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How John Kelly’s White House made “build a wall” moderate

Getty Images White House Chief of Staff John Kelly speaks during a White House briefing October 19, 2017 in Washington, DC. In an exasperated statement to reporters Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) identified the root of the problem in stalled negotiations between the White House and the Senate: the White House itself is divided on immigration, with hardliners dominating the discussion. On one side, there are Trump's most conservative advisers — from White House Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly and Senior Policy Adviser Stephen Miller, to immigration hawks on Capitol Hill — who have the president's ear. They reportedly scrapped a Democratic offer for $20 billion worth of border wall funding and are holding out for a conservative overhaul of the legal immigration system. "Every time we have a proposal, it is yanked back by staff members," Graham, one of the key Republicans in immigration talks, told reporters Sunday afternoon. "As long as Steven Miller is in charge of negotiating immigration we are going nowhere. He's been an outlier for years." He tweet On the other side of the White House drama is a president whose signature campaign promise was to build a "great, great wall" across the southern border and who has also said he "loves DREAMers" , the 700,000 young unauthorized immigrants who would lose legal protections if a deal is not reached. A package that combines the two has appealed to Trump, but not always. He wavers, switching positions seemingly on a whim. While Graham said Trump himself has been open to proposals from Senate Democrats and moderate Republicans, this hardline faction has had the final word over the direction of negotiations, making it difficult to resolve a government shutdown. Suddenly Democrats are in a strange position; where they once vowed to prevent a border wall because it symbolized immigration extremism, they now see supporting one as the route to a more moderate, bipartisan deal. Read more from Vox: Trump is proposing the "nuclear option" on the government shutdown. It makes no sense. The Women's March showed its power on a day Donald Trump's presidency stood still Some libertarians cheer when the government shuts down. Here's why they shouldn't "I'll take a bucket, take bricks, and I'll start building it myself," said a visibly frustrated Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), one of Congress's most progressive voices on immigration. "We will dirty our hands, in order for the Dreamers to have a clean future in America. Then, why haven't we settled this? It's ransom." But as long as conservative hardliners aligned with the White House stay in control, remaining unwilling to compromise — and Trump's personal beliefs remain unclear — Congress, and the government, remain at a standstill. Democrats made a major concession on the wall. But that wasn't enough. Since the start of Trump's term in office, Congressional Democrats have held firm against the southern border wall — a tangible act of resistance to the president's immigration platform. But in a scramble to get the government working again, Democrats put the wall on the table. In a White House meeting Friday, Sen. Chuck Schumer said he told President Donald Trump to name a price for the Southern border wall, and he would accept it. Trump said $20 billion in exchange for a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, securing legal protections for nearly 700,000 young, unauthorized immigrants. Schumer thought the two of them had reached an agreement that would keep the government open and establish a path forward on immigration. Then it all fell apart. "Yesterday, Sen. Schumer sat down and brought up some of the most delicate and tough political issue, like the wall itself. He embraced it. Two hours later, called back and rejected it," Durbin told Vox Saturday . "It's very difficult to bargain with someone who is so unpredictable." Durbin pointed to Kelly as the person who quashed the progress between the president and Schumer. "As soon as the guest leaves the office, Gen. Kelly calls in the right wingers and they bat it down and say you can't do it," Durbin said. "We'll never reach an agreement unless there's a more open approach at the White House and the president is more constructive." It's not the first time the wall has signaled a divide in the White House. Kelly met with Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill last Wednesday, repeating what many have known for a long time : A physical border wall will not stretch the entire southern border, Mexico won't be paying for it. Then Trump tweeted Thursday morning that the wall "will be paid for, directly or indirectly, or through longer term reimbursement, by Mexico." Joshua Roberts | Reuters A Senate staffer places a sign blaming U.S. President Donald Trump for shutdown of the Federal Government before a news conference with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2018. The latest breakdown in immigration talks is over legal immigration The biggest breakdown in immigration talks is no longer over the wall. Senior White House officials like Kelly and Miller have ensured that immigration negotiations prioritize ending legal immigration programs like the diversity visa program, and protections for children crossing the US border alone. Gutierrez said Kelly has "now turned into one of the most ardent proponents of very restrictive immigration policy," and aligned himself with conservative immigration hardliners in the Senate including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Sen. David Perdue (R-GA). Gutierrez added he hoped a White House Chief of staff would remain independent on these issues, but said he's seeing no such autonomy from Kelly. For Gutierrez, the recent developments are a signifier of something else coming from the White House: prejudice against Hispanics and other immigrants. "I don't really believe it's about security. It's about saying 'brown people, stay out of the country.' And the president said as much," he said. "It's very demeaning to demand a wall. For me, why don't you take your middle finger and just point it at Mexico and point it at everybody. Because it's the same thing." Despite seemingly agreeing to bipartisan immigration deals in the moment, Trump has repeatedly backtracked meetings with moderate Republicans and Democrats, instead doubling down on assurances he's made to conservatives. This week Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) who leads the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told reporters that Trump promised not to back any immigration deal that didn't have Meadows or Cotton's blessing. Their vision, however, goes far beyond a deal Democrats could sign on to. The silence is deafening Earlier this week, Kelly met with 25 members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Publicly, CHC members said the meeting was positive, but Gutierrez said that Kelly displayed a certain "naïveté" as when he told lawmakers he envisioned a merit-based immigration system where people speaking English and educated were allowed into the United States. "That's the naïveté, that you could come to 25 members of Congress whose moms and dads came out here without speaking English, and without any formal educations, and say to us, 'Those are the wrong people. Your moms and dads are the wrong people, and if they hadn't been here, I wouldn't have to be negotiating with you,'" Gutierrez said. Since Friday afternoon, communication between the White House and the Senate Democrats seems to have gone into radio silence. As of Sunday morning, neither Trump nor Kelly had spoken with Schumer, MSNBC's Kasie Hunt reported . And Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), one of the moderate Senate Republicans working with Democrats to come to a bipartisan immigration deal said he knew of no communication from the White House to the Senate. "From the White House, I don't know of any negotiations that are going on," Flake said. "The only negotiations I know of are among us, here." Rather than negotiating with Democrats and moderate Republicans who are working on a bipartisan immigration legislation bill, the Trump White House seems to be limiting their talks to hardline conservatives in the House and Senate. House conservatives have the president's ear. If there's going to be a DACA deal on the president's desk, some of these promises will have to be broken. But as long as Trump and Republican leaders are keep their word with conservatives, there's no deal to be had.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/21/how-john-kellys-white-house-made-build-a-wall-moderate.html

LaDue's first NHL goal helps Kings top Stars

Paul LaDue scored his first NHL goal and Drew Doughty scored his 100th as the Los Angeles Kings throttled the Dallas Stars 3-0 Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Darcy Kuemper, getting a start in net as Los Angeles placed Jonathan Quick on injured reserve, stopped 28 shots to earn his second shutout in just 11 starts this season. Quick missed the All-Star Game with what the team termed a lingering injury, but he would have drawn a one-game suspension from the NHL for opting out of the event had he remained on the active roster. Alec Martinez also scored for the Kings, who won their second consecutive game after dropping six of seven just before the All-Star break. The Stars stayed in fourth place in the Central Division with 60 points, only one point ahead of the Minnesota Wild. LaDue initiated the scoring at 3:05 of the first period, thanks to big efforts from linemates Alex Iafallo and Anze Kopitar. Iafallo kept the puck in the zone, and Kopitar skated around multiple defenders to set up LaDue in the right circle. LaDue wired a wrister past goalie Ben Bishop. Doughty made it 2-0 on the power play at 5:09 of the second period. Fellow defenseman Jake Muzzin teed him up at the right point for a one-timer that Bishop appeared to stop. However, the puck escaped Bishop and appeared to nick defenseman Stephen Johns in the skate just before crossing the goal line. Martinez added insurance only 65 seconds into the third period, shortly after a Dallas power play concluded. Bishop stopped Tanner Pearson on a breakaway, but Torrey Mitchell collected the rebound, and Martinez picked up the puck along the left boards. Martinez’s wrister tipped off a defender’s stick and beat Bishop to the short side. Bishop made 39 saves in the losing effort as the Stars dropped their second consecutive game. Dallas failed to convert any of its four power-play chances. --Field Level Media

https://www.reuters.com/article/icehockey-nhl-dal-lak-recap/ladues-first-nhl-goal-helps-kings-top-stars-idUSMTZEE1VEK75MG

