Your customized headlines for Thu, Apr 12, 2012

The Justice Department on Wednesday accused five of the nation's largest publishing houses and Apple of fixing prices on e-books, forcing consumers to pay tens of millions of dollars more for their favorite titles.

In the short time span since Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim was nominated by President Obama to run the World Bank, he has hopscotched the world — eight countries in 13 days, from Ethiopia to India, from China back to Brazil. On Wednesday night he left for Moscow.

WASHINGTON, MO. — The dealership's floor is polished and gleaming. The cars are buffed and waxed. Their windshields are decorated with the latest markdown prices, a series of exclamation points in neon pink and green. Here, for a limited time only, is yet another "Huge Savings Event!" during "Truck Month!" with "0% Interest!" and "No Money Down!"

A one-by-10-mile oil sheen has appeared in the Gulf of Mexico, and Shell Oil, one of several companies operating in the area, said it has "activated" a vessel with skimming and boom capabilities.

Shell said there was no indication that the sheen, in the central portion of the gulf between the company's Mars and Ursa production areas, came from its platforms. Other companies also have wells in the area.

Bleary-eyed and still clutching their morning coffee, passengers who approached the early flight about to depart Gate A3 found themselves engulfed Wednesday in the hubbub that only airlines really celebrate: A new plane was joining the Southwest Airlines fleet.

In the short time span since Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim was nominated by President Obama to run the World Bank, he has hopscotched the world — eight countries in 13 days, from Ethiopia to India, from China back to Brazil. On Wednesday night he left for Moscow.

— 18-year-old Keith Richards remembers meeting Mick Jagger.

— American Prospect editor Gabe Arana shares his experience going to ex-gay therapy.

— Inside the medical billing arms race.

— The science of New York City's new taxis, which absorb smells and horn honking.

The market has been thrown for a loop this week, but the worst might be yet to come. Companies began announcing their first-quarter earnings Tuesday, and expectations are pretty pessimistic, with some analysts predicting the weakest year-on-year growth since the beginning of the financial crisis.

With college tuition rising even faster than health-care costs and overall student debt up to jaw-dropping levels, people are starting to dream up alternatives to the traditional student loan. Here's one idea, courtesy of the Economist's Free Exchange blog:

George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Florida teenager Trayvon Martin 45 days ago, was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday, marking a turning point in a case that has provoked nationwide debate over racial profiling.