All posts published in November 2015
WASHINGTON The Obama administration should reconsider plans to bring thousands of Syrian refugees into the Unites States after at least 127 people died in Paris in gun and bomb attacks claimed by Islamic State, two Republican candidates said on Saturday. “Pres... More »
LOS ANGELES The California-based rock band Eagles of Death Metal was in the midst of a European tour, promoting its fourth album release, when the musicians found themselves caught up in a terror attack at the Paris concert hall where they had begun to perform... More »
NEW YORK Adele’s Grammy-winning 2011 release “21” was deemed by Billboard magazine the greatest album of all time based on chart position and the soundtrack of the 1965 Julie Andrews movie “The Sound of Music” came in second. The British singer racked up the m... More »
NEW YORK Exchange and clearing house operator Nasdaq Inc plans to develop several applications for blockchain, the technology underpinning the digital currency bitcoin, using its Estonian settling and clearing business, a senior Nasdaq executive said on Friday... More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it approved Baxalta Inc’s drug for use in patients with a type of rare bleeding disorder. The drug, Adynovate, was approved to control and reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in patients with Hemophili... More »
BOGOTA Colombia said on Friday it plans to legalize medical marijuana in a further shift in drug policy after suspending aerial fumigation of illicit crops. The government is preparing a decree which would approve the therapeutic use of marijuana, the presiden... More »
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO When U.S. prosecutors this week charged two Israelis and an American fugitive with raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in one of the largest and most complex cases of cyber fraud ever exposed, they also provided an unusual look int... More »
LOS ANGELES Pauley Perrette, an actress on the popular U.S. television show “NCIS,” was attacked in Los Angeles by a homeless man who punched her repeatedly in the face and made her fear for her life, she said in a social media post. A man has been arrested in... More »
WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court took up a major new abortion case on Friday, agreeing to hear a challenge by abortion providers to parts of a restrictive, Republican-backed Texas law that they contend are aimed at shutting clinics that offer the procedure. T... More »
LOS ANGELES El Nino’s warm currents have brought fish in an unexpected spectrum of shapes and colors from Mexican waters to the ocean off California’s coast, thrilling scientists with the sight of bright tropical species and giving anglers the chance of a once... More »
BRUSSELS European regulators on Friday said they had approved U.S data center operator Equinix’s $3.7 billion purchase of Telecity Group on condition it sold off data centers in Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London. “With the ever growing economic importance of ‘cl... More »
CHICAGO The sound of gunshots in Harlem in 1997 was nothing new to Jamal Joseph, who was then a 44-year-old filmmaker living in the New York City neighborhood. “You’d hear gunshots every night,” he recalled. “The crack epidemic was raging- the neighborhood was... More »
The New York Stock Exchange has asked U.S. federal regulators to let it flag “aberrant” pricing of exchange-traded funds, according to a filing on Thursday. The exchange asked regulators for permission to discourage traders from relying on prices “that the exc... More »
MOSCOW Russia’s biggest search site Yandex said on Friday it had asked the European Commission to investigate Google’s practices in relation to its Android mobile operating system in the European Union. The new complaint could strengthen the case against Googl... More »
LONDON Online retailer Amazon has stepped up the pressure on Britain’s traditional supermarkets with the nationwide launch on Friday of a packaged groceries offer for Amazon Prime members. The move is the ecommerce giant’s most ambitious foray into Britain’s g... More »
JAKARTA When Indonesia’s anti-drugs czar announced plans to guard a death-row prison island with crocodiles, the government rushed to explain that it was just a joke, but on Friday Budi Waseso said he was now thinking of using tigers and piranha fish too. Medi... More »
NEW YORK Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and other luxury brands suing Alibaba Group Holding Ltd for promoting the sale of counterfeit goods will resort to mediation, backing away from a threat to withdraw from the process after Alibaba founder Jack Ma said that he ... More »
Viacom Inc (VIAB.O), the owner of MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, reported weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue on Thursday, although declines in ad sales for its U.S. cable TV business were not as steep as analysts had anticipated. Chief Executive Offi... More »
Dish Network Corp (DISH.O) said the proposed merger of Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable was not in the public interest, in a reply filed with the Federal Communications Commission. “The proposed merger is harmful for consumers, competition and inno... More »
Media mogul John Malone, known for striking complex deals and running companies with intricate structures, is restructuring two companies he controls using tracking stocks and spinoffs. Liberty Interactive Corp (QVCA.O), which mainly houses Malone’s e-commerce... More »