White House: Trump to host bipartisan meeting on immigration next week

January 4, 2018 / 7:37 PM / Updated 25 minutes ago White House: Trump to host bipartisan meeting on immigration next week Reuters Staff 1 Min Read WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump would hold a bipartisan meeting on U.S. immigration reform next week. Flanked by Senator Chuck Grassley (L) and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (R), U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican members of the Senate about immigration at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 4, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque “Next week the president is inviting a bipartisan group of senators to the White House to discuss the next steps on responsible immigration reform,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters. Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Katanga Johnson; Editing by David Alexander

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-immigration-trump/white-house-trump-to-host-bipartisan-meeting-on-immigration-next-week-idUKKBN1ET29D

Rocket Pharmaceuticals Prices Public Offering of Common Stock

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) (“Rocket”), a leading U.S.-based multi-platform gene therapy company, today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 5,500,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $13.25 per share. The gross proceeds to Rocket from the offering are expected to be $72,875,000 before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and other estimated offering expenses. Rocket has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 825,000 shares of common stock. All the shares in the offering are to be sold by Rocket. The offering is expected to close on or about January 26, 2018, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Rocket intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to fund the continued development of its pipeline of gene therapies for rare diseases, enhancements to in-house manufacturing, and general corporate purposes. Cowen and Evercore ISI are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. The shares are being offered by Rocket pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that was previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A final prospectus supplement relating to and describing the terms of this offering will be filed with the SEC. When available, copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained from Cowen and Company, LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Services, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by telephone at (631) 274-2806 and Evercore Group L.L.C., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 36th Floor, New York, NY 10055, by telephone at 888-474-0200, or by email at ecm.prospectus@evercore.com . You may also obtain these documents free of charge by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov . This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) (“Rocket”) is an emerging, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing first-in-class gene therapy treatment options for rare, undertreated diseases. Rocket’s multi-platform development approach applies the well-established lentiviral vector (LVV) and adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) gene therapy platforms. Rocket's lead clinical program is a LVV-based gene therapy for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA), a difficult to treat genetic disease that leads to bone marrow failure and potentially cancer. Preclinical studies of additional bone marrow-derived disorders are ongoing and target Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I) and Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO). Rocket is also developing an AAV-based gene therapy program for an undisclosed rare pediatric disease. Forward-looking Statements Various statements in this release concerning Rocket’s future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Rocket’s expectations regarding the safety, effectiveness and timing of products that Rocketmay develop, including in collaboration with academic partners, to treat Fanconi Anemia (FA), Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) and Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO), and the safety, effectiveness and timing of related pre-clinical studies and clinical studies, may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should not place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which often include words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "will give", "estimate", "seek", "will", "may", "suggest" or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Rocket believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Rocket cannot guarantee such outcomes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Rocket’s ability to successfully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of such products and pre-clinical and clinical studies, its gene therapy programs, the pre-clinical and clinical results for its product candidates, which may not support further development and marketing approval, the potential advantages of Rocket’s product candidates, actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of its product candidates, Rocket’s and its licensors ability to obtain, maintain and protect its and their respective intellectual property, the timing, cost or other aspects of a potential commercial launch of Rocket’s product candidates, Rocket’s ability to manage operating expenses, Rocket’s ability to obtain additional funding to support its business activities and establish and maintain strategic business alliances and new business initiatives, Rocket’s dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of product candidates, the outcome of litigation, and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed by Rocket with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its recently completed merger. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Rocket undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180124005635/en/ Claudine Prowse, Ph.D. SVP Corporate Development and IRO Rocket Pharma, Inc. The Alexandria Center for Life Science 430 East 29 Street, Suite 1040 New York, NY 10016 cp@rocketpharma.com Source: Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/24/business-wire-rocket-pharmaceuticals-prices-public-offering-of-common-stock.html

Spain's Telefonica in talks to include Netflix content on TV platform -source

MADRID, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Telefonica and Netflix are close to reaching an accord which will permit the Spanish telecommunications company to include the U.S. group’s content as part of its television service, a source close to the talks said on Monday. The two companies were close to an agreement which would most likely take a few weeks to finalise, the source said. Telefonica, which has some 3.7 million subscribers for its television service Movistar+, declined to comment. Netflix, which was not immediately available for comment, has around 1.16 million subscribers in Spain. (Reporting by Carlos Ruano; writing by Paul Day; editing by Jason Neely)

https://www.reuters.com/article/telefonica-netflix/spains-telefonica-in-talks-to-include-netflix-content-on-tv-platform-source-idUSL8N1PO2OO

