Datasets:

BEE-spoke-data

/

financial-news-articles-filtered

like 0

Why the dollar's decline could be here to stay

With the dollar index trading near a three-year low, one strategist sees further downside looming against major currencies like the euro . Though the dollar index recovered some of its losses on Tuesday and Wednesday, it traded near its lowest levels since January 2015, just above the 90 mark. Pressure on the greenback likely will continue, said Kathy Lien, managing director of foreign exchange strategy at BK Asset Management. Here are her reasons why. • The U.S. dollar is falling as U.S. equities come under pressure after a remarkable rally, and U.S. Treasury yields haven't seen much of an uptick after surging last week. • What makes the dollar's decline durable, however, is global central banks' simultaneous shift toward tightening monetary policy. Last week, the European Central Bank said it was revisiting its monetary policy early this year, which were perceived as hawkish for the euro. • Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan earlier this month adjusted its bond purchases, sending the Japanese yen higher, and it was reported that the Chinese government was moving toward halting U.S. Treasury purchases. • The Federal Reserve has reiterated it plans to hike interest rates this year. Still, there's little question that central banks around the world are slowly catching up. Bottom line: The U.S. dollar may weaken further as central banks around the world tighten monetary policy and foreign currencies weigh on the greenback. Vote Vote to see results Total Votes: Not a Scientific Survey. Results may not total 100% due to rounding. Disclaimer

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/17/why-the-dollars-decline-could-be-here-to-stay.html

Israel says destroyed Gaza attack tunnel under Israel, Egypt borders

January 14, 2018 / 7:42 AM / Updated 3 hours ago Israel says it destroyed Gaza attack tunnel under Egyptian border Nidal al-Mughrabi , Maayan Lubell 4 Min Read GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli said on Sunday it had destroyed a cross-border attack tunnel that ran from Gaza into Israel and Egypt dug by Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Palestinian enclave, and that it would destroy all attack tunnels by the year’s end. Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas patrol near the border between Egypt and Gaza, in the southern Gaza Strip January 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa Residents in Gaza said Israeli jets bombed an area east of the southern town of Rafah, by the Egyptian and Israeli borders, late on Saturday night. Israel confirmed the attack immediately after, but gave no details until Sunday. There was no immediate comment from Hamas or Egypt, or any reports of casualties. Israel says it has developed new means which it has declined to disclose, to find tunnels. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman lauded the breakthrough in an interview on commercial television news, saying they would all be destroyed by the end of the year. “By the end of 2018, we will eliminate all the Hamas attack tunnels ... we may even manage to do this sooner, but the task is to destroy them all by the end of the year,” Lieberman said. Tensions have risen since President Donald Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy on Dec. 6 by recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Gaza militants have launched 18 cross-border rockets or mortar bombs, causing no fatalities or serious injuries in Israel, and 15 protesters and two gunmen have been killed by Israeli fire. The attacks from Gaza, which Israel has blamed on groups not affiliated with Hamas, have drawn Israeli air strikes, usually on targets that have been evacuated. “There are those who say the Israeli military attacks sand dunes - that is incorrect,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing criticism from lawmakers who have called for a stronger armed response, told reporters after the tunnel was targeted. Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas patrol near the border between Egypt and Gaza, in the southern Gaza Strip January 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa Netanyahu cautioned Hamas that Israel “will respond with even greater force” if rocket strikes continue. Israel has said Hamas, as the dominant force in Gaza, bears overall responsibility for any attacks from the enclave. But Yoav Galant, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, said on Army Radio that Israel is “not looking for confrontation with Hamas”. Nonetheless, he said Israel “could not abide by a situation in which Israelis are harmed by fire (from Gaza)”. Colonel Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, described the target hit on Saturday as 1.5 km (one mile)-lone “terror tunnel” running the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Israel, and into Egypt. Slideshow (3 Images) “It could also have served to transfer terrorists from the Gaza Strip into Egypt in order to attack Israeli targets from Egypt,” he said. Kerem Shalom, the main passage point for goods entering Gaza, was shut down on Saturday before the Israeli attack. Underground tunnels are used to smuggle in all manner of commercial goods to Gaza, and to bring in weapons for militants from Hamas and other groups. They have also been used by Hamas to launch attacks inside Israel. During the last Gaza war, in 2014, Hamas fighters used dozens of tunnels to blindside Israel’s superior forces. The Israeli military said it has destroyed three tunnels in the past two months. Israel has been constructing a sensor-equipped underground wall along the 60-km (36-mile) Gaza border, aiming to complete the $1.1 billion project by mid-2019. Additional reporting by Ori Lewis, Editing by Jeffrey Heller, Raissa Kasolowsky and David Evans

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-israel-palestinians-tunnel/israel-says-destroyed-gaza-attack-tunnel-under-israel-egypt-borders-idUKKBN1F307D

Edmund's forehand is best in the business, says Wilander

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Kyle Edmund has the most destructive forehand in tennis and it can power him into the world’s top 10, according to three-times Australian Open champion Mats Wilander. The 23-year-old Britain used his favorite weapon to devastating effect on Tuesday to subdue world number three Grigor Dimitrov and reach the semi-finals in Melbourne. Edmund rifled away 18 clean forehand winners, taking his tournament total on the stroke to 127, but even when Dimitrov did retrieve it there was usually more punishment to come. “It’s an unbelievable weapon,” Wilander, who got a close-up view of Edmund’s hammer while working as a commentator for Eurosport, told Reuters. ”It’s as good as anyone‘s. Actually I would say it’s the best forehand in the game. You can most probably push him to make mistakes but in terms of when he has time, for sure it’s the best forehand in the world. “In terms of hitting winners off a sitting duck in the middle of the court there is no one even close. (Juan Martin) Del Potro maybe, but Kyle has more wrist snap goes both ways.” Wilander insists 49th-ranked Edmund is no one-trick pony, though, as he showed during his 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory to become only the sixth British player to reach a grand slam semi-final in the professional era. “What really impressed me is that even with that weapon he still did other things, he hit the backhand hard and came to the net too, I thought it was a brilliant performance,” Wilander said. Edmund is not the only young gun to impress Wilander in Melbourne. South Korean Chung Hyeon, 21, could join Edmund in the semi-finals if he beats American surprise package Tennys Sandgren on Wednesday. Chung ground down six-times Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Monday with a sensational display of counter-punching tennis reminiscent of the Serb at his best. ”He was excellent, a great mover,“ Wilander said. ”It’s frightening that the way he moves is reminiscent of Djokovic at his best but somehow it’s more intimidating. ”He is thick-set, it must be intimidating to play against him. But he has a serve like mine! There is so much room for improvement. The most important shot in men’s tennis he is still a five out of 10. That’s a scary thought for the others. “He is doing all this without being a threat in his service games, but he’s learned to play the game around not having a great serve. We knew about (Alexander) Zverev and (Nick) Kyrgios, but now Chung has presented himself and it’s like ‘wait we forgot about this guy, he’s much better than we realized’.” Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tennis-ausopen-edmund-forehand/edmunds-forehand-is-best-in-the-business-says-wilander-idUSKBN1FC1AH

Emerson Schedules Webcast for First Quarter 2018 Results

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Emerson (NYSE: EMR) will report its first quarter 2018 results prior to market open on Tuesday, February 6, 2018. Emerson senior management will discuss the results during an investor conference call that same day, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 1:00 p.m. Central Time. All interested parties may listen to the live conference call by going to the Investors area of Emerson’s website at www.Emerson.com/financial and completing a brief registration form. A replay of the conference call will be available for three months following the webcast at the same location on the Emerson website. About Emerson Emerson (NYSE: EMR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and residential markets. Our Emerson Automation Solutions business helps process, hybrid, and discrete manufacturers maximize production, protect personnel and the environment while optimizing their energy and operating costs. Our Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions business helps ensure human comfort and health, protect food quality and safety, advance energy efficiency, and create sustainable infrastructure. For more information visit Emerson.com . View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180116005021/en/ For Emerson Patrick Kane, 314-982-8726 patrick.kane@fleishman.com Source: Emerson

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/business-wire-emerson-schedules-webcast-for-first-quarter-2018-results.html

Friendly fire kills 11 in Iraq air strike: Iraqi security sources

January 27, 2018 / 2:12 PM / in 3 hours Friendly fire kills 11 in Iraq air strike: Iraqi security sources Reuters Staff 2 Min Read BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Friendly fire from the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State killed 10 members of the Iraqi security forces and a local official in an air strike west of Baghdad on Saturday, Iraqi officials said. Early investigations indicated that Iraqi forces had called in an air strike against a local police force in the town of al-Baghdadi, 170 km (106 miles) north-west of Baghdad, assuming that they were militants, military and security officials said. The local police group hit by the strike had come to the area without coordinating with an Iraqi army detachment that had been sent there to arrest an Islamic State suspect, an Iraqi military spokesman said in a statement. The strike was called in after the army detachment arrested the suspect and withdrew from the area, he added. A spokesman of the U.S.-led international coalition said all its air strikes are carried out at the request of the Iraqi security forces. “Any and all support comes at request/approval of Iraq; NO unilateral coalition operations in Iraq,” said the spokesman, U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, in a tweet. The Iraqi government last month declared victory over Islamic State which had declared a “caliphate” over parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group has morphed back into an underground insurgency and continues to carry out attacks. Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Stephen Powell

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-security/friendly-fire-kills-11-in-iraq-air-strike-iraqi-security-sources-idUSKBN1FG0LJ

Euro falls below 87 vs sterling to lowest since June 2017 - Reuters

January 25, 2018 / 9:00 AM / in 12 hours Euro falls below 87 vs sterling to lowest since June 2017 Reuters Staff 1 Min Read LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The euro fell below the 87 pence mark against the sterling for the first time in seven months as the British pound’s rally against the dollar this week spread to other currencies. Against the euro, which itself is basking in the afterglow of a booming economy, sterling strengthened to 86.96 pence, its highest since June 2017, taking its gains to more than 2 percent against the single currency so far this month. Its gains against the dollar have been more pronounced, with sterling rising more than 5.6 percent so far this month, on track for its best monthly performance since June 2009. (Reporting by Saikat Chatterjee and Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Abhinav Ramnarayan)

https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-sterling-open/euro-falls-below-87-vs-sterling-to-lowest-since-june-2017-idUSL4N1PK397

Judge reads Nassar's letter defending himself as 'good doctor'

Judge reads Nassar's letter defending himself as 'good doctor' 3:55am IST - 02:39 Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina read a statement by Larry Nassar, the long-time USA Gymnastics team doctor, defending himself as a 'good doctor'. He was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for abusing young female gymnasts who were entrusted to his care. Rough Cut (no reporter narration). Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina read a statement by Larry Nassar, the long-time USA Gymnastics team doctor, defending himself as a 'good doctor'. He was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for abusing young female gymnasts who were entrusted to his care. Rough Cut (no reporter narration). //reut.rs/2naV5Oh

https://in.reuters.com/video/2018/01/24/judge-reads-nassars-letter-defending-him?videoId=388470950

At least 12 people injured in Bronx apartment fire

January 2, 2018 / 1:00 PM / Updated 9 minutes ago At least 23 people injured in Bronx apartment fire Reuters Staff 2 Min Read NEW YORK (Reuters) - At least 23 people, including one firefighter, were hurt on Tuesday morning after a fire tore through an apartment building in New York City’s Bronx borough, days after another blaze in the area killed 12 people, a fire department spokesman said. All of the injuries, which included adults and children, were non-life-threatening, according to Daniel Nigro, commissioner of the Fire Department of New York. “Our units arrived and were immediately faced with heavy fire. Numerous people were brought out of the building by the firefighters on scene,” Nigro said during a news conference. “They’ve all been transported, and they will all be OK, thankfully.” The seven-alarm fire broke out at about 5:30 a.m. local time (1030 GMT) in a four-story brick structure with a furniture store on the ground floor, fire officials said on Twitter. More than 200 firefighters battled the blaze in frigid temperatures as low as 13 Fahrenheit (minus 10.6 Celsius) for hours before getting it under control around 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT). The cause of the fire was yet to be determined. Last Thursday, 12 people, including four children, were killed in the New York City’s deadliest blaze in a quarter of a century in another part of the Bronx less than 2 miles (3 km) away. That fire was caused by a 3-year-old boy playing with the burners of a kitchen stove in one of the apartments, officials said. Reporting by Brendan O'Brien and Peter Szekely; Additional reporting by Gina Cherelus; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Lisa Shumaker

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-fire/at-least-12-people-injured-in-bronx-apartment-fire-idUSKBN1ER0ZQ

Philippines prepares for three-month-long volcano emergency

January 26, 2018 / 7:51 AM / in 7 hours Philippines prepares for three-month-long volcano emergency Ronn Bautista , Roli Ng 3 Min Read LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines (Reuters) - The Philippines is bracing for a possible three-month-long emergency in areas around an erupting volcano, which has already displaced more than 81,000 and led to overcrowded temporary shelters, the disaster agency said on Friday. Mount Mayon in central Albay province remained at alert level 4, a notch below the highest level, as it continued to spew lava, ash and other superheated material, volcanologists said. “We’re gearing up for three months” of emergency, said Romina Marasigan, spokeswoman of the country’s disaster agency, citing similar situations during previous eruptions of the 2,462-metre (8,077-foot) volcano. (Graphic: Mayon volcano's 9-km radius danger zone - tmsnrt.rs/2E1X3bI ) Displaced families may need to stay in evacuation centres for that long, she said. Food and other supplies remain adequate but concerns are growing over health and hygiene conditions at all the 69 temporary shelters away from the danger zone. Respiratory illnesses are possible because of the series of ash falls, she said. “We remain on red alert,” Marasigan told a media briefing, adding that 69,672 evacuees were housed in schools while nearly 12,000 took shelter in tents or went to relatives in more secure locations. Members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) stand on guard beside evacuees waiting for relief inside an evacuation center in Legazpi city, Albay province, Philippines January 26, 2018. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco Health workers are giving free check-ups and medicine to elderly women and children in evacuation centres grappling with a sanitation shortage. “The province is doing everything to close the gaps for these toilet facilities,” said Nestor Santiago, assistant secretary at the health ministry. Slideshow (4 Images) The number of cancelled flights has risen to 97, the disaster agency said. Volcanologists said there were seven more episodes of intense but sporadic lava fountaining at the crater lasting several minutes during a 21-hour period from Thursday morning. The lava fountains, shooting up between 150 m. (492 ft) and 500 m. (1,640 ft), generated ash plumes that spurted as high as 3 km (1.8 miles) above the crater, they said. Despite the warnings, some residents have refused to abandon the danger zone, with farmers worrying about leaving crops and cattle unattended, while others split their time between homes and evacuation centres they say are crowded and uncomfortable. Mayla Miraflor has a vehicle loaded and ready to flee if Mayon rages unchecked. “We have this jeep when we need to run,” said Miraflor, who has eight children. “This is what we’ll use when the time comes. We will leave as soon as possible.” Writing by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Martin Petty and Clarence Fernandez

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-volcano/philippines-prepares-for-three-month-long-volcano-emergency-idUSKBN1FF0PY

Gold prices slip as dollar recovers from 3-yr low

January 17, 2018 / 3:42 AM / Updated 8 hours ago PRECIOUS-Gold prices slip as dollar recovers from 3-yr low Reuters Staff 4 Min Read * Spot gold to test $1,357.54/oz - technicals * Platinum hits highest since September (Updates prices) By Sethuraman N R Jan 17 (Reuters) - Gold prices reversed early gains to trade slightly lower on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar recovered from a three-year low against a basket of currencies. Spot gold was down 0.3 percent at $1,334.86 an ounce by 0641 GMT, after rising to $1,343.91 earlier in the session. It touched its strongest since Sept. 8 at $1,344.44 on Monday. U.S. gold futures were down 0.1 percent at $1,335.40 an ounce. The dollar index was up 0.3 percent at 90.684 , after dropping to its lowest since December, 2014 to 90.113 early in the session. "Most of the move in gold has been dollar denominated ... We have seen very little change in ETF holdings. There is very little change in perception of gold in terms of safe haven demand," said Mark Keenan, global commodities strategist and head of research - Asia-Pacific at Societe Generale. "The outlook for gold in our view is down due to the lack of physical demand in Asia and the outlook for rate hikes this year is a headwind for gold." The U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise interest rates multiple times this year, although at a gradual pace. Gold is highly sensitive to rising U.S. interest rates, as these increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion, while boosting the dollar, in which it is priced. Asian stocks stepped back from a record high on Wednesday as the region's resource shares were hit by falling oil and commodity prices while digital currencies tumbled on worries about tighter regulations. "While the U.S. dollar remains the most prominent driver of momentum, we cannot overlook the meltdown in Bitcoin on the back of regulatory oversight adding to the gold risk premium," said Stephen Innes, APAC head of trading at OANDA. Bitcoin extended its sharp tumble of the past 24 hours, skidding more than 7 percent on Wednesday in a rapid downturn in fortunes as investors were spooked by fears regulators might clamp down on an asset whose value has skyrocketed in the past year. Spot gold targets its Sept. 8, 2017 high of $1,357.54 per ounce, as suggested by its wave pattern and a retracement analysis, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao. Among other precious metals, spot palladium was up 0.6 percent at $1,100 per ounce. The metal, which hit a record high of $1,138 an ounce on Monday, fell nearly 3 percent on Tuesday. Palladium has had a sustained rally as high demand in the auto industry fuelled supply concerns, sending Nymex palladium futures net long positions to record highs. Spot silver fell 0.3 percent to $17.15 per ounce. Spot platinum was mostly unchanged at $998, after touching its highest since Sept.8 at $1,006.60 (Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; editing by Biju Dwarakanath and Subhranshu Sahu)

https://uk.reuters.com/article/global-precious/precious-gold-prices-inch-up-as-dollar-hits-3-yr-lows-idUKL3N1PC1AC

Mulvaney slams Schumer over shutdown

Mulvaney slams Schumer over shutdown Saturday, January 20, 2018 - 01:15 During a White House press briefing Budget Director Mick Mulvaney slams Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, saying 'you have to ask yourself, at what point does it even become profitable to continue to work with somebody like that?' Rough Cut (no reporter narration). During a White House press briefing Budget Director Mick Mulvaney slams Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, saying 'you have to ask yourself, at what point does it even become profitable to continue to work with somebody like that?' Rough Cut (no reporter narration). //reut.rs/2DtXHSv

https://www.reuters.com/video/2018/01/21/mulvaney-slams-schumer-over-shutdown?videoId=387559312

CNBC Interview with Bob Moritz, PwC Global Chairman, from the World Economic Forum 2018

Following are excerpts from a CNBC interview with Bob Moritz, Global Chairman of PwC, from the World Economic Forum 2018 by CNBC's Akiko Fujita. AF: Hi there, Nancy, well, we're now joined by Bob Moritz, who's the Global Chairman of PwC, here with me on set at Davos. Welcome! BM: Thanks very much for having me! AF: You know, you just released a global CEO survey, and what's interesting here is just the level of optimism that we are seeing globally here. You know, we're speaking here, just, what, hours after the government ended the shutdown-, BM: [Laughter]. AF: There's certainly a lot of geopolitical headwinds. What is continuing to drive the optimism among CEOs right now? BM: Yeah, it's interesting, we've got record snow in Davos, we've got record optimism in terms of the CEOs' view on the global economy. Two things are happening. The macro trends are still there, very positive as you look at the rise of the consumer, the rise of the middle class on a worldwide basis, and particularly coming out of Asia-Pac, in terms of what's happening there. The second thing is, it's the first time in a long time we've had all regions around the world equally as positive. In previous years, we've had, last year, the issue with Brexit, what was the implications on Europe and the like. So, this level of optimism on the economy is at a really high level. In fact, it's a record high, compared to what we've done in the last 20 years. The challenge is, the CEOs' confidence for their ability to deliver revenues? Not as high. It's up, but just not as much as their level of optimism in the economy, overall. AF: What are-, what do they see as the biggest risks going in to 2018? BM: So, the two things that come across in the risk factor and the threats is, many of the traditional business risks, FX, access to capital, the level of debt that's out there, has dropped down a bit, in terms of the risk that they see. What's risen is the things that are outside of their control. The issue around terrorism, the issue around the geopolitics going on right now. Concerns around climate change, no surprise, which was actually a record jump, in terms of their focus around those things. So, many of the CEOs are doing, what I'll call their usual business planning for traditional risks, but actually, scenario planning for all these other factors that, if they hit, could have a really negative effect in terms of what they want to accomplish, from a business perspective. AF: One of the things that struck me in this survey is just how the CEOs see the two biggest markets, the US and China. More opportunities for investment in the US, over China. Now, you mentioned that this is a transition, or a shift, that happened a few years ago. How much of this has to do with the optimism coming from the tax reform, the Trump administration policies? How much of it is just how difficult it is still for non-Chinese companies to do business on the mainland? BM: Yeah, so what we saw is, a couple of years ago, the US took the lead, in terms of the views of the CEO of where they'd like to invest, outside of their home country. And, for about a good ten years, China was the number one destination of choice, based upon the demographics, the needs of the consumer, and the like. This year, you-, or the last two or three years, you've seen that change. Now, this survey was done before the tax reform, so, what's driving that change right now is you still have the concern around corruption in China, which the President's trying to deal with, you still have the issue of ease of doing business, acceptability to come in and do business in a way that makes sense for them, and there's many, many restrictions. They don't have that issue in the US. The second thing that you see now is an interesting inflection point. China definitely taking advantage of AI, but everybody still sees a really resilient consumer in the US to take advantage of, and perhaps provide services to, and the question is, is there enough innovation that's going to be there? So, there's a little bit of dispersion that's happening between the US and China, both are big opportunities, and a big distance, in terms of what the second-, or, sorry, the third, fourth and fifth players are, right now, in the world. AF: You talk about the challenges that exist for companies trying to do, or multinational companies trying to do business in China. Do the CEOs still see the opportunities there? Because for years, tech companies, for example-, BM: Mm-hm. AF: Have tried, through many outlets, to gain a foothold there, whether it's through partnerships, whether through other ways. Are you getting the sense that that battle, that struggle, is still worth it for these companies, because of the potential opportunities there? BM: I think the tech industry's a little different, when you look at what the Alibabas and the Tencents are trying to do, in terms of the view that they have of the market share. But, you definitely see the CEOs being very interested in China, not only from the domestic perspective, but also, China's One Belt One Road Initiative, and the implications across the region, is a big opportunity. So, if you think about infrastructure companies, logistical companies, and things of that nature, in various other sectors, they definitely see the opportunity, they think it's worth it, and the reality is, the shifts have moved in that direction, as you look at Asia-Pac as an opportunity overall. AF: Automation has certainly been a big concern for these companies. You look at the employment picture globally, there's no question it's improving-, BM: Mm-hm. AF: In the US, we're looking at near full employment. But yet, there does seem to be a concern among these companies that the skillset that's in the market doesn't necessarily match what exactly these companies need. So, how do these companies address that? BM: So, there's two or three ways they're addressing it. Number one is, they are looking at M&A, as a way to capture not only skillsets but IP in that digital world. Second is, they're actually looking at alliances. You see a lot more joint ventures, and virtual ways for people to combine themselves, and actually be part of some of the technology revolutions that are happening. And the last thing is, investing a lot of their capital in on-the-job training. AF: Mm. BM: The CEOs have definitely said, 'I don't have the necessary skillsets to move to that digital world.' Education systems in various countries don't do it themselves. They've got to do more, in terms of on-the-job training, to transfer the skills, and actually-, and essentially change their workforce, from what they have today, to what they're going to need for tomorrow. AF: Okay, great, we'll have to leave it on that note, Bob, great to have you on today-, BM: Great. Thanks. AF: Nancy, we'll toss it back to you. ENDS

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/23/cnbc-interview-with-bob-moritz-pwc-global-chairman-from-the-world-economic-forum-2018.html

Stylish Kyrgios sets up Dimitrov semi-final in Brisbane

January 5, 2018 / 1:19 PM / Updated an hour ago Stylish Kyrgios sets up Dimitrov semi-final in Brisbane Reuters Staff 2 Min Read (Reuters) - Nick Kyrgios turned on the style in time to beat Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov and set up a semi-final against top seed and holder Grigor Dimitrov at the Brisbane International on Friday. FILE PHOTO - Tennis - China Open - Men's Final - Beijing, China - October 8, 2017 - Nick Kyrgios of Australia in action against Rafael Nadal of Spain. REUTERS/Thomas Peter The mercurial Australian huffed and puffed in a miserable first set but eventually found some rhythm to come through a tricky encounter 1-6 6-3 6-4. Bulgarian Dimitrov also had to battle hard against Britain’s Kyle Edmund, winning 6-3 6-7(3) 6-4 in two hours and 23 minutes at the Pat Rafter Arena. Kyrgios, who will be under the home spotlight at this month’s Australian Open, made 36 unforced errors against Dolgopolov but there were 27 winners too. “As bad as it is to say, it’s kind of like a tap. I can turn it on when I want to,” the third seed told reporters. “I‘m feeling pretty good. I‘m hitting the ball well and I‘m serving really well. So the first two matches of the year, I’ve got through two tough three-setters,” added Kyrgios, who beat compatriot Matthew Ebdon 6-7(3) 7-6(5) 6-2 in the second round. “The only positive I can say about losing that first set (against Dolgopolov) is I‘m putting myself in some pressure situations and getting some more court time out there which is good... I’ve got to try and maintain as much energy as I can.” Dimitrov was in control against Edmund as he took the first set but was dragged into a second-set tiebreak which the Briton edged to set up the decider. Dimitrov, who survived two match points to beat local hope John Millman in the previous round, needed a solitary break to close out the match. Kyrgios was joined in the last four by fellow Australian Alex De Minaur as the teenager followed up his win over Milos Raonic by beating American qualifier Michael Mmoh 6-4 6-0. De Minaur will play unseeded American Ryan Harrison for a place in the final. Harrison was leading 7-6(6) 4-2 when Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin retired from the contest. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris and Martyn Herman

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tennis-brisbane-men/stylish-kyrgios-sets-up-dimitrov-semi-final-in-brisbane-idUKKBN1EU18W

Trump accuses DoJ of being part of ‘deep state’

President Donald Trump accused the Justice Department Tuesday of being part of the "deep state" and urged prosecution against a top aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey . He also claimed that U.S. sanctions on North Korea were having a "big impact" and that he was responsible for preventing commercial aviation deaths in 2017. Trump's latest tweets pressed familiar arguments for the president, who is set to begin his first full year in office with the victory of tax legislation but the Russia investigation still hanging over his administration. "Crooked Hillary Clinton's top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents," Trump tweeted in an apparent reference to a report by the conservative Daily Caller. "Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others," he added. As he remains shadowed by the special counsel's Russia investigation, Trump has seized on recent revelations of anti-Trump behavior by some FBI officials, including some who once worked on special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, to claim bias against him. The president's reference Tuesday to "Deep State Justice Dept" suggests that federal law enforcement is part of an entrenched bureaucracy that Trump and his supporters say didn't want him to be elected and is actively working to undermine his presidency. Trump's reference to sailors likely referred to a Navy sailor convicted of taking photos of classified areas inside a submarine. Trump's blast at the Justice Department came after he returned to the White House from a holiday getaway to face legislative challenges, midterm elections and global threats. He issued confrontational tweets targeting Iran, which in recent days has been rocked by anti-government protests, and Pakistan. "The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their 'pockets.' The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching!" On Monday, Trump slammed Pakistan for "lies & deceit," saying it had played U.S. leaders for "fools" by not doing enough to control militants. "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump said. Pakistani officials, including Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, said the country would make clear "the difference between facts and fiction." It was not immediately clear what prompted Trump to comment on Pakistan. The U.S. has long accused Pakistan of allowing militants to operate relatively freely in its border regions to carry out operations in neighboring Afghanistan. The U.S. said in August that it would hold up $255 million in military assistance for Pakistan until it cracks down on extremists threatening Afghanistan. Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Monday the United States should be aware that his country's nuclear forces are now a reality, not a future threat. To that, Trump said only: "We'll see." At home, Trump is hoping for more legislative achievements after his success on cutting taxes. He plans to host Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin at Camp David next weekend to map out the 2018 legislative agenda. Republicans are eager to make progress before attention shifts to the November midterm elections. The GOP wants to hold the House and Senate, but must contend with Trump's historic unpopularity and some recent Democratic wins, including the pickup of a Senate seat in deeply Republican Alabama. The White House has said Trump will come forward with his long-awaited infrastructure plan in January. Trump has also said he wants to overhaul welfare and recently predicted Democrats and Republicans will "eventually come together" to develop a new health care plan. Ryan has talked about overhauling Medicaid and Medicare and other safety-net programs, but McConnell has signaled an unwillingness to go that route unless there's Democratic support for any changes. Republicans will have just a 51-49 Senate majority — well shy of the 60 votes needed to pass most bills — giving leverage to Democrats. Congress also has to deal with a backlog from 2017, including agreeing on a spending bill by Jan. 19 to avert a partial government shutdown. There's also providing additional aid to hurricane victims, lifting the debt ceiling, extending a children's health insurance program and extending protections for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Trump has said he wants money for a border wall in exchange for protecting those immigrants.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/02/trump-accuses-doj-of-being-part-of-deep-state.html

