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It would start penalizing homeowners who unfaithfully abandon their mortgages, the Federal National Mortgage Association said on Wednesday.

The bank said in a statement, "Defaulting borrowers who walk away and had the capacity to pay or did not complete a workout alternative in good faith will be ineligible for a new Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for a period of seven years from the date of foreclosure."

It will appeal a ruling by a federal judge in New York dismissing its $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube, Viacom Inc. said on Wednesday.

The New York Times has said that Viacom alleged in the suit that Google Inc., which owns YouTube, is not protected from claims of copyright violation under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The law's so-called safe harbor provision allows uploading of copyrighted matter provided a Web site operator takes down content if a copyright owner objects that it was posted without permission.

After a New Orleans judge lifted an offshore drilling moratorium, Crude oil prices dropped to nearly $76 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The New York Times has reported that U. S. District Judge Martin Feldman on Tuesday blocked a six-month White House ban on deepwater drilling, calling the order a "blanket, generic, indeed punitive, moratorium."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar then vowed to issue a new order for the industry "that eliminates any doubt that a moratorium is needed, appropriate and within our authorities."

Officials have informed that Amsterdam, Netherlands, which has used police decoys pretending to be elderly retirees and gays, is considering using officers disguised as Jews.

Dutch News has reported that the plan was suggested last week by Ahmed Marcouch, a Labor member of Parliament. It has been taken up by acting Amsterdam Mayor Lodewijk Asscher.

It has further been reported that a broadcast on Sunday showed young men in Amsterdam making Nazi salutes and shouting at a rabbi in several neighborhoods.

Minority Leader John Boehner said on Wednesday that U. S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, will keep his seat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The Washington Post has reported that Barton met privately with the Republican caucus and apologized to his colleagues for making a public apology to BP. A source told the newspaper he said had done a poor job of articulating what he meant.

According to Politico, Boehner, R-Ohio, reportedly told members of the caucus it is "time to move on."

Observers have said that an Austin, Texas, public transit agency spent more than $61,000 in legal fees fighting a $500 Occupational Health and Safety Administration fine.

The Austin American-Statesman reported on Wednesday that fined for failing to file OSHA required paperwork, Capital Metro successfully appealed the fine, saying it was a "political subdivision" of the state and not an independent private company.