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MERS, Ebola, bird flu: Science’s big missed opportunities

LONDON, Anyone who goes down with flu in Europe this winter could be asked to enroll in a randomized clinical trial in which they will either be given a drug, which may or may not work, or standard advice to take bed rest and paracetamol. Those who agree could... More »

Two more women accuse Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct

NEW YORK Two more women accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct on Friday, and their attorney Gloria Allred said she has been contacted by even more women who are prepared to say the same. The two women join more than 50 who have come forward to accus... More »

Alzheimer’s takes center stage as new plays tackle memory loss

LONDON Alzheimer’s disease is moving out of the shadows as new plays tackle head-on the emotional pain of a condition that robs its victims of words, memories and coherent thought. For a generation of young playwrights, dementia is proving to be a touchstone i... More »

‘Open the gate!’: Migrants stranded on Balkan borders

BERKASOVO, Serbia Thousands of migrants clamored to enter European Union member Croatia from Serbia on Monday after a night spent in the cold and mud of no-man’s land, their passage west slowed by a Slovenian effort to impose limits on the flow to western Euro... More »

Cablevision, Viacom settle bundling lawsuit

Cablevision Systems Inc and Viacom Inc have settled an antitrust lawsuit in which Cablevision had accused Viacom of forcing distributors and subscribers to buy channels they did not want. Cablevision and Viacom are simultaneously entering into “mutually benefi... More »

What a nightmare: sleep no more plentiful in primitive cultures

WASHINGTON Maybe we cannot blame late-night TV, endless Internet surfing, midnight snacks, good books, bothersome work deadlines and other distractions of modern life for encroaching on our sleep. Research unveiled on Thursday showed that people in isolated an... More »

‘Stars aligned’ for AB InBev’s megabrew merger plan

BRUSSELS Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (ABI.BR) CEO says a study of SABMiller’s (SAB.L) African beer markets and talks with top shareholders led to an “alignment of stars” that drew it to its nearest rival. But observers say the real catalysts for the $100 billion ta... More »

UK response to migrant crisis is inadequate, say senior ex-judges

LONDON Some of Britain’s most senior former judicial figures criticized Prime Minister David Cameron’s government on Monday for its response to the EU migrant crisis, saying it was inadequate and was pushing people into the arms of smugglers. A statement, sign... More »

Hundreds of Southwest flights delayed by online booking problems

Southwest Airlines Co said hundreds of its flights were delayed because of problems on its website, phone lines and airports on Sunday. In a statement on its website, Southwest said intermittent technical issues “are impacting website performance in creating n... More »

New England man offers to ship autumn foliage for $19.99

BOSTON People who want to see New England’s colorful fall foliage no longer need to travel for the experience. A Boston-area man is offering to ship bundles of the dried up, multi-colored vegetation straight to your door for $19.99. Kyle Waring, of Somerville,... More »

Post-marriage ruling, U.S. LGBT clients still have unique needs

The U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision to legalize same-sex marriage did not eliminate the unique financial planning needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) clients. For years, same-sex couples in domestic partnerships needed financial advisers ... More »

Flocks of sheep take over London’s Savile Row

London’s Savile Row, home to Britain’s top tailors, was turned into a grazing meadow on Monday, with a flock of sheep filling the street to help raise awareness of the wool industry. Traffic was halted, turf was laid out and Bowmont Merino and Exmoor Horn shee... More »

Legal troubles, market realities threaten Uber’s global push

PARIS/SINGAPORE Uber Inc’s aggressive global expansion is looking costlier and riskier than ever as the company struggles with regulatory and competitive obstacles in major markets. Just last week, the company faced a police raid on its European headquarters i... More »

China typhoon kills six, knocks out power as tornado snaps trees

BEIJING A typhoon bringing heavy rain churned inland through southern China on Monday, a day after making landfall, killing at least six people, injuring hundreds, knocking out power and overturning cars. The storm made landfall in the southern province of Gua... More »

Flash floods in France kill at least 17 people

PARIS Four people were still missing on Monday after flash floods on the French Riviera killed at least 17 people over the weekend, prompting the government to declare a natural disaster in the southeastern tourist region. Some 5,000 homes were still without e... More »

BBC probe reveals working condition issues at Sports Direct

An investigation by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has revealed that more than 80 calls were made to ambulances by Sports Direct employees at its headquarters in Derbyshire for “life-threatening illnesses”. The figures, which came from a Freedom of... More »

Supreme Court tackles hot social issues as 2016 election looms

WASHINGTON The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are set to wade into contentious social matters in their new term beginning on Monday including affirmative action, union powers and voting rights, and could add major cases involving abortion and birth co... More »

Opening of Abu Dhabi’s Louvre pushed back to 2016

ABU DHABI The opening of Abu Dhabi’s branch of the iconic Louvre museum has been postponed until next year because building work still needs doing, a senior official said on Saturday, the latest delay to the high-profile project. The museum was originally sche... More »

Incomplete transport policies, payment for risky births in U.S.