Exclusive - Trump to call on Pentagon, diplomats to play bigger role on arms sales: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is nearing completion of a new “Buy American” plan that calls for U.S. military attaches and diplomats to help drum up billions of dollars more in business overseas for the U.S. weapons industry, going beyond the limited assistance they currently provide, officials said. U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House from Camp David, in Washington, U.S., January 7, 2018. REUTERS/Mary F. Calvert President Donald Trump is expected to announce a “whole of government” approach that will also ease export rules on U.S. military exports and give greater weight to the economic benefits for American manufacturers in a decision-making process that has long focused heavily on human rights considerations, according to people familiar with the plan. The initiative, which will encompass everything from fighter jets and drones to warships and artillery, is expected to be launched as early as February, senior officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A key policy change would call for embassy staffers around the world to act essentially as a sales force for defense contractors, actively advocating on their behalf. It was unclear, however, what specific guidelines would be established. But under this more proactive approach, embassy staffers would engage more aggressively with foreign counterparts to push for U.S. arms sales and brief visiting senior U.S. officials so they can help advance pending deals, according to a person familiar with the matter. One senior administration official described the proposal as a “180-degree shift” in the current arms-length approach to foreign weapons sales. Trump is seeking to fulfill a 2016 election campaign promise to create jobs in the United States by selling more goods and services abroad to bring down the U.S. trade deficit from a six-year high of $50 billion. The administration is also under pressure from U.S. defense contractors facing growing competition from foreign rivals such as China and Russia. But any loosening of the restrictions on weapons sales would be in defiance of human rights and arms control advocates who said there was too great a risk of fueling violence in regions such as the Middle East and South Asia or arms being diverted to be used in terrorist attacks. ARMS REGULATIONS Besides greater use of a network of military and commercial attaches already stationed at U.S. embassies in foreign capitals, senior officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said another thrust of the plan will be to set in motion a realignment of the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR). It is a central policy governing arms exports since 1976 and has not been fully revamped in more than three decades. This expanded government effort on behalf of American arms makers, together with looser restrictions on weapons exports and more favorable treatment of sales to non-NATO allies and partners, could bring additional billions of dollars in deals and more jobs, the senior U.S. official said, without providing specifics. The strategy of having the Pentagon and the U.S. State Department take a more active role in securing foreign arms deals could especially benefit major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin ( LMT.N ) and Boeing Co ( BA.N ). “We want to see those guys, the commercial and military attaches, unfettered to be salesmen for this stuff, to be promoters,” said the senior administration official, who is close to the internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity. A State Department official, asked to confirm details of the coming new policy, said the revamped approach “gives our partners a greater capacity to help share the burden of international security, benefits the defense industrial base and will provide more good jobs for American workers.” The White House and Pentagon declined official comment. Defense industry officials and lobbyists have privately welcomed what they expect will be a more sales-friendly approach. Trump, a Republican, has the legal authority to direct government embassy “security assistance officers,” both military personnel and civilians, to do more to help drive arms sales. Administration officials see this group, which until now has had more limited duties such as helping to manage U.S. military aid overseas and providing some information to foreign governments for buying U.S. arms, as underutilized by previous presidents. Graphic on U.S. arms sales: tmsnrt.rs/2CZkZMB ‘BACK SEAT’ FOR HUMAN RIGHTS? One national security analyst said that easing export restrictions to allow defense contractors to reap greater profits internationally would increase the danger of top-of-the-line U.S. weapons going to governments with poor human rights records or being used by militants. “This administration has demonstrated from the very beginning that human rights have taken a back seat to economic concerns,” said Rachel Stohl, director of the conventional defense program at the Stimson Center in Washington. “And the short-sightedness of a new arms export policy could have serious long-term implications.” The administration officials said human rights and regional security concerns would remain part of the formula for arms sales decisions. But they said such reviews would now afford greater weight than before to whether a deal would be good for the U.S. economy and strengthen America’s defense industrial base, in which case red tape would be cut accordingly. Rules to make it easier to sell U.S.-made military drones overseas and compete against fast-growing Chinese and Israeli rivals are also expected to be in the Trump plan, officials said. Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, also sought to make it easier to sell to America’s most trusted allies but in a more cautious approach that his administration billed as a way to boost American business while keeping strict controls against more dangerous arms proliferation. Foreign weapons sales soared during his tenure, with the United States retaining its position as the world’s top arms supplier. Shares of the five biggest U.S. defense contractors, including Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon Co ( RTN.N ), General Dynamics Corp ( GD.N ) and Northrop Grumman ( NOC.N ) have more than tripled over the last five years and currently trade at or near all-time highs. Foreign military sales in fiscal 2017, comprising much of Trump’s first year in office and the final months of Obama’s term, climbed to $42 billion, compared to $31 billion in the prior year, according to the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The Trump administration has already moved forward on several controversial sales. Those include a push for $7 billion in precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia despite concerns they have contributed to civilian deaths in the Saudi campaign in Yemen’s civil war and the unblocking of $3 billion in arms to Bahrain, which was also held up by human rights concerns under Obama. Similar concerns have been raised over the administration’s preparations to make it easier for American gun makers to sell small arms, including assault rifles and ammunition, to foreign buyers. A draft of the overall policy recently finished by teams of State, Defense and Commerce Department officials coordinated by Trump’s National Security Council must now be approved by a senior cabinet members before being sent to his desk, the government

https://in.reuters.com/article/usa-trump-weapons/exclusive-trump-to-call-on-pentagon-diplomats-to-play-bigger-role-on-arms-sales-sources-idINKBN1EX0X1

Britain will not hold a second EU referendum: May's spokesman

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will not hold a second referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union, her spokesman said on Thursday in response to growing calls for a new vote on Brexit. Earlier, Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage said he was warming to the idea of holding a second referendum, arguing that another vote would see “Leave” win again and end the debate. Many pro-EU supporters also support another vote, saying Britons were not given all the information in the first referendum and that public opinion was changing. Reporting by William James, writing by Elizabeth Piper

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-referendum/britain-will-not-hold-a-second-eu-referendum-mays-spokesman-idUSKBN1F01CV

BRIEF-Union Bankshares Q4 Earnings Per Share $0.35

54 PM / in 8 minutes BRIEF-Union Bankshares Q4 Earnings Per Share $0.35 Reuters Staff Jan 23 (Reuters) - Union Bankshares Corp: * UNION BANKSHARES REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR RESULTS AND DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND * Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.35 * Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $0.50 -- THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S * Q4 OPERATING EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.52 * FOR Q4 OF 2017, NET INTEREST INCOME WAS $73.4 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF $2.2 MILLION FROM Q3 OF 2017 * DURING Q4 2017, CO RECORDED $6.3 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL TAX EXPENSE BASED ON COMPANY‘S PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF IMPACT OF TAX ACT Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

https://www.reuters.com/article/brief-union-bankshares-q4-earnings-per-s/brief-union-bankshares-q4-earnings-per-share-0-35-idUSASB0C1V1

EMERGING MARKETS-Currencies jump as dollar dips; Argentina's Merval breaches 35,000

EMERGING MARKETS-Currencies jump as dollar dips; Argentina's Merval breaches 35,000 Rodrigo Campos Published 11:05 AM 35,000@ (Updates with final prices, Mexico details) NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The Mexican peso touched its strongest against the dollar in nearly four months on Thursday as the U.S. currency continued to weaken, while Argentina's Merval stock index briefly broke above the 35,000-point mark for the first time. Many emerging currencies hit multi-year highs against the greenback, with the dollar index languishing at more than three-year lows after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin departed from traditional U.S. currency policy, saying "obviously a weaker dollar is good for us." Colombia's peso added to Wednesday's 1.4 percent gain against the dollar to reach its strongest since July 2015, while the Chilean peso could close under 600 per dollar for the first time since May 2015. Brazilian markets were closed for the Sao Paulo anniversary holiday but are expected to soon extend a rally that boosted the benchmark Bovespa stock index to an all-time high above 83,000 points on Wednesday. That advance came after an appeals court upheld a corruption conviction of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Although the conviction could derail his plans to run again for the presidency, Lula, who is leading opinion polls for the October election, said on Thursday he would appeal the decision. Brazilian and Argentine shares have led a Latin American equities rally to start the year that has MSCI's gauge of the region's stocks set for its largest January gains since 2006. Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1545 GMT: Stock indexes daily % YTD % Latest change change MSCI Emerging Markets 1262.45 0.29 8.66 MSCI LatAm 3198.99 0.92 12.09 Brazil Bovespa 9.53 Mexico IPC 50881.41 0.27 3.09 Chile IPSA 5824.19 0.45 4.67 Chile IGPA 29265.95 0.4 4.59 Argentina Merval 34773.14 -0.5 15.66 Colombia IGBC 12262.79 -0.42 7.85 Currencies daily % YTD % change change Latest Brazil real 3.1470 0.35 5.28 Mexico peso 18.4500 0.29 6.77 Chile peso 598.68 0.62 2.67 Colombia peso 2790.37 0.73 6.87 Peru sol 3.209 0.12 0.87 Argentina peso (interbank) 19.5400 0.67 -4.81 Argentina peso (parallel) 19.9 0.65 -3.37 (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/25/reuters-america-emerging-markets-currencies-jump-as-dollar-dips-argentinas-merval-breaches-35000.html

