News Archive - 13 January 2016

>DUBAI/WASHINGTON Iran freed 10 U.S. sailors on Wednesday, a day after detaining them aboard two U.S. Navy patrol boats in the Gulf, bringing a swift end to an incident that had rattled nerves just before the expected implementation of a landmark nuclear accord.Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps...

>The White House attracted pungent waggery on Wednesday after using the arcane theme of a big block of cheese to lure people into a post-State of the Union online conversation with administration officials. The social media event was inspired by President Andrew Jackson's 1837 open house featuring a 1,400-pound block...

>It said Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants carried out the attack on a police station and police accommodation in the Cinar district of Diyarbakir around 11:30 pm (1830 ET). (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Miral Fahmy)...

>Media said six bombs went off and a Reuters witness saw three dead people and a gunfight going on.One blast was in a Starbucks cafe and security forces were later seen entering the building."The Starbucks cafe windows are blown out. I see three dead people on the road.

>SINGAPORE/SYDNEY The Canadian dollar fell to its lowest level since April 2003 on Thursday as oil prices extended losses, while the Indonesian rupiah slipped after militant attacks in Jakarta.The rupiah fell about 1 percent against the dollar at one point to as low as 13,960 IDR=ID after several explosions...

>SHANGHAI Chinese stocks and the yuan slipped despite the efforts of the authorities on Thursday, as the gloom in global markets obscured signs that China's economy may not be weakening as fast as some investors had feared.China's central bank set a firmer mid-point rate for the yuan, signaling determination...

>DETROIT A looming slowdown in global auto demand will test U.S. automakers General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co as they try to funnel more cash to shareholders while still investing adequately in new vehicles and technology.At a conference on the sidelines of the Detroit auto show, the...

>The loan does not appear in reports the Ted Cruz for Senate Committee filed with the FEC, in which candidates are required to disclose the source of money they borrow to finance their campaigns, the newspaper reported.Other campaigns have been fined for failing to make such disclosures, which are...

>Brownback, a Republican, said in his state of the state address on Tuesday that he would direct the state health secretary to ensure that no taxpayer money go to Planned Parenthood, which he said trafficked in baby body parts."No longer will we send the money of hard-working Kansans to...

>Separately, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) also reiterated that the transition toward a U.S.-style registration system for initial public offerings would be a gradual process and will not lead to a surge in IPOs.The statements, published via CSRC's official microblog, came after the Shanghai benchmark index .

>TOKYO Crude oil fell in Asian trade on Thursday, with Brent marking another 12-year low amid gloom over a world awash with supply and concerns about global economic growth hitting equity markets.Brent LCOc1 dropped as far as $29.73, the lowest since February 2004 and down more than 1.

>TOKYO Asian shares skidded on Thursday, taking their cue from steep losses on Wall Street as an overnight rout in oil prices heightened worries about the global economy. U.S. crude prices CLc1 were up 0.8 percent at $30.72 a barrel, but still not far from Tuesday's nadir...

>"The subsequently received offers will now be analyzed in detail," Bilfinger said in a statement released at midnight.It did not provide details of the bidders or the price. (Reporting by Victoria Bryan)...

>WASHINGTON President Barack Obama's State of the Union pledge to better manage fossil fuel development will face a test within days, when federal officials rule on whether to open public lands containing more than 600 million tons of coal to more mining.Interior Department officials are due to decide Jan.

>OMAHA, Neb. President Barack Obama visited a young family in their suburban Nebraska living room on Wednesday, the first stop on what the White House said will be a year-long tour to talk before he leaves office about fixing the country's polarized politics.His trip to Nebraska, a Republican "red...

>NEW YORK General Electric Co said on Wednesday it will move its global headquarters to Boston, tapping the city's technology talent and likely lowering its tax bill as the industrial conglomerate seeks to lift profit and emphasize digital capabilities.The maker of aircraft engines, locomotives, power turbines and household appliances...

>The North's nuclear test on Wednesday last week angered both China and the United States and again raised questions about what can be done to stop its development of nuclear weapons.Senior defense officials of South Korea and China will meet in Seoul in an annual forum and discuss a...

>NEW YORK Bank stocks could experience a short-term pop later this week when big names such as JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), Citigroup (C.N) and Wells Fargo (WFC.N) post quarterly results, analysts said. Banks in general have become attractively valued after a downturn in December and a selloff to...

>CHICAGO No. 3 U.S. railroad CSX Corp does not see any compelling benefits stemming from mergers of major railroads in North America and fears regulatory burdens could be attached to the approval of deals that would add to the cost of doing business, the railroad's top executive said on...

>The current fiscal year-to-date deficit stood at $216 billion, according to the Treasury's monthly budget statement. Receipts last month totaled $350 billion, while outlays were at $364 billion. Accounting for calendar adjustments, December would have shown a surplus of $38 billion compared to an adjusted surplus of $19 billion for...

>WASHINGTON Jan 13 - The U.S. economy continued to show mixed signals from late November to early January, with improvements in the labor market and consumer spending offset by the drag of a strong dollar and low energy prices, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday.U.S. economic activity...

>David Tepper-led hedge fund Appaloosa Management LP sued to prevent SunEdison Inc's (SUNE.N) yieldco from buying some of Vivint Solar Inc's (VSLR.N) assets after SunEdison acquires the rooftop panel installer.The yieldco, TerraForm Power Inc (TERP.O), is to acquire Vivint's residential solar rooftop portfolio for $799 million...

>Kerry said the expansion will offer vulnerable Central Americans "a safe and legal alternative to the dangerous journey many are currently tempted to begin, making them easy prey for human smugglers who have no interest but their own profits."In a speech at the National Defense University, Kerry said called...

>The measure passed by 191 to 106, almost entirely along party lines, with almost every yes vote coming from Republicans and almost ever no for Democrats. Nearly a third of the House, 137 members, did not vote. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle)...

>Michel Demare said last month Syngenta was in talks with ChemChina, Monsanto (MON.N) and others. When asked about the prospect of Syngenta possibly becoming a Chinese company, Demare said: "We are at a stage where we are looking at different combinations. I'm just saying it's one of them. Everybody...

>U.S. chipmaker Atmel Corp said it considered Microchip Technology Inc's $3.42 billion cash-and-stock proposal superior to an offer from Dialog Semiconductor Plc.Atmel said on Wednesday that Microchip had offered $7.00 per share in cash and $1.15 in Microchip stock, totaling $8.15 per share.Atmel...

>MIAMI A U.S. government cyber security official warned that authorities have seen an increase in attacks that penetrate industrial control system networks over the past year, and said they are vulnerable because they are exposed to the Internet.Industrial control systems are computers that control operations of industrial processes,...

>Uber's main global entity received the rest of the money, though the company did not specify how much each unit got. The details were reported by Chinese media on Wednesday and confirmed by an Uber spokeswoman.Previously unreported Chinese investors include China Minsheng Banking Corp, real estate developer China Vanke...

>In the Rolling Stone article published on Saturday Penn wrote that Chapo said he was world's largest provider of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. In an interview with Reuters, lawyer Juan Pablo Badillo said he was sure that Guzman did not say that. (Reporting by Simon Gardner, Anahi Rama, Ana...

>The mortgage industry group said its gauge on overall mortgage application activities rose 21.3 percent to 398.5 in the week ended Jan. 8 on a seasonally adjusted basis from a week earlier.This was the largest increase since a 25.5 percent gain in early October, according to...

>Volkswagen said on Wednesday it "sincerely and honestly" apologized for breaking the trust of the American public, as its chief executive tried to agree a fix with U.S. authorities for hundreds of thousands of cars rigged to cheat emissions tests.CEO Matthias Mueller, on his first U.S. visit...

>Shaw Communications, whose media assets were separated to form Corus in 1999, will get about C$1.85 billion in cash and 71 million of Corus class B shares, which closed at C$11.21 on Tuesday.The deal will result in a "combined portfolio with significant scale, including 45 specialty television...

>SAN FRANCISCO When Cisco introduces its latest product on Wednesday, a tool for monitoring how employees use third-party software, it aims to bolster its offerings in the “cloud,” meaning Internet-delivered services. It also has information technology specialists like Robert Florescu in mind.The head of Information technology at New York...

>Calling the Fed's first-in-a-decade rate hike in December "uneventful" so far, Rosengren said much of the news since then has not been good.The rout in China's stock market, weak oil prices and other factors are "furthering the concern that global growth has slowed significantly," Rosengren told the Greater Boston...

>DETROIT General Motors Co (GM.N) said on Wednesday it will return cash to shareholders by raising its stock buyback program by 80 percent to $9 billion and increasing its dividend by 6 percent, sending shares up 4.3 percent in premarket trading.GM also raised its 2016 earnings per...

>U.S. stock index futures were higher on Wednesday after positive trade data out of China boost investor sentiment and helped crude oil stage a modest recovery.* China exports fell just 1.4 percent in December, much less than the expected 8 percent drop, allaying some concerns about the...

>Qualcomm Global Trading Pte Ltd will hold 51 percent of the new venture RF360 Holdings, while the remaining 49 percent will be owned by EPCOS AG, a subsidiary of TDK, the companies said on Wednesday.As part of the deal, module design and manufacturing assets, plus related patents will be...

>There were 298,407 utility patents granted in 2015, down slightly from 2014, IFI Claims said on Wednesday. IBM gained 7,355 patents last year. Utility patents cover function rather than design.Among the technology giants notable for their intellectual property, Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google stepped up its patent activity, moving...

>A suicide bomber thought to have crossed recently from Syria killed nine German and one Peruvian tourists on Tuesday in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet Square, a major tourist draw, in an attack Turkey blamed on Islamic State. Fifteen people were also hurt in the attack.Russia's Consulate General in the Mediterranean...