(Reuters Health) – U.S. states need better policies for transporting high-risk pregnant women and newborns to the specialized care they need – and then back to their local hospitals for continuing care, researchers say. Focusing on transportation policies as a... More »

Exercise eases knee osteoarthritis, temporarily

(Reuters Health) – A therapeutic program of weight-bearing exercise reduces pain and improves joint function, at least for two to six months, for people with osteoarthritis, according to a review of previous trials. “We had a systematic review for Cochrane fro... More »

Square could take hit on IPO with Jack Dorsey leading Twitter

SAN FRANCISCO The much anticipated initial public offering from Silicon Valley payments company Square could take a price hit if its chief executive, Jack Dorsey, takes a second and possibly more demanding job: running Twitter. A distracted CEO juggling two co... More »

Refugee crisis to test EU at summit of divided leaders

BRUSSELS/ LEIPZIG, Germany Bitterly-divided European leaders will seek to find a credible response to the continent’s worst migration crisis since World War Two at an emergency summit this week. German chancellor Angela Merkel called on her peers on Sunday to ... More »

Kerry says U.S. ready to take more refugees

BERLIN The United States will increase the number of refugees it takes in by 15,000 over each of the next two years, bringing the total to 100,000 by 2017, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said after talks with his German counterpart on Sunday. The remarks m... More »

Apple pledges more aid to help with Europe’s migrant crisis

Apple Inc is stepping up aid to the thousands of migrants that are streaming into Europe from war-torn countries, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook told employees in an internal message on Friday. Cook wrote in a message on the company’s intranet site that the ... More »

Factbox: Companies, organizations offer help for migrants

Companies and organizations are pledging to provide funds, goods and services to help thousands of migrants arriving in Europe from war-torn and impoverished countries. Companies are helping through both corporate and employee schemes. Following are some examp... More »

Anish Kapoor to mask vandalism on Versailles sculpture

PARIS British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor has decided to leave the anti-Semitic graffiti on his “Dirty Corner” installation at the Palace of Versailles near Paris, but will cover it up, palace authorities said on Friday. The 60-meter (197 feet) abstract steel... More »

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Uber denies drivers arrested in Jakarta police crackdown

JAKARTA Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] denied on Monday that authorities in Jakarta had arrested some of its drivers after police in the city said they were cracking down on the car-hailing service because it was operating illegally. Police spokesman Mohammad... More »

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Indonesia sending hundreds of troops to fight smog-causing fires

(This version of the story corrects number of troops in paragraph 1 to 1,000 from 10,000- headline altered to reflect change) PADAMARAN, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesia said on Friday it will send more than 1,000 troops to fight fires in southern Sumatra, as s... More »

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Germany re-imposes border controls to slow migrant arrivals

BERLIN/BRUSSELS Germany re-imposed border controls on Sunday after Europe’s most powerful nation acknowledged it could scarcely cope with thousands of asylum seekers arriving every day. A day before deeply divided European Union ministers tackle the migrant cr... More »

Airbus says U.S. factory will be world’s most efficient

MOBILE, Ala. Airbus Group (AIR.PA) said on Sunday that its first U.S. factory, due to formally open on Monday, will be the most efficient in the world and will focus on building the largest version of the company’s single-aisle aircraft. The elegant, skylit fa... More »

Airbus draws union interest as it opens first U.S. factory

MOBILE, Ala, Airbus Group NV (AIR.PA) threw a party for its new U.S. workers ahead of the formal opening Monday of its first commercial jet factory in the United States, and representatives of the machinists union joined the crowd. The International Associatio... More »

How much does it cost to raise a prodigy?