Over 200,000 sign petition in South Korea to stop bitcoin regulation

A petition in South Korea against cryptocurrency regulation has reached the number of signatures that would induce a government response. As of Tuesday morning, ET, more than 212,700 had signed a petition launched Dec. 28 on the website of the South Korean presidential office. A Google translation of the website states that if more than 200,000 people support a petition within 30 days, officials will respond. "Our people have been able to make a happy dream that they have never had in Korea because of virtual money," the anonymous author of the petition wrote, according to a Google translation. "People are not stupid. ... virtual money is invested because it is judged to be the fourth revolution." The petition did support South Korea's recent actions on cryptocurrencies, such as banning anonymous trading accounts . "However, I wish that the economy will not decline due to unjustifiable regulations in the present situation," the Google translation of the petition said. Unemployment among South Korean youth, or those ages 15 to 29, is around 9 percent, nearly three times the national average, according to Statistics Korea. Young people are generally more interested in buying and selling digital currencies than their elders. In the last several months, South Korea has accounted for a significant portion of the trading volume in digital currencies such as bitcoin, ethereum and ripple. Earlier this month, ripple prices appeared to plunge in U.S. dollar terms after CoinMarketCap said it was excluding price information from some Korean exchanges due to "extreme divergences in price from the rest of the world." South Korean regulators have become increasingly vocal in the last few weeks on trying to limit speculation in digital currencies. Bitcoin briefly fell more than 17 percent to a six-week low after South Korea Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said that shutting down digital currency exchanges is still an option for the government, according to an English-language report Tuesday from South Korea's Yonhap News. However, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said in a separate Tuesday report from Yonhap that shutting down the digital currency exchanges would require approval from the National Assembly.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/over-200000-sign-petition-in-south-korea-to-stop-bitcoin-regulation.html

New U.S. sanctions attempt to influence Russia before election: Tass

January 13, 2018 / 1:04 PM / Updated 9 hours ago New U.S. sanctions attempt to influence Russia before election: Tass MOSCOW (Reuters) - A new round of U.S. sanctions expected against Moscow is an attempt to influence Russia’s domestic affairs ahead of a presidential election, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Saturday. Washington is expected to impose fresh penalties against Russia as soon as early February for its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential vote. Russia has repeatedly denied this. Moscow expects the United States to present two anti-Russian reports with the sanctions, Ryabkov told Tass news agency. One of the reports will likely extend the number of Russian officials and companies on the sanctions list, while the other will analyse whether sanctions so far have proved to be effective, Ryabkov said. “We see this as yet another attempt to influence our internal situation, especially ahead of the presidential election,” he said. Russia will hold its next presidential vote on March 18 when President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to win another six-year stint. In August, U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a new package of sanctions drafted by U.S. lawmakers. The new legislation also limits Trump’s own ability to lift any sanctions against Russia. The first U.S. sanctions against Russia were imposed in 2014 for its role in the Ukrainian crisis and for annexing Crimea. The European Union has also imposed penalties against Moscow, prompting it to retaliate with banning food imports from countries that sanction Russia. The new round of U.S. sanctions could possibly include a ban on the purchase of Russian treasury bonds. Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; editing by Clelia Oziel

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-us-sanctions/new-u-s-sanctions-attempt-to-influence-russia-before-election-tass-idUSKBN1F20GN

Toshiba sees $3.7 billion balance sheet improvement from Westinghouse deal

(Reuters) - Toshiba Corp said on Thursday it had clinched an agreement to sell its claims in bankrupt U.S. nuclear plant maker Westinghouse Electric Co LLC in a deal that would add $3.7 billion to the Japanese owner’s depleted capital base. The Japanese conglomerate has also agreed to transfer its Westinghouse-related shares to Canada’s Brookfield Business Partners ( BBU_u.TO ), which earlier this month agreed to buy the unit for $4.6 billion - money that will be used to repay the nuclear plant maker’s creditors. These deals could help clear Westinghouse’s path out of bankruptcy before Toshiba’s financial year ends in March, while also allowing the Japanese firm to resolve its negative net worth and stay listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Toshiba said in a statement that it would sell its claims against Westinghouse to a group of hedge funds led by the Baupost Group, and that the deal that would contribute about 410 billion yen ($3.68 billion) to its capital base. The deal, first reported by Reuters earlier in the day, will make the group of hedge funds Westinghouse’s biggest creditor, helping cut down the fights among several creditors that had threatened to slow down the resolution of the bankruptcy. The group led by Baupost has already bought claims worth more than $2.2 billion from Scana Corp, a South Carolina utility that contracted Westinghouse to build two reactors. The South Carolina project, and another in Georgia, went billions of dollars over the fixed-price contract, forcing Westinghouse into bankruptcy in March. FILE PHOTO: The logo of the American company Westinghouse is pictured in Le Bourget, near Paris October 14, 2014. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Westinghouse’s bankruptcy pushed Toshiba into a crisis and prompted Toshiba to sell its memory chip business for $18 billion to shore up its balance sheet. The Japanese firm also forecast a negative net worth of 750 billion yen at end-March. But finances are set to be shored up by the Baupost deal, which includes an after-tax profit of about 170 billion yen from the sale of claims and tax benefits of about 240 billion yen, Toshiba said. It added the company would promptly announce any revised forecasts as appropriate. Toshiba shares rose as much as 2.9 percent in early trade on Thursday, and was flat at around 0443 GMT, while the Nikkei was up 0.46 percent. Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse, which traces its roots to the 19th century, was acquired by Toshiba in 2006 for $5.4 billion at a time of increased interest in cleaner fuel sources. In recent weeks, Citibank N.A. on behalf of the Baupost group of hedge funds has claimed it is owed as much as $7.5 billion by Westinghouse, alleging among other things gross negligence. The allegations are based on the South Carolina claims that the Baupost group has acquired. Westinghouse disputed the new claims and said it threatened to delay the resolution of the case. ($1 = 111.4100 yen) Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware and Jessica DiNapoli in New York; Additional reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Minami Funakoshi in Tokyo; Editing by Leslie Adler and Himani Sarkar

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-toshiba-accounting-westinghouse-bankr/toshiba-sees-3-7-billion-balance-sheet-improvement-from-westinghouse-deal-idUSKBN1F7028

U.S. service member killed, four injured in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One U.S. service member was killed and four others wounded during a “combat engagement” in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, the U.S military said in a statement on Tuesday. The incident took place on Monday in Achin, Nangarhar province, the statement said. Two of the wounded service members are being treated at a medical facility and in stable condition, it added. Nangarhar, on the porous border with Pakistan, has become a stronghold for Islamic State, generally known as Daesh in Afghanistan, which has grown to become a dangerous militant group since it appeared around the start of 2015. The Taliban and Islamic State have frequently fought each other in Nangarhar and both have been targeted by sustained U.S. air strikes. The exact nature of the relationship between the two groups is little understood. There have been isolated incidents in Afghanistan in which the fighters of both appear to have cooperated. There are currently about 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and under President Donald Trump’s South Asia strategy, U.S. troops are allowed to accompany Afghan forces at the battalion level, potentially putting them at greater risk. Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Tom Brown

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-military/u-s-service-member-killed-four-injured-in-afghanistan-idUSKBN1ER1EX

Romana Food Brands Corp. to change its name to Romana Food Blockchain Corp.

OAKVILLE, ON, Jan. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Romana Food Brands Corp. (OTC: RFBC) announced today it will be changing its name to Romana Food Blockchain Corp. further to the announcement on the development of the next generation blockchain food traceability and control application. According to the company, the name change is representative of the change to its core corporate focus on the development of the next generation blockchain food traceability and control application. The company intends on filing the name change with FINRA in the coming days. "The popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency, such as Ethereum, is not surprising due to the great underlying blockchain technology which enables the coins." said Mr. Morrie Fogelbaum, Chairman of Romana Food Brands Corp. "Using the same blockchain protocols, and designing a new approach to traceability, Romana will be able to capture a significant portion of the growing $16 billion market" further added Mr. Fogelbaum. About Romana Food Bands Corp. Romana Food Brands Corp is an emerging leader in the authentic Italian Food sector. The company is in the process of acquiring food processing plants specializing in Italian products. It is currently in the final stages of acquiring plants in North America and in Italy. Safe Harbor Act: Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For more information visit Romana's website at: http://romanafoodbrands.com SOURCE Romana Food Brands Corp

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/24/pr-newswire-romana-food-brands-corp-to-change-its-name-to-romana-food-blockchain-corp.html

