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President Obama may not have cleaned up the oil spill yet -- but on Wednesday he succeeded in extracting a big financial commitment from BP. After a four hour meeting with BP executives at the White House, the oil giant agreed to put $20 billion in an escrow fund to pay the claims of Gulf residents hurt by the spill.

Stephanie Clifford's debut novel, about the desperate social strivings of a young woman in Manhattan, has its roots in the tragic, old-money fascinations of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth.

Jasmine Guillory's new romance kicks off with her heroine rejecting an over-the-top public proposal at a ball game — luckily, there's a hot, sensitive doctor on hand to help her with the backlash.

Harvard University has decided to stop offering its "early action" round of applications. The university fears that the system gives wealthy students an advantage in the admissions process.

In their 2004 book, Gary Stern and Ron Feldman, top executives at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, cautioned the world about systemic financial risk and the need for more oversight. They admit to a fleeting sense of "I told you so."

Pakistanis vote in a parliamentary election Monday, ending a campaign that has been overshadowed by violence — including the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. The vote could empower a new civilian government. But many say they believe the country's army will not go away quietly.

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration have recommend that drugs Serevent and Foradil no longer be used for asthma. Top-selling Advair was not affected by the recommendation.

The Colombian military on Wednesday freed 15 people held by the FARC rebel group. The hostages include Ingrid Betancourt, who was running for president when the FARC kidnapped her six years ago, and three American military contractors. Carolina Barco Isakson, Colombia's ambassador to the U.S., talks about the rescue operation.

Funeral directors in 15 states can now offer "water cremation," in which bodies are dissolved in a chemical solution. Some see it as more eco-friendly and less traumatic than consumption by flame.

The U.N. protested Israeli fire on its warehouse in Gaza. Israel said Hamas militants were launching rockets from the U.N. compound. Israel also killed a top Hamas leader in its operations in the Gaza Strip. And there was speculation that Israel and Hamas are close to an agreement on a cease-fire.