezuela passes 'windfall' oil tax : The tax would take 50 per cent of oil revenues above $70 per barrel and an additional 60 per cent of revenues over $100 per barrel. Why the rich are looking to Latin America: The region's growing economies - plus recent political stability - mean that cash-rich investors are snapping up homes there, from holiday villas on Brazil's beaches to high-rise flats in Mexico City and Panama. NKorea military threatens countermeasures against South: report: North Korea's military on Thursday threatened unspecified countermeasures after South Korea refused to apologise for remarks by its top general, a news report said, as cross-border tensions escalated. Rice Jumps to Record, Corn Near High as Demand Outpaces Supply : Rice climbed to a record and corn traded near its highest ever on speculation a 3 percent annual increase in global demand for cereals will outstrip supply as governments curb exports to prevent protests. Hungry crowds spell trouble for world leaders: "Is it not said 'A hungry man is an angry man'?" commented Simon Nkwenti, head of a teachers' union in Cameroon, after riots that killed dozens of people in the central African country. Oil Rises, Gasoline Surges to Record on U.S. Fuel-Supply Drop : Crude oil rose more than $3 a barrel and gasoline surged to a record after an Energy Department report showed that U.S. supplies of the motor fuel fell a third week. Jobless claims shoot up to 2-year high : The number of new people signing up for unemployment benefits last week shot up to the highest level in more than two years, fresh evidence of the damage to a national economy clobbered by housing, credit and financial crises. New Housing Bill Called 'Scant Help' UK Customer Bank Overdrafts Up By $4B In Feb US Banking Industry To Lose 200,000 Jobs Judgment Day For Wall Street The Mega Commodity Move - Why It's Happening 2 More UK Banks Join Mortgage Market Exodus 3M UK Homes To Go Negative Equity In Year IMF - US Faces Greatest Crisis Since The Depression Higher Prices Sink Consumer Spending Bernanke Offers Bleaker View Of US Economy Lehman Gains After $4B Stock Sale UK Declares America The Great Depression