Eleven EU members back Swiss in dispute with Brussels

January 30, 2018 / 3:21 PM / Updated an hour ago Eleven EU members back Swiss in dispute with Brussels Reuters Staff 3 Min Read ZURICH/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Finance ministry officials from 11 European Union countries have backed non-member Switzerland in a dispute with Brussels over Swiss stock exchange access to the single market, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The letter to the European Commission from the 11 -- including Germany, Austria and Britain -- said Switzerland was treated unfairly last month when its exchanges got only one year of market access. Bern has threatened to retaliate against what it calls unacceptable discrimination, hurting ties with its main trading partner that had been easing after the Swiss parliament in 2016 skirted voters’ demands for immigration quotas on EU citizens. The Commission must certify that other countries’ exchanges have rules in place that are equivalent to new EU standards. All 28 EU members except Britain, which is leaving the EU, backed the one-year access proposal in December after the Commission changed tack from an original proposal in November for unlimited Swiss access, which won member approval. Such a switch was warranted “only in very exceptional cases”, the letter said. “Although we did not express our opposition to the resubmitted draft equivalence decision due to the need for an equivalence decision to be in place for 3 January 2018, we continue to pursue the goal of an unlimited equivalence recognition of the legal and supervisory framework applicable to stock exchanges in Switzerland,” it added. One EU diplomat said there was a risk of setting a dangerous precedent that might be used for Britain after its exit from the bloc. A Commission spokesman stressed that the eventual decision had been unanimous. “The fact that somebody then after the decision wrote a letter is another matter,” he said. Bern wants the same regulatory status for Swiss bourses as those in other countries have, enabling EU investors to trade in Switzerland, a crucial source of exchange volume. Diplomatic sources say the hardball approach arose from Commission ire over Swiss foot-dragging on a new treaty that Brussels wants to replace a patchwork of 120 bilateral accords now governing ties. The project has hit obstacles as right-wing and conservative parties in Switzerland baulk at giving the European Court of Justice a say in settling disputes over EU laws that Switzerland would have to adopt as the price of enhanced access to the single market. Many argue that Switzerland should await the outcome of British-EU Brexit negotiations before signing any new accord. New Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis is supposed to present his cabinet colleagues on Wednesday with proposals to break the logjam. Reporting by Michael Shields in Zurich, Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels; Editing by Adrian Croft

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-swiss-eu/eleven-eu-members-back-swiss-in-dispute-with-brussels-idUKKBN1FJ253

Simmons' triple-double leads Sixers past Bulls

EditorsNote: minor edits Ben Simmons posted a triple-double consisting of 19 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists in leading the Philadelphia 76ers past the visiting Chicago Bulls 115-101 Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Simmons registered his fifth career triple-double in just his 43rd NBA game. Only Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (14) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (seven) have more triple-doubles than Simmons this season. Joel Embiid scored 22 points, Dario Saric added 21 points and 10 rebounds and Robert Covington contributed 16 points for the Sixers, who moved two games above .500. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Justin Anderson had 12 apiece. For Embiid, it was his 26th game of at least 20 points this season. The Sixers were short-handed without guards T.J. McConnell (personal reasons), JJ Redick (leg) and Jerryd Bayless (wrist). Philadelphia never trailed and led by as many as 25 points as it has won eight of its last 10 games. The Bulls were led by Bobby Portis with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Zach LaVine scored 21 points, Nikola Mirotic added 15 and Lauri Markkanen had 12. David Nwaba contributed 10. The Sixers were hot from beyond the arc, going 16 of 32. The Bulls, however, hit just 11 of 37 from 3-point territory after starting 4 of 24. Chicago made a brief push in the fourth with an 8-0 run, but the Sixers responded with a jumper by Covington and a three-point play by Embiid for a 108-88 advantage with 4:35 left. It was more than enough of a cushion. Embiid knocked down a 3-pointer for a 25-point bulge, 79-54, with 4:24 remaining in the third. The Bulls did run off eight in a row to close within 79-62, but Philadelphia was still able to end the third up 85-67. Simmons nearly compiled his triple-double by halftime with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, and the Sixers held a 55-41 lead at the break. Simmons swept 11 rebounds in the first quarter alone and nearly tied a franchise record for rebounds in a quarter held by Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain. --Field Level Media

https://www.reuters.com/article/basketball-nba-phi-chi-recap/simmons-triple-double-leads-sixers-past-bulls-idUSMTZEE1P3AYRY6

Argentina's Bioceres says planned IPO will power its growth plan

BUENOS AIRES, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Argentine biotechnology firm Bioceres will use the $100 million it seeks by way of an initial public offering to power its current business, pay debt and make a minor acquisition, company CEO Federico Trucco said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. Two days earlier the company applied to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to operate on Wall Street. Bioceres is a developer of agricultural genetics in Argentina, the world’s top exporter of soymeal livestock feed. “The capitalization is fundamentally for a growth plan having to do with the commercialization of products that we have ready today,” Trucco said. “There is going to be a minor acquisition and repayment of debt.” Rosario-based Bioceres develops genes for soy, corn and wheat that withstand drought and cold temperatures. It makes insecticides, fungicides, bio-fertilizers and chemical-based fertilizers. On Monday it filed a registration statement with the SEC for a proposed initial public offering of American depositary shares (ADSs) representing its ordinary shares. The number of ADSs to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. Bioceres also has filed a petition to offer its ordinary shares in Argentina before the local market regulator. Foreign investors have been seeking more opportunities to buy Argentine equities since market-friendly President Mauricio Macri took office in December 2015. (Reporting by Maximilian Heath; Editing by Bill Trott) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://www.reuters.com/article/argentina-ipo-bioceres/argentinas-bioceres-says-planned-ipo-will-power-its-growth-plan-idUSL1N1P51AP

MISTRAS Group Names Edward J. Prajzner Chief Financial Officer

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., Jan. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MISTRAS Group, Inc. (NYSE:MG), a leading "one source" global provider of technology-enabled asset protection solutions, named Edward J. Prajzner its new Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective January 5, 2018. Prior to joining MISTRAS Group, Mr. Prajzner served as Chief Financial Officer of CECO Environmental Corporation, a global service provider to environmental, energy and filtration industries. Dennis M. Bertolotti, MISTRAS President and Chief Executive Officer, stated: "We are pleased to have Ed join the MISTRAS team. He brings us extensive experience as a senior financial officer who helps drive effective accounting and internal control disciplines. We look forward to leveraging his expertise, which includes a strong track record in managing the balance sheet and investor relations. I want to thank Jon Wolk for functioning as both our Chief Operating Officer and our acting Chief Financial Officer for these last several months. Effective with Ed joining the Company, Jon is transferring to Ed his former responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer." Prior to serving as CECO Environmental's CFO, Mr. Prajzner, a CPA, began his career at Ernst & Young before holding senior finance roles at CDI Corporation (now AE Industrial Partners), and American Infrastructure (now Allan Myers). He earned a BS from Villanova University and an MBA from Temple University. About MISTRAS Group, Inc. MISTRAS is a leading “one source” global provider of technology-enabled asset protection solutions used to evaluate the structural integrity of critical energy, industrial and public infrastructure. Mission critical services and solutions are delivered globally and provide customers with asset life extension, improved productivity and profitability, compliance with government safety and environmental regulations, and enhanced risk management operational decisions. MISTRAS uniquely combines its industry-leading products and technologies - 24/7 on-line monitoring of critical assets; mechanical integrity (MI) and non-destructive testing (NDT) services; destructive testing (DT) services; process and fixed asset engineering and consulting services; and its world class enterprise inspection data management and analysis software (PCMS™) to provide comprehensive and competitive products, systems and services solutions from a single source provider. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.mistrasgroup.com or contact Nestor S. Makarigakis, Group Director, Marketing Communications at marcom@mistrasgroup.com . Source:MISTRAS Group, Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/08/globe-newswire-mistras-group-names-edward-j-prajzner-chief-financial-officer.html

