After Egyptians toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February, many thought that their revolution, driven by peaceful, mass demonstrations, would be duplicated elsewhere in the Middle East with the same powerful results.

All too soon, they saw on their TV screens that would not be the case, as uprisings in Libya and Syria brought bloodshed and slaughter. That led to uncertainty and fear in Egypt, because many agree with activist Hossam al-Hamalawy, who says that Egypt's revolution cannot fully succeed on its own.

France, Spain, Belgium and Italy decided to ban short selling on some stocks for two weeks.

"Some authorities have decided to impose or extend existing short-selling bans in their respective countries," the European Securities and Markets Authority said in a statement. "They have done so either to restrict the benefits that can be achieved from spreading false rumors or to achieve a regulatory level playing field, given the close inter-linkage between some EU markets."

The value of preschool isn't a surprise to one group of people in America: Some Manhattanites spend $20,000 or $30,000 a year sending their children to preschool.

But before you can even pay the tuition, you have to get in. Competition for a spot at some of Manhattan's most coveted schools is fierce.

And one of the most anxiety-inducing parts of the process for parents is the preschool interview.

'It's Like A Sport'

When you think preschool interview, it's hard not to imagine a job interview for babies. But that's not exactly how it works.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry will officially make clear his intentions to run for the GOP presidential nomination during a speech on Saturday in South Carolina. But he has sounded like a candidate for a while.

"Until Washington figures out that the only true stimulus is more money in the hands of employers across all economic sectors, as well as a restrained bureaucracy that is no longer overreaching into the workplaces, our national nightmare will continue," he said in San Antonio this week.

A federal appeals court in Atlanta has ruled against the individual mandate contained in the new health care law, saying it is unconstitutional to require citizens to buy health insurance.

One day after the U.S. debt "supercommittee" was finalized, the largest political donors to Republicans and Democrats on the panel are being scrutinized — after all, lobbyists are widely expected to court the committee's 12 members, to ensure that their interests stay off the chopping block.

A U.S. appeals court has ruled in favor of 26 states that filed suit to challenge a requirement in President Barack Obama's healthcare law that forced individuals to own health insurance. The law's "individual mandate" portion was declared unconstitutional, according to Reuters.

The court has apparently ruled that the remainder of the law, without the individual mandate, can stand, Reuters reports.

It's been another tough week for food safety.

William Bratton, who has been the police chief in New York, Boston and Los Angeles, told the AP today that he was in talks with the British government about a job. The AP reports: