News Archive - 9 September 2015

>WASHINGTON Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton will promise on Wednesday to strictly enforce the nuclear deal with Iran and curb the Islamic Republic's regional ambitions if she wins the November 2016 election.In a speech to a Washington think tank, the former secretary of state will reiterate her support for...

>WASHINGTON A rebellion by conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday delayed the first congressional vote on the nuclear agreement with Iran and raised the possibility that lawmakers might never vote on a resolution disapproving of the pact.The House was supposed to vote on a procedural motion...

>House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who supports President Barack Obama's efforts to win congressional approval of the Iran deal, has predicted that Republican attempts to cripple the agreement will fail.It was not yet clear how many undecided House Democrats will be swayed by Hoyer's announcement. Out of the 188...

>SYDNEY HNA Group, owner of Hainan Airlines, is planning the first Islamic financing deal by a mainland Chinese company, highlighting a growing push by China's private firms to find funding overseas as domestic loans remain scarce and costly.The shipping and airlines conglomerate plans to raise up to $150 million...

>"We could not cut through the multi-million dollar smoke screen created by a single interest group with a singular motive and a bottomless war chest," said State Senate Democratic Leader Kevin De Leon, who was joined by Governor Jerry Brown and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins at the evening news conference.

>Tsai said in an interview with Reuters investors should take a long-term view of the stock rather than looking for a quarter-to-quarter pop. Despite fears of a Chinese economic slowdown crippling consumption, Tsai said the country's consumers are "very, very healthy". (Reporting by John Ruwitch and Paul Carsten)...

>SAN FRANCISCO Uber has lost another legal round in the dispute over whether its drivers are independent contractors or employees, an issue that threatens the core of the ride-hailing company's business model.The California Employment Development Department (EDD) determined that a former Uber driver in Southern California was an employee,...

>Li told the World Economic Forum in Dalian in northeastern China that he was confident that the government would achieve its main economic targets this year. China will take steps to expand domestic demand and will implement policies to boost imports. (Reporting By Gerry Shih, Writing by Kevin Yao; Editing...

>YANGON Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will take her campaign straight to the camp of a close presidential ally on Thursday as she tours the country ahead of Myanmar's first general election since the end of military rule.Suu Kyi will visit three towns in Kayah, a sparsely...

>The comments by the billionaire real estate developer published in an article on the website of Rolling Stone magazine were aimed at the only woman in the large field of Republicans vying for their party's 2016 presidential nomination.The magazine reported that Trump, leading in the polls among the Republican...

>RIO DE JANEIRO Standard & Poor's downgraded Brazil's credit rating to junk grade on Wednesday, further hampering President Dilma Rousseff's efforts to regain investors' trust and pull Latin America's largest economy out of recession.The faster-than-anticipated downgrade from investment grade will likely rock Brazilian financial markets on Thursday and will...

>The producer price index (PPI) fell 5.9 percent in August from the same period last year, its 42nd consecutive month of decline and the biggest drop since the depths of the global financial crisis in late 2009, data showed on Thursday.The market had expected a decline of 5.

>SINGAPORE Crude oil prices slipped a fraction in early trading on Thursday as shrinking Japanese machinery orders fueled concerns that weak levels of investment could further erode already slow growth in Asia.Japan's core machinery orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of capital spending in the...

>Nasdaq Chief Executive Robert Greifeld said in July he was delighted to have snared one of the hottest technology IPOs of the year. There was just one problem - the deal was not in the bag.That became very apparent on Wednesday when the business technology startup Pure Storage said...

>Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter Inc and its current chief executive, has assured investors and key employees that he will also remain Square's chief executive, Bloomberg said. (bloom.bg/1UHYXyh)At this point, the timing of Square's IPO is more contingent on market conditions than on whether Dorsey remains its CEO, Bloomberg...

>ST. LOUIS U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday vowed to invest aggressively in innovative research programs and protect funding for new space, cyber and electronic warfare weapons, despite what he called a "terribly disgraceful era of budget turmoil."Carter told a conference sponsored by DARPA, the Pentagon's research...

>SAN FRANCISCO Apple Inc (AAPL.O) unveiled a new TV set top box that responds to voice commands and fresh iPhones that sense the pressure of a finger tap, changes which underwhelmed many social media commenters and investors.The new 6S and 6S Plus versions of the iPhone, Apple's biggest...

>TOKYO Japanese machinery orders unexpectedly fell for a second straight month in July, fuelling concerns that weak business investment could undermine a recovery from an economic contraction in the second quarter..Core machinery orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of capital spending in the coming six...

>XPO's offer of $47.60 per Con-way share in cash represents a premium of nearly 34 percent to the stock's close on Wednesday. (Reporting by Yashaswini Swamynathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)...

>The deal is expected to help Sun Life's U.S. group benefits business to grow by more than 50 percent to about $4 billion, the company said on Wednesday. Assurant had said in April it was looking at strategic alternatives for its employee benefits business as it narrowed its focus...

>WASHINGTON A U.S. judge said on Wednesday congressional Republicans could move forward with parts of a lawsuit that alleges executive overreach by President Barack Obama's administration in implementing his signature healthcare law.U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer, appointed by former President George W. Bush, a Republican, said the...

>Upstate New York health insurer Excellus BlueCross BlueShield on Wednesday said its computer systems and those at affiliates had been breached, exposing data from more than 10 million members, in the latest case to show the industry is still struggling to ward off hackers.The Rochester-based insurer said it and...

>Solera is nearing a deal to sell itself for about $53 per share, which would value the company at about $3.6 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. (bloom.bg/1KEBsqz)A strategic company might have also submitted a bid, Bloomberg reported. An offer of $53 per share would represent a premium of...

>WASHINGTON Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush laid out a tax reform proposal on Wednesday that he touted as encouraging U.S. businesses abroad to bring jobs home and avoiding erecting protectionist walls that he said are backed by rival Donald Trump.Bush, fighting for position in a Republican field now...

>The maker of firewalls that prevent data breaches and block malware and viruses also reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue and profit on Wednesday.The company's shares rose about 6 percent in extended trading.Palo Alto said it expected an adjusted profit of 31-32 cents per share and revenue of $280 million-$284...

>NEW YORK Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) asked a federal appeals court on Wednesday to block the U.S. government from forcing the company to hand over a customer's emails stored on an Irish server, warning that the precedent would create a "global free-for-all" that eviscerates personal privacy.The case, the...

>Box expects full year revenue of $295 million to $297 million, up from $286 million to $290 million, it said in a statement on Wednesday.Analysts on average were expecting revenue of $289.6 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.Shares of the company, whose customers include AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.

>MILAN Barclays (BARC.L) is in talks to sell Italian performing mortgages worth 4 billion euros ($4.46 billion), two sources with knowledge of the matter said, as the British bank presses ahead with the sale of European assets.Potential bidders have a Thursday deadline to submit binding offers, they...

>The House was on a path to vote later on Wednesday on the rule for debating the measure, a procedural step that would have cleared the way for passing the resolution of disapproval later this week.Now, Republican leaders are weighing other legislation as well, instead of the disapproval bill,...

>SOLOTI, Russia Russia has started to build a huge military base housing ammunition depots and barracks for several thousand soldiers near the Ukrainian border, a project that suggests the Kremlin is digging in for a prolonged stand-off with Kiev.The base, when completed, will even have its own swimming pool,...

>MOSCOW/BEIRUT/WASHINGTON Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation there said on Wednesday.The sources, speaking to Reuters on condition they not be identified, gave the most forthright account yet from the region...

>JOHANNESBURG A slump in commodity prices and flight by global investors from risky "frontier" markets has hammered currencies and state budgets across Africa, increasing dollar borrowing costs and raising the prospect of political instability.From Nigeria and Ghana in the west to Kenya in the east and South Africa and...

>Hillary Clinton still led the field but with a reduced margin in the Monmouth University poll released on Tuesday. The U.S. secretary of state had 42 percent support, down from 52 percent in August, while Biden had 22 percent backing and Sanders 20 percent. Biden, who has not said...