Bumble majority owner Badoo looking to sell for about $1.5 billion

Badoo, the majority owner of the dating application Bumble, which gives women sole power to initiate conversations, is seeking a sale that could value the company at about $1.5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Badoo owned 79 percent of Bumble as of March 2016, according to TechCrunch . While Bumble is Badoo's largest U.S. property, Badoo's eponymous dating app has been one of the most downloaded dating apps in the world. Match Group, non-U.S. based strategic buyers, and private equity buyers could be interested, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Badoo has hired J.P. Morgan Chase to help it find a buyer, the people said. Bumble is best known for its dating app, which allows only women to initiate online conversations after a man and woman "match" by swiping right on each other's picture. The #metoo movement and growing attention to female empowerment against sexual harassment has made Bumble a particularly enticing asset to own right now, one of the people said. The Bumble app has user growth of about 100 percent year over year, making it one of the fastest-growing dating properties, one of the people said. The app had more than 12.5 million users last year, according to Forbes. In October, Bumble expanded its offerings with a business networking app called BumbleBizz. Like the main app, it will allow only women to initiate conversations. Badoo is owned by Russian entrepreneur Andrey Andreev. Bumble's founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, was also a co-founder of popular dating app Tinder. She left the company in 2014, and later filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against it, which was reportedly settled for "just over" $1 million. WATCH: Bumble CEO breaks down the dating start-up's new business networking app show chapters Bumble's new Bizz redefining how we think about networking: CEO 4 Hours Ago | 04:02

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/23/bumble-majority-owner-badoo-looking-to-sell-for-about-1-point-5-billion.html

UPDATE 1-U.S. urges railroads to quickly install anti-crash safety system

(Adds details from letter, background) WASHINGTON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao urged the nation's railroads and transit agencies to take all possible measures to meet deadlines to install a safety system called positive train control (PTC) to prevent crashes. Letters dated Dec. 27, which were made public on Tuesday, said Chao wanted railroads to "greatly accelerate" efforts to meet congressional deadlines. A deadly Amtrak crash last month near Seattle that killed three occurred on a section of track that did not have the PTC system operating. The system is designed to prevent derailments caused by excessive speed. Investigators have said several deadly U.S. train crashes in recent years could have been prevented if the system was in place. In 2008, Congress mandated the implementation of PTC nationwide by the end of 2015, then extended that deadline until the end of 2018 when its installation became more complex than anticipated. The government can extend the deadline to 2020 to complete some aspects of the system. The National Transportation Safety Board said last month the Amtrak train that derailed onto a highway near Seattle was going 78 miles per hour (125.5 km per hour) in a 30-mph zone. The letters went to the chief executives of railroads, including Amtrak, BNSF Railway Co, Canadian National Railway , CSX Corp, Norfolk Southern Corp, Union Pacific Corp and transit systems in Chicago, Boston, New York, Boston, Newark, Seattle and Los Angeles. Amtrak said last month it was "imperative that the rail industry urgently work together to get PTC activated on the national network as soon as possible - and certainly by the December 2018 federal deadline, if not before." The Transportation Department said 12 of 41 railroads covered by the requirements report having installed less than 50 percent of the hardware required for their PTC systems as of Sept. 30. The government said the systems are in operation on 45 percent of route miles owned by freight railroads and just 24 percent of passenger railroads Chao's letter said the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) leadership plans to work with railroads "to help create an increased level of urgency to underscore the imperative of meeting existing timeline expectations for rolling out this critical rail-safety technology." The Association of American Railroads said on Tuesday that railroads are making progress on installing and testing PTC technology and freight railroads are on track to meet the deadlines established by Congress. Separately, the Transportation Department wrote to U.S. senators on Tuesday asking them to approve the nomination of Ronald Batory to head the FRA. Batory, a former Conrail president, was approved unanimously by a committee but has been held up due to a dispute over a New York area infrastructure project. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Tom Brown and Susan Thomas)

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/02/reuters-america-update-1-u-s-urges-railroads-to-quickly-install-anti-crash-safety-system.html

How to use the new Google app that matches your face with paintings

How to use the new Google app that matches your face with famous paintings SHARES Published 50 Mins Ago A new Arts & Culture app from Google can analyze your face and match it with well-known paintings. The results might vary depending on your hair or if you have glasses on and off It's a pretty fun way to discover a famous painting that looks at least somewhat like you. A new app from Google attempts to accurately match your face to one in a famous painting, and it's getting a lot of attention. The Google Arts & Culture app went viral over the weekend as people discovered the funny results it can provide. Some are accurate while others aren't so much. Here's show you how to use it. First, download the Google Arts & Culture App from the App Store. Todd Haselton | CNBC Here's the link to the Google Play Store if you use Android. Open the app and you'll see this screen Todd Haselton | CNBC Scroll down until you see this: "Is your portrait in a museum?" Tap "Get started." Todd Haselton | CNBC Take a picture of yourself Todd Haselton | CNBC Now see your matches! Todd Haselton | CNBC It says my mug matches most with Franklin Knight Lane by Ivan Olinksky, but also with the anonymous Portrait of a Man, and Jan gerrits van Egmond. Todd Haselton | CNBC Without my glasses I look like the child Master Robert Chase by William Merritt Chase. Go ahead and try it for yourself!

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/how-to-use-the-new-google-app-that-matches-your-face-with-paintings.html

Walmart wage hike may show wage pressures building for lowest paid

January 11, 2018 / 8:37 PM / Updated 11 minutes ago Walmart wage hike may show wage pressures building for lowest paid Reuters Staff 5 Min Read WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Walmart’s tit-for-tat minimum wage battle with Target, ratcheting to $11 an hour for the least experienced workers with likely pressure to move higher, may signal broader gains to come for workers in a tightening U.S. labor market - a moment politicians and policymakers have been hoping for. There are still problems, labor economists note, with overall wage gains weaker than would be expected with a 4.1 percent unemployment rate, comparatively large numbers of people in part time jobs, and millions of prime age adults between 25 and 54 years old not even looking for work. But the Wal-Mart Stores Inc announcement, its third boost in entry level wages in as many years, is a possible sign wage pressure is building in general, as gains filter down to the lowest-paid jobs and the least-educated workers. “This may be evidence that we are starting to see the wage acceleration,” that officials at organizations like the Federal Reserve have been anticipating as unemployment dropped to a 17 year low, said Jed Kolko, chief economist at the jobs website Indeed. That, in turn, could boost U.S. economic growth overall and strengthen a U.S. inflation rate whose weakness has bedeviled the Fed for the last five years. Kolko noted that while overall wage increases were modest last year at around 2.5 percent, data through November showed that workers with only a high school degree got average raises of 3.6 percent, while hourly rates for less well-paid positions rose 3.1 percent. Wage increases at the lower end of the scale are typically a sign that labor markets are tight, said Elise Gould, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. “When you get low unemployment rates, that affects lower-wage workers the most,” Gould said. “Slack is diminishing.” Whether slack is fully gone, however, is another question, and one which policymakers at the Federal Reserve and elsewhere are struggling to understand. Along with the headline unemployment rate, a broader measure of joblessness that includes discouraged workers who have largely stopped job-hunting, as well as those only able to find part-time jobs, stood at 8.1 percent at the end of 2017. That is comparable to the hot economy years before the 2007 to 2009 economic crisis. The Fed’s Beige Book research report in recent months has been filled with anecdotal stories, gathered by policymakers from the central bank’s 12 regional branches, of entrepreneurs struggling to fill positions and of wage pressures building. Even at 2.5 percent, current wage growth is “likely to be greater than inflation, which means households would continue to enjoy gains in purchasing power,” Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist with the Economic Outlook Group, wrote in a recent analysis. But the Fed isn’t claiming victory yet. Job creation is expected to slow in coming months, as it inevitably does late in a recovery, with unemployment now well below the 4.6-percent level central bankers estimate the economy can sustain over the long run. Yet, participation rates for prime-age workers remain around three percentage points below their late 1990s peak, translating into around 3 million 25- to 54-year-olds who could be employed or looking for jobs. “We still have many months, if not a year or two, to get as tight we like,” said Gould. The Walmart announcement may also be a product of dynamics other than the demand and supply of labor. The company said it was merely passing along to workers some of the savings it will get from a cut in the corporate tax rate. But Target Corp, a main competitor, pushed its entry level wage to $11 last fall and has pledged to hit $15 by the end of 2020. In addition, states have been steadily raising the legal minimum wage, with 14 now at $10-an-hour or more as of this year. California hit $11 on Jan. 1 and New York will move to $11.10 this summer. Wal-Mart employs around 130,000 people in the two states out of a U.S. workforce of 1.5 million, according to the company’s website. Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Nick Zieminski