(The writer is a Reuters contributor. The opinions expressed are his own.) By Chris Taylor NEW YORK (Reuters) – For parents who dream their child will become a prodigy and stun the world with their brilliance, Chloe Hui has a message for you: Be careful what y... More »

Indonesia migrant boat death toll rises to 61

KUALA LUMPUR Sixty-one bodies have been recovered from an overloaded wooden boat which sank off Malaysia carrying dozens of Indonesian illegal immigrants, maritime officials said on Saturday. The dead were mostly men, with one toddler on board, the maritime ag... More »

High schoolers use e-cigarettes to vape marijuana: U.S. study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Nearly one in five high school students who said they used electronic cigarettes to vaporize nicotine also used them to vaporize pot, according to a survey of nearly 4,000 Connecticut teens. The study, published on Monday in the jou... More »

Europe’s migrant tide ripples through Venice film fest

VENICE Few people have been left untouched by the plight of desperate refugees trying to make it to Europe, and at the Venice Film Festival, actors and directors alike shared their distress over the crisis, pleading for tolerance and compassion. Mexican direct... More »

Migration crisis tears at EU’s cohesion and tarnishes its image

BRUSSELS Deep divisions over how to cope with a flood of migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia pose a threat to the European Union’s values and global standing and may diminish its ability to act jointly to reform the euro zone and ease Greece’s debt.... More »

When financial planning meets wedding planning

As the fall wedding season begins, advisers should make sure they have a comprehensive plan to help clients who are getting married. Advisers need to look at the big picture, like if the couple’s retirement goals align, and the nitty gritty, such as insurance ... More »

Europe fails on electronics recycling goals

OSLO Only a third of Europe’s electronic waste is properly recycled, with vast numbers of cellphones, computers and televisions illegally traded or dumped, a study led by the United Nations and INTERPOL said on Sunday. Sweden and Norway were close to European ... More »

Planned Parenthood goes to court to fight funding cuts in Alabama

(This 28 August 2015 story was refiled to add the dropped word “court” in the first paragraph) Planned Parenthood filed a complaint in Alabama federal court on Friday seeking to stop the state from defunding its health clinics after the release of covertly rec... More »

Schwab says online access for customers restored

Charles Schwab Corp said that customer access to online accounts was restored on Friday morning, just minutes before U.S. stock markets opened for trading. Earlier, the company said access to accounts and online trading platforms were unavailable. The problem,... More »

Syngenta seen opening up after source says Monsanto boosts offer

ZURICH Syngenta AG, the Swiss agricultural chemicals maker, was seen opening up more than 7 percent after a source said Monsanto Co. had sweetened its takeover offer, according to premarket indicators in Zurich. U.S.-based Monsanto increased its offer to buy S... More »

Monsanto sweetens offer for Syngenta, values firm at $47 billion

NEW YORK and CHICAGO U.S.-based Monsanto Co (MON.N) sweetened its offer to buy Switzerland’s Syngenta AG (SYNN.VX), valuing the company at around $47 billion as it tries to lure the Swiss firm to the negotiating table, a person familiar with the matter said on... More »

Ashley Madison, parent company sued in U.S. over data breach

Infidelity website Ashley Madison and its parent company have been sued in federal court in California by a man who claims that the companies failed to adequately protect clients’ personal and financial information from theft, saying he suffered emotional dist... More »

Sears looks to boost Kenmore and Craftsman brands with new hire

Sears Holdings Corp (SHLD.O) named a former Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) executive to a new position as president of “hardlines” as the struggling retailer tries to stem the declining market positions of the Kenmore, Diehard and Craftsman brands. The new executiv... More »

For Wall St: market turmoil chills dog days of summer

Mac Sykes, an analyst at asset management firm Gabelli & Co, spent Sunday evening, the second night of his summer vacation in New England, watching stock prices tank. “I went to bed close to midnight and was up again around 4:30 am,” said Sykes, who works at G... More »

Pennsylvania attorney general ordered to face perjury trial

NORRISTOWN, Pa. Pennsylvania’s attorney general, accused of illegally leaking grand jury information to embarrass a political foe and then lying about it, was ordered on Monday to stand trial on perjury, obstruction of justice and other corruption charges. Cap... More »

GE cutting 262 more Lufkin oil unit jobs in Texas

General Electric Co (GE.N) said on Monday it was cutting 262 more jobs at its Lufkin oil unit in Texas and closing a foundry as it grapples with the plunge in global oil prices. GE earlier this year said it planned to eliminate some 575 jobs from Lufkin, bring... More »

How to stop sneaky ‘gray charges’ on credit card bills

NEW YORK Hey, remember that newsletter that let you sign up for a free trial? Didn’t think so. How about that old domain name you registered, or your kid’s gaming membership, or the magazine subscription that was initially offered as a freebie. Forgot about th... More »