BRIEF-Boston Private Financial Q4 Loss Per Share $0.24

January 17, 2018 / 9:39 PM / Updated 3 minutes ago BRIEF-Boston Private Financial Q4 Loss Per Share $0.24 Reuters Staff 1 Min Read Jan 17 (Reuters) - Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc : * BOSTON PRIVATE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC. REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2017 RESULTS; RAISES DIVIDEND TO $0.12 PER SHARE * Q4 LOSS PER SHARE $0.24 * Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $0.23 -- THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S * - ‍TOTAL ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT/ADVISORY, EXCLUDING ANCHOR CAPITAL ADVISORS LLC , WERE $21.2 BILLION AT END OF Q4​ * - ‍NET INTEREST INCOME FOR Q4 WAS $57.3 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF 1% FROM $56.6 MILLION FOR Q3 OF 2017​ * BOSTON PRIVATE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS- QTRLY AVERAGE TOTAL DEPOSITS UP 7% YEAR-OVER-YEAR TO $6.4 BILLION, AND QTRLY AVERAGE TOTAL LOANS UP 7% YEAR-OVER-YEAR TO $6.4 BILLION​ * BOSTON PRIVATE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS- APPROVED QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND OF $0.12 PER SHARE OF COMMON STOCK, INCREASE FROM $0.11 PER SHARE IN PRIOR QUARTER​ Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

https://www.reuters.com/article/brief-boston-private-financial-q4-loss-p/brief-boston-private-financial-q4-loss-per-share-0-24-idUSASB0C1B7

FleishmanHillard Strengthens Greater China Team with New Appointments, Li Hong Retires

BEIJING, Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FleishmanHillard today announced that Li Hong, former chairman and president of China for FleishmanHillard, senior consultant with the firm, is moving on after 16 years leading its mainland operations. FleishmanHillard also announced two key appointments that will position the agency for further success in Greater China: Lichi Hsueh, currently head of the firm's Shanghai operations, has been promoted to a new role of chief operating officer for FleishmanHillard in China. Yisi Liu, currently deputy GM in Shanghai, will become general manager of the Shanghai office. Under Li Hong's leadership, FleishmanHillard's China business has flourished, boasting a stellar portfolio of Chinese and global clients, a deep talent bench and strong capabilities to meet the fast-evolving needs of China's dynamic business and communications environment today. "Li Hong's contribution to the success of FleishmanHillard's mainland operations was significant and pioneering in so many ways," said Lynne Anne Davis, FleishmanHillard senior partner, Asia Pacific president. "His core belief to provide clients with progressive and innovative integrated services drove his approach to managing clients as well as developing teams. His ability to anticipate trends and his connections at the highest levels allowed FleishmanHillard to undertake some of the most innovative and memorable campaigns in China's PR history. "His lasting achievements are many: for example, he actively supported the firm's Global China Practice when it was launched in 2012, helping to grow outbound business from China to the worldwide network to support the cross-border expansion of Chinese industry leaders. Today, many of our Chinese clients are global leaders and feature prominently on the Fortune 500, and we are proud to serve them." Li Hong's tenure has been recognized with many awards including the Greater China Agency of the Year award from The Holmes Report in 2013. "Over the past year, since Rachel Catanach's appointment to president of Greater China, Li Hong has played an important advisory role, counselling clients at the senior-most level, mentoring top talent, and championing network collaboration and partnership for further expansion of the business. We wish him and his family all the best for this next chapter. He leaves with the deepest gratitude for the past 16 years of remarkable leadership, inspiration and achievement – and our infinite appreciation for taking that first step to build something bigger than himself that will carry on in his spirit," commented Davis. Hsueh, FleishmanHillard's managing director, client service in China and head of the Shanghai operations, has been promoted to a new role of chief operating officer for FleishmanHillard in China. A well-rounded counselor, Hsueh brings more than 19 years of leadership, client and business expansion experience in Greater China's PR industry. Through her work with leading brands in the technology and financial services sectors, she demonstrates deep expertise in managing sensitive issues, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate affairs. "As head of our Shanghai operations, Lichi has demonstrated a keen business acumen and strong ability to drive business growth through a laser focus on client service quality and talent development. This new role recognizes the need for innovative management of resources in a complex and dynamic environment. Lichi is a natural bridge-builder and her infectious enthusiasm and energy, combined with a strong business drive, will position us well to capture growth in this next phase of our development in China," said Catanach. Liu, who is currently the Shanghai office's deputy general manager and head of FleishmanHillard's corporate and public affairs team in Shanghai, will be promoted to general manager of the Shanghai office. Liu joined FleishmanHillard Shanghai in 2012 and has significant expertise in stakeholder identification and engagement, government policy analysis, corporate reputation management, and issues and crisis management. In addition to his extensive corporate affairs experience working with brands in the tourism, healthcare, agriculture, B2B and finance sectors, Liu spent five years at government agency China National Tourism Administration. "With his expansive understanding of China's corporate sector, Yisi is a highly sought-after counselor on the best approach for navigating the complexities and changing dynamics of China's business landscape. The Shanghai office won great new clients in the luxury, B2B and lifestyle sectors in 2017, in no small part due to Yisi's strategic abilities and insights, and focus on creating meaningful communications outcomes for clients. "Lichi and Yisi, together with other members of our senior team in Greater China, represent the next generation of leaders in the public relations industry. They are communication entrepreneurs and their energy and insights, plus disciplined approach, will help Chinese companies and multi-nationals operating in China, leverage and export new ways of communicating that are 'Made in China, Designed for the World'," said Catanach. Other leaders in FleishmanHillard's Greater China leadership team include Jerry Zou, general manager Beijing; Judy Wei, general manager consumer services; Helena He, general manager digital and social engagement; Geoff Bilbrough, general manager Hong Kong; and Patrick Yu, deputy general manager Hong Kong. "I am delighted to have such a strong team. We're excited by the opportunities in the marketplace, and look forward to punching above our weight and showing what we're made of," added Catanach. About FleishmanHillard FleishmanHillard specializes in public relations, reputation management, public affairs, brand marketing, digital strategy, social engagement and content strategy. FleishmanHillard was named Agency of the Year at the 2017 North American Excellence Awards; 2017 ICCO Network of the Year for the Americas and EMEA; PRWeek's Best Places to Work 2017; PR News' Best Places to Work in PR 2016-2017; Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality for 2018; PR Awards Asia 2017 Greater China Agency of the Year; and NAFE's "Top 50 Companies for Executive Women" for 2010-2017. The firm's award-winning work is widely heralded, including at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. FleishmanHillard is part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, and has more than 80 offices in 30 countries, plus affiliates in 43 countries. About Omnicom Public Relations Group Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,000 public relations professionals in more than 330 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Gr

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/09/pr-newswire-fleishmanhillard-strengthens-greater-china-team-with-new-appointments-li-hong-retires.html

Lexus, Infiniti luxury car brands test ways to fight Tesla, German rivals

DETROIT (Reuters) - Japanese luxury auto brands Lexus and Infiniti are using the Detroit auto show to test new ways to regain momentum against Germany’s prestige automakers and Silicon Valley’s Tesla Inc ( TSLA.O ). Toyota Motor Corp’s ( 7203.T ) Lexus brand unveiled at Detroit its “LF-1 Limitless” concept SUV model, signaling that Lexus may start to focus more on SUVs than its traditional large sedans. The LF-1 proposed a blend of an aggressive, sleek profile with a system called “Chauffeur mode” which allows the driver to take hands off the wheel and let the SUV handle most of the driving. The LF-1’s also previews a futuristic navigation technology that anticipates where the driver is going based on driving habits and history, and provides hotel recommendations or other concierge services. “We don’t want to be the ‘race car’ brand; we don’t want to be the ‘quiet ride’ brand. We want to be the brand which is emotionally connected with the customer,” said Cooper Ericksen, vice president of U.S. marketing for Lexus. The Japanese luxury brands are fighting to gain ground in the U.S. luxury market as Volkswagen AG’s ( VOWG_p.DE ) Audi brand and Mercedes-Benz have expanded sales, and Tesla has provided a fresh alternative to the established brands. FILE PHOTO: The Infiniti booth displays the company logo at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Last year the Lexus brand suffered a 7.6 percent slide in U.S. sales last year. At Honda Motor Co Ltd’s ( 7267.T ) Acura luxury brand, 2017 sales fell 3.9 percent from 2016. Nissan Motor Co Ltd’s ( 7201.T ) Infiniti pushed up sales by 11.3 percent, mainly by selling almost twice as many sport utility vehicles as cars. However, Infiniti’s total 2017 sales of 153,415 vehicles put it behind the leading Germany luxury car brands, as well as Acura, Lexus and General Motors Co’s ( GM.N ) Cadillac brand. Lexus, Infiniti and Acura launched in the U.S. market in the late 1980s and took advantage of quality problems at Audi and a lack of innovation at the then-leading luxury brands in the market, General Motors Co’s ( GM.N ) Cadillac and Ford Motor Co’s ( F.N ) Lincoln brand. Now, the structure of the U.S. luxury vehicle market has changed. Four brands - Daimler AG’s ( DAIGn.DE ) Mercedes-Benz, BMW AG ( BMWG.DE ), Volkswagen’s Audi brand and Lexus dominate sales in the U.S. luxury market. Tesla, meanwhile, has gathered more than 400,000 orders for its Model 3 sedan, which is just starting to reach customers as the automaker tries to iron out production problems. In Detroit, Infiniti showed a future sedan powered by a high efficiency gasoline engine. While the prototype is not electric, its exterior might appeal to customers of the Tesla Model S. “We don’t look at Tesla and try to do the same idea of luxury, but there has been a natural evolution of luxury,” Infiniti’s executive design director Karim Habib said at the North American International Auto Show earlier this week. Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Lisa Shumaker

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autoshow-detroit-luxury/lexus-infiniti-luxury-car-brands-test-ways-to-fight-tesla-german-rivals-idUSKBN1F71KS

CNBC Interview with Hussain Sajwani, DAMAC Properties Founder and Chairman, from the World Economic Forum 2018

Following are excerpts from a CNBC interview with Hussain Sajwani, Founder and Chairman of DAMAC Properties and CNBC's Hadley Gamble, Steve Sedgwick and Geoff Cutmore from the World Economic Forum 2018. AF: And you can catch more of Hadley Gamble's conversation there with Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, tomorrow, that's at 16:30 Central Time there. But, Hadley, joining me here on set to shift gears a bit, to talk about property in the Middle East. HG: Absolutely, and we're joined now by Hussain Sajwani, now, I want to get in to this immediately, because you have such a strong affiliation with President Trump, we're expecting him here, in just a couple of days, in Davos. There has been a lot of pushback, though, particularly around the controversial decision on Jerusalem. Is there a-, you know, a danger that the brand could suffer, as a result of President Trump's popularity, if it ebbs and flows? HS: We, as an organization, as you appreciate, signed a commercial deal with the Trump organization, to build for us two golf courses, and we have opened the first golf course in February, 20th, we're very happy with the design, the quality, and I think it's one of the best golf courses, not in the Middle East, but around the world. Our second golf course is on the way, and I don't see any impact, any effect on our business, we are doing business as usual. As a matter of fact, last year, our sales, I think, are going to be up by a few percentage, it's going to be announced soon, when our results will be announced. HG: So, a lot of optimism, but you've also mentioned that you're looking to sell about a 15% stake in the company. What's the right price that you're looking for? HS: The question was, would I be willing to sell some stake in the company, and for creating the liquidity, yes, I'm willing to sell. Is it 5, or 10, or 15%? This, you know, depends on the market, depends on the price, depends on the-, on the timing. HG: And what's your outlook for the Dubai property market, in particular, given what we've seen over the last couple of years? And there are fears that there's going to be, you know, a danger of overcapacity there. HS: I don't see a danger of capacity, because we have about half a million freehold units in Dubai, we're growing at least 3% to 4%. We need, minimum, 15,000 units every year. In the last three years, we've produced less than 10,000. Going forward, I don't see more than 10,000, 12,000 units, so I see supply and demand equilibrium, I see the market is stable. I don't see a surprise of '08 or '09 of crash, neither do I see a surprise of '13, or '12, of market going up by, you know, 30%. I see a stable market, last year it grew about 6%, the market, as per the information, or the data they-, they announced, and I think there's a very healthy, stable market going forward. HG: Okay. I wonder if we can, very quickly, talk about some of the business opportunities here in the region. You've talked about the softening property market in the UK, perhaps a potential for investments there. Very quickly, what, specifically, are you looking at? HS: We're looking to expand, we're looking to grow. Our cashflow is very strong, our balance sheet is not fully leveraged-, HG: Mm. HS: And we're looking at Europe, we're looking at North America. I think UK, especially London, provides a major opportunity, especially with the softening of the property market after Brexit, and the pound is more reasonably priced, compared to the dollar two years ago. AF: Okay, unfortunately, we'll have to leave it there. Our thanks to both of you for joining us here. That's the very latest, a wrap here from Davos, but we will, of course, continue our coverage all throughout the day, and the week. ENDS

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/23/cnbc-interview-with-hussain-sajwani-damac-properties-founder-and-chairman-from-the-world-economic-forum-2018.html

UPDATE 1-Sales slow at Japan's 7-Eleven; gains abroad drive owner's Q3 profits

* Group Q3 operating profit up 9.5 percent * Convenience store business has long been profit driver * Domestic 7-Eleven operating profit down 6 percent (Adds analyst’s comment, details of results) TOKYO, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Japanese retail group Seven & i Holdings Co’s domestic convenience store business slowed during the third quarter after years of non-stop growth, although its profit grew 9.5 percent thanks to overseas strength. The results raise worries for the retailer, which has long depended on the ubiquitous, 24-hour 7-Eleven convenience stores throughout Japan to drive profit growth at a time when its superstores and department store businesses have struggled. It also piles up pressure on company President Ryuichi Isaka, who was promoted to the top job in 2016 in a contentious succession opposed by former CEO Toshifumi Suzuki. Investors including U.S. activist investor Daniel Loeb had backed Isaka for the top job based on his success of leading the convenience store business and expectations that he would bring about a more drastic overhaul of the weaker superstore business. But same-store sales at 7-Eleven stores in Japan fell year-on-year in October and November after 62 months of growth, and quarterly operating profit for the domestic convenience store business fell around 6 percent. The company is now facing signs of a “very, very saturated” convenience store market in Japan, Jefferies analyst Michael Jon Allen said. “They’re running out of ideas,” he added. “While some have said the convenience store chain was buried in under-performing subsidiaries, we think it is more accurately viewed as a failed conglomerate living off a single stroke of luck,” the analyst said. Like other convenience store operators, Seven & i is looking to defend its position in the daily lives of Japanese consumers as a wealth of competitors emerge including discount drug stores and rapidly-growing e-commerce. Seven & i has nearly 20,000 7-Eleven stores in Japan and 8,500 in the United States. Helped by growth at its overseas convenience stores, Seven & i reported a profit of 101.33 billion yen for the three months ended November, versus 92.5 billion yen a year ago. For the full-year through February, the company kept its operating profit forecast of 386.5 billion yen, up 6 percent from the previous year. (Reporting by Ritsuko Ando and Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Himani Sarkar) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://www.reuters.com/article/seven-i-results/update-1-sales-slow-at-japans-7-eleven-gains-abroad-drive-owners-q3-profits-idUSL4N1P62BU

Roche's star MS medicine Ocrevus wins European approval

ZURICH, Jan 12 (Reuters) - The European Union approved Roche’s multiple sclerosis medicine Ocrevus, one the Swiss company’s key new drugs that likely neared $1 billion in revenue in its first nine months on sale in the United States. Roche said on Friday the EU backed Ocrevus for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis was well as primary progressive multiple sclerosis, a form of the neurological disease that previously was without an approved medicine. Through September 2017, Ocrevus racked up $500 million in revenue. Roche will report full-year sales of the medicine approved last March 29 in the United States when it delivers 2017 figures on Feb. 1. (Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Michael Shields)

https://www.reuters.com/article/roche-ocrevus/roches-star-ms-medicine-ocrevus-wins-european-approval-idUSFWN1P7006

Editors Choice Pictures

Pictures | Mon Jan 22, 2018 | 7:50am EST Editors Choice Pictures A man tries to escape from a balcony at Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel during an attack by gunmen in Kabul, Afghanistan. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 A man tries to escape from a balcony at Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel during an attack by gunmen in Kabul, Afghanistan. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani Close 1 / 24 A group of people wearing "pussyhats" ride the subway at 42nd Street as they head toward the Women's March in Manhattan. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Reuters / Saturday, January 20, 2018 A group of people wearing "pussyhats" ride the subway at 42nd Street as they head toward the Women's March in Manhattan. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Close 2 / 24 Frances McDormand (at microphone) celebrates while accompanied by the rest of they cast after they were presented the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." REUTERS/Mario... Frances McDormand (at microphone) celebrates while accompanied by the rest of they cast after they were presented the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni Close 3 / 24 Revellers dressed as devils walk among fireworks during "Correfocs" (fire runs), traditional celebrations in eastern Spain with people dressed as dancing devils while lighting fireworks among crowds of spectators, to mark the end of the local... more Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Revellers dressed as devils walk among fireworks during "Correfocs" (fire runs), traditional celebrations in eastern Spain with people dressed as dancing devils while lighting fireworks among crowds of spectators, to mark the end of the local festivities in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. REUTERS/Enrique Calvo Close Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army fighters pray at a training camp in Azaz, Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army fighters pray at a training camp in Azaz, Syria. REUTERS/Osman Orsal Close Tottenham's Harry Kane scores their first goal against Southampton. Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Tottenham's Harry Kane scores their first goal against Southampton. Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs Close 6 / 24 Palestinian fishermen warm themselves by a fire at a beach on a winter day, in the northern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Palestinian fishermen warm themselves by a fire at a beach on a winter day, in the northern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem Close 7 / 24 Riot policemen fire teargas canisters to disperse demonstrators during a protest organised by Catholic activists in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Riot policemen fire teargas canisters to disperse demonstrators during a protest organised by Catholic activists in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe Close 8 / 24 A baby is baptised during a mass baptism ceremony at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 A baby is baptised during a mass baptism ceremony at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili Close 9 / 24 Schoolfriends bring yellow flowers to represent sunshine as they queue up to view Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan's coffin as it is carried into St. Joseph's Church for a public reposal in Limerick, Ireland. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Schoolfriends bring yellow flowers to represent sunshine as they queue up to view Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan's coffin as it is carried into St. Joseph's Church for a public reposal in Limerick, Ireland. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Close People dressed as a wall take part in the Women's March in Manhattan. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Reuters / Saturday, January 20, 2018 People dressed as a wall take part in the Women's March in Manhattan. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Close 11 / 24 Aerobatic dancers under the direction of Spanish theatrical company La Fura dels Baus perform in "The Rise of the Tritons" during the opening of Valletta 2018, European Capital of Culture, in Valletta, Malta. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi Reuters / Saturday, January 20, 2018 Aerobatic dancers under the direction of Spanish theatrical company La Fura dels Baus perform in "The Rise of the Tritons" during the opening of Valletta 2018, European Capital of Culture, in Valletta, Malta. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi Close 12 / 24 Palestinians take part in a protest against aid cut, outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Palestinians take part in a protest against aid cut, outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa Close Carlos Sainz of Spain celebrates after winning the Dakar Rally. REUTERS/Andres Stapff Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Carlos Sainz of Spain celebrates after winning the Dakar Rally. REUTERS/Andres Stapff Close 14 / 24 A statue of Alexander the Great is seen through waving Greek national flags during a rally against the use of the term "Macedonia" in any solution to a dispute between Athens and Skopje over the former Yugoslav republic's name, in the northern city... more Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 A statue of Alexander the Great is seen through waving Greek national flags during a rally against the use of the term "Macedonia" in any solution to a dispute between Athens and Skopje over the former Yugoslav republic's name, in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis Close 15 / 24 Lyubov Valiyeva, member of the Cryophile winter swimmers club, sprinkles herself with snow from branches of a pine on a bank of the Yenisei Riverr, with the air temperature at about minus 38 degrees Celsius (minus 36.4 degrees Fahrenheit), in... more Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Lyubov Valiyeva, member of the Cryophile winter swimmers club, sprinkles herself with snow from branches of a pine on a bank of the Yenisei Riverr, with the air temperature at about minus 38 degrees Celsius (minus 36.4 degrees Fahrenheit), in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin Close 16 / 24 A girl wears a Venezuelan flag as Venezuelan security forces block access to opposition supporters and mourners of rogue ex-policeman Oscar Perez to the main morgue of the city, in Caracas, Venezuela. REUTERS/Marco Bello Reuters / Saturday, January 20, 2018 A girl wears a Venezuelan flag as Venezuelan security forces block access to opposition supporters and mourners of rogue ex-policeman Oscar Perez to the main morgue of the city, in Caracas, Venezuela. REUTERS/Marco Bello Close 17 / 24 Relatives mourn next to the dead body of a victim, who was killed in Saturday�s fire in a warehouse, Sunday, January 21, 2018 Relatives mourn next to the dead body of a victim, who was killed in Saturday�s fire in a warehouse, 18 / 24 Hyon Song Wol, head of North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra, arrives at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea. Shin Joon-hee/Yonhap via REUTERS Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Hyon Song Wol, head of North Korea's Samjiyon Orchestra, arrives at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea. Shin Joon-hee/Yonhap via REUTERS Close 19 / 24 Smoke rises from the Syria's Afrin region, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Hassa, on the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, Saturday, January 20, 2018 Smoke rises from the Syria's Afrin region, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Hassa, on the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, 20 / 24 Opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla, films with a mobile phone a line of soldiers during a protest against the re-election of Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera Reuters / Saturday, January 20, 2018 Opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla, films with a mobile phone a line of soldiers during a protest against the re-election of Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera Close 21 / 24 Relatives and mourners of Jose Pimentel and Abraham Agostini, part of the team of rogue ex-policeman Oscar Perez, react next to their gravesites, in Caracas, Venezuela. REUTERS/Marco Bello Reuters / Saturday, January 20, 2018 Relatives and mourners of Jose Pimentel and Abraham Agostini, part of the team of rogue ex-policeman Oscar Perez, react next to their gravesites, in Caracas, Venezuela. REUTERS/Marco Bello Close 22 / 24 A balloon is tied to a child's push chair during the Tamborrada on the Day of San Sebastian, in which people dressed as Napoleonic era soldiers and cooks perform in a twenty four hour drum and wine barrel playing session, interspersed with eating and... more Reuters / Saturday, January 20, 2018 A balloon is tied to a child's push chair during the Tamborrada on the Day of San Sebastian, in which people dressed as Napoleonic era soldiers and cooks perform in a twenty four hour drum and wine barrel playing session, interspersed with eating and drinking, in the Basque coastal town of San Sebastian, Spain. REUTERS/Vincent West Close Smoke rises from the Intercontinental Hotel during an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail Reuters / Sunday, January 21, 2018 Smoke rises from the Intercontinental Hotel during an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail Close

https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/editors-choice-pictures-idUSRTX4HN4O

Petkovic dumps Kvitova out of Australian Open after marathon

January 16, 2018 / 12:41 PM / Updated 8 minutes ago Petkovic dumps Kvitova out of Australian Open after marathon Ian Ransom 2 Min Read MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova’s return to the Australian Open a year after being attacked by an intruder at her home ended in disappointment with a marathon 6-3 4-6 10-8 first-round loss to German Andrea Petkovic on Tuesday. A former quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park, Kvitova missed last year’s event as she recovered from surgery to her left hand which was injured by a knife-wielding assailant weeks before the tournament. Kvitova showed she was back to a level approaching her dominant best with a last-eight appearance at the U.S. Open, but her clash with former top-10 player Petkovic ended in heartbreak after she double-faulted on match point when serving at 5-4 in the third set on Show Court Two. Petkovic saved another match point with a forehand winner to level at 5-5 and fought back from another break down. Serving to stay in the contest, 27th seed Kvitova suffered an attack of nerves, missing a straightforward volley before surrendering the match with her 10th double-fault and sixth of the set. The crowd groaned in disappointment, while Petkovic roared in triumph and Czech Kvitova walked off to warm applause in the twilight. “I just thought about not thinking and it worked,” Petkovic said of holding on during the nervous finish. Editing by Ed Osmond

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tennis-ausopen-kvitova/petkovic-dumps-kvitova-out-of-australian-open-after-marathon-idUKKBN1F51G2

Philippine investigators summon boss of news site derided by Duterte

January 18, 2018 / 5:11 PM / in 16 minutes Philippine investigators summon boss of news site derided by Duterte Reuters Staff 3 Min Read MANILA (Reuters) - A Philippine law enforcement agency has summoned the head of Rappler, a news site known for challenging President Rodrigo Duterte, to answer a complaint related to cyber crime, adding to problems for an outlet central to a row over press freedom. The country’s corporate regulator last week revoked the site’s operating license for violating the constitution’s restrictions on foreign ownership of media, while the justice minister on Wednesday ordered an investigation into Rappler’s possible criminal liability. Known for its investigative reporting, Rappler has repeatedly drawn the ire of the volatile Duterte, who on Tuesday called it a “fake news outlet”, but he denied influencing the regulator, or going after journalists. [nL3N1PC2S7] Rappler is permitted to operate pending an appeal. It denies violating the constitution and has accused the Duterte administration of harassment. On Thursday, Rappler confirmed it had received a subpoena by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), a copy of which seen by Reuters, ordering its chief executive Maria Ressa, one of the site’s investors, and one of its former journalists to appear at the NBI offices on Monday to “give your side in a certain investigation”. Rappler Managing Editor Glenda Gloria told Reuters the subpoena, dated Jan. 10, was received only on Thursday afternoon, eight days after the date of issue. The subpoenas were based on a complaint from a businessman who featured in a Rappler story in 2012. Neither the nature of the complaint, nor the date in which it was filed, were stated in the subpoena. Media and human rights groups have expressed alarm at what they say is an attempt by the Duterte administration to intimidate the media. The government denies it is cracking down on journalists, and says Rappler broke the law by granting an American investor the power to have a say in its operations. Rappler insists that is not the case. Rappler’s reporting has included close scrutiny of Duterte’s deadly war on drugs and a series of investigative reports into what it says is his government’s strategy to “weaponise” the internet, using bloggers on its payroll to stir up anger among online supporters who threaten and discredit Duterte’s critics. The government denies that. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre on Thursday defended his decision to order probes into Rappler. “Rappler should welcome this investigation so that it will have the chance to prove the innocence it claims to have,” he said in a statement, responding to what Rappler calling that investigation a “fishing expedition”. Reporting by Manuel Mogato and Martin Petty; Editing by Alison Williams

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-media/philippine-investigators-summon-boss-of-news-site-derided-by-duterte-idUSKBN1F72FP

UPDATE 1-I tweet from bed sometimes, U.S. President Trump says

* I am a stable genius and I eat good food, Trump says * Trump: I need social media in an era of fake news * Trump says he is very popular in United Kingdom * Women like me because I support the military - Trump * On Macron, Trump says: I like him a lot (Recasts lead) By Andrew MacAskill LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, who has garnered a large following on social media with rambunctious postings, said he sometimes tweets from bed, though he occasionally allows others to post his words. Trump frequently uses Twitter to announce policy, assail his adversaries and to tangle with countries, including North Korea, over world affairs. The @realDonaldTrump account had 47.2 million users as of Sunday. In an interview with Britain’s ITV channel, he appeared to appreciate the wide impact of his postings in Twitter and said that he needed social media to communicate with voters in the era of what he termed fake news. “If I don’t have that form of communication I can’t defend myself,” Trump said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. “I get a lot of fake news, a lot of news that is very false or made up.” It was a crazy situation, he said, that many people in the world waited for his tweets. He usually tweets himself, sometimes from bed. When asked about whether he was lying in bed with his phone thinking of how to wind people up, Trump said: “Well, perhaps sometimes in bed, perhaps sometimes at breakfast or lunch or whatever, but generally speaking during the early morning, or during the evening I can do whatever, but I am very busy during the day, very long hours. I am busy.” “I will sometimes just dictate out something really quickly and give it to one of my people to put it on,” he said. Asked about eating burgers and drinking Coke, Trump, 71, said: “I eat fine food, really from some of the finest chefs in the world, I eat healthy food, I also have some of that food on occasion... I think I eat actually quite well.” Trump said that he was very popular in the United Kingdom. Some British politicians have called for Trump not to visit and 1.86 million people have signed a petition asking for him to be banned from entering the United Kingdom. “I get so much fan mail from people in your country - they love my sense of security, they love what I am saying about many different things,” Trump said. BREXIT Trump would take a “tougher” approach to Brexit negotiations than British Prime Minister Theresa May. When asked if May was in a “good position” regarding the ongoing Brexit talks, Trump replied: “Would it be the way I negotiate? No, I wouldn’t negotiate it the way it’s negotiated ... I would have had a different attitude.” Pressed on how his approach would be different, he said: “I would have said the European Union is not cracked up to what it’s supposed to be. I would have taken a tougher stand in getting out.” He said the United States would do a post-Brexit trade deal with the United Kingdom. He was pressed on how some women opposed him and he said he supported women and that many women understood that. Trump said women in particular liked his support for a strong military as they often wanted to feel safe at home. “There’s nobody better than me on the military... I think women really like that. I think they want to be safe at home,” Trump said. “I have tremendous respect for women.” “No, I wouldn’t say I am a feminist. I mean, I think that would be maybe going too far: I am for women, I am for men, I am for everyone.” He said French President Emmanuel Macron was a friend and that he liked him a lot. (Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-trump-tweets/update-1-i-tweet-from-bed-sometimes-u-s-president-trump-says-idUSL8N1PN0XR

Enjoying the high life, up on the roof in Tel Aviv

January 15, 2018 / 12:44 PM / Updated 30 minutes ago Enjoying the high life, up on the roof in Tel Aviv Tel Aviv (Reuters) - When it comes to the high life in Tel Aviv, residents of the Mediterranean metropolis need look no further than their own rooftops. Ana Ashury, a mixed-media artist, stores away her artwork on her rooftop in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv, Israel, November 19, 2017. REUTERS/Corinna Kern With space always tight in Israel’s fast-paced economic and entertainment capital, rooftops have been transformed into retreats with thriving outdoor gardens, restaurants, yoga, art and music studios, spaces for krav maga martial arts classes and even guest houses. Hana Wimberly, 26, turned her barren, cement rooftop into her own outdoor haven with just a few mix matched chairs, a couch and a wooden table. “For more than anything it’s a place for me to feel very connected to the city,” she said. “Tel Aviv, as much as there is to do, going to a bar and spending 50 shekels ($15 USD) on a drink gets exhausting.” Her lifestyle also connects her and her family to their past: her grandmother had a similar rooftop salon in Tel Aviv. Iyar Semel, a 38-year-old musician, planted an organic garden on his rooftop, with compost, vegetables, fruit trees and a shower. It all allows him to merge his ecological lifestyle with the restraints of urban space. For Guy Elhadad, 26, his rooftop is his creative incubator, “where we can do whatever we want because we don’t need the approval of others”. He and two roommates host yoga, music and art sessions there and built a spare sleeping place for people passing through. Elhadad said he loves Tel Aviv and through his rooftop can help make it bloom. Reporting by Miriam Berger; Editing by Jeffrey Heller, William Maclean

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-israel-tel-aviv-rooftops/enjoying-the-high-life-up-on-the-roof-in-tel-aviv-idUKKBN1F41JE

Guild Mortgage Acquiring Cornerstone Mortgage, St. Louis-Based Firm with 19 Offices in Three States

Fast-Growing Regional Firm had Loan Volume of $1.0 billion in 2017; Recognized as Top Place to Work Six Straight Years SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Guild Mortgage , one of the largest independent mortgage lenders in the U.S., has reached an agreement to acquire Cornerstone Mortgage, Inc. , of St. Louis, Mo., a fast-growing independent with 19 offices in three states and loan volume of $1.0 billion in 2017. Mary Ann McGarry, president and CEO of Guild, said the acquisition of Cornerstone fits with Guild’s strategic plan to grow in existing markets and also acquire firms with a strong presence in new markets and proven histories of exemplary customer service and entrepreneurial cultures. "Cornerstone is an exceptional company and a close culture match to Guild with its strong values and experienced loan professionals averaging more than 15 years in the business,” said McGarry. “It has been the fastest growing mortgage banker in Missouri for six straight years and ranked as a Top 25 place to work in local surveys during the same period. We have been admiring their organization for several years and are pleased to enter 2018 with such a strong new presence in the Midwest.” Cornerstone was founded in 1996 by Angi Stevenson, current president and CEO, and the late Jim Dean. Stevenson has more than 30 years of senior management and operational experience in mortgage lending. Under her leadership, Cornerstone has risen to become the 10th largest woman-owned company in St. Louis as rated by the St. Louis Business Journal and No. 2 in mortgage lending volume for the past three years. She will join Guild as regional vice president of its newly established Midwest Region. “We are confident that we will achieve significant growth and gain market share in the Midwest because of the quality of the Cornerstone people and their entrepreneurial spirit, which matches ours,” said McGarry. “Guild will add our proprietary technology to support their growth, starting with our MyMortgage digital platform, combining a paperless loan application with a personalized mortgage experience to help every customer move more easily from application to close. Guild is working on additional enhanced technologies to improve customer service and we look forward to introducing them soon to support our Cornerstone team in the Midwest.” Cornerstone has 19 branches and more than 200 employees in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. The acquisition will give Guild a major presence in Missouri. Cornerstone has been No. 2 in mortgage volume in St. Louis the past three years, according to media surveys. The acquisition is expected to close by March 1, 2018. Stevenson said Cornerstone has grown by striving to put its clients first, a philosophy that aligns with Guild. “They have been a leader in adding new technology and systems to improve every step in the lending process and have been recognized for setting national standards in customer satisfaction,” Stevenson said. “They retain more than 85 percent of their loans for servicing. Joining Guild will enhance all that we do. We are looking forward to entering a new era of growth and better serving our customers with such a dynamic organization.” Guild recently earned the J.D. Power award for “ Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Primary Mortgage Sales in the U.S. ,” based on results from its 2017 Primary Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study SM . For the fifth straight year, Guild was named as a best place to work among large companies in an annual survey by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Guild Mortgage, which has built a culture of customer service since its founding in 1960, had loan volume of $15.9 billion in 2017. It has grown four-fold since 2010, when loan volume was $4.1 billion and it had 75 branches and satellites in 16 states. Guild has expanded from its base in the West to the Southwest, Southeast and Midwest, and now has some 4,000 employees nationwide and more than 250 branches in 27 states. Servicing volume also grew more than six-fold during the same period, from $6.4 billion to $38.5 billion. A top-10 national lender by purchase loan volume, Guild offers first-time homebuyers a wide range of loan options and personalized service. Its mortgage loan officers can serve the needs of any homebuyer, from helping first-time homebuyers achieve home ownership, often through government loan programs, to jumbo home loans. Guild also specializes in helping active duty and retired military personnel to secure VA loans, with 100-percent financing and flexible qualifying standards. About Guild Mortgage Founded in 1960 when the modern U.S. mortgage industry was just forming, Guild Mortgage Co. is a nationally recognized independent mortgage lender offering a wide range of residential mortgage products and local in-house processing, underwriting and funding. Its collegial and entrepreneurial culture enables it to deliver unsurpassed levels of customer service. Having been through every economic cycle, the company has grown 15-fold since 2007, and now has more than 4,000 employees and 250 branch and satellite offices in 27 states. Guild’s highly trained loan professionals are experienced in government-sponsored programs such as FHA, VA, USDA, low down payment assistance programs and other specialized loan programs. The company generated $15.9 billion in loan volume in 2017, as compared to $1.2 billion in 2007. In addition, Guild services more than 190,000 loans, which totaled $38.5 billion in 2017. It has correspondent banking relationships with credit unions and community banks in 47 states. (Equal Housing Lender- Company NMLS #3274). View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180111005703/en/ Media Contacts at Nuffer, Smith, Tucker Public Relations (619-296-0605) Ryan Hall rch@nstpr.com Cell: 949-280-4704 or Tom Gable tg@nstpr.com Cell: 619-251-3881 Source: Guild Mortgage

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/11/business-wire-guild-mortgage-acquiring-cornerstone-mortgage-st-louis-based-firm-with-19-offices-in-three-states.html

Albemarle Announces Retirement of Matt Juneau, Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Investor Relations; Names Eric W. Norris As Successor

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), a leader in the global specialty chemicals industry, announced today that Matt Juneau, executive vice president, Corporate Strategy & Investor Relations, is retiring from the company in March 2018 and that it has named Eric W. Norris as Albemarle's chief strategy officer, effective immediately. As chief strategy officer, Norris will be responsible for both Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations. Juneau will be retiring after more than 35 years with Albemarle Corporation and its predecessor, Ethyl Corporation. During his career at Albemarle, Juneau has served in positions of increasing responsibility, including senior vice president, president, Performance Chemicals, vice president, Polymer Solutions and vice president, Global Sales and Services. "On behalf of the Board of Directors and the leadership team, we thank Matt for his many years of dedicated service to Albemarle," stated Albemarle Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Luke Kissam. "We wish Matt the best in his retirement." Norris joins Albemarle as a seasoned executive with over 20 years of diverse experience in corporate development and business leadership. Prior to joining Albemarle, he served in several roles with FMC Corporation over a 15-year period. Most recently, he served as president, FMC Health and Nutrition, where he was responsible for leading a segment with over $750 million of revenue, 13 stand-alone plants and 12 globally dispersed R&D centers, and over 1,000 employees. Prior to taking on that role, Norris served for five years in FMC's Lithium segment, first as global commercial director before moving up to vice president and global business director. Other roles at FMC included director, Corporate Development, and in its BioPolymer segment, director, Healthcare Ventures. "We are delighted to welcome Eric to Albemarle," stated Kissam. "We look forward to the leadership and contributions his wealth of experience will bring to us. I am confident that his business experiences and insights, combined with his leadership skills, will allow him to make significant contributions to Albemarle's future success." About Albemarle Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is a global specialty chemicals company with leading positions in lithium, bromine and refining catalysts. We power the potential of companies in many of the world's largest and most critical industries, from energy and communications to transportation and electronics. Working side-by-side with our customers, we develop value-added, customized solutions that make them more competitive. Our solutions combine the finest technology and ingredients with the knowledge and know-how of our highly experienced and talented team of operators, scientists and engineers. Discovering and implementing new and better performance-based sustainable solutions is what motivates all of us. We think beyond business-as-usual to drive innovations that create lasting value. Albemarle employs approximately 4,500 people and serves customers in approximately 100 countries. We regularly post information to www.albemarle.com , including notification of events, news, financial performance, investor presentations and webcasts, non-GAAP reconciliations, SEC filings and other information regarding our company, its businesses and the markets it serves. "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Albemarle Corporation's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K. View original content with multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/albemarle-announces-retirement-of-matt-juneau-executive-vice-president-corporate-strategy--investor-relations-names-eric-w-norris-as-successor-300584895.html SOURCE Albemarle Corporation

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/18/pr-newswire-albemarle-announces-retirement-of-matt-juneau-executive-vice-president-corporate-strategy-investor-relations-names-eric-w.html

Oil prices hold near 2015 highs, but doubts over rally emerge | Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Friday, dropping from highs last seen in 2015, as soaring U.S. production undermined a 10 percent rally from December lows that was driven by tightening supply and political tensions in OPEC member Iran. Rising U.S. output and weaker refined products demand weighed on the market, traders said. “The holiday demand surge that we get is in the rearview mirror,” said John Kilduff at Again Capital. “That, coupled with the rebound in U.S. production, is helping to undercut some of the recent price strength.” While product demand is up from a year earlier, robust stockpiles and a cold snap in the U.S. could put a damper on demand for transportation fuels. Traders said political tensions in Iran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), had pushed prices higher. “The protests in Iran add more fuel to the already bullish oil market mood,” said Norbert Ruecker, head of commodity research at Swiss bank Julius Baer. On Friday there was no new major outbreak of violence in the country, relieving some of the tension from the market. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 futures fell 57 cents to settle at $61.44 a barrel. WTI hit $62.21 the previous day, which was its strongest price since May 2015. Brent crude LCOc1 futures for March delivery fell 45 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $67.62 a barrel. The previous day it touched $68.27, also the highest price since May 2015. “Crude oil traders are probably getting some demand concerns at the $60 threshold for WTI and especially the risk that Brent – the biggie globally – could hang out above $65 for too long,” said Richard Hastings, macro strategist at Seaport Global Securities. “The U.S. winter could disrupt some gasoline consumption, and this would contribute to a slight weakness in various gasoline signals – and the oil markets never like that. All of this is the typical sentiment of being overextended,” Hastings said. Oil prices have received general support from production cuts led by OPEC and Russia, which started in January last year and are set to last through 2018, as well as from strong economic growth and financial markets. [MKTS/GLOB] That has helped to tighten markets. U.S. commercial crude inventories C-STK-T-EIA fell by 7.4 million barrels in the week to Dec. 29, to 424.5 million barrels, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. That is down 20 percent from peaks last March and close to the five-year average of 420 million barrels. Yet, surging U.S. production could offset some of the cuts from OPEC producers, as it rose to 9.78 million barrels per day (bpd) in the latest week, according to Wednesday’s report. U.S. drillers cut five oil rigs in the week to Jan. 5, bringing the total count down to 742, General Electric Co’s ( GE.N ) Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report on Friday. RIG-OL-USA-BHI The rig count, an early indicator of future output, is much higher than a year ago when only 529 rigs were active. CAN THE BULL RUN LAST? With Iranian production unaffected by unrest and U.S. output C-OUT-T-EIA likely to pass 10 million bpd, a level reached only by Saudi Arabia and Russia, doubts are emerging whether the bull run can last. Bank Jefferies said the oil price “upside from here is not obvious to us,” but added it expected the oil market to remain undersupplied through 2018. Julius Baer’s Ruecker said crude prices above $60 project an “overly rosy picture.” “Oil production disruptions (in Iran) remain a very distant threat ... disruptions in the North Sea have been removed ... (and) U.S. oil production surpassed the 2015 highs in October and is set to climb to historic highs this year,” he said. Lukman Otunuga, an analyst at futures brokerage FXTM, struck a similarly cautious tone, saying, “While the current momentum suggests that further upside is on the cards, it must be kept in mind that U.S. shale remains a threat to higher oil prices.” Reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault in New York; Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein in Singapore and Dmitry Zhdannikov in London; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Leslie Adler

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-oil/oil-prices-hold-near-2015-highs-but-doubts-over-rally-emerge-idUSKBN1EU07K

Commentary: New Tax Bill: What Will Public Companies Do? | Fortune

By Robert C. Pozen and Robert K. Steel January 10, 2018 U.S. companies will soon experience a tsunami of free cash flow. Because of the new Trump-GOP tax plan—the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—we estimate American companies will have over $2.6 trillion of additional cash over the next five years. This will come from three sources: repatriated overseas cash, future foreign earnings, and lower corporate taxes on domestic profits. The critical question is: What will companies do with this inpouring of cash? For years, many CEOs of public companies have complained of pressure by analysts and activists to focus on short-term profits rather than long-term growth. Now each CEO has a great chance to put their money where their mouth is. CEOs have two main alternatives for this incremental cash flow; they can boost short-term returns to shareholders through higher dividends and share repurchases, or they can augment long-term growth by investing in plants, people, research, and technology acquisitions. For the sake of their credibility and the American economy, we urge CEOs to invest in long-term growth, and not in share buybacks as they did in 2004. In 2004, Congress passed a tax holiday for the repatriation of foreign profits of U.S. companies then held abroad—at a 5.25% rate. As a result, nearly 1,000 eligible American companies decided to bring back to the U.S. $362 billion in foreign profits then held abroad. They then mostly spent that money on share buybacks, which decrease the outstanding number of a company’s shares and thereby increase earnings per share. Under the new tax act, the incremental cash flow from repatriating past foreign profits is likely to be much higher—above $1 trillion over the next five years. The foreign profits of U.S. companies held abroad have increased dramatically—from approximately $600 billion in 2004 to over $2.5 trillion in 2017. In 2004, companies paid a repatriation tax on foreign profits only if they were brought back to the U.S. By contrast, the new tax plan assesses a repatriation tax on all foreign profits held abroad, so there is no extra tax cost for bringing them back to the U.S. The future foreign profits of U.S. companies will total over $2 trillion during the next five years. Under the new tax act, these future profits may be repatriated to the U.S. without paying any additional U.S. corporate taxes. We estimate that American companies could reasonably allocate half of this total, or $1 trillion, to capital investments in the U.S. At the same time, the after-tax domestic profits of American companies should be up sharply with a corporate tax rate at 21%, down from 35%. This rate cut will lead to higher after-tax corporate profits of roughly $600 billion over the next five years. Will American companies use this total of over $2.6 trillion in incremental cash mainly for share buybacks, as happened in 2004? Then, politicians from both parties were disappointed that so little of the $362 billion in repatriated profits was used to create American jobs or expand U.S. facilities. Since 2010, companies have engaged in a frenzy of share buybacks. There is no question that some activists will advocate again for buybacks to raise stock prices. But most investors see through this tactic; they are looking for real growth of company revenue and earnings. To promote real growth and add domestic jobs, public company executives should make capital investments in sustainable projects and programs. Share buybacks above a modest level are a tacit admission by executives that they cannot find enough capital investments to produce reasonable returns. The special tax incentives in the new tax act should spur company executives to use this incremental cash to make American capital investments during the next five years. Only during this period will all companies be allowed to deduct immediately the full costs of their U.S. capital investments, instead of deducting these costs gradually over the useful life of these investments. The economic impact of these new capital investments would be significant for the American economy. Incremental domestic investments of $2.6 trillion over the next five years would be 20% higher than total capital investments by American companies in the previous five years. So now is the time for public company executives to invest for the future—to create jobs and expand local facilities. If, instead, executives propose to use new cash flows solely to buy back their companies’ stock, independent directors should consider major changes in structure and strategy—and, if needed, in the management team. Robert C. Pozen is a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and former president of Fidelity Management & Research Company. Robert K. Steel is the CEO of Perella Weinberg Partners and a former undersecretary of the U.S. Treasury Department. SPONSORED FINANCIAL CONTENT

http://fortune.com/2018/01/10/trump-new-plan-bill-tax-cuts-jobs-act/

Korean talks unlikely to end nuke threat, say experts

As the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea sparred on who's "nuclear button" is bigger, there was still hope rare talks between the two Koreas could bring a thaw in relations. Yet, analysts say it's unlikely such talks would end the nuclear threat from North Korea. It could, however, ease tensions during the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea and reduce the chance of an escalation that might lead to a larger crisis, analysts said. In a New Year's Day speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he was "open to dialogue" with Seoul and indicated that the North might send a "delegation" to the upcoming Winter Olympics, which begin Feb. 9. On Tuesday, the Seoul government proposed talks could be held in the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom on Jan. 9, according to the Yonhap News Agency . "We should take it seriously partly because he [Kim] is trying to drive a wedge between the United States and South Korea," said Matthew Bunn, a nuclear proliferation expert and professor of practice at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Some experts believe the outreach from Pyongyang is ultimately an attempt to cause friction in the Seoul-Washington relationship and undermine sanctions, as well as to disrupt plans for the upcoming Foal Eagle and Key Resolve U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises. The war games, which North Korea has seen over the years as a war rehearsal, involve navy ships, tanks and aircraft as well as live-fire exercises and tens of thousands of troops. They are scheduled to start in March. AFP | Getty Images North Korean soldiers stare at South Korean soldiers at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas on November 27, 2017. "What he's saying, in essence, is something some of us have been expecting for a while: 'I've got my deterrent now, so now I am prepared to talk,'" said Bunn, who worked on nuclear issues in the Bill Clinton administration. Meantime, analysts say Kim's message to Washington about having the "nuclear button" on his desk should be viewed as a sign the regime won't give up its intercontinental ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons. Some believe Kim, who turns 34 years old next week, could have assembly lines going for his new ICBMs this year. Late Tuesday, President Donald Trump tweeted he too has the nuclear button and said it happens to be "much bigger and more powerful" than one the North Korean leader has on his desk — and Trump boasted "my Button works!" https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948355557022420992 "Several times in Kim's speech he emphasized the fact that they are a strong nation because of nuclear weapons," said Lisa Collins, a fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a defense think tank. She said the North Korean leader's reference to the "nuclear button" shouldn't be viewed as a threat, but "he's making very clear again that he will not be giving up his nuclear weapons." Last year, North Korea test-launched at least three ICBM missiles, including a Hwasong-15 in late November that some experts believe can reach all of the U.S. mainland. Also, the rogue nation conducted its sixth underground nuclear test in September and threatened to do an atmospheric nuclear blast but so far hasn't done so. On Tuesday, NBC News Pentagon correspondent Hans Nichols reported that another missile launch by Pyongyang "is possible, if not likely, in the coming days," citing several military officials. Collins said the data they've collected at CSIS shows that there's "usually a downtick in missile testing in the winter months — November, December and January — and then usually in the early spring and summer is when there's an increase in North Korean missile tests. So I would anticipate the same pattern happening again this year in 2018 if there is no fundamental strategic change in the environment." The Pentagon declined to comment. Analysts say the fact Kim delivered the New Year's message in a Western-style suit rather than his usual Maoist attire may be an attempt to "humanize him," especially to U.S. and Asian audiences. However, one U.S. expert believes that effort was a complete failure. "Unfortunately, he came off looking more like a gangster than he did a sort of normal Westernized businessman or presidential leader," said Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest, a think tank founded by former President Richard Nixon. Regardless, Bunn said Kim probably wants to talk first with the South Koreans because "he sees a more cooperative leader" in Seoul than in Washington. He also believes "it's an opportunity to reduce tensions on the peninsula, which were getting to the point where there was a real risk of inadvertently blundering into war." In response to Monday's olive branch from Kim, South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, said he welcomed the news and possibility to turn the "games into a groundbreaking chance to improve South-North relations and establish peace." At the same time, South Korea's prime minister, Lee Nak-yon, was Quote: d as saying North Korea might now demand "different treatment" in discussions , Yonhap reported. "Lee didn't elaborate on what 'different treatment' may mean, but it apparently indicates that the communist nation could demand the South treat it as a nuclear weapons-armed state," the South Korean news agency reported. Talks could involve a North Korean team participating in the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, which will be held about 50 miles from the border that divides the two Koreas. "My question is what do the North Koreans want," said Kazianis. "Every time North Korea comes to the table, they always want something for it." One possibility is that North Korea may want the U.S. and South Korea to weaken sanctions, although that's unlikely to get any support from the Trump administration. Indeed, Trump on Tuesday morning tweeted: "Sanctions and 'other' pressures are beginning to have a big impact on North Korea." https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948194400114487296 United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea are wide-ranging on trade and limit exports on such things as textiles, seafood and coal but also cut back oil and gasoline imports. Even so, Reuters last week reported that there have been at least three cases of Russian tankers in recent months transferring oil at sea for North Korea . Kazianis said the South Koreans are "in a bind with the Olympics. The North Koreans have a lot of ways to make the Olympics go very bad." "So, I think Kim Jong Un probably realizes this and probably will go to the South Koreans on Jan. 9 and say, 'Look, I'm looking for sanctions relief or food aid or access to oil' or something like that," Kazianis said. "The South Koreans might actually give it to him because they don't want to have billions of dollars in investment in the Winter Games be wrecked by, say, a North Korea nuclear test, an ICBM test or even some cyber-strikes." Even if Kim may appear to have the short-term leverage, though, experts say there are plenty of reasons to be wary. "There's good reason to have skepticism about this offer by Kim Jong Un because of the timing,"

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/02/korean-talks-unlikely-to-end-nuke-threat-say-experts.html

Def Leppard Announces Joint Stadium and Arena Tour With Journey | Fortune

By Phil Wahba January 19, 2018 In the latest demonstration of the lasting box office power of so-called legacy bands, Def Leppard and Journey on Friday announced a co-headlining tour that will take them to arenas and stadiums throughout North America between May and September. Def Leppard, one of the last holdouts among major acts in making its catalog of classics like “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Photograph” available for streaming or download online, also said its entire oeuvre, including rarities and live recordings, was now available on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. AC/DC and the Beatles, previous holdouts, put their work on iTunes in 2012 and 2010 respectively. The two bands will take turns closing out the shows that will include concerts at iconic venues such as Boston’s Fenway Park and New York’s Madison Square Garden, an arena at which Def Leppard will play its first ever full concert. (The English rockers played a charity concert there in 1992.) Of the 58 dates, ten will take place at stadiums, a rarity for both bands and a sign of how confident promoter Live Nation (lyv) is in the tour’s prospects. The itinerary starts in Hartford on May 21 and wraps up in Los Angeles October 6th. Tickets will be available for sale to the general public on February 3. This is not the first time Journey, a recent Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductee known for songs such as “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Open Arms”, and Def Leppard have hit the road together: they toured U.S. amphitheaters in 2006 with Leppard headlining in an outing that fueled a resurgence in Leppard’s box office drawing power. In the early 2000’s, Def Leppard tours attracted more modest crowds than they had during the band’s 1980s and 1990s heyday. But starting with a joint run with Bryan Adams in 2005, Def Leppard has since taken to leading package tours as it did in 2017 with Tesla and Poison, a formula that has proven very successful. “We’ve toured together before and it was massive. This time it’s going to be even bigger and better!” Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott said in a statement of the Journey news. Indeed, while Def Leppard hasn’t had a Billboard Top 40 hit since 1993’s “Two Steps Behind” (though it has landed several Top 10 albums including an eponymous recording in 2015), it has toured nearly every year since 2005, and ranked among the top tours each time, according to Pollstar data. Last year, Def Leppard averaged a haul of $817,404 per show on its North American tour. Journey has also been a big box office draw despite the absence of lead singer Steve Perry for decades. Def Leppard’s decision to add its catalog to streaming and downloading services marks the resolution of a years-long dispute with its former record company on how much the band would be paid considering their contract was drawn up long before digital songs existed. The band has sold some 40 million albums in the U.S., led by records such as 1983’s “Pyromania” and 1987’s “Hysteria.” The band also announced a British and Irish tour in December with 1970s rockers Cheap Trick in tow that will see Def Leppard play “Hysteria” in its entirety, as it did during a residency in 2013 in Las Vegas.

http://fortune.com/2018/01/19/def-leppard-journey/

You’re Stuck With Batteries—But New Tech Will Make Them Last Longer

LAS VEGAS—Oooh, an adorable robot puppy! Two hours until he plays dead—for real. A cordless hair dryer! Hope you have short hair, it only lasts 14 minutes. A foldable electric scooter! When you forget the midweek charge, remember that hitchhiking is dangerous. Some people see the future at the annual CES tech trade show. I see more batteries we will have to charge. The... RELATED VIDEO Smart Cars, Sweet Robots, Scary Wheels: CES 2018 in 2 Minutes An adorable robot dog, a TV that could fill up a wall, a car whose entire dashboard is a touch screen. WSJ's Joanna Stern went on the hunt for the most exciting and unusual products at this year's biggest tech show. Photo/Video: Emily Prapuolenis/The Wall Street Journal

https://www.wsj.com/articles/youre-stuck-with-batteriesbut-new-tech-will-make-them-last-longer-1516107600

Secretariat International 2018 Managing Director Promotions

ATLANTA, Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Secretariat is pleased to announce the promotions of Ted Scott and Mike Saulsbury to Managing Directors. Ted has done an outstanding job of expanding our West Coast practice and has testified on some major international projects. Mike has helped establish the firm's presence in the UAE (Dubai) and has a reputation second to none in the Middle East. Their unwavering commitment to integrity and quality reinforce the firm's core principles. To view more on Ted and Mike please click on the links below: http://secretariat-intl.com/member/ted-scott / http://secretariat-intl.com/member/mike-saulsbury / View original content with multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/secretariat-international-2018-managing-director-promotions-300580080.html SOURCE Secretariat

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/09/pr-newswire-secretariat-international-2018-managing-director-promotions.html

Trump: 'I am not a racist'

Trump: 'I am not a racist' 5:28pm IST - 01:07 President Trump said on Sunday that he is 'not a racist' despite reports of his derogatory comments about immigrants from Haiti and Africa, adding that he was 'ready, willing and able' to reach a deal to protect immigrants brought to the United States as children. President Trump said on Sunday that he is 'not a racist' despite reports of his derogatory comments about immigrants from Haiti and Africa, adding that he was 'ready, willing and able' to reach a deal to protect immigrants brought to the United States as children. //reut.rs/2B1eZ3e

https://in.reuters.com/video/2018/01/15/trump-i-am-not-a-racist?videoId=385807078

BRIEF-MCI To Cease Distributing Daimler's Setra Coaches

January 4, 2018 / 1:09 PM / Updated 7 minutes ago BRIEF-MCI To Cease Distributing Daimler's Setra Coaches Reuters Staff Jan 4 (Reuters) - New Flyer Industries Inc: * MCI TO CEASE DISTRIBUTING DAIMLER‘S SETRA COACHES * NEW FLYER INDUSTRIES-EVOBUS GMBH TERMINATED DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS AGREEMENT FOR GERMAN BUILT SETRA MOTOR COACHES IN U.S., CANADA EFFECTIVE JUNE 29,2018​ * NEW FLYER-DAIMLER‘S DECISION WAS BASED ON UNIT‘S OWN COMPETING MOTOR COACH MODELS DID NOT ALLOW FOR SUFFICIENT ATTENTION TO SETRA BRAND IN CANADA, U.S. * NEW FLYER INDUSTRIES INC - ‍SALES OF NEW SETRA COACHES WILL TRANSFER TO DAIMLER‘S NEW NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTOR IMMEDIATELY​ * NEW FLYER INDUSTRIES - ‍UNDER TERMS OF DRA, AS PART OF TRANSITION, DAIMLER WILL RE-PURCHASE NEW SETRA COACHES, SERVICE PARTS INVENTORY ON HAND AT MCI​ * NEW FLYER INDUSTRIES- PARTS SALES, SERVICE, WARRANTY SUPPORT FOR SETRA COACHES IN SERVICE WILL REMAIN WITH MOTOR COACH INDUSTRIES & TRANSFER MID-2018 Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

https://www.reuters.com/article/brief-mci-to-cease-distributing-daimlers/brief-mci-to-cease-distributing-daimlers-setra-coaches-idUSFWN1OZ0PP

Shanghai will strengthen property market regulation

January 29, 2018 / 12:35 PM / Updated an hour ago Shanghai will strengthen property market regulation Reuters Staff 2 Min Read SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The Shanghai government will continue to strengthen its regulation of the city’s property market, Mayor Ying Yong said on Monday, as China moves to curtail real estate speculation. Ying signalled that the government would continue targeting speculation and soaring prices, echoing remarks by President Xi Jinping last year. “We must adhere to the position that houses are for living, not for speculation, and stick to the view that the strict control of high house and land prices is not a stopgap measure,” Ying said. “Lowering the reliance on the property market of economic growth and tax revenue growth is also not a stopgap measure.” He added, “The strengthening of regulation of the property market is unwavering and will not be relaxed.” Home prices have surged in China over the past two years, with the biggest cities, including Shenzhen and Shanghai, the first to see huge spikes, followed by provincial capitals and smaller cities. In response, local governments have adopted measures to slow home property sales, bear down on speculators and check soaring property prices. Ying said prices of commercial property had been stable last year after a series of government measures, while an index of second hand residential home prices fell month-on-month in November and December. A top priority for the government this year would be speeding up the development of a system that encouraged both ownership and rental of housing, and change the “over-emphasis” on home purchases, Ying said. This year, he said, the government will continue to offer land plots for the construction of housing rental units, citing a government report that it intended to build or convert more than 200,000 new units for rental. Reporting by John Ruwitch; Writing by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Clarence Fernandez

https://in.reuters.com/article/china-property-shanghai/shanghai-will-strengthen-property-market-regulation-idINKBN1FI1H2

Burnett rallies Ole Miss past Florida, 78-72

Ole Miss got 22 points from forward Bruce Stevens and overcame an 8-point deficit early in the second half in rallying for a 78-72 victory over Florida on Saturday afternoon at The Pavilion in Oxford, Miss. After missing the previous game because of illness, guard Deandre Burnett added 20 points -- 15 in the second half -- and guard Markel Crawford added 17 for the Rebels (10-7, 3-2 Southeastern Conference). Sophomore forward Keith Stone scored a career-high 23 for the Gators (12-5, 4-1 SEC), who managed only one field goal over the last seven minutes and saw their winning streak snapped at six games. The Rebels were down 52-44 early in the second half before pulling even on an 8-0 run. The game was tied for the 13th time at 64-64 when Stevens hit a go-ahead layup with under six minutes left to give Ole Miss the lead for good. Forward Egor Koulechov and guard Jalen Hudson scored 11 points each for the Gators. Hudson, the team’s leading scorer with a 16.6 average entering the game, fouled out with 40 seconds left after a replay review overturned what would have been his fifth foul with 1:46 remaining. The two teams were deadlocked at 31-31 at the half when Florida guard KeVaughn Allen drilled a 3-pointer from the wing at the buzzer. The Gators led by as many as seven points, 17-10, after going on an 8-0 run midway through the first half and were still up by four, 22-20, on Koulechov’s 3-pointer before the Rebels rallied. Two free throws by Marcanvis Hymon at the 3:30 mark put the Rebels up 27-25, and Crawford’s jumper with under a minute left in the period had Ole Miss up 31-28, but Burnett forced a layup with 24 seconds remaining to give Florida its late opportunity. The Gators shot well early in the period but cooled off and ended up shooting only 35.5 percent (11-of-31) for the half. The Rebels slogged their way to a 30.3 percent first half (10-of-33). --Field Level Media

https://www.reuters.com/article/basketball-ncaa-mis-flo-recap/burnett-rallies-ole-miss-past-florida-78-72-idUSMTZEE1DIHGZG6

Perosphere Pharmaceuticals Appoints Robert S. Langer, Sc.D. to its Board of Directors

Founding Chairman of Perosphere’s Scientific Advisory Board and Institute Professor, MIT DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Perosphere Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that it has appointed Robert S. Langer, Sc.D., founding Chairman of Perosphere's Scientific Advisory Board and Institute Professor, MIT, to its Board of Directors. Dr. Langer has authored more than 1,400 scientific papers and is the most cited engineer in history. His approximately 1,275 issued and pending patents worldwide are licensed or sublicensed to over 350 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. This achievement, amongst others, has earned him the nickname "the Edison of Medicine” by the Harvard Business Review. Dr. Langer served as a member of the United States Food and Drug Administration’s SCIENCE Board, the FDA’s highest advisory board, from 1995 to 2002, and as its Chairman from 1999 to 2002. He is one of four living individuals to have received the nation’s two highest scientific honors - the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. In addition, Dr. Langer currently serves on the Board of Directors of PureTech Health plc, Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Moderna Therapeutics, Inc. Previously he served as a director for Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Alkermes plc, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and Millipore Corporation. "Perosphere has made remarkable progress in the clinical development of its broad-spectrum anticoagulant reversal agent, ciraparantag," said Dr. Langer. "I look forward to helping the company continue to make great strides and seeing ciraparantag advance towards bringing this potentially life saving drug candidate to the patients who need it," added Dr. Langer. "Dr. Langer has been a key advisor to Perosphere since its inception,” noted Bryan Laulicht, Ph.D., President and CEO of Perosphere Pharmaceuticals. “We are delighted that he has agreed to join Perosphere's Board of Directors at this exciting time in the company’s development." About Ciraparantag Ciraparantag is a small molecule drug candidate that directly combines with the oral direct factor Xa inhibitors and low molecular weight heparin allowing rapid re-establishment of a normal blood coagulation state without producing a procoagulant effect. Ciraparantag is undergoing clinical development as a ready-to-use sterile, intravenous injection. About Perosphere Pharmaceuticals Perosphere Pharmaceuticals is a private specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing rescue medications. Please visit www.perospherepharma.com for further information. View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180108006303/en/ Perosphere Pharmaceuticals Inc. Erik Steiner, +1-203-885-1111 Chief Operating Officer e.steiner@perospherepharma.com 20 Kenosia Avenue Danbury, CT 06810 Source: Perosphere Pharmaceuticals Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/08/business-wire-perosphere-pharmaceuticals-appoints-robert-s-langer-sc-d-to-its-board-of-directors.html

China revokes academic title of professor accused of sexual harassment

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s Education Ministry on Sunday revoked the prestigious academic title of a university professor accused of sexually harassing students, state media said, in a case that has sparked national media coverage and a nascent #MeToo movement in the country. Beihang University in Beijing said last week that it removed Chen Xiaowu from his teaching posts after an investigation found he had engaged in “sexual harassment behaviour” that seriously violated professional ethics and the school’s code of conduct. The Beijing Youth Daily had previously reported Chen saying he had done “nothing illegal”, but Reuters was unable to reach him for comment as the university declined to provide Chen’s telephone number and said he was refusing interviews. The university’s investigation was launched after former Beihang student Luo Xixi publicly accused Chen of sexually harassing her 13 years ago in an online blog that promptly went viral after it was posted on Jan. 1. “The ministry decided to revoke Chen Xiaowu’s status as a Yangtze River Scholar,” Chinese state radio said, referring to an academic award given to individuals in higher education. The ministry also authorized the university to relieve Chen of his appointment and took back his award funding, it said. It did not give further details. In her post, Luo said Chen made an unwanted sexual advance after luring her to his sister’s house, and that he relented only after she burst into tears and said she was a virgin. Luo also accused Chen of harassing several other students. Luo, who now lives in the United States, said she was inspired by the #MeToo social media movement that started in October in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations in the U.S. entertainment industry, and encouraged others to come forward and share their own experiences under the hashtag. Luo’s allegations, combined with another public post from a Peking University graduate, have inspired students from more than 50 universities to issue open letters demanding more effective oversight and a reporting system to deal with sexual harassment on their campuses. But unlike #MeToo in the United States, the campaign has mostly been spread by word of mouth and has struggled to gain traction on social media, in part because Chinese internet censors have been swift to take down the open letters. Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Dale Hudson

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-harassment/china-revokes-academic-title-of-professor-accused-of-sexual-harassment-idUSKBN1F30I4

China Q4 GDP grows 6.8 pct y/y, beats expectations

BEIJING, Jan 18 (Reuters) - China’s economy grew 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 from a year earlier, official data showed on Thursday, above expectations and unchanged from the previous quarter’s growth. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected gross domestic product to expand 6.7 percent in the October-December quarter, slowing from 6.8 percent growth in the previous quarter. Chinese policymakers have been trying to contain financial risks and slow an explosive build-up in debt without stunting economic growth. The world’s second-largest economy grew an annual 6.9 percent in 2017, beating the government’s target of around 6.5 percent and quickening from 2016 growth of 6.7 percent, which was the weakest pace in 26 years. GDP in the fourth quarter grew 1.6 percent quarter-on-quarter, compared with revised growth of 1.8 percent in July-September, the National Bureau of Statistics said. Analysts had expected fourth-quarter GDP would grow 1.6 percent on a quarterly basis. (Reporting by Kevin Yao; Writing by Elias Glenn; Editing by Sam Holmes)

https://www.reuters.com/article/china-economy-gdp/china-q4-gdp-grows-6-8-pct-y-y-beats-expectations-idUSB9N1P500R

Taiwan plans to invest in advanced arms as China flexes its muscles

TAIPEI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Taiwan’s ruling party plans to use a long-term increase in defence spending to pursue advanced weapons systems, government officials say, in what is widely seen as growing determination to forge a stronger deterrent against a Chinese attack. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during the end-of-year news conference in Taipei, Taiwan December 29, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Hamacher The left-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), led by President Tsai Ing-wen, is working on detailed spending plans through 2025, two officials with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Tsai and her team have met repeatedly with military leaders in a push for new investment in training and equipment, one of the officials said. Immediate priorities include new missiles, drones and electronic warfare systems, fighter aircraft and ballistic missile defences, according to a separate statement from the Ministry of National Defence sent to Reuters. Although some arms would be domestically produced, such as an existing plan to locally build eight submarines, they say a longer-term Taiwanese drive for improved capabilities could mean fresh U.S. deals. Those requests could deepen tensions between Beijing and Washington. China considers democratic Taiwan to be a wayward province and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. The United States, Taiwan’s sole foreign supplier of arms, has for years called on Taipei to address a worsening military imbalance across the Taiwan Strait, which has recently seen heightened tensions amid military assertiveness by China. In the first week of 2018, China sailed an aircraft carrier and other military ships through the strait on a training mission. “If there are three weapons systems that China’s high command really wants to keep out of Taiwan’s hands, it is submarines, fighter jets and ballistic missile defences. Taipei is smartly investing in all three,” said Ian Easton, a U.S.-based research fellow at the Project 2049 Institute, which studies Asia security issues. In October, Tsai signalled that defence spending would increase by at least 2 percent each year, with more possible based on the need for significant purchases. By 2025, Taiwan’s annual defence spending is projected to increase by at least 20 percent - or NT$62.4 billion ($2.08 billion) - to NT$381.7 billion, the officials said, if the legislature approves the future budgets. With economic growth “on track” for this year, Taiwan’s defence spending will “likely” exceed the baseline that the president has announced, one of the officials said. “The Tsai administration is seeking to undo years of defence spending cuts,” the two officials said in a separate written statement to Reuters. “The additional funds will target enhancements in asymmetrical defence strategies in the short-term, and advanced weapons and equipment either domestically produced or through defence procurements in the long-term,” one of them added. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence confirmed to Reuters that electronic warfare, information security and improved drones were among the priorities for this year, along with existing programmes, including upgrades of its Raytheon Co Patriot missile defences, Lockheed Martin Corp F-16A/B jet fighters and indigenously built training planes. The ministry also confirmed plans to improve mobile missile launchers, but has yet to detail whether that would mean reviving an earlier ballistic missile programme or improving the cruise missiles Taiwan already has. Both are likely to face intense Chinese scrutiny. The planned increases mark a change in commitment from the previous China-friendly Kuomintang government under President Ma Ying-jeou, under whom defence spending from 2009 to 2016 slid from 3 percent to 2.1 percent of GDP, according to government data. Regional diplomats are watching developments closely. Although few nations have formal diplomatic or military ties with the island, any boost in Taiwan’s military could complicate China’s strategic domain. “The military balance is rapidly shifting in China’s favour, but the new Taiwanese government is more prepared to stand up to China’s behaviour,” said Singapore-based security analyst Tim Huxley. “I think some countries, particularly Japan, will see that as a net benefit by making life more difficult for China.” In recent months, China has ramped up its long-range air force drills, particularly around Taiwan. In March, it said its defence spending would increase 7 percent for 2017, or 1.044 trillion yuan ($158.70 billion). After taking office in 2016, Tsai has promoted Taiwan’s domestic defence industry as one of several pillars under a so-called “5 plus 2” program that seeks to foster important business sectors in Taiwan. Analysts have said Taiwan would need to improve both asymmetric warfare and high-end capabilities like aircraft and missile defence after years of budgetary neglect. Asymmetric warfare means using limited resources to inflict unacceptable damage to a more powerful opponent. Taiwan is betting it can make an attack on it too painful for China to consider, according to Collin Koh, a research fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “The Taiwanese may not be able to overturn the balance of power now, but they can improve their abilities to raise the costs on China,” he said. ($1 = 29.9480 Taiwan dollars) ($1 = 6.5786 Chinese yuan renminbi) Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Gerry Doyle

https://in.reuters.com/article/taiwan-defence-spending/taiwan-plans-to-invest-in-advanced-arms-as-china-flexes-its-muscles-idINKBN1F00PB

PRECIOUS-Gold prices drop as dollar firms

* Spot gold off 3-1/2 month highs hit Wednesday * Gold on Wednesday posted first one-day loss in nearly 3 weeks * Dollar firm on positive U.S. data, Fed minutes (Adds comment, detail; updates prices) By Sethuraman N R Jan 4 (Reuters) - Gold prices fell on Thursday after hitting a 3-1/2-month high the session before, pulled down as investors took profits and as the U.S. dollar firmed. Spot gold was down 0.4 percent at $1,306.72 an ounce at 0333 GMT. U.S. gold futures dropped 0.8 percent to $1,307.80 an ounce. Spot gold marked its highest since Sept. 15 at $1,321.33 on Wednesday, but then dropped as the dollar recovered from over 3-month lows. It fell further after minutes from the Federal Reserve's December policy bolstered expectations for more U.S. interest rate hikes. That meant that gold, which had rallied $85 from nearly 5-month lows hit in mid-December, posted its first day of losses in nearly three weeks. "People are looking to lock in some gains after a pretty strong rally over the past weeks," said ANZ analyst Daniel Hynes. "Geopolitical issues have certainly been a huge power point of the gold's rally into the year-end ... It is going to be a U.S. dollar type story going forward with markets taking a neutral view." The dollar was firm on Thursday in the wake of upbeat U.S. data . U.S. factory activity increased more than expected in December, boosted by a surge in new orders growth, in a further sign of strong economic momentum at the end of 2017. Minutes from the Fed's Dec. 12-13 meeting were seen as more hawkish than anticipated, indicating the central bank is still poised to raise interest rates several times this year. The minutes suggested that the central bank would continue to pursue a gradual approach in raising rates but could pick up the pace if inflation accelerates. Gold is highly sensitive to rising U.S. interest rates as they increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion, while boosting the dollar, in which it is priced. The short-term technical outlook was also pressuring gold prices, with the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) touching 75 on Tuesday, it highest since September 2017. An RSI above 70 indicates a commodity is overbought and could herald a price correction, analysts said. Spot silver fell 0.8 percent to $16.99 an ounce, after hitting a six-week high on Wednesday at $17.24. Spot platinum was down over 1 percent at $945.10. Spot palladium dropped 0.2 percent to $1,080.97, having marked an all-time high on Tuesday at $1,096.50. (Reporting by Nallur Sethuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin and Joseph Radford)

https://www.reuters.com/article/global-precious/precious-gold-prices-drop-as-dollar-firms-idUSL4N1OZ19A

Voting to survive: Romanians elect mayors despite graft record

DRAGOMIRESTI, Romania (Reuters) - Romanian mayor Dragos Vladulescu has a criminal conviction in a country with one of the EU’s worst corruption records, and yet local voters keep re-electing him and many think he’s doing a great job. For Vladulescu’s admirers, what matters is that their mayor has upgraded or built new schools, clinics and even churches during his 14 years at the town hall. On top of that, the Social Democrat has installed street lighting, mains gas and water supplies, as well as paving muddy roads in their community of Dragomiresti, which lies in lush hill country about 90 km (45 miles) northwest of Bucharest. Voters in the wealthier European Union states to the west would take such services for granted, but not in Romania, which is still catching up after enduring a particularly brutal form of communism under Nicolae Ceausescu. So when a court found Vladulescu guilty of conflict of interest in 2014 for granting public works contracts to a company owned by his son-in-law, people shrugged it off and two years later re-elected him for a fourth term. “Things are going well, he has done many good things here,” said 64-year-old pensioner Gheorghe Baicoianu, while municipal workers shovelled away snow from bus stops in the village centre. “I certainly voted for him, he deserved it.” The fact that the mayor was handed a six-month suspended jail sentence seemed not to trouble Baicoianu. “I am not interested in other issues, only what I can see with my eyes in the locality,” he told Reuters. Dragomiresti is by no means unusual in Romania, which came fourth from bottom of the 28 EU nations in a 2016 corruption perceptions index compiled by the anti-graft group Transparency International. That year Vladulescu’s Social Democrat Party (PSD) was re-elected nationally even though its leader Liviu Dragnea has also got a suspended jail sentence: two years in a vote-rigging case. Dragnea is now on trial for abuse of office and prosecutors have opened a separate inquiry on suspicions that he formed a “criminal group” to siphon off cash from state projects, some of them EU-funded. This involves a company once controlled by a county council that Dragnea headed until 2012. He denies all the charges. SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP Sociologist Daniel Sandu says part of the PSD’s success is a close relationship between its national leadership and its mayors. This involves how government money to build infrastructure and pay social benefits is channelled to a local level, funding the kind of public works that have made Vladulescu and other mayors so popular. “One way or another, the ruling party needs to control these mayors because they are the ones who bring votes, and mayors need the party because it helps them get funds,” Sandu, a researcher at the European University Institute, told Reuters. “There is a symbiotic relationship.” All parties that have governed Romania since the 1989 fall of communism have been accused of favouring their own mayors and county administrations in allotting funds. Dragnea created a multi-billion euro state-funded programme in 2013 when he was regional development minister. Under this, money for rural and municipal infrastructure projects is now distributed to the counties by a deputy prime minister, without the need for overall government oversight. Reuters calculations show that Social Democrat mayors have generally done well out of this National Programme for Local Development (PNDL). For 2017-2020 PSD-controlled county councils have been earmarked, on average, 17 percent more than those controlled by the opposition Liberal party, and about 40 percent more on average than counties run by leaders from Romania’s ethnic Hungarian minority. Dragnea’s successor as regional development minister, Sevil Shhaideh, has denied preferential distributions. “The poorest counties, with the largest populations and areas and with the most administrative units, will get the largest allotments,” said Shhaideh, whose ministry drafted the PNDL allocations. Shhaideh lost her ministerial post in a government reshuffle last October after prosecutors opened a corruption inquiry into her. She denies the allegations. ALMOST FEUDAL The European Commission has the Romanian judicial system under special monitoring, and the country’s prosecutors are vigorously pursuing corruption cases, sending to trial hundreds of mayors, county councillors and lawmakers from across party lines. The bulk of investigations involve public contracts awarded to firms in return for bribes, fraud with EU funds, rigged auctions and conflicts of interest. Jail sentences are, however, frequently suspended with relatively few officials behind bars. Attempts by the PSD government to decriminalise several corruption offences last year triggered the country’s largest street protests in decades. And yet the party, which won both the national and local elections, retains strong support. Romania is booming, with the economy growing at annual rates of almost nine percent in 2017, but it remains poor. Per capita GDP was just 58 percent of the EU average in 2016, while 2011 data put Romanians’ average annual earnings at less than 6,000 euros ($7,500) compared with almost 18,000 euros in Portugal, one of western Europe’s poorest countries. Another problem is a disparity between cities such as Bucharest, which have largely benefited from Romania’s transition to a market economy, and rural areas. ”There are two very different Romanias,“ said Sandu. ”One feels like any prosperous and dynamic capital city in Europe. “The other is served almost exclusively by a set of politicians who have developed an institutional power structure that is almost feudal.” Outside the major cities, many small towns and villages lack basic services. A study by World Vision showed more than 200,000 children, particularly in rural areas, went to bed hungry. The country has the highest rate of household deprivation in the EU, Eurostat data showed, with one in two Romanians struggling to keep their home warm or pay their bills on time. For such people, spending by the local mayor is often a lifeline, so they vote for the candidate they think will produce the cash for their community. “They are literally voting to survive,” Sandu said. “These people feel forgotten, abandoned, the losers of the transition and they believe their closest form of survival is the leader or party closest to them.” AGING RAPIDLY Dragomiresti, a group of six villages with a total population of under 9,000, is far from the poorest municipality. But the community, which lies in Dambovita county, is aging rapidly. Most passersby in the centre had family members working abroad, chiefly on farms in Spain and Italy. Vladulescu, who won 58 percent of the vote in 2016, said he understood local concerns. “Many mayors in Dambovita county have been re-elected for their second, third or fourth terms, and the key to their success is that they prioritise solving the problems of their citizens,” he told Reuters. “I have done one thing or another every year in each village,” he added. “People understood very well how things stood; the fact they re-elected me is proof.” In 2016, many Romanians elected mayors who were under investigation or on trial, regardless of their party, including in cities such as Baia Mare and Brasov. Local administrations have an overall annual budget of just under 70 billion lei ($19 billion), a third of the country’s consolidated budget revenue, and access to EU development funds. This includes funds from the PNDL, which the government has increased nearly fivefold to 30 billion lei for 2017-2020. Expert Forum (EFOR), an independent think tank which has analysed public contracts related to the PNDL in several counties, found that about half were awarded to only 5-6 private firms even though up to 50 compete for them. “Connections are in most cases party-based and tend to be built around local power relations,” an EFOR report said. “Some companies are managed by unknown owners on paper but in reality they are controlled by politicians or other influential persons.” ($1 = 3.7562 lei) ($1 = 0.8043 euros) editing by David Stamp

https://in.reuters.com/article/romania-politics/voting-to-survive-romanians-elect-mayors-despite-graft-record-idINKBN1FI0GF

Airlines: Why United Caused Stocks to Plunge This Week | Fortune

By Shawn Tully January 26, 2018 Investors got royally spooked this week when United Continental unveiled shocking new plans to do precisely what airline-watchers fear most: Flood the market with lots of new seats. And they’re absolutely right to freak out. Airline costs are rising on autopilot, but revenues are flat, already putting a squeeze on profits. To thrive, the industry needs constantly rising prices to blunt the relentless, big, inflation-plus escalation in costs. But United’s salvo threatens to scuttle the optimistic scenario long embraced by investors, the belief that airlines had entered a new era of maturity and profitability. During its Q4 earnings call on Tuesday, the brass at America’s third-largest carrier announced a campaign to raise capacity (that is, its total number of seats), chiefly at its mid-continent hubs at Denver, Chicago O’Hare, and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental, by an astounding 4% to 6% annually, during each of the next three years. Over the next three days, United’s shares (ual) fell from $77.97 to $65.66, a decline of 16%. And the news badly battered its three major rivals, pummeling American Airlines shares (aal) by 9.6%, and pounding Delta (dal) and Southwest (luv) by 7.8% and 7.3% respectively. All told, the combined market cap of the Big Four shrank by 9.7%, falling from $133 billion to $120.1 billion. A ‘kick in the teeth’ “It was an amazing reversal, because everything was going so well for the U.S. carriers before that earnings call,” says Kevin Mitchell, chief of the Business Travel Coalition, a group that lobbies on behalf of corporate travel customers. For years, the industry has taken the position that consolidation is a great thing for forestalling price wars. Money managers and the airlines’ chiefs have praised the big carriers’ newfound “discipline,” defined as extreme caution in adding new seats in their big markets. Investors also took comfort in the industry’s campaign to protect its highly-lucrative, often antitrust-exempt trans-Atlantic routes by blocking the onslaught from discount carriers Norwegian Airlines and WOW of Iceland, as well as Gulf Qatar and Etihad of the UAE. The new Tax Cuts and Jobs act also raised kudos. The industry predicted that fatter paychecks and a surge in cash that could swell corporate travel budgets would fill the skies with hordes of new leisure and business travelers. “Then came the kick in the teeth no one expected,” says Mitchell. On the Tuesday earnings call, United president Scott Kirby acknowledged that because the airline hadn’t grown capacity at its major hubs, it hadn’t been able to benefit from a recent surge in potential customers, missing out on growth by losing business to low-cost competitors. The main beneficiary, Kirby said, was Southwest, a powerful rival in Chicago, Denver and Houston. Kirby–renowned in the business for squeezing maximum revenues and profits from a web of routes and hubs–shocked the Wall Street audience by declaring that the only way to beat the discounters was to match or better their prices. The call had barely ended before Gary Kelly, Southwest’s CEO, promised a powerful counter-attack. “We have the tools we need to continue to perform well in all the markets that are impacted,” declared Kelly. He added that United was attempting to recover business it had ceded during a lost decade of financial travail, capped by a troubled merger with Continental. Regaining those that lost business, said Kelly, “will be a very, very hard battle.” Chasing Southwest Indeed, Southwest benefits from the lowest cost structure among the Big Four, and could maintain strong profitability amid falling prices. But the same isn’t necessarily true for American and Delta, and especially United. To understand why, it’s crucial to study how the favorable trajectory of revenues and costs that powered the airline renaissance is now reversing. Let’s start with United. For 2017, United’s operating revenues rose a decent 4.4%, but its costs, excluding special items, waxed by almost 8%. The two big culprits were the categories that comprise over half the airline’s expenses: compensation and fuel. The former rose by a formidable 7.5%, the latter by 19%. Although 2017 was still a pretty good year, United lost altitude. Its operating margin shrank from 13.6% to 9.7%. The forces buffeting United are also threatening American and Delta. What’s certain is that their compensation will keep rising rapidly and fuel is likely to follow. Hence, the industry must keep strongly increasing revenues to remain profitable. But over the past two years, revenues have barely budged. The U.S. carriers’ dramatic comeback is mainly due to a gigantic decline in fuel costs that, for now, has run its course; it’s not due to curbing costs or achieving sustainable gains in revenues. To get the full picture, let’s look at American, Delta and United as one big airline. Their peak came in 2015, when declining fuel costs supplied a tailwind by boosting pre-tax profits around $25 billion. But since that summit, the airlines’ performance has been fading. From 2015 to 2017, the combined revenues of American, Delta and United were virtually flat at $120 billion. Yet compensation rose over those two years by 18.9%, and even though fuel prices costs in 2017 were 6.2% lower than in ’15, expenses still rose at a rate that far outpaced revenues, growing at 7.8%. The conclusion is that the biggest U.S. airlines can’t stand anything that shrinks the top line. The aftershocks of United’s adding a lot more seats, and the Southwests and Spirits responding by slashing fares to fill their planes, is highly unpredictable. “Lower fares mean more people will fly,” says Mitchell. “But it’s possible that the price cuts will be so deep that they’ll more than offset revenues from additional passengers.” It’s that uncertainty that’s roiling the airlines. As for the much praised “new era” of rigor and sense, the United announcement sends a stern message: Don’t count on it. SPONSORED FINANCIAL CONTENT

http://fortune.com/2018/01/26/united-airlines-stock-capacity/

UPDATE 1-Benefits of EU deregulation help Suedzucker weather falling prices

(Adds detail from paragraph one) HAMBURG, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Europe’s largest sugar refiner, Suedzucker, said EU deregulation enabled it to boost sugar exports in the third quarter but falling bioethanol prices hit its overall operating earnings. Suedzucker confirmed its previous forecast of group operating profit for its 2017/18 financial year of 425 million to 500 million euros ($508 mln-$597 mln) against 426 million euros in the previous year. It raised its guidance for full year sales revenues to a range of 6.9 billion to 7.1 billion euros, from a previous forecast for 6.7 billion to 7 billion euros. Operating earnings in the third quarter to the end of November fell 13.1 percent on the year to 103 million euros, but sales rose 6.4 percent to 1.8 billion euros, Suedzucker said. “The quarterly operating earnings fall was largely due to decreased prices for bioethanol and increased raw materials costs in the special products sectors, the result from sugar was on the previous year’s level,” a Suedzucker spokesman said. “High costs for cheese and other diary products such as for pizza production were a factor in the special products sector.” A radical deregulation of the EU’s sugar market took effect at the end of September, with farmers free to grow as much as they want and refiners free to export sugar globally after decades of restrictive output quotas and export limits. Guaranteed minimum sugar prices also ended. One impact of EU market liberalisation is that EU sugar prices are linked to world prices, which are currently weak. ”Since the beginning of the new sugar marketing year in October 2017, sales revenues for both EU and export (sugar) volumes have declined significantly,” Suedzucker said. “Higher export volumes since October partially compensated for the decline and as a result the third quarter operating result remained slightly above last year’s.” Suedzucker’s third quarter operating earnings from sugar rose 1.9 percent to 38 million euros, sugar sales rose 9.2 percent to 831 million euros. Suedzucker said its new sugar harvest is looking good. It expects to produce about 5.7 million tonnes of sugar in the harvest and production season this winter, up from 4.4 million tonnes last season. $1 = 0.8370 euros Reporting by Michael Hogan; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Susan Fenton Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://www.reuters.com/article/suedzucker-earnings/update-1-benefits-of-eu-deregulation-help-suedzucker-weather-falling-prices-idUSL8N1P60PQ

German gov't raises 2018 growth forecast to 2.4 pct - sources

BERLIN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The German government has raised its 2018 growth forecast to 2.4 percent from 1.9 percent previously, people familiar with the updated projections said on Monday. The government expects exports to grow by 5.3 percent this year and imports to rise by 5.8 percent, the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity, adding that unemployment was seen falling to 5.3 percent from 5.7 percent in 2017. The German economy, Europe’s largest, last year grew by 2.2 percent, the strongest rate since 2011. Adjusted for calendar effects, the economy expanded by 2.5 percent in 2017. Acting Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries, a senior member of the Social Democrats, will present the government’s updated growth forecast during a news conference on Wednesday. (Reporting by Gernot Heller,; Writing by Michael Nienaber,; Editing by Joseph Nasr)

https://www.reuters.com/article/germany-economy-gdp-forecast/german-govt-raises-2018-growth-forecast-to-2-4-pct-sources-idUSB4N1NM00O

Chinese media warns the US of 'retaliations' from 'all sides' after new Taiwan bills passed

The U.S. made a move this week to strengthen its relationship with Taiwan , raising eyebrows in China , which strongly opposes countries pursuing ties with the island-nation. Getty Images President Donald Trump and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee passed two bills on Tuesday aimed at bolstering "the critical U.S.-Taiwan partnership ," according to a statement. One bill, called the Taiwan Travel Act, encouraged high-level visits between Washington and Taipei "at all levels of government" while the second addressed Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization . Currently, the State Department enforces self-imposed restrictions on official travel due to the unofficial nature of the bilateral alliance. Once Sino-U.S. ties were established in 1979, Washington cut off diplomatic links with Taipei in adherence with Beijing's "One China" policy , which recognizes the East Asian island as part of China. Since then, no Taiwanese leader has formally visited the White House, but that could change if Tuesday's bill gets signed into law. Washington still maintains cultural, commercial and security ties with Taipei. A state-run Chinese newspaper denounced the bill's passage, saying it could shake political ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration. show chapters Here's how a trade war could cripple Taiwan 7:48 AM ET Thu, 23 Feb 2017 | 02:01 "The mainland will surely act to make sure Taiwan and the U.S. pay the price for their high-level exchanges," said a Wednesday op-ed published by The Global Times, a nationalistic arm of the Communist Party media apparatus. "Beijing's diplomatic retaliations toward Washington will come from all sides," it continued. "This will multiply exponentially the costs for the U.S, of handling global affairs and make the country profoundly realize that the Taiwan question is the Chinese mainland's bottom line that it cannot afford to touch." China's foreign ministry has not yet answered CNBC's request for comment on the matter. Since coming into office, President Donald Trump's actions on Taiwan have caused anxiety in the world's second-largest economy. Those include a 2016 phone-call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen , who Beijing believes is pushing for Taiwanese independence, and a 2017 decision to sell Tsai's government $1.42 billion in arms.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/10/new-bills-strengthen-us-taiwan-relations-angering-china.html

Russia's Lavrov says 'unilateral actions' by US in Syria made Turkey furious: report - Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) - “Unilateral actions” by the United States in Iran and Syria have infuriated Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Kommersant newspaper in an interview. “Many political scientists are asking why do we care and say that the worst is the best: let the United States prove its inability to find an agreement, (to show) its destructive role in global affairs, let it be in Iran or Syria and where the unilateral actions have already infuriated Turkey,” he said. In the interview to Kommersant, conducted earlier this week and published on Sunday, Lavrov also said that an attempt by the U.S. via the possible new sanctions to change Russian foreign policy was ‘unpromising’. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-russia-turkey/russias-lavrov-says-unilateral-actions-by-u-s-in-syria-made-turkey-furious-report-idUSKBN1FA12A

Mobile Mini Schedules 2017 Fourth Quarter News Release and Conference Call for Friday, February 2nd

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mobile Mini, Inc. (NasdaqGS: MINI) today announced that it will issue its financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2017 on Friday, February 2, 2018 before the financial markets open. Management will conduct a conference call that day at 12:00 noon ET to review these results. To listen to the call live, dial (201) 493-6739 and ask for the Mobile Mini Conference Call. To listen to the call via the Internet, please visit www.mobilemini.com and click on the Investors Section. Additionally, a slide presentation, which will accompany the call, will be posted at www.mobilemini.com on the Investors Section and will remain available after the call. Please go to the website 15 minutes early to download and install any necessary audio software. If you are unable to listen live, a replay of the conference call may be accessed for approximately 14 days after the call at Mobile Mini’s website. About Mobile Mini, Inc. Mobile Mini, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of portable storage solutions, and a leading provider of tank and pump solutions in the U.S. Mobile Mini is included on the Russell 2000® and 3000® Indexes and the S&P Small Cap Index. For more information visit www.mobilemini.com . View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180119005092/en/ Mobile Mini, Inc. Van A Welch, 602-308-3879 Executive VP & CFO www.mobilemini.com or Investor Relations Counsel: The Equity Group Inc. Fred Buonocore, 212-836-9607 or Kevin Towle, 212-836-9620 Source: Mobile Mini, Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/19/business-wire-mobile-mini-schedules-2017-fourth-quarter-news-release-and-conference-call-for-friday-february-2nd.html

BlackRock's Fink, who oversees $6 trillion, says he's still 'quite bullish' on stocks due to global growth

BlackRock remains convinced the stock market has further to run, the chairman and CEO of the world's largest money manager told CNBC on Friday. We're "quite bullish," Larry Fink said in a "Squawk Box" interview "We believe the U.S. economy and the global synchronized, global economies are strong enough to continue the upward bias on equities," he said. He also believes that "investors are underinvested," which means he thinks there's more money on the sidelines that could come into the market. "The demand in credit and other assets is going to keep a spike in interest rates to be more muted," Fink said. "We think interest rates are going to be higher," he added. "We don't think this is necessarily bad." Retirement savers even as old as 50 should mostly be in stocks rather than bonds, he said. Fink also said the Republican tax overhaul law is largely going to help Americans, and should add about 1 percent annually to economic growth, at least in the first few years. Meanwhile, the U.S. corporate tax cut is a problem for Mexico because the rate is now lower in America, Fink said. Companies that had domiciled in Mexico for tax reasons are going to make their new tax homes in the U.S., he predicts. BlackRock said Friday morning its assets under management surpassed $6 trillion in the fourth quarter. It reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue. Morning Squawk: CNBC's before the bell news roundup Sign up to get Morning Squawk each weekday Job Industry Advertising/Marketing Automotive Communications/PR Construction/Manufacturing Education Finance/Banking/Insurance Legal Media/Entertainment Medical/Health Care Mining/Oil/Gas/Utilities Gov't/Non-Profit Real Estate Retail Technology/IT Transportation/Shipping Travel/Hospitality Other Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about about our products and service. Privacy Policy . Submit Please enter a valid email address Disclaimer

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/12/blackrock-is-still-quite-bullish-on-stocks-says-ceo-larry-fink.html

Carrier sends jobs to Mexico despite Trump deal

Carrier sends jobs to Mexico despite Trump deal 4:33am IST - 02:13 More than 200 workers clocked in for their final shifts on Thursday at Carrier Corp. in Indianapolis in the latest round of layoffs at a plant President Donald Trump toured in December 2016 to trumpet a deal to save jobs and prevent its closure. More than 200 workers clocked in for their final shifts on Thursday at Carrier Corp. in Indianapolis in the latest round of layoffs at a plant President Donald Trump toured in December 2016 to trumpet a deal to save jobs and prevent its closure. //reut.rs/2AQ283H

https://in.reuters.com/video/2018/01/11/carrier-sends-jobs-to-mexico-despite-tru?videoId=381923001

Ski jumping: Stoch seals Four Hills title with record-equaling win

January 6, 2018 / 6:52 PM / Updated 29 minutes ago Ski jumping: Stoch seals Four Hills title with record-equaling win Reuters Staff 2 Min Read (Reuters) - Holder Kamil Stoch became the second man to win all four legs of the Four Hills competition as he retained the title with victory at Bischofshofen on Saturday. The 30-year-old Pole, who won the first three stages at Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck, jumped 132.5 and 137 meters across the two rounds to equal German Sven Hannawald’s record set in 2002. Stoch, a double gold medalist at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, finished with a tally of 275.6 points and his victory took him past German Richard Freitag in the overall World Cup standings. Norway’s Anders Fannemel finished second on 272.4 points after a massive 139-metre leap in the final round followed by German Andreas Wellinger, who rounded out the podium after recording 270.5 points. Wellinger and Fannemel sealed second and third place respectively in the tournament’s overall leaderboard with Stoch coming out as the clear winner with a total of 1108.8 points. Freitag, who was Stoch’s main competitor in the first two legs, was absent from the final stage due to an injury he sustained after a bad landing in Innsbruck. Stoch holds a 12-point lead in the World Cup standings followed by Freitag and Wellinger, with the latter 154 points adrift of the Pole. Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ski-jumping-4hill/ski-jumping-stoch-seals-four-hills-title-with-record-equaling-win-idUSKBN1EV0NO

BRIEF-Starbucks Announces Employee Wage Hikes

January 24, 2018 / 11:13 AM / Updated 8 minutes ago BRIEF-Starbucks Announces Employee Wage Hikes Reuters Staff 2 Min Read Jan 24 (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp: * STARBUCKS BUILDS ON ITS FOUNDATION OF INDUSTRY-LEADING BENEFITS FOR RETAIL EMPLOYEES ANNOUNCING NEW INVESTMENTS IN COMPREHENSIVE PAID LEAVE AND WAGE * STARBUCKS CORP - ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL 2018 STOCK GRANT WITH A ONE-YEAR VEST * STARBUCKS - ANNOUNCES SECOND WAGE INCREASE FOR ALL U.S. HOURLY AND SALARIED PARTNERS IN ADDITION TO ANNUAL INCREASES ALREADY GRANTED THIS FISCAL YEAR * STARBUCKS- REITERATED COMMITMENT TO CREATE MORE THAN 8,000 NEW RETAIL JOBS, 500 MANUFACTURING JOBS THIS YEAR AS PART OF CO‘S STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN * STARBUCKS CORP - IN APRIL, ALL ELIGIBLE U.S. HOURLY AND SALARIED PARTNERS WILL RECEIVE A SECOND WAGE INCREASE * STARBUCKS CORP - NEW PARTNER (EMPLOYEE) ‍OFFERINGS WILL TOTAL MORE THAN $250 MILLION FOR MORE THAN 150,000 PARTNERS * STARBUCKS CORP - ALL STARBUCKS RETAIL PARTNERS WILL RECEIVE AT LEAST $500 ‍STOCK GRANT, STORE MANAGERS WILL EACH RECEIVE $2000 ‍STOCK GRANT​ * STARBUCKS CORP - SERIES OF NEW PARTNER (EMPLOYEE) OFFERINGS ARE ACCELERATED BY RECENT CHANGES IN U.S. TAX LAW Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

https://www.reuters.com/article/brief-starbucks-announces-employee-wage/brief-starbucks-announces-employee-wage-hikes-idUSFWN1PJ0LC

Informa offers to buy events organiser UBM

January 17, 2018 / 7:41 AM / Updated 25 minutes ago Informa seals 3.8 billion pounds deal for events organiser UBM Paul Sandle 3 Min Read LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Informa ( INF.L ) struck a deal to buy conference organiser UBM ( UBM.L ) for 3.8 billion pounds in cash and stock on Wednesday, forming a world-leading business events and exhibitions group worth 8 billion pounds. The deal, which comes almost a decade after UBM tried to buy Informa, will give it greater scale and specialisation in events, the fastest growing part of its business, Informa said. Informa owns the Lloyds List shipping newspaper and runs around 200 exhibitions a year, including Arab Health and Agrishow, while UBM counts Black Hat computer security events and Game Developers Conference among its 300-strong portfolio. Informa’s Chief Executive Stephen A. Carter said in an interview that such opportunities “don’t come along very often”. Shareholders will receive 1.083 Informa shares for each UBM share and 163 pence in cash, valuing UBM at 964 pence a share, a 30 percent premium to the Jan. 15, closing price, Informa said. The deal terms were outlined after the groups confirmed talks on Tuesday. Informa has until Feb. 13 to make a firm offer. Shares in UBM were trading up 10 percent at 866.5 pence, while Informa was down 10 percent at 674 pence at 1100 GMT. At that price, its offer is worth 893 pence per UBM share. Analysts at Citi said the proposed deal would increase Informa’s organic growth rate and margins, assuming even modest synergies, as its exposure to events increases from around 35 percent of group revenue to almost 60 percent. “One of the reasons that we have been less positive on Informa versus UBM is due to the business mix, with concerns over areas such as academic publishing and knowledge and networking.” Investec said it was a good deal for UBM, but it looked like Informa was paying a very full price, excluding synergies, and there were execution risks for its mid-term growth and margins. UBM, which once had interests in newspapers and television, has focused in recent years on events, buying Advanstar Communications in 2014 and selling PR Newswire in 2016. Informa, which also has academic publishing and business intelligence operations, has also built its events business in recent years. Global exhibitions revenue has grown from 160 million pounds in 2013 to more than 550 million pounds in 2017. Carter, who will be chief executive of the new group, said the fit was better than in 2008 when UBM tried to buy Informa. “We are now the bigger business by size, but the complementarity if anything has gone up,” he said. Additional reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Jason Neely/Keith Weir/

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ubm-m-a-informa/informa-offers-to-buy-events-organiser-ubm-idUKKBN1F60Q2

Carrefour steps up e-commerce push, chases deal in China

PARIS (Reuters) - Carrefour’s ( CARR.PA ) new chief executive promised to slash costs, step up e-commerce investment in the face of competition from Amazon ( AMZN.O ) and open up Carrefour China to local investors, sending its shares higher on Tuesday. Alexandre Bompard, at the helm only since July and tasked with boosting cash flow, promised to invest 2.8 billion euros ($3.4 billion) in digital commerce by 2022, six times its current investment, as Carrefour plays catch-up in online retail. Under pressure to lift profits, Bompard also announced cost savings of 2 billion euros by 2020, including a voluntary redundancy plan for 2,400 employees at its French head office. “We must revamp our model by simplifying our organization, opening ourselves up to partnerships, improving our operational efficiency... (and) building an efficient omnichannel model,” Bompard said in a statement. Carrefour shares leapt 6.3 percent, the biggest one-day gain since October 2015, as investors cheered the five-year strategic plan’s focus on investing in online and competitiveness. Carrefour has spent years trying to reduce its reliance on hypermarkets, particularly in France, a model that once drove its bricks-and-mortar retail business but which has come under crushing pressure from digital commerce and the rise of online giants such as Amazon ( AMZN.O ). Former Fnac executive Bompard unveiled the plan after Carrefour said last week that its 2017 operating profit could fall by 15 percent amid weak sales. This marked its second profit warning in six months. The retailer, the world’s largest after Wal-Mart ( WMT.N ), with more than 380,000 employees, said it was targeting a 20 percent market share in food e-commerce in France by 2022. Carrefour’s online sales accounted for just 1.7 percent of its total French food sales in 2016, while more digital-savvy rival Leclerc managed 8 percent, according to Bernstein analysts. Slideshow (2 Images) CHINA PARTNERSHIP In China, Carrefour remains loss-making amid fierce competition from local players and a buoyant online market. In response, Bompard announced the possible acquisition of a stake in Carrefour China by Internet giant Tencent ( 0700.HK ) and local retailer Yonghui ( 601933.SS ). Carrefour would remain the largest shareholder of Carrefour China. “While some will be disappointed not to see an outright sale of China, these are both strong strategic partners and we would argue give the group the best possible ability to turn the business around,” brokerage Bernstein said in a briefing note. Amazon’s acquisition of U.S. food retail chain Whole Foods has fueled speculation that the U.S. online group is looking to crack the European market next. It has held exploratory talks with some of Carrefour’s rivals, the companies have confirmed. Carrefour’s five-year plan was welcomed by investors and analysts who had wanted the retailer to make further moves into e-commerce after it acquired a stake in online fashion retailer Showroomprive.com ( SRPG.PA ) this month. It is the largest private sector employer in France, where its weak performance have weighed on group profitability and performance of its shares. France accounts for 44 percent of the operating profits. Targeting 1 million additional fresh food customers by 2022, Carrefour said it would accelerate growth in supermarkets and convenience stores and improving the efficiency of its hypermarkets, including by reducing sales areas. No hypermarket closures were planned, it said. Bompard’s plan to shed 2,400 jobs out of a total French HQ workforce of 10,500 could set the chief executive on a collision course with France’s muscular trade unions, including Force Ouvriere, which has already called for a walkout on Feb. 8. Britain’s supermarket group Tesco ( TSCO.L ) said on Monday it will cut a net 800 jobs from its UK business to simplify operations and achieve targeted cost savings. Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; additional reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Keith Weir

https://in.reuters.com/article/us-carrefour-strategy/retailer-carrefour-steps-up-digital-push-and-inks-deal-in-china-idINKBN1FC0R4

Bitcoin Isn’t a Currency, It’s a Commodity—Price It That Way - WSJ

Is a bitcoin worth the $15,000 it commands today, or is it really worth about $3,000? The huge runup in value since September suggests the lower figure. Cryptocurrency fans typically fall into two groups. One sees the currencies as ways to buy and sell things; the other views them as investments. For now, the investment crowd is winning out: Bitcoin remains a cumbersome way to purchase most goods, but its value has skyrocketed, nearly quadrupling since mid-September. ... RELATED VIDEO Bitcoin vs. Regulators: Who Will Win? As bitcoin has emerged from the underground world of nerds and criminals to become a mainstream investment, the risk of hacks and scandals has also blossomed. What's a government to do? The WSJ's Steven Russolillo travels the world (sort of) to see how regulators are responding to the remarkable rise of cryptocurrencies. Video: Sharon Shi and Crystal Tai To Read the Full Story Subscribe Sign In

https://www.wsj.com/articles/bitcoin-isnt-a-currency-its-a-commodityprice-it-that-way-1515041387

Irish Prime Minister says he will campaign for liberalization of abortion laws

LONDON (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Saturday that he would campaign for a liberalization of the country’s restrictive abortion laws ahead of a referendum in the coming months, adding that his views on the issue had evolved. Varadkar’s government plans to hold the referendum as soon as May to loosen some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. His Fine Gael party has agreed to let individual members campaign on either side of the debate. While the country remains overwhelmingly Catholic - a complete ban on abortion was only lifted in 2013 - public opinion has become far more socially liberal in recent years. Varadkar, a medical doctor by training, in 2014 described himself as pro-life, but also said that the rules in Ireland, where terminations are only allowed in cases where the mother’s life is in danger, were too tight. “I believe Ireland’s abortion laws are too restrictive and need to be liberalised,” Varadkar said in an interview with BBC radio on Saturday. “I’ll be campaigning for them to be changed.” MISUNDERSTOOD Asked about his previous position, Varadkar said that his views had evolved in recent years. “I think sometimes that pro-life and pro-choice can be misunderstood ... I think even people who are in favor of abortion in certain circumstances are pro-life,” he said. “These terms pro-life and pro-choice don’t really comprehend the complexity of this issue, which is a very private and personal one and one, I think, that contains a lot of gray areas.” Ireland has yet to decide the exact wording of the referendum. A cross-party parliamentary committee last month recommended that the state legislate to allow terminations with no restrictions up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy, a more liberal position than some had anticipated. An opinion poll on Friday found that a majority of Irish voters would support a proposal to allow abortion up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy, but that many older voters opposed the change. Reporting by James Davey; Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Andrew Bolton

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ireland-abortion/irish-prime-minister-says-he-will-campaign-for-liberalization-of-abortion-laws-idUSKBN1FG0DI

Nestle to cut 400 jobs in France

January 26, 2018 / 7:24 AM / Updated 16 minutes ago Nestle to cut 400 jobs in France Reuters Staff 2 Min Read PARIS (Reuters) - Swiss food group Nestle ( NESN.S ) said on Friday it planned to cut as many as 400 jobs in France in support services and HQ functions, as it sees to cut cost and boost efficiency, confirming a media report.[nL4N1PK5VH] The group, which employs 13,000 people in France, wanted to avoid layoffs and attrition may account for some reduction in headcount as Nestle consolidates seven sites around Paris into one by 2020, a spokesman said. Earlier this week, Europe’s largest retailer Carrefour ( CARR.PA ) unveiled a voluntary redundancy plan for 2,400 employees at its French head office as part of plans to save 2 billion euros by 2020. [nL8N1PI1EY] Nestle, the world’s largest packaged food firm, already announced in September plans to cut 450 out of 550 jobs at its Galderma skincare research center near Nice on the French Riviera. Nestle has come under pressure to shift gear from activist shareholder Third Point, which in June revealed a $3.5 billion stake. Nestle has satisfied some demands, such as buying back shares and setting a margin target. Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; editing by Leigh Thomas

https://uk.reuters.com/article/nestle-jobs/nestle-to-cut-400-jobs-in-france-idUKKBN1FF0NJ

U.S. SEC probing muni bond market practices -California treasurer

WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. securities regulator is investigating practices by some participants in the $3.8 trillion municipal securities market, the California treasurer’s office said on Thursday. The California State Treasurer’s Office received an inquiry from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is conducting an investigation into transactions in the municipal securities market, a spokesman for the office said. The inquiry was not directed at any conduct of the treasurer’s office, he confirmed. The SEC declined to comment. The investigation of the market, where states, cities, schools and others issue bonds, was first reported by Bloomberg. It was not clear if the probe was nationwide. The SEC began ramping up its oversight of the muni bond market in 2014, when it launched the Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation initiative. The program offers favorable settlement terms to municipal bond underwriters and issuers that self-report material misstatements and omissions in offering documents. The program has led to a slew of enforcement actions, with the SEC charging 71 municipal issuers for violations in municipal bond offerings in August 2016. (Reporting by Michelle Price; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-sec-municipals/u-s-sec-probing-muni-bond-market-practices-california-treasurer-idUSL4N1PK59V