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-walmart-wages-economy-analysis/walmart-wage-hike-may-show-wage-pressures-building-for-lowest-paid-idUSKBN1F02T8

UPDATE 1-Internet Association to join expected net neutrality lawsuit

(Adds Etsy also plans to join the lawsuit) WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The Internet Association, a trade group representing companies such as Google parent Alphabet Inc and Facebook Inc, said on Friday that it intends to join an expected lawsuit against a decision to roll back net neutrality rules. One of the group's members, e-commerce site Etsy Inc , said that it would separately also join the legal effort. Several states including New York, and public interest advocacy groups have said they intend to sue to stop the mid-December ruling by the Federal Communications Commission. The approval of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal in a 3-2 vote marked a victory for internet service providers such as AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp and Verizon Communications Inc, handing them power over what content consumers can access. Democrats, Hollywood and companies such as Google and Facebook had urged Pai, a Republican appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump, to keep the Obama-era rules barring service providers from blocking, slowing access to or charging more for certain content. "The final version of Chairman Pai's rule, as expected, dismantles popular net neutrality protections for consumers. This rule defies the will of a bipartisan majority of Americans and fails to preserve a free and open internet," the Internet Association said in a statement. Etsy called the decision to overturn net neutrality rules "deeply disappointing." "Etsy is continuing to fight for a free and open Internet; thats why we intend to challenge Chairman Pais order in the courts," Althea Erickson, Etsy's head of advocacy and impact, said in a statement. The new rules give internet service providers sweeping powers to change how consumers access the internet but must have new transparency requirements that will require them to disclose any changes to consumers. Internet Association members also include Airbnb, Amazon.com and several dozen online and social media companies. (Reporting by Chris Sanders and Diane Bartz; Editing by Susan Thomas)

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/05/reuters-america-update-1-internet-association-to-join-expected-net-neutrality-lawsuit.html

Cricket-India's Kohli says team must reflect on S.Africa defeat

January 17, 2018 / 3:58 PM / a few seconds ago India's Kohli says team must reflect on South Africa defeat Reuters Staff 2 Min Read PRETORIA (Reuters) - India captain Virat Kohli wants his team to reflect on their decision-making and commitment after a 135-run second test defeat by South Africa on Wednesday handed the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Kohli cut a visibly disappointed, and at times irritated, figure after his side failed to chase down 287 for victory, losing seven wickets in the morning session on the final day to be bowled out for 151 in their second innings. “We have not come here to play the way we have done,” Kohli told reporters at the post-match news conference. “That is something that we need to definitely speak about. We need to be hard on ourselves. We need to ask ourselves if we are giving 120 percent for the team every time we bowl a ball or play a ball or field a ball. “That is something individuals need to reflect on themselves, but as a team we are definitely going to lay out these things in the open. We will ask the guys to be honest about what they were feeling at particular stages in the game. “Unless you speak about it and lay it out in front of everyone, there is very little chance of improving. The mistakes that we made have been really about not putting attention to detail at important stages of the game.” Kohli appeared particularly irritated when quizzed on team selection and whether the right XI had been selected for the second test, saying he and the selectors had picked a side they believed could win the test. “What’s the best XI?” he said. “You are telling me we could have played the best XI. So you tell me the best XI and we’ll play that. I‘m saying the loss obviously hurts. But you make one decision and you back it. “We certainly don’t sit here and say, ‘Oh, if you fail in one game you are not good enough to be at this level. “We played with teams before that have looked really strong and have lost as well.” The third test starts in Johannesburg on Jan. 24. Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken Ferris

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-cricket-india-kohli/indias-kohli-says-team-must-reflect-on-south-africa-defeat-idUKKBN1F622F

Lawsuit saying Twitter aided Islamic State thrown out by U.S. appeals court

(Reuters) - A federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled on Wednesday that Twitter Inc is not liable to families of two U.S. government contractors killed in an Islamic State attack in Jordan for having failed to block that group from using its accounts and messaging services. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 that the families failed to show that the Nov. 9, 2015 shooting deaths of Lloyd Fields and James Creach at a police training center in Amman resulted from Twitter’s knowing material support of Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack. Circuit Judge Milan Smith said no damages were justified under the federal Anti-Terrorism Act because the plaintiffs, who include the victims’ widows, did not show “at least some direct relationship” between their injuries and Twitter’s conduct. He said the plaintiffs did not show any connection between Twitter and the shooter, Jordanian police officer Anwar Abu Zeid, or that the attack was helped by or resulted from Islamic State’s presence on Twitter. The gunman was later killed by local security forces. “Communication services and equipment are highly interconnected in modern economic and social life, such that the provision of these services and equipment to terrorists could be expected to cause ripples of harm to flow far beyond the defendant’s misconduct,” Smith wrote. “Nothing in [the law] indicates that Congress intended to provide a remedy to every person reached by these ripples.” Joshua Arisohn, a lawyer for the families, said in an email that his clients were “extremely disappointed” and were weighing their legal options. “Requiring a more direct connection between the provision of material support to terrorists and the attacks that they carry out contravenes the central purpose of the Anti-Terrorism Act: holding enablers of terrorists accountable,” he said. Twitter and its lawyer, Seth Waxman of WilmerHale, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Wednesday’s decision upheld an August 2016 ruling by U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco. Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook Inc have also faced damages lawsuits for allegedly letting entities that U.S. authorities view as terrorist groups use their online platforms. The case is Fields et al v Twitter Inc, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 16-17165. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Frances Kerry

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-islamicstate/lawsuit-saying-twitter-aided-islamic-state-thrown-out-by-u-s-appeals-court-idUSKBN1FK2QD

Sharps Compliance Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2018 Conference Call and Webcast

