Bank Scandal Turns Spotlight to Regulators, New York Times.

The fallout from the 2008 financial crisis continues. American and British lawmakers are scrutinizing how banks portrayed themselves in late 2007 — whether they manipulated key figures to make themselves appear healthier. Blame is also falling on regulators for not properly investigating at the time. Authorities are now considering action against more than 10 big banks, including JPMorgan and Citigroup.

Egypt Parliament Defies Military, BBC.

In the wake of elections, there is a power struggle going on in Egypt between the various branches of government. The new President is a member of the Islamic Brotherhood. The military relatively distrusts religion and politics and finds its control ebbing — a “competitive dance.”

The Sudans after the split: Divided we fall?, Al Jazeera.

Last year, the civil war in Sudan was all over the news. It pitted northerners against southerners, Arabs against Africans, and displaced tens of thousands. Eventually, independence was put to a vote, and South Sudan seceeded from the North. In the year since, oil revenues are down, the economy is tumbling and the euphoria of independence has given way to the slog of rebuilding a country.

• Job Growth Slows in March. The economy added 120,000 positions last month which is below what many, including those on Wall Street, were predicting. The result is cause for concern that the economic recovery could be derailed or otherwise long and slow. The result affects the race for President. Unemployment numbers and approval ratings tend to be inversely correlated for whomever’s in charge. In this case, as unemployment numbers rises, Obama sinks.  With 7 months to go until the general election…

• Stocks are falling today despite positive employment data. Minutes from a recent meeting of the Federal Reserve Board suggest it is unlikely to inject more money into the economy (known as quantitative easing) as it has done twice already. Most major stock indexes are close to where they were before the financial crisis and are coming off a strong first quarter.
• Romney sweeps three primaries and begins focusing more on Obama. Mitt Romney won last night in Wisconsin, Maryland, and Washington D.C. and put himself  on the precipice of securing the Republican nomination for President. Now, Romney is focusing his attacks on President Obama. The two would face-off in November in the general election.
• A suicide bomber detonates in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, derailing hopes for calm. The blast came during the prime minster’s speech at the National Theatre and strikes a contrast with recent news reports that suggested a growing calm in the African country. The blast punctuates the fact that Somalia remains a relatively lawless country and fertile ground for militants, including Al Qaeda, which is partly why it’s of such interest to the United States.