All posts published in August 2013
(Reuters) – A U.S. horse association soon will be required to add cloned horses and their offspring to its prestigious registry, a federal judge in Texas ruled on Monday. The decision could encourage cloning and open the way for the animals to participate in l... More »
(Reuters) – Top Democrats in the California Senate on Monday asked the state’s multibillion-dollar public employee pension funds to refrain from making future investments in Russia, adding their voices to protests against restrictions on gay rights there. A pr... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will reduce service fees charged by 14 government departments, the country’s top economic planning agency said on Tuesday, as part of Beijing’s efforts to cut red tape and promote reforms. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang vowed in March, wh... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Yelena Isinbayeva, the greatest women’s pole vaulter of all time, gears up for a lift from her home crowd in what will probably be the Russian’s last major championship final on Tuesday. Isinbayeva, who holds the outdoor world record of 5.06... More »
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s announcement of plans to expand Jewish settlements on land Palestinians seek for a state clouded the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks convening in the Middle East this week for the first time in three years. The talks, which opene... More »
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian business confidence took a hit last month as firms reported an intensifying squeeze on profits, a survey found on Tuesday, underlining the case for record-low interest rates. National Australia Bank’s (NAB.AX ) monthly survey of o... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s core machinery orders fell in June and companies expect them to fall further in the current quarter, another sign that government stimulus has yet to boost capital spending as debate intensifies over how to address massive and growing... More »
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentine President Cristina Fernandez may be a lame duck after her coalition was thumped in a mid-term primary election, but with two years left in power she can still impose more of the capital and currency controls that have cut con... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering a corporate tax cut as a way to offset the potential economic drag of a planned two-stage hike in the sales tax, the Nikkei economic daily reported on Tuesday, citing government sources. Abe h... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Billionaire U.S. entrepreneur Elon Musk unveiled plans on Monday for a futuristic “Hyperloop” transportation system to whisk passengers between San Francisco and Los Angeles in under half an hour. The highly anticipated announcement p... More »
BOSTON (Reuters) – A prominent computer security firm warned that the Dalai Lama’s Chinese-language website has been hacked and is infecting visitors’ computers with viruses in what may to be an effort to spy on human rights activists who frequently visit the ... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – Just over a year ago, Prem Watsa said Research in Motion Ltd, now re-named BlackBerry, was a “Canadian success story,” a good buy and a likely turnaround story, despite declining market share. BlackBerry’s fortunes have only deteriorated si... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc plans to buy the maker of a speech recognition and language translation app, providing technology that could bolster the social networking company’s mobile efforts. Facebook did not disclose the financial terms of its dea... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday it has approved GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s drug Tivicay to treat the most common strain of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The once-daily drug, known generically as dolutegravir, belongs t... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The U.S. commodities market regulator has subpoenaed a number of major metals warehousing firms, including Switzerland-based commodities giant Glencore, seeking documents and communications from the last three years as an inquiry into compla... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – Struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry Ltd is weighing options that could include an outright sale, it said on Monday, and its largest shareholder is stepping down from its board to avoid any possible conflict of interest. BlackBerry, which... More »
(Reuters) – Celebrity chef Paula Deen won a partial victory on Monday when a U.S. judge dismissed the racial discrimination portion of a lawsuit that has already cost the Southern culinary star a big chunk of her multimillion-dollar enterprise. The lawsuit was... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Steven A. Cohen’s SAC Capital Advisors shut down one of its subsidiary hedge funds last week as the $14 billion firm’s capital base begins to shrink in the wake of a criminal indictment filed against it, according to two people familiar wi... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Christine Ohuruogu produced an astonishing late charge and defending champion Amantle Montsho committed racing suicide as the Briton won the world 400 meters gold medal by four thousandths of a second on Monday. Ohuruogu, the former Olympic ... More »
SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration unveiled steps on Monday to fix what it considers the longstanding unjust treatment of many nonviolent drug offenders, aiming to bypass tough mandatory prison terms while reducing America’s huge pri... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce obliterated the field as Jamaica completed a 100 meters double at the world championships on Monday and showed it still has the edge in the battle of sprinting’s superpowers. The United States had four athletes in the... More »
CLERMONT, Florida (Reuters) – Dozens of guests at a Florida resort near Walt Disney World were safely evacuated in the middle of the night on Monday when a large sinkhole opened on the property, swallowing a three-story building. “I was hearing popping noises ... More »
BOGOTA (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that Israel’s announcement of new settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem “were to some degree expected,” and urged Israelis and Palestinians to move head with peace talks due to resu... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Claire Jokinen had top grades in high school but never gave much thought to where she would attend college. Faced with the decision midway through junior year, her parents enlisted the services of an independent college counselor. This paid... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Britain’s E.L. James, the writer of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” series of erotic novels, has made it onto the Forbes list of the world’s top-earning authors – landing in first place. James, a former television executive, surpassed regulars ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Star Wars” filmmaker George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson became parents to a baby girl born via surrogate, his representatives said on Monday. Everest Hobson Lucas was born on August 9 and is the first biological child for Lucas, ... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – New Zealand’s Valerie Adams became the first woman to win four successive world titles when she secured shot put gold on Monday. A third-round throw of 20.88 meters proved enough for Adams, who suffered a tearful defeat by Belarussian Nadzey... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Move over Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce stole your thunder. In 10.71 seconds of pure sprinting power on Monday the colorful and diminutive Jamaican outdid the sport’s great showman for razzle-dazzle. Twenty-four hours earlier, with lig... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Monday said he would appeal a federal judge’s ruling that the police department’s “stop and frisk” crime-fighting tactics violate constitutional rights. Bloomberg remained firm in his argument that the p... More »
ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) – ‘Ordinary looking’ Jason Dufner struck a chord with club players everywhere while also underscoring the extraordinary depth in the modern game with his impressive victory at the PGA Championship on Sunday. With his characteristi... More »
EDGARTOWN, Massachusetts (Reuters) – President Barack Obama is taking his economic message on the road next week with a bus tour in New York and Pennsylvania. Obama, trying to persuade Congress to adopt his proposals for boosting middle-class jobs, will go on ... More »
(Reuters) – Morgan Stanley Wealth Management said Monday it hired a veteran adviser who managed $350 million in client assets at Deutsche Bank. Martin Domres, who joined Morgan Stanley in Baltimore on Friday, produced over $2 million in annual revenue at Deuts... More »
(Reuters) – Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Monday called on the Obama administration to delay the October 1 opening of exchanges where uninsured Americans will be able to buy health insurance until the U.S. government can guarantee the protection ... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Actress Lea Michele, in her first public appearance since the death of her boyfriend and cast mate Cory Monteith, dedicated her Teen Choice Award on Sunday in Los Angeles to the actor who died of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose las... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The United States has spent a lot of time and money to digitize healthcare records, but the effort has not gotten very far yet. This is what patient advocate Dave deBronkart experienced recently when a relative went from a hospital to a re... More »
CROPREDY, England (Reuters) – 10cc, the pop-rock band that produced hits such as “I’m Not In Love”, “Rubber Bullets” and “The Wall Street Shuffle” in the 1970s, is still bringing fans to their feet with its against-the-grain lyrics about the darker side of lif... More »
(Reuters) – News Corp has secured rights to show online digital clips for English Premier League soccer and other leagues in Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, coinciding with the launch of new Internet and mobile products later this week. The mobile app and websit... More »
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim’s America Movil (AMX.N ) wants to ‘unlock value’ from Dutch telecoms group KPN (KPN.AS ) and is not just interested in its German business E-Plus, a Dutch newspaper reported on Monday, quoting the Mexican g... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s economy grew at a slower-than-expected rate in the second quarter, offering ammunition to those seeking to delay a scheduled sales tax increase even as government debt has risen past 1,000 trillion yen ($10.4 trillion). Capital expend... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s economy is stagnating, but is not in recession, Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said on Monday, adding that weak second-quarter numbers may force a cut in the official growth outlook. Some economists estimate that, in quarter-on-q... More »