Hulu is looking to sell a stake to Time Warner Inc (TWX.N) in talks that would value the video-streaming service provider at above $5 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. The talks include cash investment and content licensing, the Journal reported, citi... More »
Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc’s (CSCO.O) forecast adjusted profit and revenue growth for the second quarter below analysts’ estimates, citing a slowdown in order growth and weakness in its enterprise business outside the United States. Shares of Ci... More »
NEW YORK MSCI will add Alibaba Group, Baidu.com and a dozen other overseas-listed Chinese shares to its emerging market index beginning on Dec. 1, in a move that is expected to draw billions of dollars into the stocks and make MSCI the first indexer to include... More »
Viacom Inc is cutting the number of TV advertisements it airs in a bid to boost ratings. But the owner of MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon has drawn skepticism by saying the move will also help it raise ad prices. A cut in ads would not necessarily improve ... More »
CERRO LAS CAMPANAS, Chile Chilean President Michelle Bachelet put hammer to stone on an Andean mountaintop on Wednesday evening to mark the start of construction for one of the world’s most advanced telescopes, an instrument that may help shed light on the pos... More »
WASHINGTON Murals from ancient Egypt’s vibrant New Kingdom era depicting bees and honey amid scenes of everyday life some 4,400 years ago provide early evidence of people using of beehive products. But humans have been using the stuff far longer than that. Sci... More »
WASHINGTON In a warm, lush environment near a meandering river 79.5 million years ago in Montana, a dinosaur nicknamed “Superduck” munched on leaves and kept a lookout for predators related to Tyrannosaurus rex that might threaten its herd. Scientists on Wedne... More »
NEW YORK A Lucian Freud portrait of Andrew Parker Bowles – the ex-husband of Prince Charles’ wife Camilla – sold for $34.9 million at Christie’s on Tuesday as contemporary works by artists from Andy Warhol to Louise Bourgeois drew strong prices and spirited bi... More »
LONDON British pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies face a major skills shortage which threatens future investment and the long-term success of the life sciences sector, according to a new industry report. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical In... More »
NEW YORK A Modigliani nude painting was sold to an unnamed Chinese buyer at Christie’s on Monday for $170.4 million, the second-highest price ever for a work of art at auction, as deep-pocketed collectors continue to pay, and pay big, for some rare masterpiece... More »
FLORENCE, Italy Pope Francis called on Tuesday for a Catholic Church that is not cosseted, self-centered and obsessed with power and money, as he faces new challenges to his financial reforms at the Vatican. The Argentine pope, who made his comments during a d... More »
GAZA Nafez Abed’s cramped workroom is filled with sculptures and mosaics with patterns from the Byzantine, Greek and Roman periods. It is an emporium of Middle Eastern antiquity tucked away in Gaza. And none of it is real. Abed, 55, is a self-taught archaeolog... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Scientists have discovered what appear to be ice-spewing volcanoes on the surface of Pluto, raising questions about how the tiny, distant world has been so geologically active, according to research presented on Monday. The findings, relea... More »
PARIS After three years of renovation, Paris’ Musee Rodin reopens its doors this week, with new displays of the French sculptor’s works. Right in the middle of the French capital, the Hotel Biron and its garden were used by Auguste Rodin in the years leading u... More »
BRUSSELS European countries most affected by the refugee crisis may be granted some leeway on fiscal rules for a limited period of time, the head of the euro zone finance ministers said on Monday. “My own opinion is that for a number of countries there are gro... More »
LISBON Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, whose government faces a vote that may topple it in the opposition-dominated parliament, warned on Monday that leaving the path of reforms and meeting euro zone commitments would be ruinous for Portugal. “The choice w... More »
Dish Network Corp (DISH.O) reported a 34.2 percent rise in quarterly profit, helped by higher revenue per user from its core pay-TV business. The second-largest U.S. satellite TV company by revenue said on Monday its average revenue per pay-TV user rose to $86... More »
MADRIDCatalonia’s regional government on Monday voted in favor of a resolution to split from Spain, launching a so-called roadmap towards independence which the central government in Madrid has vowed to block. The declaration on secession, the first step which... More »
BERLINGerman Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere retains the confidence of Chancellor Angela Merkel, a government spokesman said on Monday, after a spat within her cabinet over whether to limit the asylum rights of refugees from Syria. The government was forc... More »
MOSCOWRussia and Iran have signed a contract for Moscow to supply Tehran with S-300 surface-to-air missile systems, Sergei Chemezov, the chief executive of Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec, was quoted by the RIA news agency as saying on Monday. ... More »