>The two U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the intent of Russia's military moves in Syria remained unclear. One of the officials said initial indications suggested the focus was on preparing an airfield near the port city of Latakia, a stronghold of Syrian President...

>Barnes & Noble Inc, the largest U.S. bookstore chain, reported a decline in sales for the fifth successive quarter as lower demand for its Nook tablets and online books compounded a protracted slump in sales at its stores.The company's shares fell as much as 16.6 percent on...

>Oscar Munoz, a UAL board member, is stepping down from his job as chief operating officer of railroad company CSX Corp (CSX.N). Two other senior UAL executives have also left the company as a result of the probe involving the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.UAL...

>KKR & Co LP (KKR) will acquire a stake in one of Europe's biggest hedge fund operators Marshall Wace, the private equity firm said on Wednesday, raising its bets on the rapidly growing $3 trillion industry.KKR will acquire a 24.9 percent stake in the $22 billion hedge fund...

>WASHINGTON An influential conservative group is calling on Republican presidential candidates to vow they will veto any future funding for women's healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, which is under fire from abortion opponents. In a letter seen by Reuters that is being sent to all party hopefuls in the 2016 White...

>The company's shares fell 3.4 percent to $29.85 in premarket trading on Wednesday. At least eight brokerages cut their price targets on the stock, but kept their recommendations unchanged.Yahoo said on Tuesday the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) denied its request for a private letter ruling...

>American war aircraft and remotely piloted drones still carry out strikes in Afghanistan, targeting Taliban and other militants even after most foreign forces withdrew at the end of last year. If proven, the incident would be one of the deadliest recent instances of "friendly fire", after at least eight Afghan...

>STRASBOURG European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker urged EU governments on Wednesday to accept a mandatory system to share out a wave of refugees fleeing war and poverty but also promised to improve frontier defenses and deport more illegal migrants.In his first State of the Union address to the European...

>DALIAN, China/SHANGHAI China has fended off the major risks to its financial system while its economic prospects remain positive, Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday, as he tried to reassure global markets that Beijing can keep its economy on track and stock markets in check."The government took measures to...

>SAN FRANCISCO With its highly profitable iPhone due for an upgrade, Apple is expected to unveil a pair of new handsets at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, analysts say, in addition to showing off a larger iPad and an updated Apple TV.When Apple executives take the stage...

>U.S. stock index futures rose sharply on Wednesday as positive comments from Chinese officials kept alive hopes of further stimulus measures for the economy calmed investors.China's Ministry of Finance said the government will strengthen fiscal policy, boost infrastructure spending and speed up reform of its tax system, adding...

>The company said it listed assets of more than $100 million and liabilities of more than $500 million in the filing.The European and Asia-Pacific businesses are not part of the filing as those "operations remain strong," Quiksilver said.Quiksilver added that holders of its Eurobonds, sufficient to waive any...

>The move is part of the U.S.-based streaming pioneer's global expansion plans. By the end of 2016, Netflix plans to reach 200 countries, including China, where it said it was "continuing to explore options."The streaming service will be available at launch on smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, computers...

>WASHINGTON Ted Cruz is languishing in the Republican primary race and hoping an unusual move will give him a boost: embracing Donald Trump instead of bashing him to get his message in front of more Republican voters.The two White House rivals will share a rally stage Wednesday afternoon in...

>"We negotiated with the U.S. on the nuclear issue for specific reasons. (The Americans) behaved well in the talks, but we didn't and we won't allow negotiation with the Americans on other issues." Ayatollah Khamenei was quoted as saying. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Toby Chopra)...

>SINGAPORE/TAIPEI By adding a more realistic sense of touch to its iPhone, Apple Inc (AAPL.O) may have conquered a technology that has long promised to take us beyond merely feeling the cold glass of our mobile device screens.In its latest iPhones, Apple is expected to include what it calls Force Touch, allowing users to...

>Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, said the experts were assisting with Russian arms deliveries to Syria which Moscow says are aimed at combating terrorism. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Alexander Winning)...

>"China has contributed around 30 percent of the world's economic growth," Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said at the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Swiss-based corporate think-tank which runs the Davos summit of world leaders.The speech at the forum in Dalian was broadcast...