SAN FRANCISCO/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – California, whose green ambitions helped the solar and wind industries take root, is taking an essential next step by proposing a sharp rise in energy storage to better integrate renewable power with the rest of the grid. ... More »
BANGALORE (Reuters) – Indian inflation likely picked up slightly in July as its falling currency pushed up the price of imports, making raw materials more costly, and on rising food prices, a Reuters poll showed. Wholesale prices, India’s key inflation measure... More »
DUBAI (Reuters) – The leader of al Qaeda’s Yemen-based wing, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, said he would free jailed Islamist militants soon, days after the United States shut missions across the Middle East because of the threat of an attack, possibly from Yemen. Wuhay... More »
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR ) chief executive Titus Naikuni said the airline has so far lost about $4 million in revenue as a result of last week’s fire at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, local media reported on Monday. Th... More »
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – An al Qaeda affiliate said it carried out Saturday’s bombings in Iraq, which killed dozens of people, in response to a government campaign to arrest suspected militants, the SITE Monitoring group reported on Monday. The statement from Islam... More »
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel on Monday published a list of 26 Palestinian prisoners set to go free within days, some after spending more than two decades behind bars, in the first stage of a deal that led to a resumption of U.S.-backed peace talks last month. ... More »
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – A deadlock over Cambodia’s disputed election hardened on Monday as the opposition rejected official results confirming a victory for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s long-ruling party and raised the prospect of further street protests. The Cambo... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Most Asian shares rose on Monday and Chinese stocks surged to a one-month high as investors took heart from last week’s upbeat data from the world’s second-biggest economy, but Japan’s Nikkei fell to a six-week low after softer second-quarter... More »
MANILA (Reuters) – The United States and the Philippines begin formal negotiations this week to increase rotational presence of U.S. forces in the former U.S. colony, deploying aircraft, ships, supplies and troops for humanitarian and maritime security operati... More »
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan accused Indian troops of firing shells across the disputed border in Kashmir on Monday after last week’s killing of Indian soldiers set off a wave of skirmishes between the two nuclear-armed rivals. Tensions along the 740-km (445... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The U.S. commodities market regulator has subpoenaed a metals warehousing firm, seeking all of its documents and communications related to the London Metal Exchange since January 2010, as an inquiry into complaints about inflated metals pric... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s cabinet has unveiled plans to set up more private banks to boost financial support for cash-starved smaller firms, in the latest bid to bolster the slowing economy. “We will actively develop small-sized financial institutions and op... More »
SINGAPORE, Aug 12 – The dollar edged higher versus the yen on position squaring on Monday, having slipped earlier as data showed Japan’s economy grew at a slower-than-expected pace in the second-quarter, prompting investors to trim their exposure to risk. The ... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – The family of a British citizen murdered in China, in one of the nation’s biggest political scandals in decades, is seeking compensation from his convicted killer, the wife of former top politician Bo Xilai, a source close to the victim’s w... More »
(Reuters) – When American Airlines dumped about $3.5 billion of retirement money into the laps of its pilots late last month, the winners were the wealth managers who got a piece of the action. The bonanza came from a pension plan that American had closed last... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When cardiologist Asad Qamar gave $50,000 earlier this year to the non-profit group established to promote President Barack Obama’s national agenda it was one of the group’s biggest single donations from the state of Florida. Shortly aft... More »
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodia’s main opposition party on Monday rejected official results showing the ruling party of Prime Minister Hun Sen won last month’s election, and called on the international community not to recognize the result. Kem Sokha, the depu... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s government has no need to hurry to raise the sales tax and could consider delaying its scheduled increase by one year, an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after data showed the economy expanded less than expected in the secon... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Justice Department plans to change how it prosecutes some non-violent drug offenders, so they would no longer face mandatory minimum prison sentences, in an overhaul of federal prison policy that Attorney General Eric Holder will unv... More »
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian police are expected to start taking action early on Monday against supporters of ousted President Mohamed Mursi who are gathered in crowded protest camps in Cairo, security and government sources said, a move which could trigger more... More »