LONDONBritain’s security agencies will receive a significant boost to staff numbers as part of a multi-pronged effort to stave off threats from terrorist plotters, finance minister George Osborne said on Monday. “I can confirm that over the next five years we ... More »
NEW DELHIIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet leaders of his party on Monday to discuss whether to overhaul policies and priorities in the wake of a humiliating defeat in elections in the eastern state of Bihar. Modi was due to huddle with a dozen sen... More »
BEIJINGChina must strengthen its reforms and modernize its system of governance over the next five years, President Xi Jinping told a meeting of a key Communist Party body on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The government will push forward re... More »
PARISGlobal trade flows have fallen dangerously close to levels usually associated with a global recession, although actions taken by China and others should ensure a pick-up in 2016, the OECD said in a report on Monday. The Paris-based Organisation for Econom... More »
LONDONThe European Union needs to be more flexible if it is to persuade the British people to vote to stay in the bloc at a referendum due by the end of 2017, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday. Cameron wants to reform Britain’s EU ties and is due to ... More »
LONDONThe dollar took a breather on Monday having surged to a seven-month high, while emerging, commodity and bond markets had a nervy feel after strong U.S. jobs data boosted bets on a December Federal Reserve rate hike. European .FTEU3 and Asian .MIAPJ0000PU... More »
STOCKHOLMas long as they can win over some of the most demanding consumers: video gamers. Since John Elvesjo noticed a sensor tracking his eye movements in a lab experiment, the technology he developed with Henrik Eskilsson and Marten Skogo has helped disabled... More »
WARSAWPolish election winner, the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, plans to present the composition of the new cabinet at about 1230 GMT (0730 ET), the party’s spokeswoman Elzbieta Witek said on Monday. The party called earlier on Monday a news confer... More »
TOKYOThe head of smartphone screen maker Japan Display Inc said he would not turn down a partnership with embattled rival Sharp Corp amid speculation that Japan Display’s top investor, a state-backed fund, wants a tie-up between the two. People close to the ma... More »
BANGKOKA Thai fortune teller arrested as part of a high-profile royal insult investigation has died, the government said on Monday, the second suspect in as many weeks to die in police custody. Suriyan Sucharitpolwong, a well-known soothsayer and former aide t... More »
STOCKHOLMMobile equipment maker Ericsson and U.S. networking company Cisco Systems Inc said on Monday they had agreed a business and technology partnership that should generate additional revenues of $1 billion for each company by 2018. Ericsson, whose like-fo... More »
LONDONOil futures rose above $47.50 a barrel on Monday as OPEC said it expected global demand to remain strong next year, while weak Chinese trade data and concerns over rising supplies weighed. A weaker dollar further supported oil, with Brent crude for Decem... More »
LONDONGlobal regulators set out their “final tools” on Monday for ending the phenomenon of “too big to fail” banks, seeking to draw a line under a period of intensive rule making after a financial crisis that tarnished the sector and weighed heavily on taxpaye... More »
LONDONThe dollar edged away from a 6-1/2-month high against the euro on Monday, as investors took profits on the greenback’s surge after bumper U.S. jobs data bolstered bets on the U.S. Federal Reserve raising interest rates in December. The only major currenc... More »
BERLINGerman exports and imports bounced back in September after plunging in the prior month but failed to allay concerns that a slowdown in emerging markets will leave its mark on Europe’s largest economy. The Federal Statistics Office reported on Monday that... More »
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.Academia just turned a little more glitzy for a select group of scientists. Russian billionaire Yuri Milner on Sunday handed out seven Breakthrough Prizes, the award for scientific accomplishment he created three years ago alongside techno... More »
(The Sports Xchange) – Philadelphia quarterback Sam Bradford and wide receiver Jordan Matthews connected on a 41-yard touchdown on the first possession of overtime to give the Eagles a wild 33-27 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. “It’s coming yo... More »
TOKYOJapanese summer bonuses fell the most since the global financial crisis partly due to the effects of sampling, while monthly pay rose at a modest pace for a third straight month in September, underlining concerns about tepid wages and private consumption.... More »
(The Sports Xchange) – Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts spoiled the Denver Broncos’ perfect season when Adam Vinatieri’s 55-yard field goal with 6:13 remaining gave Indianapolis a 27-24 victory on Sunday. Cornerback Darius Butler then intercepted a Peyto... More »
Roberto Castro was able to finish just six holes of his third round at the rain-lashed Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday before darkness fell but will have a one-stroke lead to defend when the remainder of the tournament is completed on Monday. Torrential... More »
