News Archive - 7 August 2015

>The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, started an investigation in April and had sent out questionnaires to several record labels seeking information about their dealings with Apple.The investigation did not turn up evidence of any illegal activity, but the European Union will continue to monitor...

>Typhoon Soudelor made landfall early in the morning on the island's east-coast counties of Yilan and Hualien, bringing up to 1,000 mm (39 inches) of rain in mountainous northeastern areas and wind gusting up to 200 kph (124 mph). "This is one of the worst typhoons I have ever seen,"...

>Exports slumped 8.3 percent from a year earlier, weaker than expectations for a 1 percent decline in a Reuters poll, and reversing a 2.8 percent gain in June.Imports fell 8.1 percent, in line with expectations of an 8 percent drop, after a 6.1 percent decline...

>WASHINGTON Democrats said on Friday that they would have enough votes to ensure that the U.S.-led international nuclear deal with Iran survives review by Congress, despite influential Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer saying he would vote against it.A spokesman for Senator Dick Durbin, who counts Democratic votes as...

>LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON The Republican candidates' debate on Fox News Channel attracted 24 million viewers, more than double the prior record for a presidential primary forum, with social media data suggestingcombative billionaire Donald Trump was the main attraction.Viewership for the raucous 10-way debate was the highest non-sports telecast in cable...

>NEW YORK Republican Carly Fiorina moved fast on Friday to capitalize on a profile-raising debate performance, appealing to potential donors and urging grassroots supporters to open their wallets for her underdog 2016 White House bid.The former business executive and only woman in the 17-strong Republican presidential field won rave...

>The changes may be announced when the company names a permanent CEO, Bloomberg said.The change is intended to make the board more diverse. The board may expanded or shuffled to represent directors from diverse backgrounds, such as minorities and those with experience in adjacent industries, including advertising and e-commerce,...

>Maritime stocks have broadly fallen this year as weak demand for some commodities and goods in Asia and oversupply of ships have hurt much of the industry, with one notable exception: Oil tankers have been doing a booming business and their shares are up as much as 50 percent year...

>The company's shares jumped as much as 7 percent to $80.14 in regular trading, after Bloomberg reported that ValueAct had built a $1 billion stake and was seeking "shareholder-friendly" changes. (bloom.bg/1MSB6w7)At that price, the company is valued at about $80 billion. AmEx is not yet a core active...

>FRANKFURT German salt and fertilizer company K+S AG (SDFGn.DE) once again rejected Potash Corp of Saskatchewan's (POT.TO) takeover offer on Friday, saying the Canadian company's assurances about maintaining jobs and mine sites in Germany were unreliable.Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based Potash Corp sent an unsolicited letter to K+S's management and...

>LONDON Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) is considering investing billions in Brazil, set to become a focal point after the planned acquisition of BG Group (BG.L), even as it prepares to sell huge chunks of its business to pay for the $70 billion deal.Despite a broad drive to...

>President Barack Obama's hopes of preserving the nuclear deal were dealt a blow on Thursday when New York's Schumer came out against it even as the White House tried to draw attention to other lawmakers who are backing the agreement.Earnest told reporters that the Obama administration worked closely with...

>CLEVELAND Donald Trump’s caustic confrontation with Fox News Channel presenter Megyn Kelly at Thursday’s Republican presidential debate couldn’t have come at a less opportune time for a party trying to increase its appeal to women voters.Kelly, a debate moderator, grilled Trump on his history of debasing statements about women.

>Cablevision Systems Corp's transition to a "connectivity company" seems to be paying off as it added more Internet data customers and lost fewer video subscribers than expected in the second quarter.But the company, controlled by New York's Dolan family, had to sacrifice margins to stem the loss of video...

>The shelling killed a National Guard soldier in the southern Saudi border area of Nijran, according to a statement on SPA by the Arab coalition which has been bombing Houthi militia and army units loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, which control much of Yemen, since March 26.

>BAMAKO Suspected Islamist militants attacked a hotel in central Mali used by U.N. staff, killing at least six people, taking others hostage and holding off troops encircling the building on Friday, residents and military sources said.A Russian and a Ukrainian were among those being held inside the Byblos...

>KABUL A suicide bomber killed dozens of cadets at a Kabul police academy and insurgents struck an area near a U.S. special forces base on Friday in a wave of attacks in the Afghan capital that began with a huge early morning truck bomb explosion.The attacks came just...

>NEW YORK Crude oil dipped on Friday, plumbing multi-month lows and heading for a sixth straight week of losses, as the approaching end of the U.S. summer driving season suggested a growing surplus in gasoline supply.Oilfield services firm Baker Hughes' report that the U.S. oil rig count...

>PARIS The search for clues to whether the Federal Reserve will raise U.S. interest rates in September for the first time in nearly a decade is set to intensify next week.U.S. employment rose at a steady clip in July and wages rebounded after unexpectedly stalling in June,...

>Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) is nearing a deal to buy a minority stake in U.S. organic juice company Suja Life LLC, people familiar with the matter said on Friday, as the soft drink giant tries to identify the next big hit with consumers. Carbonated beverages have suffered from slow...

>The refinery, which supplies 50 percent of the jet fuel used by Los Angeles International Airport, is aiming to halve nitrogen oxide emissions by 2020, a goal set by the local air pollution control agency.U.S. companies are spending more to reduce emissions as the Obama administration steps up...

>"I haven't seen any serious economist say that that is within the realm of possibility," White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jason Furman told CNBC. "The debate we should be having is not targets no economist thinks we can hit but are we doing everything we possibly can to...

>British online gambling company GVC Holdings Plc raised its offer to buy rival Bwin.party Digital Entertainment Plc for a second time in two weeks, hoping to persuade the company to reject 888 Holdings Plc's offer.GVC's latest offer, backed by U.S. private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, is...

>The same hackers had targeted insurer Anthem Inc (ANTM.N) in February and the U.S. government's personnel office in June, Bloomberg reported on Friday. The group had also hacked the systems of another U.S. airline operator United Continental Holdings Inc (UAL.N) in May or early June, Bloomberg...

>UNITED NATIONS The U.N. Security Council on Friday unanimously passed a resolution asking U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and the head of the global anti-chemical weapons watchdog to prepare a plan to set up an inquiry to identify those behind chemical weapons attacks in Syria's civil war.Attributing responsibility...

>ATHENS/GENEVA Greece's infrastructure cannot handle the thousands of people landing on its shores from places like war-torn Syria and Afghanistan and needs European Union help, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday. "Now is the time to see if the EU is the EU of solidarity or an EU that...

>HANOI U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed confidence on Friday that an ambitious Pacific trade pact could be completed this year and said a recent nuclear deal with Iran proved hurdles in international agreements could be overcome.Kerry said many challenges remained in thrashing out a Trans-Pacific Partnership...

>BRUSSELS Senior EU officials will confer by telephone late on Friday on progress in negotiations between Greece and its international creditors on a third bailout for the near-bankrupt euro zone country with Germany reported to be warning against haste.Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is trying to force the pace...

>Asked about an Aug. 18 vote for disbursement of aid, Olga Gerovasili told Parapolitika radio: "Yes, it is the scheduled time frame and I believe that it will be followed." "Based on what has taken place so far, there is a good climate in the talks and in the...

>U.S. stocks fell in early trading on Friday, with the major indexes poised to close in the red for the week, after solid job growth in July pointed to an improving economy, opening the door wider for an interest rate hike in September.Wall Street, however, took a dim...