HANOI (Reuters) – Lending has picked up “modestly” in Vietnam this year and the country should grow slightly faster than projected earlier, the International Monetary Fund said. The IMF, in a statement issued on August 9 after a delegation visited Vietnam, sai... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – General Motors Co. (GM.N ) has begun gradually cutting its presence in South Korea after mounting labor costs and militant unionism triggered a rethink of its reliance on the country for a fifth of its global production, three individuals fam... More »
ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) – American Jason Dufner erased memories of his heart-breaking late collapse two years ago when he clinched his first major title by two shots in the 95th PGA Championship on Sunday. One stroke behind playing partner Jim Furyk over... More »
ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) – A triple bogey may have crushed any remaining chance Rory McIlroy had of defending his PGA Championship crown on Sunday. But the Northern Irishman, who has battled all season, remained hopeful he could end the year on a high. As... More »
ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) – Adam Scott has enjoyed top-five finishes in three of the year’s four major championships, including his breakthrough Masters win in April, but the Australian feels his best is yet to come. After becoming the first golfer from hi... More »
ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) – Jim Furyk has endured his share of agonizing close calls at the majors but said he would reflect on a week of positives after finishing second to Jason Dufner at the PGA Championship on Sunday. The PGA Tour veteran had led by on... More »
ROCHESTER, New York (Reuters) – ‘Dufnering’ took on a whole new meaning on Sunday when laid-back Jason Dufner claimed the PGA Championship, transforming the 36-year-old cult figure into a major winner. Dufner, who is not prone to displays of emotion, allowed h... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price leads Jamaica’s charge for a 100 meters double at the world championships on Monday following hot on the heels of Usain Bolt’s rain-swept victory on Sunday. Arch rivals Jamaica and the U.S. each have ... More »
MONTREAL (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal thumped Canada’s Milos Raonic 6-2 6-2 in the final of the men’s Rogers Cup on Sunday to capture his eighth ATP title this season and boost his confidence ahead of the U.S. Open, starting later this month. Playing in his first to... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Vice President Joe Biden will speak next month at a closely watched Democratic event in Iowa in a move likely to generate speculation about whether he might seek to run for president in 2016. Biden will speak at the “Harkin steak fry,” a... More »
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India is expected on Monday to report a second straight contraction in industrial production in June, underscoring the challenge for policymakers to stabilize the battered rupee without hurting economic revival. A Reuters poll of 20 econo... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese consumers are responding to a powerful new marketing tactic that plays to a widespread fear of food contamination – the promise of safe groceries sold online. Pledging produce direct from the farm, vendors have found food is becomin... More »
SYDNEY, Aug 12 – The dollar was a touch firmer in Asia on Monday as the euro took a knock from more aid rumblings over Greece, while technical signals were flashing oversold after almost five weeks of losses for the U.S. currency. Still, a run of mixed data fr... More »
(Reuters) – Apple Inc, the world’s largest technology company, is expected to present its redesigned iPhone in September, according to technology blog AllThingsD. The blog cited unnamed sources as saying that Apple will unveil its next smart phone at a special... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plan to raise the national sales tax, painful medicine meant to address his government’s ailing finances, faces an important test this week with the release of key economic data. Abe’s government has repea... More »
LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Matt Damon’s futuristic thriller “Elysium,” the story of an elite space outpost locked in battle with poor invaders from a ruined Earth, won a crowded box-office race among four new films at U.S. and Canadian theaters over the ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – American singer and actress Miley Cyrus notched up her first number one hit in the British singles chart on Sunday with “We Can’t Stop”, a new entry, the Official Charts Company said. Cyrus, the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, so... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A tentative view that the global economy is emerging from its lull could harden into conventional wisdom by the end of this week if, as expected, data show the euro zone’s lengthy recession has ended. While Europe is still the world’s bigges... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Eydie Gorme, a pop singer who paired with husband Steve Lawrence to become a top U.S. nightclub and television act, and also found success on her own with hits like “Blame it on the Bossa Nova,” died on Saturday. She was 84. The Grammy-... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Months of public bickering, secretive backroom negotiations and eleventh-hour deals for control of Dell Inc belie the fact that the combatants are vying for a company facing steadily declining sales prospects. The tussle between Chief... More »