(The Sports Xchange) – It’s easy for the Carolina Panthers to focus on the results these days after another key victory with a dicey ending. “It felt great how we played because we stopped them at the end,” defensive end Kony Ealy said. “But we have to learn h... More »
WASHINGTONRepublican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Sunday pushed back against media reports questioning his veracity, even as rival Donald Trump asserted Carson needed to explain a number of things he has said regarding recollections about West Point an... More »
BALTIMOREFor many who knew Ben Carson in Baltimore, his U.S. presidential candidacy comes as a surprise. Over more than three decades as a Baltimore resident ending in 2013, Carson – now a front-runner in the race for the Republican Party nomination – rarely s... More »
LONDONBritish finance minister George Osborne will spell out on Monday the first set of spending cuts to be imposed on government departments as part of an overall 37 billion-pound ($56 billion) austerity plan to turn Britain’s deficit into a surplus by 2020. ... More »
LONDONA report by the World Anti-Doping Agency on Monday is set to deepen an athletics scandal that, according to one of the document’s authors, eclipses even the alleged corruption at soccer’s governing body FIFA. According to leaks to a French investigative ... More »
Honda hit back at Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi after he accused their Spanish rider Marc Marquez of behaving like a ‘bodyguard’ to ensure compatriot Jorge Lorenzo won the MotoGP world championship in Valencia on Sunday. Lorenzo, Rossi’s team mate, had been the onl... More »
FAJARDO, Puerto RicoRepublican presidential candidate Ben Carson endorsed U.S. statehood for Puerto Rico on Sunday, citing its “very strategic” location for military defense. Speaking at a convention for Puerto Rican gubernatorial candidate Ricardo Rossello, a... More »
LONDONArsenal’s hopes of leapfrogging Premier League leaders Manchester City were frustrated when they drew 1-1 with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday after City’s surprising 0-0 draw with bottom club Aston Villa. Tottenham, who moved up to fifth, had ... More »
NEW YORKThe number of videos viewed each day on Snapchat has tripled since May to 6 billion as the messaging app closes the gap with social media giant Facebook Inc, according to a report in the Financial Times that cites people close to the company. The Finan... More »
NEW YORKDonald Trump’s appearance as guest host of “Saturday Night Live” helped the TV comedy sketch show earn its highest viewership ratings since 2012, the NBC television network said on Sunday. The show, which came under fire from Latino groups for inviting... More »
PARISNovak Djokovic’s already brilliant season took on another dimension on Sunday when the world number one became the first man to win six Masters titles in a calendar year by dismissing Andy Murray 6-2 6-4 in Paris. The Serbian won three of the four grand s... More »
WASHINGTON“Socialist” has long been a dirty word in American politics, a slur thrown at liberals that evokes Cold War-era images of bread lines, government-controlled economies and authoritarian regimes. But 2016 Democratic White House hopeful Bernie Sanders h... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – James Bond and Charlie Brown brought the box office roaring back to life, as “Spectre” and “The Peanuts Movie” attracted big crowds over their opening weekends. “Spectre,” the latest 007 adventure, took first place, debuting to $73... More »
WASHINGTONRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Sunday that rival Ben Carson would have to explain a number of things about his West Point and youth recollections, which have come under scrutiny. “He’s going to have to explain a lot of things ... More »
NEW YORKCandidate Donald Trump on Saturday satirized his imaginary presidency with a Washington Monument covered in gold mirrors and policy agenda made of magic in his turn as host of comedy show “Saturday Night Live.” The Republican front runner steered clear... More »
SAN FRANCISCOApple Inc (AAPL.O) defeated a U.S. class action lawsuit brought by Apple retail workers over bag search practices at the company’s California brick and mortar outlets, according to a court ruling on Saturday. The decision, from U.S. District Judge... More »
WASHINGTONHillary Clinton on Saturday called for looser federal regulations governing marijuana, to boost scientific research on a drug that many tout for relieving pain, among other medical benefits, according to media reports. Speaking at a campaign event in... More »
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK/YANGONWestern banks are cutting trade finance in Myanmar after learning that part of the country’s main port is controlled by a man blacklisted by Washington, threatening to stop nascent U.S. economic ties with the Southeast Asian nation in... More »
TOKYOActivist investor Daniel Loeb, famously branded a carpet-bagger by actor George Clooney, has turned from bruiser to charmer in Japan, where he has added diversified retailer Seven & I Holdings to his portfolio. Sources familiar with the situation say Loeb... More »
CHICAGO/MEXICO CITYMonsanto Co on Friday denied that plantings of its genetically modified soybeans have impacted bees, led to deforestation or caused damage to the honey production industry in two Mexican states. Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked a ... More »