Alpine Skiing - Shiffrin the best I've ever seen: Bode Miller

31 PM / Updated 7 minutes ago Alpine Skiing - Shiffrin the best I've ever seen: Bode Miller Philip O'Connor 3 Min Read INNSBRUCK, Austria (Reuters) - Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion Bode Miller has told Reuters that Mikaela Shiffrin is the best alpine ski racer he has ever seen and that she could win a slew of medals for the U.S. at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. FILE PHOTO - Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup - Women's Slalom - 1st run - Zagreb, Croatia - January 3, 2018 - Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. in action. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic Shiffrin, who won gold in the slalom at the Sochi Olympics in 2014, is currently top of the overall World Cup standings after racking up a series of good results so far this season. Miller, the most decorated U.S. Olympic skier with six medals, believed that the 22-year-old could even equal his record tally next month at the Games in South Korea. “I think she’s maybe the best ski racer I’ve ever seen, male or female. She’s so balanced, dynamic, intense and focussed, so for me, I think she’s got a chance in any event she skis in,” the 40-year-old said. “I would say it’s likely she wins two (Olympic) golds, I would say an outside shot at five medals, and I think probably, at her best, maybe three or four of them are golds,” he added. Miller, who retired last November after 20 years in ski racing, is looking forward to embracing technology as part of his role at Eurosport covering the Games to help viewers gain a better understanding of Alpine skiing. “I‘m going to try to bring knowledge to people, so that I can educate them and make watching the sport more fun and more exciting,” Miller said. Part of his brief is to use the Eurosport Cube, a studio incorporating augmented reality and enhanced data, to explain the technical details to look out for in the various disciplines. “If it was just verbal, if I was on the radio I couldn’t explain anything, but then television brings it to the next level, where people can see what I‘m talking about,” he added. Miller also said that media work was not something he had planned for in his retirement. ”This is more of an experiment. I’ve made a really strong effort of the last six years or seven years to stay in the sport because I love it, and because I think it needs people who love it to make it exciting and make it fun for people to watch. “If I can help and it works and it’s good, and I can make the athletes be inspired and ski harder and take more risks, and make it better for the people at home to watch, then maybe I’ll stay in it,” he said. The Winter Games open in Pyeongchang on Feb. 9. Reporting by Philip O'Connor;

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-olympics-2018-alps-miller-interview/alpine-skiing-shiffrin-the-best-ive-ever-seen-bode-miller-idUKKBN1ES17G

VIX Acquires WomensForum.com

MIAMI, Jan. 31, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VIX, a leading multicultural digital media company today announced it has purchased WomensForum.com , an online women’s lifestyle space, and a leader in driving measurable consumer actions through its custom content and shopping influencers. Through this transaction, VIX will acquire the media assets, direct sales and content teams who will help expand their reach to audiences worldwide, and further their commitment to innovating branded content and marketing opportunities in the future. Known for its largely female readership and shopper influencer network, WomensForum will retain its brand, while leveraging VIX’s social video and distribution capabilities. Most recently, VIX announced that women make up 62% of their audience and the site’s highest engagement comes from Millennial females, a coveted demographic among consumer brands. According to Nielsen’s Digital Content Ratings, VIX reaches over 40% of adult women between 18 and 49 in the U.S., attracting viewers to the brand’s English and Spanish language content. “We’ve always focused on creating quality content, and the audiences that are inspired and impacted by that content,” said Rafael Urbina-Quintero, Chairman & CEO of VIX. “From a business and content perspective, WomensForum encompasses our vision of a thriving publisher model - engaging with naturally inquisitive audiences and connecting them to relevant material that piques their interests. We’re looking forward to leveraging our assets and extending our suite of partners.” WomensForum.com has long been a leader in driving measurable consumer actions through its custom content and shopping influencers. As a new addition to the VIX portfolio, WomensForum.com’s appeal to women and moms of all ages will help further efforts to progress content strategies for clients. This comes as a recent data from the US Census Bureau indicates that one in five moms is a millennial, and they now account for almost 90 percent of the 1.5 million new mothers within the last year. This combination helps deepen VIX’s audience across multiple life stages and daily touchpoints and enables measurable shopping and consumer actions to drive return on ad spend (ROAS) for its marketing partners. “From advertisers and consumer audiences, VIX has the growing reputation of helping today’s key brands build and tell their stories to multifaceted communities around the globe,” said Mark Kaufman, CEO at WomensForum.com . “This is an organic and mutually beneficial collaboration and we’re excited to take our working relationship with VIX to the next level.” VIX is headquartered in Miami with offices in New York, Mexico City, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo. For more information, please visit www.vix.com . About VIX VIX is a digital media company that creates positively curious content in order to entertain and add value to the life of millions of millennials every day. VIX publishes content across VIX.com and a variety of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. With over 80 million social followers, VIX reaches 75 million users on its web property, and hundreds of millions of people globally across social platforms. Currently, VIX delivers over 1.6 billion monthly video views. VIX is headquartered in Miami, with offices in New York, Mexico City, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo. MEDIA CONTACT : For VIX Michael Tilus michael@broadsheetcomms.com Source: VIX

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/31/globe-newswire-vix-acquires-womensforum-com.html

Fujifilm says to cut 10,000 jobs at joint venture with Xerox

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings said it is cutting 10,000 jobs globally at its joint venture with Xerox Corp, saying it needed to overhaul the photocopying business amid a tough market environment. The company said it would book restructuring costs of 49 billion yen ($450.95 million) in the current fiscal year, lowering its operating profit forecast for the year to 130 billion yen from a previous 185 billion yen outlook. It said the restructuring would lower annual costs by 50 billion yen from the year ending March 2020. Earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter that Xerox Corp is nearing a deal with Fujifilm that would cede control of the U.S. photocopier pioneer to Fujifilm. Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-xerox-m-a-fujifilm-jobs/fujifilm-says-to-cut-10000-jobs-at-joint-venture-with-xerox-idUSKBN1FK0LS

Here's where you stand in the new 2018 tax brackets

It's now 2018, and a raft of changes to the tax code are in effect – including updates to income tax brackets. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act , signed into law by President Donald Trump in December, maintains the same seven-bracket structure that was in force previously. However, Congress has tweaked the rates and the income levels at which they apply. Prior to the new law, the seven tax brackets were 10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent, 28 percent, 33 percent, 35 percent and 39.6 percent. Now, the tax code pegs the new rates at 10 percent, 12 percent, 22 percent, 24 percent, 32 percent, 35 percent and 37 percent. See below for a breakdown of the income tax brackets for singles. Rate Taxable Income Bracket 10% 0 to $9,525 12% $9,525 to $38,700 22% $38,700 to $82,500 24% $82,500 to $157,500 32% $157,500 to $200,000 35% $200,000 to $500,000 37% $500,000 and up Here are the rates for married couples who file jointly. Rate Taxable Income Bracket 10% 0 to $19,050 12% $19,050 to $77,400 22% $77,400 to $165,000 24% $165,000 to $315,000 32% $315,000 to $400,000 35% $400,000 to $600,000 37% $600,000 and up Finally, these are the rates for heads of household. Rate Taxable Income Bracket 10% 0 to $13,600 12% $13,600 to $51,800 22% $51,800 to $82,500 24% $82,500 to $157,500 32% $157,500 to $200,000 35% $200,000 to $500,000 37% $500,000 and up For comparison, here's how 2018 brackets would have looked under the old tax code. Rate Single Married Filing Jointly Head of Household 10% 0 to $9,525 0 to $19,050 0 to $13,600 15% $9,525 to $38,700 $19,050 to $77,400 $13,600 to $51,850 25% $38,700 to $93,700 $77,400 to $156,150 $51,850 to $133,850 28% $93,700 to $195,450 $156,150 to $237,950 $133,850 to $216,700 33% $195,450 to $424,950 $237,950 to $424,950 $216,700 to $424,950 35% $424,950 to $426,700 $424,950 to $480,050 $424,950 to $453,350 39.60% $426,700 and up $480,050 and up $453,350 and up Financial advisors have been concerned about the rates and brackets because they are instrumental in shaping financial planning strategies. That includes managing retirees' income in order to get the preferential rate of zero on long-term capital gains and dividends. "The rates are one thing, but the brackets — we want to know at what income levels do these brackets apply," said Keith Fenstad, partner and director of financial planning at Tanglewood Total Wealth Management in Houston. More from Personal Finance: Tax changes are coming Monday: Here's what it means for you. Property tax prepayment deadline looms as homeowners scramble This year-end donation strategy could reap big savings for retirees A tax break for disasters largely disappears under the new law

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/29/heres-where-you-stand-in-the-new-2018-tax-brackets.html

1-Auto1 says no need for IPO after Softbank invests

* Softbank fund invests 460 mln euros in used-car platform * Investment values business at 2.9 billion euros * Auto1 operates in 30 countries, with 35,000 dealers (Updates with interview with co-founder, background) BERLIN, Jan 15 (Reuters) - German used-car dealing platform Auto1 said a 460 million euro ($561 million) financial infusion from Japan's Softbank meant it was under no pressure to launch an initial public offering to fund its pan-European growth plans. Softbank, through its Vision Fund, will make around half of its investment via new shares, valuing Auto1 at 2.9 billion euros and supporting the auto trader's international expansion. That money is of the order that Berlin-based Auto1 might have raised with a stock market flotation, co-founder Hakan Koc told Reuters on Monday. "That's why we aren't considering going to the market for now," he said. The Financial Times earlier reported the investment by the Softbank Vision Fund, which was set up by Japan's Masayoshi Son and has raised more than $90 billion, chiefly from the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Berlin-based Auto1, founded in 2012, buys cars using its vehicle pricing database to calculate an offer within minutes. It then sells the vehicles on to one of its roughly 35,000 dealerships for a commission. Auto1 is virtually unknown to consumers except through its used car buying arm Wir Kaufen dein Auto (We Buy Your Car) in Germany and similar names elsewhere. It operates from Finland to Romania to Portugal, 30 countries in all, but not Britain. The company was set up in Berlin by entrepreneur Christian Bertermann after having trouble selling two old cars owned by his grandmother, along with Koc, who previously worked at Rocket Internet-backed firms Zalando and Home24. Competitors include vehicle distributors Emil Frey AG of Switzerland and AVAG Holding SE of Germany, plus, further afield, U.S. based, used-car retailing behemoths Carmax and Mannheim, a unit of Cox Enterprises. Vroom, which applies a strategy similar to Auto1 to the U.S. used-car market, has taken in $329 million in funding from T. Rowe Price, General Catalyst and Allen & Co. since its founding in 2013, according to venture funding database Crunchbase. Auto1 said it now sells more than 40,000 cars per month. The company achieved revenues of 1.5 billion euros in 2016. Following its investment, Softbank will own 20 percent of Auto1 while its founders will retain just over 30 percent, ensuring that together they have majority control. With the new funding, Auto1 has raised more than $1 billion in outside financing, according to Crunchbase. Akshay Naheta, a partner at Softbank Investment Advisers, will become a member of the supervisory board. ($1 = 0.8201 euros) (Additional reporting by Eric Auchard; Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Mark Potter)

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/15/reuters-america-update-1-auto1-says-no-need-for-ipo-after-softbank-invests.html

Bonds are in 'mild bear market,' says Janus Henderson's Bill Gross

56 Mins Ago | 03:25 Bonds have entered a bear market, but it's not one that is necessarily extreme, bond guru Bill Gross told CNBC on Wednesday. He predicts the benchmark 10-year Treasury will go "very gradually but not significantly higher," in the next 12 months, hitting a yield of 3 percent. Rising yields mean lower prices, which in turn cut into returns for bond investors looking for capital appreciation. While bondholders will get the income from the yield, they'll lose about 3 points in terms of price "so they'll get nothing," the manager of the Janus Henderson Global Unconstrained Bond fund said in an interview with " Power Lunch ." "To me, that's a mild bear market." However, he noted that the bear market will certainly not be the extreme inverse of the 30-year bull market, where interest rates declined from 15 percent to below 2 percent. "To suggest that we're going back up there, I certainly wouldn't do that," he pointed out. Government bond yields have been moving up in anticipation of inflation pressures and a more active Federal Reserve . On Monday, the yield on the 10-year Treasury jumped to 2.727 percent, its highest since April 2014. As expected, the central bank decided not to raise its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, keeping it at 1.25 percent to 1.5 percent. However, the Fed indicated it expects inflation pressures to increase as the year goes on. Another factor fueling Gross' "mildly bearish" view is the significant increase in Treasury issuance over the next 12 months. At the same time, the Fed is reducing is balance sheet, which is comprised mostly of Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities. "The question becomes who's going to buy these bonds," Gross said. "The public must be induced to buy them if interest rates go higher." — CNBC's Jeff Cox contributed to this report.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/31/bonds-are-in-mild-bear-market-says-janus-hendersons-bill-gross.html

Russia's Novak: neither U.S. firms nor world economy benefit from sanctions

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Neither U.S. companies nor the global economy would benefit from new sanctions against Russia, Russia’s energy minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday, after the U.S. Treasury published a list of Russian businessmen and officials close to the Kremlin. Novas is among those included on the new list, which was drawn up as part of a sanctions package signed into law last August. It does not mean those included will be subject to sanctions, but it casts a potential shadow of sanctions risk over a wide circle of wealthy Russians. “All sanctions... aim to create obstacles for business which means hindering market competition,” Novas said in a statement. Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Editing by Gareth Jones

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-sanctions-minister/russias-novak-neither-u-s-firms-nor-world-economy-benefit-from-sanctions-idUSKBN1FJ2A0

Nigeria central bank injects $210 mln into currency market

January 22, 2018 / 5:31 PM / in 13 minutes Nigeria central bank injects $210 mln into currency market Reuters Staff 1 Min Read ABUJA, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Nigeria’s central bank said on Monday it had injected $210 million into the interbank foreign exchange market, extending efforts to boost liquidity and alleviate dollar shortages. The bank said in a statement it had released $100 million earmarked for the wholesale market, $55 million for small businesses and individuals, and $55 million for certain dollar expenses such as school fees and medical bills. The central bank said it: “will continue to manage the forex with a view to reducing the country’s import bills and halting accretion to its foreign reserves.” (Reporting by Paul Carsten; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)

https://www.reuters.com/article/nigeria-currency/nigeria-central-bank-injects-210-mln-into-currency-market-idUSL8N1PH60W

Buyers jockey for indie films at Sundance without Weinstein

January 18, 2018 / 9:56 PM / Updated 17 hours ago Buyers jockey for indie films at Sundance without Weinstein Piya Sinha-Roy , Lisa Richwine 5 Min Read PARK CITY, Utah / LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For the first time in three decades, producer Harvey Weinstein will not be trudging down Park City’s snowy Main Street when the Sundance Film Festival opens Thursday, leaving the independent movie festival marketplace without its most-watched tastemaker. His absence will be filled by streaming services, upstart studios and veteran production houses scrambling to buy the most buzzed-about films at the festival in an industry undergoing dramatic change. “Some of the old guard, the usual suspects at Sundance, have stepped aside or have fallen back a bit,” said Ian Bricke, director of content acquisition for Netflix Inc ( NFLX.O ). “There’s a whole range of new players,” he added. “It creates excitement and some degree of chaos in the marketplace.” Weinstein was an unmissable presence in previous years, at times loudly negotiating deals in the foyers of theaters just after movie premieres. The producer built a career on finding awards-worthy gems at Sundance. Competitors watched his picks closely, often launching bidding wars and driving up prices. This year, Weinstein is out of the mix, fired as chief executive of the Weinstein Co after more than 70 women accused him of sexual harassment or assault, allegations that spanned three decades. He has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone. Sundance, founded by Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute and now in its 33rd year, has become the independent film industry’s premiere U.S. gathering. Evolving movie-watching habits have brought new buyers in recent years, with Netflix and Amazon.com Inc ( AMZN.O ) leading the march of digital outlets to Sundance. The streaming services had started to outbid Weinstein Co for standout films. Filmmakers prospered as Amazon paid $12 million for “The Big Sick” and Netflix paid $12.5 million for “Mudbound” in 2017. This year, it was unclear whether those outlets will replace Weinstein as the pacesetters. FILE PHOTO: Kevin Kane prepares the stage at an opening day news conference for the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S. January 22, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo Amazon plans to shift some resources from independent films to projects with more commercial potential, sources told Reuters. Netflix also is investing in bigger-budget movies, although Bricke said it remained interested in independent films. The traditional studio stalwarts owned by media giants, such as Fox Searchlight ( FOXA.O ), Sony Pictures Classics ( 6758.T ) and Focus Features ( CMCSA.O ), all will be on the hunt at Sundance, with competition from newer independent studios such as The Orchard and A24, distributor of last year‘s Oscar-winning “Moonlight.” CHANGING THE DISTRIBUTION CONVERSATION Technology companies Hulu, Alphabet Inc’s ( GOOGL.O ) YouTube and Apple Inc ( AAPL.O ) also will be searching for hits. With so many options, filmmakers will consider more than just the size of the check because digital players offer different ways to get films in front of audiences. Netflix focuses on streaming movies simultaneously to members in more than 190 countries with only limited theatrical runs. “Netflix has completely changed the conversation and the way we think about distribution,” said Hannah Fidell, co-writer and director of “The Long Dumb Road,” debuting at Sundance this year. “It requires knowing what you want out of the movie before the sale.” Anticipated films at Sundance this year include Thursday’s opening night feature “Blindspotting,” about a pair of Oakland men navigating their changing friendship; actor Paul Dano’s directorial debut “Wildlife” starring Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal; and music documentary “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.” Independent films will remain a key part Netflix’s slate of 80 original films this year, Bricke said. The company will look for possible acquisitions at Sundance as well as new talent to work with. Amazon has set up its own distribution arm to debut movies in theaters. It also offered to pay up to $200,000 plus royalties per stream to all filmmakers with movies in competition at Sundance this year, to acquire content for an exclusive period for its online library. YouTube also will look for possible additions to its programming lineup and will consider a variety of distribution options, said Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s global head of original programming. That could include limited or full theatrical runs, or sales through video-on demand, she said. “We are open to a lot of different models,” Daniels said. Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy and Lisa Richwine; Editing by David Gregorio

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-filmfestival-sundance/buyers-jockey-for-indie-films-at-sundance-without-weinstein-idUSKBN1F7351

Top EU and Cuban diplomats herald opening to closer economic ties

HAVANA (Reuters) - The European Union’s top diplomat met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Thursday, saying a landmark accord ratified in November had opened the door to broader economic ties between the Communist-ruled island and 28-nation bloc. Rodriguez and the EU’s Federica Mogherini called the provisional Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement a new chapter in their relations. “The agreement provides new potential in the fields of cooperation, trade, investment and also political dialogue,” Mogherini said in brief comments to journalists before the meeting began. The officials, who have met several times over the last four years, appeared relaxed and positive in brief comments to journalists before the meeting began. ”This is an example of goodwill and mutual respect that will lead to understanding and mutually beneficial progress in all areas despite our differences,” Rodriguez said. As the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement unfolded in 2015-2016 the EU dropped all sanctions and negotiated the agreement, the first between Cuba and the EU. Mogherini’s visit contrasts with the Trump administration’s partial rollback of a fragile detente between the old Cold War foes begun by former U.S. President Barack Obama. “I want to express my appreciation for the very constructive dialogue we have managed to establish at the informal level so far, based on mutual respect, on human rights,” she said. Diplomats said the EU appeared to sense opportunity with President Raul Castro expected to retire in April and market-oriented reforms already underway. “I believe that Europe has the potential and interest to take an independent agenda in Cuba in economic and political matters for strategic purposes,” said a senior Latin American diplomat, who asked not to be identified. “Cuba does not cost so much and is very symbolic worldwide. At the same time it balances the growing Russian and Chinese influence,” he said. EU member countries have emerged as the most important investors in Cuba, led by Spain, France and Italy, and the bloc is the second trading partner. EU countries also account for around 30 percent of tourists who visit the country. “Today, Cuban commerce is so spread around the world that no single country accounts for more than 20 percent of total merchandise trade.” Richard Feinberg, an economist and expert on Latin America and Cuba at the Brookings Institution, said. “Strong relations with Europe fits into their international diversification strategy so as not to be dependent on anyone,” he said. Reporting by Marc Frank; Addiitonal reporting by Nelson Acosta in Havana; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Tom Brown

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-eu-mogherini/top-eu-and-cuban-diplomats-herald-opening-to-closer-economic-ties-idUSKBN1ET26C

Tezos funder pledges to 'step back' once crypto-venture's woes are solved

ZURICH (Reuters) - The president of a foundation that controls funding for a cryptocurrency project called Tezos has pledged to “step back” from his role once the project is back on track, after months of dysfunction and public battles with Tezos’ founders. Tezos raised $232 million in a “initial coin offering” in July, but the project was quickly derailed by disputes between co-founders Arthur and Kathleen Breitman, who control the code, and the Tezos Foundation, which controls the funds. Having had financial transactions frozen late last year, the foundation has regained access to limited banking services, allowing it to start paying creditors and software developers again, the foundation’s president, Johann Gevers, said in a blog post on Sunday. It has also made progress in recruiting, hired a new law firm and is working on finding an accounting firm. “I have consistently communicated ... my intention to step back from the Foundation as soon as things are on track with a new board that is independent and has the support of the Tezos community,” Gevers wrote on the site Medium. Gevers removed the post on Monday for what he called “prudential reasons,” but said in a replacement post that the foundation was following through on the plans he had outlined. Reached by Reuters, Gevers confirmed that he had authored the posts but declined to elaborate. The Breitmans did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gevers’ writings are the latest chapter in a saga that began after July’s controversial coin offering. Although structured as donations for a technology project, some contributors believed they were investing in an asset similar to bitcoin because they were promised coins called “Tezzies.” Board member Guido Schmitz-Krummacher resigned from the Tezos Foundation in December because of the conflict, and several class action lawsuits have been filed over the offering. Contributors have still not received any Tezzies. Reuters first detailed the battle between the Breitmans and Gevers in an investigation published last October. ( reut.rs/2gPOMNH ) In his post, Gevers said the foundation’s financial service providers froze all of its transactions from October to December, due to what he called a “breakdown of trust.” That made it impossible to pay creditors, he said. Although Gevers did not say his issues with the Breitmans had been resolved, the foundation was recently able to restore its financial relationships, he wrote. It has also hired an interim executive to oversee operations while it looks for a long-term CEO, Gevers wrote, without naming the executive. Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi in Zurich; Additional reporting by Steve Stecklow in New York; Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Rosalba O'Brien

https://in.reuters.com/article/bitcoin-tezos/tezos-funder-pledges-to-step-back-once-crypto-ventures-woes-are-solved-idINKBN1FI2L6

Factbox: Shell oil heist: the story so far

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore authorities say they have uncovered a complex, cross-border scheme to steal large quantities of oil from Shell’s biggest refinery. Suspects, part of a group of 17 detained over their part in an alleged oil theft at Shell's Pulau Bukom refinery, arrive in a van at the State Courts, Singapore January 13, 2018. REUTERS/Calvin Wong Their investigations have so far entangled several international companies in incidents going back months. Fourteen men face charges, the latest of which were announced on Tuesday. Police have also seized an oil tanker and millions of dollars in cash, and frozen suspects’ bank accounts. And there could be more arrests. Shell first contacted the authorities in August 2017 about suspected theft at its Pulau Bukom site, just south of the country’s main island. Here’s what we know so far: WHO‘S INVOLVED? Among the 14 charged, there are 11 Singaporeans and three Vietnamese. Eight of the Singaporeans were employees of Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd, the Singapore subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, while two others worked for Sentek Marine & Trading Pte, one of Singapore’s biggest marine fuel suppliers. Sentek Marine said the suspects were its marketing and operations manager and a cargo officer. The cargo officer is accused in court documents of receiving stolen goods on a Singapore-owned and -flagged ship, Sentek 26. The other Singaporean worked for Intertek, a British-listed company specializing in quality and quantity assurance, including for fuel products. The Vietnamese nationals were charged with receiving stolen property aboard two other ships - Prime South and MT Gaea - both of which are Panama flagged. Authorities have arrested at least 17 people in connection with the case. WHAT WAS STOLEN AND WHEN? The court documents list thefts on several dates over three hand a half months, many of which happened during the refinery’s normal working hours and involved millions of dollars’ worth of gasoil. Below is a list of the dates of the incidents and the amount and value of gasoil reportedly stolen. Suspects, part of a group of 17 detained over their part in an alleged oil theft at Shell's Pulau Bukom refinery, arrive in a van at the State Courts, Singapore January 13, 2018. REUTERS/Calvin Wong * Oct. 2, 1,131 metric tonnes of gasoil valued at S$579,445 * Oct. 23, 1,276 metric tonnes (S$653,733) * Nov. 11, 300 metric tonnes (S$165,000) * Nov. 14, 846 metric tonnes (S$465,520) * Nov. 21, 2,322 metric tonnes (S$1,277,430) FILE PHOTO: Storm clouds gather over Shell's Pulau Bukom oil refinery in Singapore January 30, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo * Dec. 31, 1,076 metric tonnes (S$592,295) * Dec. 31, 1,348.8 metric tonnes (S$736,444.80) * Jan. 5, 801.86 metric tonnes (S$437,815.56) * Jan. 7, 1,260 metric tonnes (S$687,960) WHERE WAS THE OIL HEADED? There have been three ships named in court documents as having received the stolen oil - Prime South, Sentek 26 and MT Gaea. Over the last three months, those vessels have travelled between ports in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, shipping data from Thomson Reuters Eikon show. WHAT‘S NEXT? Singapore police say investigations are still ongoing. Six of 17 men initially arrested have yet to face charges. Some of those charged so far are due back in court on Jan. 18 and Jan. 22, and may face additional charges. Compiled by John Geddie and Fathin Ungku

https://in.reuters.com/article/singapore-oil-theft/factbox-shell-oil-heist-the-story-so-far-idINKBN1F50YU

MedEquities Realty Trust Schedules Fourth Quarter 2017 Earnings Release and Conference Call Dates

NASHVILLE, Tenn., MedEquities Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MRT) announced details for the release of its results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2017. The Company plans to issue its earnings release before the market opens on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, and will host a conference call and live audio webcast, both open for the general public to hear, later that morning at 8:00 a.m. Central Time. The number to call for this interactive teleconference is (412) 542-4116. A replay of the call will be available through February 28, 2018, by dialing (412) 317-0088 and entering the replay access code, 10116328. The live audio webcast of the Company's quarterly conference call will be available online in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at ir.medequities.com . The online replay will be available approximately one hour after the end of the call and archived for approximately twelve months. About MedEquities Realty Trust MedEquities Realty Trust (NYSE: MRT) is a self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust that invests in a diversified mix of healthcare properties and healthcare-related real estate debt investments. The Company's management team has extensive industry experience in acquiring, owning, developing, financing, operating, leasing and monetizing many types of healthcare properties and portfolios. MedEquities' strategy is to become an integral capital partner with high-quality and growth-oriented facility-based providers of healthcare services on a nationwide basis, primarily through net-leased real estate investment. For more information, please visit www.medequities.com . View original content with multimedia: releases/medequities-realty-trust-schedules-fourth-quarter-2017-earnings-release-and-conference-call-dates-300586069.html SOURCE MedEquities Realty Trust, Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/22/pr-newswire-medequities-realty-trust-schedules-fourth-quarter-2017-earnings-release-and-conference-call-dates.html

Bjorn Stehr Joins Union Bank In Seattle As A Private Wealth Advisor

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Bank today announced that Bjorn Stehr has joined The Private Bank as a Director and Private Wealth Advisor. Based in Seattle, Washington, he reports to Lisa Roberts, Head of Private Wealth Management for Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. In this role, Stehr is responsible for providing high net-worth individuals, families, and non-profit organizations with tailored solutions that address their specific financial goals. He will partner with Union Bank experts across: wealth planning, investments, risk management, trust and estate services, and banking to deliver the institution's full breadth of capabilities. "Bjorn brings a fresh perspective and years of experience serving the Seattle area community," said Lisa Roberts. "He will provide clients with advisory services that take into account each individual's complete financial picture - including personal wealth, business holdings, legacy planning, and charitable giving." "Our team of experts and Bjorn are well-positioned to help clients navigate the new U.S. tax code and recalibrate their wealth plans as we go into 2018," added Roberts. Stehr joins The Private Bank with more than 15 years of financial services experience, which includes senior positions at U.S. Trust and J.F. Shea, Inc. in Seattle. He holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Oregon State University and an MBA from The Wharton School. About The Private Bank The Private Bank is an exclusive part of Union Bank dedicated to the financial needs of high net worth individuals, non-profit organizations, business owners, corporate executives and professional service firms. The Private Bank is built around teams of wealth management professionals who provide financial advice centered on each client's unique goals and dreams. Wealth planning strategies have legal, tax, accounting and other implications. Prior to implementing any wealth planning strategy, clients should consult their legal, tax, accounting, and other advisers. About MUFG Union Bank, N.A. As of September 30, 2017, MUFG Union Bank, N.A. operated 361 branches, comprised primarily of retail banking branches in the West Coast states, along with commercial branches in Texas, Illinois, New York and Georgia, as well as 18 PurePoint Financial Centers and two international offices. We provide a wide spectrum of corporate, commercial and retail banking and wealth management solutions to meet the needs of customers. We also offer an extensive portfolio of value-added solutions for customers, including investment banking, personal and corporate trust, global custody, transaction banking, capital markets, and other services. With assets of $118.6 billion, as of September 30, 2017, MUFG Union Bank has strong capital reserves, credit ratings and capital ratios relative to peer banks. MUFG Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE: MTU), one of the world's largest financial organizations with total assets of approximately ¥304.2 trillion (JPY) or $2.7 trillion (USD)¹, as of June 30, 2017. The corporate headquarters (principal executive office) for MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation, which is the financial holding company and MUFG Union Bank, is in New York City. The main banking office of MUFG Union Bank is in San Francisco, California. 1 Exchange rate of 1 USD=¥112.0 (JPY) as of June 30, 2017 ©2017 MUFG Union Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. Union Bank is a registered trademark and band name of MUFG Union Bank, N.A. View original content with multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bjorn-stehr-joins-union-bank-in-seattle-as-a-private-wealth-advisor-300577174.html SOURCE Union Bank