WELLINGTON/COLOMBO (Reuters) – New Zealand-based dairy giant Fonterra Co-operative Ltd said on Sunday it had withdrawn milk powder under orders from the Sri Lankan authorities for showing traces of the toxic agricultural chemical dicyandiamide (DCD), although ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Banks cut 5,500 branches across the European Union last year, 2.5 percent of the total, leaving the region with 20,000 fewer outlets than it had when the financial industry was plunged into crisis in 2008. Last year’s cuts come after 7,200 b... More »
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – President Barack Obama promised faster attention to a backlog of veterans’ disability claims and announced a new mental health initiative on Saturday during a stop in Florida before beginning a week-long vacation. Traveling to Orla... More »
NEW YORK/TORONTO (Reuters) – A deal to take BlackBerry Ltd private could make sense from a financial standpoint, say private equity executives, though any such move won’t by itself make the smartphone company more competitive. The numbers for a leveraged buyou... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has started investigating French drugmaker Sanofi SA for allegedly bribing more than 500 Chinese doctors with about 1.7 million yuan ($277,600) of payments to raise sales, China’s Xinhua state news agency said on Saturday. Xinhua cite... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Eighteen of the 19 U.S. embassies and consulates closed this month due to worries about potential terrorist attacks will reopen on Sunday, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. “Our embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, will remain closed because... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bill Gross’ Pimco Total Return Fund, the world’s largest mutual fund, increased its exposure to U.S. government-related securities in July, data from the firm’s website showed on Friday. The fund raised its holdings of U.S. government-rela... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama announced plans on Friday to limit sweeping U.S. government surveillance programs that have come under criticism since leaks by a former spy agency contractor, saying the United States “can and must be more transpa... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Eighteen of the 19 U.S. embassies closed this month due to worries about potential terrorist attacks will reopen on Sunday, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. “Our embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, will remain closed because of ongoing con... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. judge said on Friday she is considering imposing tough restrictions on Apple Inc for illegally conspiring with publishers to raise e-books prices. U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said she was weighing whether to restrict Apple for f... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some older Samsung Electronics Co. mobile devices face a sales and import ban in the United States after a U.S. trade panel ruled for Apple Inc. in a high-profile patent infringement case. The U.S. International Trade Commission on Frida... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bill Gross’ Pimco Total Return Fund, the world’s largest mutual fund, increased its exposure to U.S. government-related securities in July, data from the firm’s website showed on Friday. The fund upped its holdings of U.S. government-relat... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Friday denied he has poor relations with Vladimir Putin after canceling their Moscow talks, but said the Russian president can sometimes appear “like a bored kid in the back of the classroom.” U.S.-Russian relat... More »
(Reuters) – A judge in Atlanta on Friday denied the ex-wife of R&B singer Usher temporary primary custody of their two children after one of them was hospitalized following a swimming pool accident at Usher’s house. Fulton County Superior Court Judge John J. G... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. trade panel on Friday ruled that South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co Ltd infringes on portions of two Apple Inc patents on digital mobile devices, a decision likely to inflame passions in the long-running dispute. The U.S. Intern... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A California judge gave Amanda Bynes’ mother legal control of the troubled actress’s affairs on Friday, according to court documents. Ventura County Superior Court Judge Glen Reiser granted a temporary conservatorship motion brought by ... More »
(Reuters) – More than 3 million Time Warner Cable customers in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas will be blocked from watching golf’s Major Championship and other popular shows this weekend if the cable company fails to reach an agreement with CBS to end the we... More »
(Reuters) – Canada will sell off wireless spectrum next year as planned, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday, despite protests by major telecoms firms that the auction rules favor the entry into the market of U.S. giant Verizon Communications Inc. The... More »
ZURICH (Reuters) – The owner of a luxury goods shop in Zurich has denied that racism was involved when Oprah Winfrey was discouraged from buying a 35,000 Swiss franc ($38,100) handbag. The U.S. talk show host, recently named the world’s most powerful celebrity... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – For a film once slated to go straight to DVD, Disney’s animated adventure “Planes” has some lofty ambitions: it not only wants to be a worthy spin-off of the “Cars” franchise, it also aspires to tell a global story. Out in U.S. theaters... More »