Bloomberg to ax about 100 editorial jobs: New York Post

Financial news agency Bloomberg plans to cut about 100 jobs in its editorial division, the New York Post reported. The announcement could come as soon as Labor Day in early September, the Post said, citing sources. Many of the layoffs will affect political and... More »

India hits Nestle with $99 million lawsuit after noodle scare

MUMBAI/ NEW DELHI The Indian government has filed a lawsuit against Swiss food firm Nestle’s Indian unit, seeking 6.4 billion rupees ($99 million) in damages on behalf of consumers after the country’s worst packaged food scare in a decade. Nestle, the first fo... More »

Police search Uber offices in Hong Kong and arrest five drivers

HONG KONG Police raided the Hong Kong offices of taxi-hailing service Uber Inc on Tuesday and arrested five drivers for the “illegal use of vehicles for hire”, police said. A Hong Kong police senior inspector, Bruce Hung, said undercover police officers had us... More »

Rebel rockets hit Damascus ahead of visit by Iranian minister

BEIRUT Rebels fired dozens of rockets at central Damascus on Wednesday, a monitor and state media said, ahead of an expected visit to the Syrian capital by Iran’s foreign minister. The bombardment killed at least one person and injured more than 20 others, the... More »

India seeks $99 million in damages from Nestle after food scare

MUMBAI The Indian government has filed a class action suit for 6.4 billion rupees ($99 million) against Nestle’s Indian unit on behalf of the country’s consumers, citing unfair trade practices and the sale of defective goods. Nestle is the first foreign firm t... More »

Myanmar evacuates thousands as worst floods in decades hit

YANGON Myanmar was evacuating parts of a city on Wednesday after mudslides wiped away hundreds of houses and torrential rain threatened further damage in the worst floods to hit the country in decades. The government in Hakha, the capital of impoverished Chin ... More »

Facebook struggles to sell advertising in India

SAN FRANCISCO/MUMBAI, August 12 Facebook is trying to lure skeptical advertisers in India with features such as free email support for questions about advertising and advice on increasing sales in a bid to boost revenue from its second biggest market. Facebook... More »

Buffett’s biggest deal casts light on pension burden

NEW YORK Growing pension obligations at Precision Castparts Corp (PCP.N), which Berkshire Hathaway has agreed to buy for $32 billion, highlight an issue that large U.S. corporations still face, almost a decade into a low-interest rate environment. Berkshire’s ... More »

College debt can be especially dumb for parents

LOS ANGELES Parent education loans can help your child attend the college of her dreams — and sink any dreams you had of ever retiring. The grim reality is that the federal PLUS loan program allows parents to borrow far more than they can comfortably, or even ... More »

Economic crisis proves no tragedy for Greek theater

EPIDAURUS, Greece On a stiflingly hot summer night, the ancient Greek amphitheatre of Epidaurus is packed to capacity for a performance of a 2,400-year-old play by Aristophanes — testimony to Greeks’ enduring love of theater despite years of grinding economic ... More »

German carmakers buy Nokia maps to fend off digital rivals

FRANKFURT/HELSINKI German carmakers BMW (BMWG.DE), Audi (VOWG_p.DE) and Mercedes (DAIGn.DE), will pay around 2.5 billion euros ($2.75 billion) to buy Nokia’s maps business, a transformational deal that will help them to develop self-driving cars. Daimler BMW a... More »

Planned Parenthood fight hits Congress, wider impact unclear

WASHINGTON, August 3 Women’s health group Planned Parenthood, under attack by anti-abortionists posting hidden-camera videos online, will be the focus of a partisan showdown on Monday in the U.S. Senate, with any wider influence on voters from the charge still... More »

Matheny plays his Cards right as gamble comes up trumps

(The Sports Xchange) – St Louis manager Mike Matheny rolled the dice in the late innings of Sunday’s 3-2 win over Colorado, gambling that the Cardinals would win the game in nine innings. Pinch-hitter Brandon Moss’ one-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth... More »

Mexico City prosecutor confirms killing of news photographer

MEXICO CITY A prominent Mexican news photographer was among five people found dead in a middle-class neighborhood of the capital on Friday, the city’s prosecutor told reporters at a Sunday press conference. Ruben Espinosa, who a month ago claimed in interviews... More »

U.S. to defend Syrian rebels with airpower, including from Assad

WASHINGTON The United States has decided to allow airstrikes to defend Syrian rebels trained by the U.S. military from any attackers, even if the enemies hail from forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. officials said on Sunday. The decision by... More »