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/03/pr-newswire-bjorn-stehr-joins-union-bank-in-seattle-as-a-private-wealth-advisor.html

South Korea says economic recovery to continue, employment remains weak

January 12, 2018 / 1:17 AM / Updated 5 minutes ago South Korea says economic recovery to continue, employment remains weak Reuters Staff 1 Min Read SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s economy is expected to continue its recovery, helped by robust exports and global economic growth although employment remains weak, the finance ministry said on Friday. FILE PHOTO - A South Korea won note is seen in this illustration photo May 31, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration Pending issues around trade as well as workers’ strikes in the automobile industry also remain risks for the economy, the ministry said in its monthly assessment of the economy. Reporting by Dahee Kim; Editing by Sam Holmes

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-economy/south-korea-says-economic-recovery-to-continue-employment-remains-weak-idUKKBN1F104L

Conte refuses to rule out Chelsea exit at end of the season

January 12, 2018 / 4:05 PM / Updated 22 minutes ago Conte refuses to rule out Chelsea exit at end of the season Reuters Staff 2 Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has refused to commit his long-term future to the club, saying there is a possibility that he may leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. Soccer Football - Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg - Chelsea vs Arsenal - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - January 10, 2018 Chelsea manager Antonio Conte REUTERS/David Klein According to reports in British media, Chelsea are looking at potential replacements for the Italian, including Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri, in case Conte does decide to leave. “Everything is possible,” the 48-year-old told a news conference on Friday. ”I have another year on my contract at this club but, in football, everything is possible. Our job is very difficult because everything can change quickly. “I have another year of my contract and the club has to decide to send me away.” Conte is the 10th different manager to take charge at Chelsea since owner Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. Despite winning the Premier League title and reaching the FA Cup final in his first season, there have been doubts around Conte’s position at the club since the start of the season. When asked if he was content at Chelsea given all the speculation about his future, he added: ”Yes, I‘m happy. I‘m enjoying my period here. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t simple for me. “When you start work you need time to improve your work, to create a solid basis. Football now is very difficult to stay for many years for one club, especially in England now.” Conte said new signing Ross Barkley was not yet 100 percent fit to feature in the squad for Saturday’s home league game against Leicester City, but could make his debut against Norwich City in Chelsea’s FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday. Barkley, who joined from Everton last week, has not played a single match this season due to a hamstring injury sustained at the start of the campaign. “I think that, maybe, in the next game against Norwich he could be available and in contention,” Conte said. “If he continues in this way then why not? He’s not ready 100 per cent but he could start to help us.” Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-england-che-lei-conte/conte-refuses-to-rule-out-chelsea-exit-at-end-of-the-season-idUKKBN1F11ZJ

U.S. budget deficit to top $1-trillion in 2019 -budget experts

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - As the U.S. Congress limps toward the likely passage next week of another stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown, a Washington think tank has estimated the federal budget deficit is on track to blow through $1 trillion in 2019. If it does, it would be the first time since 2012 the U.S. economy will have to support a deficit so large, highlighting a basic shift for the Republican Party, which has traditionally prided itself on fiscal conservatism. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a Washington fiscal watchdog, said the red ink may rise in fiscal 2019 to $1.12 trillion. If current policies continue, it said, the deficit could top a record-setting $2 trillion by 2027. The committee had previously projected the deficit - the difference between the government spending and its annual tax revenue - would reach $983 billion in fiscal 2019. That estimate came after Congress in December passed a tax overhaul that will add about $1.5 trillion to the national debt over a decade. But that estimate was made obsolete by a shutdown-averting stopgap funding bill Congress approved earlier this month. It delayed the implementation of some healthcare taxes, further reducing the government's projected tax revenues. Congress in coming days is expected to weigh another stopgap funding bill, needed by Feb. 8. Lawmakers also want to pass disaster relief funding, and they are pursuing an agreement to lift budget caps on spending. Stan Collender, a longtime budget expert, predicted in October that trillion-dollar deficits would become "the new normal" under President Donald Trump. Trump and fellow Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress. There were four consecutive $1-trillion deficits under former President Barack Obama. But they resulted from a historic financial crisis, a recession and stimulative spending. "During the Trump years, the deficits are occurring mostly because of legislative changes, like the tax cut," Collender said. In June 2017, before the tax overhaul was enacted, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Congress' official scorekeeper, predicted the U.S. government would hit a trillion-dollar deficit in fiscal 2022. An updated CBO report would typically be released around now, but the office said last week that the update would be delayed, partly because of the need to produce projections that reflect the recently enacted tax legislation. (Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and David Gregorio)

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/29/reuters-america-u-s-budget-deficit-to-top-1-trillion-in-2019-budget-experts.html

Rex Energy Declares Dividend on Series A Preferred Depository Shares

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Jan. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rex Energy Corporation (the “Company”) (NASDAQ:REXX) today announced that the Board of Directors of Rex Energy Corporation has declared a quarterly dividend of $150.00 per share of its 6.0% Series A convertible perpetual preferred stock (the “Preferred Stock”). As a result, on February 15, 2018, a dividend of $1.50 per depository share, each representing a 1/100 th interest in a share of Preferred Stock, will be paid to holders of record at the close of business on February 1, 2018. The Company intends to pay the dividend by delivery of shares of the Company’s common stock, with the number of shares delivered to be calculated in accordance with the terms of the Certificate of Designations of the Preferred Stock. The dividend payment will apply to the earliest dividend period for which dividends have accrued and are unpaid. Forward-Looking Statements This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations and involve certain assumptions or estimates that involve various risks and uncertainties, such as financial market conditions, changes in commodities prices and the other risks discussed in detail in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date hereof. Rex Energy has no duty, and assumes no obligation, to update forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Rex Energy Corporation Headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania, Rex Energy is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company with its core operations in the Appalachian Basin. The company’s strategy is to pursue its higher potential exploration drilling prospects while acquiring oil and natural gas properties complementary to its portfolio. For more information contact: Investor Relations (814) 278-7130 InvestorRelations@rexenergycorp.com Source:Rex Energy Corporation

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/19/globe-newswire-rex-energy-declares-dividend-on-series-a-preferred-depository-shares.html

Sequoia Capital plans $8 billion global fund, eyes China investors: sources

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Sequoia Capital, an early investor in global tech behemoths like Google Inc and Apple Inc, aims to raise up to $8 billion in its largest-ever fundraising and has set sights on Chinese investors, people familiar with the plan told Reuters. More cash in the bag would help the Silicon Valley venture capital giant diversify its focus from early-and growth-stage investments to pre-IPO funding rounds, at a time when startup valuations are spiking partly due to money pouring in from SoftBank Group Corp’s $93 billion Vision Fund. “There is so much money now (in the tech sector). You need to have a bigger war chest,” said a Hong Kong-based investment banker familiar with Sequoia’s strategy. For its new global fund, Sequoia is already trying to attract investors in China, where fund managers are looking to gain from growing sources of capital at wealth management firms, insurers and other large domestic institutional investors that aim to boost returns in alternative assets, the people said. Sequoia’s China founding partner Neil Shen, one of the best-known venture capitalists in the country, is actively tapping potential investors including state-backed ones for the global fund, said the people, who declined to be named as the fundraising plans were confidential. However, the size of the fund could also be lower, at $5-6 billion, cautioned one of the sources. Sequoia declined to comment on the fundraising. In 2016, the venture capital (VC) firm had raised $2 billion for a global growth fund, then the largest-ever raised by the firm, according to data provider Preqin. But VC and private equity firms are now rushing to corner larger cash pools as investment cycles get drawn out, with many tech firms opting to stay privately-held for longer than usual, such as Uber Technologies, Alibaba Group Holdings’ financial affiliate Ant Financial and Airbnb Inc. The average value of late-stage investments alone surged 40 percent last year, Preqin data shows. SoftBank’s tech-focused Vision Fund, the world’s largest PE fund, has aided the spike in startup valuations. It has poured more than $9 billion into global start-ups since its inception in 2016, including a $4.9 billion investment in office-sharing startup WeWork and $1.1 billion in Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart, Thomson Reuters data shows. Sequoia is also tapping investors in the Middle East and Japan among other regions for its new global fund, according to one of the sources. It will continue to focus on sectors ranging from technology, healthcare and consumer to media, notably in the United States, China and India, said another source. Sequoia’s China arm, founded in 2005 by Shen, is also raising up to 15 billion yuan ($2.37 billion) in its fifth yuan-denominated fund, the largest of its kind, to invest in local start-ups, said two other people. Sequoia China declined to comment on Shen’s role in the latest global fund or its fifth yuan fund. It has over 300 portfolio investments in China, including internet giant Alibaba, ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing and on-demand services provider Meituan-Dianping. Reporting by Julie Zhu and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Liana B. Baker in San Francisco; Editing by Himani Sarkar

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sequoia-fundraising/sequoia-capital-plans-8-billion-global-fund-eyes-china-investors-sources-idUSKBN1FK0G3

Chinese police seize bookseller again, says daughter

Chinese police seize bookseller again, says daughter Tuesday, January 23, 2018 - 01:06 Chinese agents have seized Swedish citizen and Hong Kong-based bookseller Gui Minhai from a Beijing-bound train, according to his daughter. He was abducted while on holiday in Thailand in 2015, one of five booksellers who went missing that year only to turn up later in Chinese custody. ▲ Hide Transcript ▶ View Transcript Chinese agents have seized Swedish citizen and Hong Kong-based bookseller Gui Minhai from a Beijing-bound train, according to his daughter. He was abducted while on holiday in Thailand in 2015, one of five booksellers who went missing that year only to turn up later in Chinese custody. Press CTRL+C (Windows), CMD+C (Mac), or long-press the URL below on your mobile device to copy the code https://reut.rs/2DxQnFp

https://in.reuters.com/video/2018/01/23/chinese-police-seize-bookseller-again-sa?videoId=388129546

Brazil's Eletrobras hires Hogan Lovells to resolve U.S. class action lawsuits

January 5, 2018 / 2:40 PM / Updated 11 minutes ago Brazil's Eletrobras hires Hogan Lovells to resolve U.S. class action lawsuits Reuters Staff 1 Min Read SAO PAULO, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Brazilian state-owned power holding Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras SA has hired law firm Hogan Lovells to “resolve class action lawsuits” in the U.S., according to a note published on Friday on the official government gazette. The law firm has been hired before by Eletrobras, as the company is known, to investigate alleged acts of corruption involving the company. Eletrobras is one of the state-owned companies ensnared in Brazil’s widest-ever corruption probe, known as “Operation Car Wash.” (Reporting by Luciano Costa )

https://www.reuters.com/article/eletrobras-classaction/brazils-eletrobras-hires-hogan-lovells-to-resolve-u-s-class-action-lawsuits-idUSE6N1ML02N

M&S clothing sales slightly better than expected in Christmas quarter​

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - British retailer Marks & Spencer reported a slightly better than expected fall in clothing and homeware sales in the key Christmas quarter and said its overall guidance for its full 2017-18 year was unchanged. The group said on Thursday clothing and homeware like-for-like sales fell 2.8 percent in the 13 weeks to Dec. 30, its fiscal third quarter. That compared to analysts’ average forecast of a 3.4 percent fall and a second quarter decline of 0.1 percent. Same store food sales fell 0.4 percent - better than analysts’ average forecast of a 1.1 percent decline and compared to a 0.1 percent fall in the previous quarter. ​ (Reporting by James Davey; editing by Kate Holton) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://www.reuters.com/article/ms-outlook/ms-clothing-sales-slightly-better-than-expected-in-christmas-quarter-idUSFWN1P5127

Poland - Factors to Watch Jan 18

Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland’s financial markets on Thursday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour): PKN ORLEN Poland’s biggest oil refiner PKN Orlen plans to reverse a 0.8 billion zlotys ($234.32 million) impairment related to Orlen Lietuva due to the unit’s better than expected results, PKN said in a statement on Wednesday evening. SMOG Poland’s new law on heating tariffs which was designed to encourage citizens to switch to modern, cleaner boilers will result in higher heating costs for households, Parkiet daily said citing calculations by antismog campaigners. Also, the energy ministry has resigned from tightening regulations defining the acceptable content of sulphur in coal, which environmentalists had hoped would help remove the worst-quality coal from the market and improve air quality, Gazeta Wyborcza daily said. POWER CAPACITY Poland’s new law on power capacity scheme comes into force on Thursday, but the changes still need to be accepted by the European Commission, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily said. ORANGE POLSKA Orange Polish unit plans to invest around 4.2 billion zlotys ($1.23 billion) in the next five years in fibre and fast mobile network, Orange Polska CEO told Rzeczpospolita daily. ****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.**** For other related news, double click on: Polish equities E.Europe equities Polish money Polish debt Eastern Europe All emerging markets Hot stocks Stock markets Market debt news Forex news For real-time index Quote: s, double click on: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX ($1 = 3.4171 zlotys) (Reporting by Warsaw Bureau)

https://www.reuters.com/article/poland-factors/poland-factors-to-watch-jan-18-idUSL8N1PC5OS

MOVES-American Century Investments names new hires for ETF intiative

January 9, 2018 / 6:57 PM / Updated 8 minutes ago MOVES-American Century Investments names new hires for ETF intiative Reuters Staff 1 Min Read Jan 9 (Reuters) - Investment management firm American Century Investments said on Tuesday it has hired two former BlackRock Inc employees for its exchange traded funds (ETF) initiative. Rene Casis was named portfolio manager and Sean Walker ETF specialist. At BlackRock, Casis served as an investment strategist and senior portfolio manager while Walker was vice president and market leader, responsible for active and passive product platforms for the West Coast of Florida. American Century said it is scheduled to launch two ETF funds in the first quarter. (Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru)

https://www.reuters.com/article/american-century-investments-moves-rene/moves-american-century-investments-names-new-hires-for-etf-intiative-idUSL4N1P44N7

Inland Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC Closes the Purchase of a Medical Office Building in Texas

OAK BROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Inland Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC announced today that it negotiated and closed the purchase of a 16,050-square-foot medical office building located in Dallas. Matthew Tice, senior vice president of Inland Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC, completed the deal, with assistance from David Neboyskey, assistant vice president and associate counsel of The Inland Real Estate Group, LLC, Law Department, on behalf of an Inland affiliate. Constructed in 2003, the property is located at 5494 Glen Lakes Drive and includes the Dallas Eye Care Clinic, part of KE Eye Centers of Texas, and an ambulatory surgery center, the Walnut Hill Surgery Center. Dallas Eye Care Associates is located on the second floor of the building, which is elevated to street level, and Walnut Hill Surgery Center occupies the third floor of the two-story building. Open-air parking is available for patients below the footprint of the building. This Dallas Eye Care Clinic also includes a LASIK suite and cataract surgery practice that offers a range of procedures for residents of Dallas, Richardson, Garland, Carrollton, Farmers Branch and other Dallas metro cities. “Situated across the street from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital - Dallas, the property’s ideal location off Interstate 75 and among a retail trade area provides nearly 400,000 people within a five-mile radius with convenient access to meet their healthcare and medical needs,” said Tice. “Dallas Eye Care’s longstanding, 50-year history in the area combined with the 13-year tenure of both Dallas Eye Care and Walnut Hill Surgery Center as tenants made this the type of attractive acquisition we are looking for in this asset class.” To date, Inland Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC has facilitated more than $45 billion of purchases including retail centers, apartments, single-tenant properties and a total of more than $269 million in medical office buildings. About Inland Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC Inland Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC assists in identifying potential acquisition opportunities, negotiates acquisition-related contracts and acquires real estate assets for the various entities that are a part of The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc., a group of independent legal entities, some of which may be affiliates, share some common ownership or have been sponsored or managed by Inland Real Estate Investment Corporation or its subsidiaries (collectively, “Inland”). For additional information, please refer to Inland’s website at www.inlandgroup.com . View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180104005904/en/ Inland Marketing & Communications, Inc. Alyssa Campbell, (630) 218-2887 alyssa.campbell@inlandgroup.com Source: Inland Real Estate Acquisitions, LLC

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/04/business-wire-inland-real-estate-acquisitions-llc-closes-the-purchase-of-a-medical-office-building-in-texas.html

Intel says performance impact of security updates not significant

January 5, 2018 / 6:52 AM / Updated 10 hours ago Intel says performance impact of security updates not significant Reuters Staff 3 Min Read (Reuters) - Intel Corp ( INTC.O ) said fixes for security issues in its microchips would not slow down computers, rebuffing concerns that the flaws found in microprocessors would significantly reduce performance. FILE PHOTO: An Intel logo is seen at the company's offices in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, Israel, October 24, 2011. REUTERS/Nir Elias/File Photo The performance impact of the recent security updates should not be significant and will be mitigated over time, Intel said late on Thursday, adding that Apple Inc ( AAPL.O ), Amazon.com Inc ( AMZN.O ), Google ( GOOGL.O ) and Microsoft Corp ( MSFT.O ) reported little to no performance impact from the security updates. intel.ly/2CHQ89E Intel shares fell nearly 2 percent on Thursday as investors were worried about the potential financial liability and reputational damage from the recently disclosed security issues. The largest chipmaker confirmed earlier this week that the security issues reported by researchers in the company’s widely used microprocessors could allow hackers to steal sensitive information from computers, phones and other devices. Security researchers had disclosed two security flaws exposing vulnerability of nearly every modern computing device containing chips from Intel, Advanced Micro Devices Inc ( AMD.O ) and ARM Holdings. The first, called Meltdown, affects Intel chips and lets hackers bypass the hardware barrier between applications run by users and the computer’s memory, potentially letting hackers read a computer’s memory and steal passwords. The second, called Spectre, affects chips from Intel, AMD and ARM and lets hackers potentially trick otherwise error-free applications into giving up secret information. Intel had said the issues were not caused by a design flaw and asked users to download a patch and update their operating system. Intel may be on the hook for costs stemming from lawsuits claiming that the patches would slow computers and effectively force consumers to buy new hardware, and big customers will likely seek compensation from Intel for any software or hardware fixes they make, security experts said. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri

https://in.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-microchips/intel-says-performance-impact-of-security-updates-not-significant-idINKBN1EU0JH

London Bridge station opens new platforms as redevelopment nears completion

January 2, 2018 / 12:11 PM / Updated an hour ago London Bridge station opens new platforms as redevelopment nears completion Reuters Staff 2 Min Read LONDON (Reuters) - Five new platforms and a large concourse opened at London Bridge station on Tuesday as the development of the busy commuter hub in Britain’s capital nears completion. On the day that rail fares increase, passengers arrive at Waterloo Station in London, Britain January 2, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls The station reopened after ten days of engineering work over Christmas and New Year, and the latest milestone in the work allowed busy commuter trains to London’s Cannon Street station to stop at London Bridge once more. London Bridge is Britain’s fourth-busiest rail station, with 56 million passengers arriving into the city each year. It serves as a major hub for arrivals from southeast England, and the north-south “Thameslink” service will restore the station’s link with London’s Luton airport when the redevelopment is completed, scheduled for May. The latest progress came as unions protested at London Bridge and dozens of other UK stations on Tuesday against the introduction of higher ticket prices for the New Year. On average, train fares have gone up 3.4 percent, the steepest price increase in five years. Britain’s Network Rail said the average rise was below inflation, though campaigners say that fares should be pegged to a different measure of prices. Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Stephen Addison

https://in.reuters.com/article/britain-rail/london-bridge-station-opens-new-platforms-as-redevelopment-nears-completion-idINKBN1ER0V9

Newport provide Cup heroics to beat Leeds, West Ham held

January 7, 2018 / 4:23 PM / Updated 14 minutes ago Arsenal crash out to Forest, Newport stun Leeds Martyn Herman 4 Min Read LONDON (Reuters) - Holders Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup to second-tier Nottingham Forest and Newport County stunned former winners Leeds United as the FA Cup third round burst into life on Sunday. Soccer Football - FA Cup Third Round - Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - January 7, 2018 Nottingham Forest's Ben Brereton shoots at goal as Arsenal's Rob Holding challenges Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine The biggest story of the round was saved until the final kickoff of the weekend as Arsenal suffered a 4-2 defeat at the City Ground where American Eric Lichaj scored twice for the second-tier side who sacked manager Mark Warburton a week ago. Thirteen-times FA Cup winners Arsenal paid dearly for fielding a weakened side as they lost in the third round for the first time in manager Arsene Wenger’s two-decade reign. Until then fourth-tier Newport County had staked a claim for the biggest upset of the weekend with a 2-1 win over Leeds -- substitute Shawn McCoulsky heading a last-minute winner the day after his 21st birthday. On Saturday 1987 winners Coventry City, who are now languishing in the fourth tier, knocked out Premier League strugglers Stoke City by the same score -- a result that cost Stoke boss Mark Hughes his job. Top flight West Ham United also flirted with danger at League One (third-tier) high-flyers Shrewsbury Town on Sunday, escaping with a 0-0 draw after being largely outplayed. “We were terrible today and Shrewsbury were really good,” West Ham keeper Joe Hart, who began his career at Shrewsbury, said. “There was some terrible football played today.” Eight-times winners Tottenham Hotspur had no trouble at home to third-tier AFC Wimbledon as Harry Kane struck twice in two minutes in the second half of a 3-0 home win. Arsenal made nine changes to the side that drew impressively with Chelsea on Wednesday, although they still started heavy favourites against a Forest side featuring seven under 23s. They could have few complaints though. Lichaj gave Forest the lead and although Per Mertesacker levelled for the visitors, Lichaj scored a stunning volley to put Forest back ahead just before halftime. Penalties by Ben Brereton and Kieran Dowell sealed victory for caretaker boss Gary Brazil’s side, even if Dowell’s strike caused controversy because it appeared he had made double contact with the ball. Soccer Football - FA Cup Third Round - Newport County AFC vs Leeds United - Rodney Parade, Newport, Britain - January 7, 2018 Newport County's Shawn McCoulsky celebrates scoring their second goal with team mates REUTERS/Rebecca Naden Danny Welbeck had pulled Arsenal back to 3-2. “This has got to be something we build on,” Brazil, trying to revive the former English and European champions from the lower regions of the Championship, said. “This football club should be playing against the Arsenals of this world, and they should be beating them.” Wenger, who watched from the stands because of a three-match touchline ban, refused to blame his team selection. Slideshow (13 Images) “We played a very good Forest team who were sharp and focused. The challenges were decisive. Overall our performance wasn’t good enough,” he said. “When you don’t win the selection is always questioned. I believe we had an experienced team -- eight or nine internationals. It would be easy to think that was the problem.” Earlier in the day Rodney Parade in south Wales had supplied some old-fashioned Cup magic as Newport became the latest underdogs to embarrass once mighty Leeds -- sparking a joyful pitch invasion by the home faithful. Gaetano Berardi’s deflected ninth-minute strike had looked like winning the tie for Leeds, who were knocked out by minor league Sutton United last season, but Conor Shaughnessy’s own goal 15 minutes from time set up a thrilling climax. McCoulsky ensured it was one of the best days in modest Newport’s history with an unstoppable header. “I can’t remember most of it, it was a blur to be honest. It is definitely one of my best goals, to knock Leeds out of the FA Cup is what dreams are made of,” he said. Leeds also suffered a shock Cup defeat across the other side of the Severn Bridge in 2002, falling to Cardiff at a time when Leeds were Premier League title contenders. To complete a dismal day for Leeds they had substitute Samuel Saiz sent off in stoppage time. Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis and Pritha Sarkar

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-england-cup/newport-provide-cup-heroics-to-beat-leeds-west-ham-held-idUKKBN1EW0OH

Kenya Airways CEO sees 10 percent revenue bump from direct U.S. flights

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya Airways ( KQNA.NR ) expects its daily direct flights to the United States that it launches for the first time in October to boost annual revenue by 10 percent from 2019, the chief executive said on Thursday. The carrier, which is 7.8 percent owned by Air France KLM ( AIRF.PA ), has started taking bookings for the flights to and from New York that will carry 234 passengers each way on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane. The new long haul route is part of an effort to revive the airline’s fortunes after it came close to collapse, leading to a $2 billion financial restructuring in November that included a government bailout which shrank Air France KLM’s stake. “This is going to increase 2019 (revenues) by roughly 10 percent,” Chief Executive Officer Sebastian Mikosz told reporters at an event to launch the new 15-hour route. U.S.-bound passengers from Kenya must now change planes in Europe or the Gulf on a journey that can take 20 hours or more. “This is a symbol of the comeback of Kenya Airways,” Chairman Michael Joseph said. Kenya has long wanted to fly direct to the United States, but Kenyan carriers were only granted U.S. security clearance for the route in February 2017 after a major refurbishment of facilities at the main Nairobi airport. Kenya has suffered frequent attacks by an Islamist militant group based in neighboring Somalia in recent years. The attacks hammered Kenya Airways by driving away tourists from the East African nation, which boasts palm-fringed beaches and safaris. CEO Mikosz said the new route aimed to encourage more business and tourist travel with the United States, which he said was the biggest source of visitors to Kenya. In the first 10 months of 2017, 95,771 tourists traveled to Kenya from the United States, a figure that has been rising 20 percent in each of the past two years, he said. Kenya also hosts regional hubs for 48 U.S. or U.S.-based, organizations, such as Google ( GOOGL.O ) and IBM ( IBM.N ), he added. Thursday’s event was held at a five-star hotel to signal the end to recent hard times when gatherings were staged under a tent at the carrier’s training school to save costs. The direct flights would create about 150 new jobs at Kenya Airways, said Mikosz, who was hired from LOT Polish airlines last June to help turn around the carrier. Kenya Airways shares, which have tripled in value since the November restructuring, jumped 5.9 percent to 17.15 shillings ($0.1666) on Thursday. Editing by Edmund Blair

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kenya-airways-flights/kenya-airways-ceo-sees-10-percent-revenue-bump-from-direct-u-s-flights-idUSKBN1F015A