NEW YORKRapper Busta Rhymes pleaded guilty to a non-criminal harassment charge on Friday for throwing a protein drink at an employee at a New York City gym, prosecutors said. Rhymes, whose real name is Trevor Tahiem Smith Jr., was arrested in August and charge... More »
SAN FRANCISCOMobile payments company Square Inc set a price range on Friday for its highly anticipated initial public offering that values the company at up to $4.2 billion, a 30 percent discount to its valuation at its last fundraising round. San Francisco-ba... More »
Merck & Co’s drug to reverse the effects of muscle relaxants used in surgery is safe and effective enough to warrant approval, an independent panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. The drug, which goes by the chemical name of sugammadex, has repe... More »
NEW YORKVerizon Communications Inc is exploring a sale of its enterprise assets which could be worth as much as $10 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, as the largest U.S. wireless carrier seeks to focus on its core business. The sale would ... More »
WASHINGTONThe U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear appeals brought by Christian groups demanding full exemption from the requirement to provide insurance covering contraception under President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. The nine justices w... More »
DUBLINIrish women are tweeting details of their periods to Prime Minister Enda Kenny to help publicise a campaign to repeal restrictive abortion laws. Abortion is a divisive issue in Ireland where, after large street protests from both sides of the debate, a c... More »
NEW YORKAngelina Jolie and Brad Pitt teamed up for the first time on screen in 10 years for “By The Sea” but Hollywood’s leading power couple on Friday got scathing early reviews for the movie, which some deemed a laborious vanity project. “By the Sea” was wri... More »
SAN FRANCISCOYouTube announced two new features Thursday for its Android app that expand the video site’s use of virtual reality, giving the new technology its biggest platform yet. The app now supports VR video – a format that gives viewers what the company s... More »
Activision Blizzard Inc has launched a film and TV studio to create original content based on its popular videogame franchises such as “Call of Duty” and “Hearthstone” in its latest push to expand beyond console-based games. Activision Blizzard Studios’ first ... More »
LONDON“If I Can Dream,” a collection of Elvis classics featuring orchestral reworkings by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This means Elvis now has more Number 1 albums in the UK than any other male solo artist, and puts him level with Madonna in second place... More »
NEW YORKWells Fargo & Co will likely need to issue an additional $20 billion to $40 billion of long-term debt to comply with new rules designed to help banks better weather a crisis, Chief Financial Officer John Shrewsberry said on Friday. The debt issuance wo... More »
LOS ANGELESWriting songs about love and heartbreak for his first album since divorcing model wife Heidi Klum was a “cathartic experience” for Seal. “7”, released on Friday, is the 52-year old musician’s first album in four years and comes after he and German-b... More »
LONDONThe man who will become the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station said on Friday he hoped his mission would inspire young Britons to one day journey to Mars. Tim Peake, 43, a former army major, will blast off on a six-month mis... More »
LONDONBanks struggled again to make money trading bonds, currencies and commodities in the third quarter, as regulatory changes squeezed liquidity and intensified the pressure to cut costs, staff and activity. Revenue and profit fell for most of the world’s ma... More »
NEW YORKDoubleLine Capital co-founder Jeffrey Gundlach, widely followed for his investment calls, warned on Thursday that the U.S. Federal Reserve should not raise rates in December as economic and financial conditions have become vulnerable. Gundlach said the... More »
ATHENSGreece’s parliament approved early Friday a bill with reforms prescribed by the country’s international lenders, ahead of a euro zone finance ministers meeting in three days which will decide if Athens qualifies for fresh bailout funds. Greece needs to l... More »
Banks’ exposure to junk-rated companies and the oil and gas sector remains high, according to an annual report on loan quality by U.S. bank regulators released Thursday. The regulators gave a negative classification to $372.6 billion out of $3.9 trillion in lo... More »
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.U.S. space agency NASA has dropped Boeing Co (BA.N) from a multibillion-dollar competition to fly cargo to the International Space Station and will delay selecting one or more winners for about two months, officials said on Thursday. Losing... More »
BRUSSELSThe euro zone may need to spend only 10 billion euros or less to help recapitalize Greek banks, a senior EU official said, after an ECB test showed the sector would need an extra 14.4 billion euros of capital if major risks materialized. Euro zone cred... More »
LONDONEuro zone private business growth remained tepid last month but activity in China’s services industry expanded at its fastest pace in three months, easing concerns about persistent weakness in its economy, surveys showed on Wednesday. There was little si... More »