Iranian oil tanker burns for third day after collision off China coast

January 9, 2018 / 4:50 AM / Updated 10 minutes ago Iranian oil tanker burns for third day as winds, high waves lash rescuers Reuters Staff 4 Min Read BEIJING (Reuters) - Lashing winds, high waves and toxic gases are hindering dozens of rescue boats struggling to locate missing sailors from a stricken oil tanker in the East China Sea and to extinguish a fire that has burned for the past three days on the ship. Smoke is seen from Panama-registered Sanchi tanker carrying Iranian oil that caught ablaze after it collided with a Chinese freight ship in the East China Sea, in this January 9, 2018 handout picture released by China's Ministry of Transport. China's Ministry of Transport/Handout via REUTERS The poor conditions, with strong winds, rain and waves as high as 3 meters (10 feet), frustrated efforts to tame the fire and search for the 31 remaining tanker crew members, the Ministry of Transport said in a statement on Tuesday. The flames were forcing the South Korean Coast Guard’s search and rescue team to stay as far as 3 miles (4.8 km) away from the tanker, two South Korean officials told Reuters. The body of a crew member was found on Monday in the water near the tanker, China’s transport ministry said. It had been handed over to the civil affairs bureau. Concerns were growing that the tanker may explode and sink while a flotilla of 13 search and rescue vessels comb a 900-square-nautical-mile (3,100 sq km) area around the ship for the crew. The tanker hit a freight ship on Saturday night in the East China Sea, burst into flames and has been spilling oil. (For a graphic on ship collision off China's coast click tmsnrt.rs/2CBgqai ) The tanker Sanchi (IMO:9356608), run by Iran’s top oil shipping operator, National Iranian Tanker Co, collided with the CF Crystal (IMO:9497050), carrying grain from the United States, about 160 nautical miles (300 km) off China’s coast near Shanghai and the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta. The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, an ultra-light crude oil that becomes highly volatile when exposed to air and water, to South Korea. The size of the oil spill from the ship and the extent of the environmental harm were not known, but the disaster has the potential to be the worst since 1991 when 260,000 tonnes of oil leaked off the Angolan coast. “We can’t grasp the level of oil contamination at this moment. The cargo is still on fire, so it is hard to figure out if oil is being spilled,” Park Sung-dong, an official from South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, told Reuters. Smoke is seen from Panama-registered Sanchi tanker carrying Iranian oil that caught ablaze after it collided with a Chinese freight ship in the East China Sea, in this January 9, 2018 handout picture released by China's Ministry of Transport. China's Ministry of Transport/Handout via REUTERS Chinese state media CCTV showed footage on Monday of boats dousing the flames with water as plumes of thick dark smoke continued to billow from the tanker. The crew of the Sanchi are all Iranian nationals except for two Bangladeshi citizens. FISHERMEN TO THE RESCUE The CF Crystal suffered limited damage and the 21 crew members, all Chinese nationals, were rescued by a passing fishing trawler on Saturday night, according to a report posted by state-owned Xinhua News to its Twitter account on Tuesday. “The fire was so fierce. It kept exploding like bombs. So loud,” said Zhu Tingwen, a sailor on the fishing boat, amid footage that showed the sailors on the freighter being transferred to a rescue vessel. The trawler from Zhejiang province scoured for survivors on the tanker, but could not get close enough because of the fire, Xinhua said. “Anyone will go for a rescue in this case,” said the fishing boat captain Zheng Lei. “It just happened to be me.” The freighter has been taken to a port near Shanghai where investigators will start work on assessing the cause of the disaster, the government said. China’s transport ministry warned that toxic gas from the tanker was harmful to the rescue workers and that protective clothing and gas testing equipment was being dispatched to the emergency teams. When condensate meets water, it evaporates quickly and can cause a large-scale explosion as it reacts with air and turns into a flammable gas, the ministry said on Monday. Trying to contain a spill of condensate, which is extremely low in density, highly toxic and much more explosive than normal crude oil, may be difficult. Reporting by Josephine Mason and Beijing News Monitoring in BEIJING; Jane Chung and Yuna Park in SEOUL; Editing by Christian Schmollinger

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-china-shipping-accident-oil/iranian-oil-tanker-burns-for-third-day-after-collision-off-china-coast-idUKKBN1EY0D8

Apple could cure tech addiction with a few changes to the iPhone

It’s not Apple ’s fault that you feel enslaved by your phone. But the company that gave the world the modern smartphone has a perfect opportunity this year to create a brave and groundbreaking new take on that device: a phone that encourages you to use it more thoughtfully, more deliberately — and a lot less. Tech “addiction” is a topic of rising national concern. I put the A-word in Quote: s because the precise pull that our phones exert over us isn’t the same as that of drugs or alcohol . The issue isn’t really new, either; researchers who study how we use digital technology have for years been warning of its potential negative effects on our cognition, psyche and well-being . What is new is who has joined the ranks of the worried. Recently, a parade of tech luminaries, including several former Facebook employees , have argued that we’re no match for the sophisticated machinery of engagement and persuasion being built into smartphone apps. Their fears are manifold : They’re worried about distraction, productivity, how social networks alter our emotional lives and relationships, and what they’re doing to children . It’s hard to know what to make of these confessions of regret. Come on, guys — you gave us these wondrous machines, you made billions of dollars from their ubiquity, and now you tell us they’re bad? Also, what do we do about it? Like air pollution or intrusive online advertising, tech addiction is a collective-action problem caused by misaligned incentives. Companies that make money from your attention — that is, ad-supported apps like Facebook , Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube — now employ armies of people who work with supercomputers to hook you ever more deeply into their services. Sure, we should call on them to act more ethically — and Facebook, for its part, has said it’s willing to lose money to improve its users’ well-being — but I’m skeptical they’ll be able to suppress their economic interests. Government regulation and more restraint from users might also help, but the former is unlikely and the latter is insufficient. So who’s left? More from The New York Times: How Technology Is (and Isn't) Changing Our Reading Habits Meet Your Art Twin: A 400-Year-Old With an Oily Complexion Facebook Doesn't Like What It Sees When It Looks in the Mirror The same company that always seems to turn up when it’s time to cross into a new era of technology: Apple. I got to thinking about Apple’s responsibility last week when two large investors wrote an open letter asking the company to do more about its products’ effects on children. I was initially inclined to dismiss the letter as a publicity stunt; if you’re worried about children and tech, why not go after Facebook? But when I called several experts, I found they agreed with the investors. Sure, they said, Apple isn’t responsible for the excesses of the digital ad business, but it does have a moral responsibility to — and a business interest in — the well-being of its customers. And there’s another, more important reason for Apple to take on tech addiction: because it would probably do an elegant job of addressing the problem. “I do think this is their time to step up,” said Tristan Harris, a former design ethicist at Google who now runs Time Well Spent, an organization working to improve technology’s impact on society. “In fact,” Mr. Harris added, “they may be our only hope.” For one thing, Apple’s business model does not depend on tech addiction. The company makes most of its money by selling premium devices at high profit margins. Yes, it needs to make sure you find your phone useful enough to buy the next one, but after you purchase your phone and sign up for some of its premium services, Apple doesn’t really need you to overdo it. Indeed, because it can’t make infinite battery life, Apple would probably be O.K. if you cooled it with your phone a little. Yet even though Apple is not part of the ad business, it exerts lots of control over it. Every tech company needs a presence on the iPhone or iPad; this means that Apple can set the rules for everyone. With a single update to its operating system and its app store, Apple could curb some of the worst excesses in how apps monitor and notify you to keep you hooked (as it has done, for instance, by allowing ad blockers in its mobile devices). And because other smartphone makers tend to copy Apple’s best inventions, whatever it did to curb our dependence on our phones would be widely emulated. Mr. Harris suggested several ideas for Apple to make a less-addictive smartphone. For starters, Apple could give people a lot more feedback about how they’re using their devices. Imagine if, once a week, your phone gave you a report on how you spent your time, similar to how your activity tracker tells you how sedentary you were last week. It could also needle you: “Farhad, you spent half your week scrolling through Twitter. Do you really feel proud of that?” It could offer to help: “If I notice you spending too much time on Snapchat next week, would you like me to remind you?” Another idea is to let you impose more fine-grained controls over notifications. Today, when you let an app send you mobile alerts, it’s usually an all-or-nothing proposition — you say yes to letting it buzz you, and suddenly it’s buzzing you all the time. Mr. Harris suggested that Apple could require apps to assign a kind of priority level to their notifications. “Let’s say you had three notification levels — heavy users, regular users and lite, or Zen,” Mr. Harris said. Apple could set rules for what kind of notifications were allowed in each bucket — for instance, the medium bucket might allow notifications generated by other people (like a direct message in Instagram) but not those from the app itself (Instagram just sending you an alert to remind you that your high school friend’s mom’s brother posted a new picture recently). “And then Apple could say, by default, everyone is in the middle level — and instantly it could save a ton of users a ton of energy in dealing with this,” Mr. Harris said. There’s a danger that some of these anti-addiction efforts could get too intrusive. But that’s also why Apple would shine here; building a less-addictive phone is chiefly a problem of interface design, which is basically Apple’s entire corporate raison d’être. Another thing that Apple is good at is marketing, and I suspect it could make a lot of gauzy ads showing people getting more out of iPhones and iPads by unplugging from them for a little while. Note that it already sells a device, the Apple Watch, whose marketing extols the magic of leaving your phone behind. Done right, a full-fledged campaign pushing the benefits of a more deliberative approach to tech wouldn’t come off as self-interest, but in keeping with Apple’s best vision of itself — as a company that looks out for the interests of humanity in an otherwise cold and sometimes inhumane industry. “How we live with technology is the cultural issue of the next half-century,” said James Steyer, the founder and chief executive of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that studies how children are affected by media. He suggested that the feeling was ripe for Apple to tap into. “It’s something that everyone cares about — whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, liberal or conservative, wheth

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/17/new-york-times-digital-state-of-the-art-itas-time-for-apple-to-build-a-less-addictive-iphone.html

Ex-Eagle Murray gets winner for Seagulls with VAR quiet

January 8, 2018 / 10:05 PM / Updated 12 hours ago Ex-Eagle Murray gets winner for Seagulls with VAR quiet Reuters Staff 2 Min Read (Reuters) - An 87th minute goal from substitute Glenn Murray gave Brighton & Hove Albion a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round on Monday in the first competitive English game to feature use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Soccer Football - FA Cup Third Round - Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - January 8, 2018 Brighton's Glenn Murray scores their second goal REUTERS/David Klein The new technology did not get used for any reviews during the game which took place without any real controversy apart from some questions over former Palace striker Murray’s goal. Brighton took the lead in the 25th minute when Argentine full-back Ezequiel Schelotto fed Dale Stephens and the midfielder’s low right foot drive beat Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey who will be disappointed he did not save at his near post. Bakary Sako, who had been the main threat for Palace throughout, pulled the London side level when he took advantage of space outside the Brighton box and hammered home a fierce drive. Soccer Football - FA Cup Third Round - Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - January 8, 2018 Brighton's Beram Kayal in action with Crystal Palace's Pape Souare REUTERS/David Klein Sam Baldock hit the post for Brighton and Beram Kayal blasted over from a promising position as the home side pushed for a winner but it was the experienced Murray who sank Palace’s hopes of earning a replay. A looping header goalwards from Uwe Hunemeier was touched over the line by Murray’s knee and despite some appeals for handball there was no use of the review system. Television replays suggested the goal was legal. Slideshow (10 Images) VAR involves two video assistant referees watching the on-pitch action remotely and then drawing the match referee’s attention to officiating mistakes. The VAR system has already been used in several leagues including the Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A and could feature in this year’s World Cup in Russia in June and July. Soccer’s law-making body IFAB is expected to decide next March whether to allow video assistant referees to become part of the game on a permanent basis. Reporting by Simon Evans, editing by Pritha Sarkar

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-england-brh-cry/ex-eagle-murray-gets-winner-for-seagulls-with-var-quiet-idUKKBN1EX2CU

Myanmar says temporary camp will house 30,000 Rohingya targeted for repatriation

January 15, 2018 / 8:05 AM / in 36 minutes Myanmar says temporary camp will house 30,000 Rohingya targeted for repatriation Reuters Staff 4 Min Read YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar is building a camp to temporarily house 30,000 Rohingya Muslims targeted for repatriation after fleeing violence in Rakhine State, state media reported on Monday, as Myanmar and Bangladesh meet to discuss how to implement a repatriation deal. More than 650,000 Rohingya have headed across the border to Bangladesh after a sweeping Myanmar army counteroffensive in response to Rohingya militant attacks on Aug. 25, 2017. The crackdown has been described by the United States and U.N. as ethnic cleansing, which Myanmar repeatedly rejects. Officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh meet on Monday to discuss a repatriation deal signed on Nov. 23. The meeting in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyitaw, is the first for a joint working group set up to hammer out the details of the agreement. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said a camp in Hla Po Khaung in northern Rakhine will be a temporary transition camp for people who are to be “accepted systematically” for repatriation. “The 124-acre Hla Po Khaung will accommodate about 30,000 people in its 625 buildings,” the newspaper said, adding that some 100 buildings will be completed by end of January. Aung Tun Thet, chief coordinator of Myanmar’s Union Enterprises for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development, told Reuters that the camp in Hla Po Khaung will be a “transition place” for Rohingya refugees before they are repatriated to their “place of origin” or the nearest settlement to their place of origin. “We will try to accept all of those who are coming back to Myanmar,” he said, adding that to verify returnees’ residency, they will be sent to assessment camps in Taungpyoletwei or Ngakhuya before they are moved to the Hla Po Khaung camp. Soe Aung, permanent secretary of Myanmar’s Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, said returnees will spend “at least one or two months” in Hla Po Khaung before their new homes are built. It is unclear, however, how many returnees would qualify for citizenship in Myanmar. The authorities have said Rohingya Muslims could apply for citizenship if they can show their forebears lived in Myanmar. But the latest deal - like the one in 1992 - does not guarantee citizenship. Myanmar government officials have said the 1992-1993 repatriation deal, which followed a previous spasm of violence in Myanmar, would accept those who could present identity documents issued to the Rohingya by governments in the past. Buddhist-majority Myanmar has for years denied Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement and access to basic services such as healthcare and education. They are considered illegal immigrants from mainly Muslim Bangladesh. Bangladesh officials have said it was unclear when the first refugees could actually return as the two countries need to work out how to jointly verify the identities of returnees. United Nations agencies and human rights watchers have voiced scepticism about the resettlement plans and demanded a more transparent process to safeguard the Rohingya’s voluntary return. Reporting By Yimou Lee, Thu Thu Aung and Shoon Naing; Editing by Michael Perry

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-bangladesh/myanmar-says-temporary-camp-will-house-30000-rohingya-targeted-for-repatriation-idUSKBN1F40SF

Chances of U.S. leaving NAFTA must be taken seriously: Canada

LONDON, Ontario (Reuters) - The threat of the United States quitting NAFTA has to be taken seriously, Canada’s foreign minister said on Thursday, even as Ottawa prepares creative ideas to unblock talks to update the tri-nation treaty. Chrystia Freeland said the U.S. administration had repeatedly stated it could walk away from the 1994 pact between the United States, Canada and Mexico. President Donald Trump has insisted it must be reworked in favor of his country. Canadian government sources told Reuters on Wednesday they were increasingly convinced the United States plans to announce it intends to pull out of NAFTA. “The United States has been very clear since before the talks started that (a pull out) was a possibility,” Freeland told reporters. “I think we need to take our neighbors at their word, take them seriously, and so Canada is prepared for every eventuality.” A White House spokesman said on Wednesday there had been no change in Trump’s position on NAFTA. In any case, Trump may have trouble persuading Congress to scrap the treaty, which could be required under U.S. law. But even the prospect of disruption to the heavily-integrated North American economy knocked the Canadian and Mexican currencies as well as some stocks of firms that rely heavily on North America’s integrated economy. FILE PHOTO: Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland takes part in a news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (not shown) on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, December 19, 2017. REUTERS/Blair Gable Officials are due to meet for a sixth and second-last round of scheduled negotiations on updating NAFTA in Montreal from Jan. 23-28, but the talks are in trouble. Canada and Mexico are unhappy about U.S. demands to establish rules of origin for NAFTA goods that would set minimum levels of U.S. content for autos, a sunset clause that would terminate the trade deal if it is not renegotiated every five years and ending the so-called Chapter 19 dispute mechanism. Still, Freeland said it was “absolutely possible to have a positive outcome” in Montreal if all three sides showed good will. “When it comes to the more unconventional U.S. proposals, we have been doing some creative thinking,” she said. “We have some new ideas,” she added, but declined to give details. One person familiar with government thinking said some of the ideas related to auto content. The Canadian dollar steadied against the greenback on Thursday after hitting a nearly two-week low earlier in the session as investors weighed chances of a Bank of Canada interest rate hike next week and worried about NAFTA. Stocks also recovered. But the Mexican peso fell by the most in nearly three weeks on Thursday, extending Wednesday’s slide, on worries over NAFTA. Mexican officials told Reuters that if Trump triggered the withdrawal process then Mexico would break off NAFTA negotiations. Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Andrea Ricci and Susan Thomas

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-nafta-canada/chances-of-u-s-leaving-nafta-must-be-taken-seriously-canada-idUSKBN1F01Y1

Life's a beach: Cannes ships in sand for film festival

January 30, 2018 / 1:54 PM / Updated 19 minutes ago Life's a beach: Cannes ships in sand for film festival Reuters Staff 2 Min Read CANNES, France (Reuters) - Every year the French Riviera town of Cannes rolls out the red carpet to A-list celebrities at the world’s most glamorous film festival. Now it wants to roll out a bigger beach too. The Mediterranean resort is shipping in 80,000 cubic metres of white sand - enough to fill 32 Olympic swimming pools - to widen the beach along a 1.4 kilometre (0.9 mile) stretch of seafront beside the famed “Croisette” promenade. From Brigitte Bardot in the 1950s to Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio in more recent years, the Croisette’s fine sands, glitzy hotels and gourmet restaurants have hosted film’s biggest stars during the annual festival. By the time of this year’s event in May, the expanded stretch of sand should be in place and for private beach managers means more room to make money. Slideshow (2 Images) “We had a strip of sand which was about 20 metres wide, now we’ll get an extra 10 to 12 metres,” said Bruno Richard, manager of the privately owned Long Beach, where a sunlounger costs 25 euros ($31) for the day. More than half the sand is arriving by boat from a quarry in the neighbouring Var region. Mixed with sea water, the sand is pumped via a floating pipe onto the beach, where bulldozers shape the new waterfront. Locals are divided over the development. While some applaud a bigger public beach, others fret it may be a waste of tax payers’ money. “What worries me is whether the sea will just take it all back. It cost the town a lot of money,” said resident Gerard Rollandin. Reporting by Michel Bernouin; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Susan Fenton

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-film-festival-cannes-beach/lifes-a-beach-cannes-ships-in-sand-for-film-festival-idUKKBN1FJ1VZ

Qualcomm reports quarterly loss on $6 billion tax charge

25 PM / Updated 11 minutes ago Qualcomm reports quarterly loss on $6 billion tax charge Reuters Staff 1 Qualcomm Inc ( QCOM.O ) on Wednesday reported a loss for the first fiscal quarter as the chipmaker took a $6 billion (4.24 billion pounds) one-time charge because of new U.S. tax laws. Net loss attributable to Qualcomm was $5.95 billion or $4.03 per share in the quarter ended Dec. 24, compared to a profit of $682 million or 46 cents Revenue rose 1.2 percent to $6.07 billion. The results come as Qualcomm tries to fend off a $103 billion takeover bid by Broadcom ( AVGO.O ) and close its long-pending deal to buy automotive chip maker NXP Semiconductors ( NXPI.O ). Reporting by Sonam Rai Sai Sachin Ravikumar

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-qualcomm-results/qualcomm-reports-quarterly-loss-on-6-billion-tax-charge-idUKKBN1FK34U

Futures lower as investors brace for busy week

January 29, 2018 / 12:44 PM / Updated 8 minutes ago Wall St. slides as Apple weighs Reuters Staff 1 Min Read NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street pulled back from record highs on Monday with the S&P 500 marking its biggest one-day percentage decline in about five months, weighed down by a slide in Apple shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 177.23 points, or 0.67 percent, to 26,439.48, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 19.34 points, or 0.67 percent, to 2,853.53 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 39.27 points, or 0.52 percent, to 7,466.51. Reporting by Stephen Culp; Editing by Nick Zieminski

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks/futures-lower-as-investors-brace-for-busy-week-idUSKBN1FI1HU

German prosecutors extend Wirecard investigation

January 23, 2018 / 5:27 PM / Updated 38 minutes ago German prosecutors extend Wirecard investigation Reuters Staff 1 Min Read BERLIN, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Munich prosecutors are extending an investigation into suspected market manipulation after a report criticised an acquisition by German payment processor Wirecard, sending its shares tumbling on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said a new phase of the investigation was being opened over the report by the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation (SIRF), which was critical of Wirecard's acquisition of the Indian payments business GI Retail Group in 2015. ( bit.ly/2BmCGTX ) Wirecard rejected the report but its shares still closed 3.7 percent down on Tuesday, having dropped as much as 8 percent. The initial Munich investigation was launched in 2016 after the stock took a battering from short-sellers when previously unknown Zatarra Research accused the company of misleading accounting and fraud, charges Wirecard has strongly denied. (Reporting by Joern Poltz; Writing by Emma Thomasson; Editing by David Goodman)

https://www.reuters.com/article/wirecard-probe/german-prosecutors-extend-wirecard-investigation-idUSFWN1PI171

China online quiz craze lures prize seekers, tech giants

January 23, 2018 / 4:35 AM / Updated 9 hours ago China online quiz craze lures prize seekers, tech giants Pei Li , Adam Jourdan 4 Min Read BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - It seems like a game everyone wins: some of China’s biggest tech companies, looking to hook in new consumers, are using cash prizes to draw millions of contenders to mobile-based online quiz shows. Up to 6 million people at a time log into the free, live games on their smartphones to answer a series of rapid-fire questions in an elimination battle, with those remaining sharing the prize money. Over the weekend, search engine giant Baidu Inc and video game maker NetEase Inc launched their own online shows, joining news feed platform Toutiao, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd-owned UCWeb and Wang Sicong, the scion of Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin. But how they will cash in on the games and stay on the right side of government censors might prove to be a tricky question. The trivia games have drawn some controversy, heightened by a broader crackdown on online content during the last year under President Xi Jinping, from livestreams and blogs to a campaign against internet addiction. This month, one quiz show, “Millions Winner,” backed by internet security company Qihoo 360, apologised after it was chastised by a regulator for listing Taiwan and Hong Kong, over which China claims sovereignty, as independent countries in a question. How firms will monetise the craze is also not yet clear, though some companies, such as online retailer JD.com Inc, have already jumped on the trend, sponsoring shows to help raise their profiles. Many of the games show ads to players during the shows. “If you ask me why I do this, to be honest, I don’t really know if I can make money,” Zhou Hongyi, chairman of Qihoo, said at an event where he presented a contestant with a 1 million yuan ($156,115.84) prize cheque two weeks ago. “But from a user’s perspective, I think this is really fun.” The quiz mania underlines the fierce appetite of China’s consumers for internet entertainment, a trend helping drive billions of dollars of investment into digital news portals, online gaming, internet advertising and television content. “I heard about this game from a friend who won 1,700 yuan in one day. I immediately decided to join up myself,” Wang Ting, a 26-year-old graduate student in Qingdao, told Reuters. She now spends three hours each day on her phone playing the games. Questions, read by a live host, might include: “From which country were pineapples imported to China in the 16th century?”“In which dynasty was the lamb hot pot invented?” or “How many fingers does Mickey Mouse have?” Contestants get 10 seconds - a time frame designed cut out cheating - to select the correct answer from a choice of three. Winnings can be up to 3 million yuan per game, but are often split between many winners. Toutiao parent Bytedance said that “millions of our users” had taken part in its live quiz “Million Dollar Hero” since the show launched at the start of January. It also has a tougher “Hero Game” with harder questions and bigger prizes. “We’ve been running for just two weeks, so it’s still in the very early stages, but it’s encouraging to see how the game has taken off across the country, and with all age groups,” the company said in a statement to Reuters. Toutiao, a highly popular news feed app, was valued at around $20 billion in a fund-raising last year, sources close to the company told Reuters. Raymond Wang, managing partner at Beijing law firm Anli Partners, said the shows were a “relatively low-cost way to get to users,” but cautioned there were political and technical risks. Wang Ran, a prominent investor and head of Beijing-based private investment bank CEC Capital Group, posed a question on his WeChat account about the future of the online quiz show trend. “A) Growing numbers will jump into the market. B) Someone will win 10 million yuan in one go. C) Authorities will strictly crack down on it. 10 seconds. Go!” ($1 = 6.4055 Chinese yuan renminbi) Reporting by Pei Li and Adam Jourdan; Editing by Gerry Doyle

https://in.reuters.com/article/china-internet-gameshow/china-online-quiz-craze-lures-prize-seekers-tech-giants-idINKBN1FC0DM

Apple’s High Bar

59 COMMENTS Generally speaking, technology gets a lot cheaper as it ages. Apple Inc. AAPL -2.05% is counting on precisely the opposite. The iPhone X, which made its debut in November , essentially ushers in the second decade of the touch-screen smartphone revolution that Apple kicked off with its original iPhone in 2007. Despite the fanfare christening the device as “the future of smartphones,” the iPhone X differs little in basic function from its recent predecessors. But an expanded display and other bells and whistles encouraged Apple to give the device a premium price tag. The iPhone X starts at $1,000—making it the most expensive base model smartphone ever in the U.S. For Apple, that represents a gamble that customers won’t bolt for cheaper-but-still-premium Android options . In developed markets like the U.S., the company’s market share has stayed largely consistent. Switching is easier than ever in an age of cloud storage and streaming apps, but most smartphone customers by now have picked their platform and seem to stay on it. That doesn’t mean the so-called supercycle many investors are expecting this year will be a sure thing. Several analysts have cited data from Apple’s supply chain pointing to a mixed picture for the new iPhones . Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein said his analysis suggests total iPhone unit sales for the March quarter could come in at a range of 51 million to 57 million units—well below the 61 million units Wall Street is currently targeting. Apple’s fiscal second quarter ending in March is particularly important this time around because the company needs iPhone sales to remain strong in order to hit Wall Street’s current prediction of overall revenue growing 19% this fiscal year compared with 6% last year. That means Apple’s forecast for the March quarter will likely overshadow results for the December period that the company will report on Thursday. Analysts currently expect March-quarter revenue to surge 28% year over year to nearly $68 billion—a high mark to hit. And Apple’s stock price, which is up 40% over the last 12 months and near a record 15 times forward earnings, is likely to take a tumble if the company’s outlook disappoints. Much depends on Apple finding enough customers willing to pay up. And higher prices can help the company meet revenue growth targets even if unit sales are weaker. Analysts currently expect the average selling price for the iPhone segment to hit $757 for both the December and March quarters—more than $100 above the average for the last four periods. A thousand bucks will seem ludicrous to many smartphone buyers, and Apple had better hope it has enough devoted fans to help the iPhone X make the connection. The number one new feature on the iPhone X is its facial recognition system. WSJ's Joanna Stern put it to the test with masks, costumes and identical triplets. Photo: Drew Evans/The Wall Street Journal Write to Dan Gallagher at dan.gallagher@wsj.com

https://www.wsj.com/articles/apples-high-bar-1517221800

Tennis-Exhausted Dimitrov battling shoulder injury, could miss Sofia Open

January 27, 2018 / 1:05 PM / Updated 13 minutes ago Tennis-Exhausted Dimitrov battling shoulder injury, could miss Sofia Open Angel Krasimirov 2 Min Read SOFIA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Bulgarian world number three Grigor Dimitrov faces a race against time to get fit to defend his title at the Sofia Open after shoulder pain and exhaustion prevented him from practising. “I underwent a medical examination in Monaco yesterday,” Dimitrov told a news conference in Sofia ahead of the Feb. 5 - 12 tournament. ”I didn’t feel well, I felt pain in my shoulder. “I’m expecting the results in the coming days and I hope that I’ll be able to fight again but I don’t want to make promises. I never want to play in a tournament if I’m not 100 percent fit.” Dimitrov, who suffered a shock defeat by unseeded Briton Kyle Edmund in the quarter-finals earlier this week, said that fatigue was also a factor in his failure to reach the Melbourne Park semi-finals. “I played some tough matches in Australia and I got tired,” the 26-year-old, who won the biggest title of his career at last year’s season-ending ATP Finals in London, said. “I had only one week rest after the end of last season... (and) ... you just can’t go against your body.” $1 = 0.8052 euros Reporting by Angel Krasimirov, editing by Pritha Sarkar

https://uk.reuters.com/article/tennis-bulgaria-dimitrov/tennis-exhausted-dimitrov-battling-shoulder-injury-could-miss-sofia-open-idUKL8N1PM0DF