HOUSTON, Jan. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sharps Compliance Corp. (Nasdaq:SMED) announced today that it will release its second quarter results for the period ended December 31, 2017, before the opening of the financial markets on Tuesday, January 23, 2018. A conference call and webcast will follow at 11:00 a.m. ET, in which management will discuss the Company’s financial results, key market initiatives and business strategy. The Sharps conference call can be accessed by domestic callers by dialing (877) 407-0782. International callers may access the call by dialing (201) 689-8567. The webcast can be monitored at www.sharpsinc.com . A telephonic replay will be available through February 23, 2018. To listen to the replay, domestic callers should dial (877) 481-4010 and international callers should dial (919) 882-2331 and enter replay ID number 24077. Transcript will also be posted to the Sharps website, once available. About Sharps Compliance Corp. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Sharps Compliance is a leading full-service national provider of comprehensive waste management services including medical, pharmaceutical and hazardous. Its key markets include healthcare facilities, pharmaceutical manufacturers, home healthcare providers, assisted living / long-term care, surgery centers, retail pharmacies and clinics, and the professional market which is comprised of physicians, dentists and veterinary practices. The Company's flagship product, the Sharps Recovery System, is a comprehensive solution for the containment, transportation, treatment and tracking of medical waste and other used healthcare materials. The Company also offers its route-based pick-up service in a twenty-three (23) state region of the South, Southeast and Northeast portions of the United States. More information on the Company and its products can be found on its website at: www.sharpsinc.com Safe Harbor Statement The information made available in this news release contains certain forward-looking statements which reflect Sharps Compliance Corp.'s current view of future events and financial performance. Wherever used, the words "estimate," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "may" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and the company's future results of operations could differ materially from historical results or current expectations. Some of these risks include, without limitation, the company's ability to educate its customers, development of public awareness programs to educate the identified consumer, customer preferences, the Company's ability to scale the business and manage its growth, the degree of success the Company has at gaining more large customer contracts, managing regulatory compliance and/or other factors that may be described in the company's annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and/or other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Future economic and industry trends that could potentially impact revenue and profitability are difficult to predict. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results, express or implied therein, will not be realized. Company Contact: Diana Diaz Sharps Compliance Corp. Email: ddiaz@sharpsinc.com Office: (713) 660-3547 Investor Contact: John Nesbett/Jennifer Belodeau Institutional Marketing Services Email: jnesbett@institutionalms.com Office: (203) 972-9200 Source:Sharps Compliance Corp

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/globe-newswire-sharps-compliance-announces-second-quarter-fiscal-2018-conference-call-and-webcast.html

Activists say Bahrain human rights deteriorate as world looks away

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Human rights in Bahrain have deteriorated significantly in the past year because international pressure on the Gulf Arab kingdom has weakened, activists said on Thursday. “Bahrain is now clearly sliding in a new and very dangerous direction with 37 people arrested yesterday alone,” said Brian Dooley of U.S.-based Human Rights First. “The fairly weak level of restraint that was there before has all but gone,” he said, adding that countries influential in Bahrain such as the United States and Britain needed to step up their criticism. Bahrain, where the Shi‘ite Muslim majority is ruled by a Sunni Muslim royal family, has pursued a crackdown on opposition activists since quashing 2011 protests calling for democracy. Authorities have closed opposition political groupings, revoked dissidents’ passports and arrested suspected militants. Activists say many arrests are for political reasons and breach detainees’ human rights. Bahrain, where the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based, denies clamping down on dissent. It says it faces a militant threat backed by arch-foe Iran on the opposite side of the Gulf. The Bahraini Embassy in Britain, responding to a request for comment, cited an earlier statement which said that the Gulf state was committed “to transparency and the protection and safeguarding of Human Rights enshrined in the Constitution, as well as in international treaties and obligations”. Human rights activists, at a news conference in Lebanon on Thursday, said the situation has taken a turn for the worse with 19 people now sitting on death row, renewed reports of torture in detention and military courts now trying civilians. In January 2017 Bahrain executed three Shi‘ite men convicted of killing three policemen in a 2014 bomb attack. They were the first such executions in over two decades, and sparked protests. Bahrain is due to hold parliamentary elections in 2018. The activists also said they have concerning new information about the health of detained prominent rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab, and demand he be given access to adequate healthcare. “Recently alarming signals have multiplied ... regarding his detention condition,” said Dimitris Christopoulos, president of human rights organization FIDH, calling for his release. Rajab is FIDH’s deputy secretary general. Rajab, a leading figure in the 2011 pro-democracy protests, has been in and out of detention since that time. He faces up to 15 years in jail over Twitter statements he made about the war in Yemen. A verdict is expected on Feb. 21. “Nabeel is in real danger,” said Sheikh Maytham Al-Salman from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. Bahraini authorities said Rajab had received medical checks twice in December and January and his health was “stable”. “We take very seriously the safety and wellbeing, including healthcare both in terms of access and adequacy, of any person, whether in prison or in detention,” the director general of the prisons authority said in a statement. Reporting by Lisa Barrington; editing by Mark Heinrich and Stephen Powell

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bahrain-rights/activists-say-bahrain-human-rights-deteriorate-as-world-looks-away-idUSKBN1FG0JB

Israel's Netanyahu says Indian peace hero Gandhi an inspiration

20 PM / Updated 10 minutes ago Israel's Netanyahu says Indian peace hero Gandhi an inspiration Malini Menon 3 Min Read NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the home of Mahatma Gandhi on Wednesday, saying modern India’s founding father and promoter of peace was an inspiration for humanity. Netanyahu is making the first visit by an Israeli prime minister in 15 years and the nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rolled out the red carpet, seeing Israel as an ally in the fight against terrorism. Modi hosted the Israeli leader in his home state of Gujarat where hundreds of people waving Indian and Israeli flags lined up the streets as the motorcade passed. The two men, accompanied by Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, went to Gandhi’s ashram on the banks of a river where Netanyahu tried his hand at a spinning wheel, a pastime Gandhi made popular while he was jailed during British colonial rule. “An inspiring visit to the hearth of one of humanity’s great prophets of inspiration - Mahatma Gandhi”, Netanyahu and his wife wrote in the guest book. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assists Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sara as Netanyahu looks on during their visit to Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India, January 17, 2018. REUTERS/Amit Dave Netanyahu and Modi have pledged to deepen economic and security ties in a more open embrace of the relationship which New Delhi had long kept at a low profile, largely for fear of upsetting Arab nations on which it depends for oil. Modi said India’s cooperation with Israel was diverse and benefited both countries. On Tuesday, Netanyahu said the two countries were discussing ways to strengthen cooperation to fight the menace of radical Islam that they both faced. Slideshow (3 Images) On Thursday, Netanyahu will travel to Mumbai to join a memorial event for the parents of an 11-year-old Israeli boy who was among the 166 people killed during an attack by Pakistan-based militants in 2008. Ahead of that trip, a small group of people staged a protest in Mumbai holding placards denouncing Netanyahu and accusing him of atrocities against Palestinians. Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East, the European Union and the United Nations have all opposed the U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last month as an incendiary move in a volatile region and Palestinians said Washington was abandoning its leading role as a peace mediator. Israel, by contrast, applauded Trump’s move. Netanyahu said it was “an important step towards peace” and it was “our goal from Israel’s first day”. Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Nick Macfie

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-israel/israels-netanyahu-says-indian-peace-hero-gandhi-an-inspiration-idUSKBN1F61M7

BRIEF-Limoneira Q4 Loss Per Share $0.19

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Limoneira Co: * LIMONEIRA COMPANY ANNOUNCES FOURTH QUARTER AND FISCAL YEAR 2017 FINANCIAL RESULTS AND REITERATES FISCAL YEAR 2018 EPS GUIDANCE * REAFFIRMS FY 2018 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $0.55 TO $0.65 * Q4 LOSS PER SHARE $0.19 * Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $-0.08 -- THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S * Q4 REVENUE $15.9 MILLION VERSUS I/B/E/S VIEW $16.1 MILLION * LIMONEIRA - ‍FOR FY 2018, CO EXPECTS TO SELL BETWEEN 3.1 MILLION AND 3.3 MILLION CARTONS OF FRESH LEMONS AT AN AVERAGE PRICE OF APPROXIMATELY $24.50 PER CARTON​ * - ‍FOR FY 2018, COMPANY EXPECTS TO SELL APPROXIMATELY 6.0 TO 6.5 MILLION POUNDS OF AVOCADOS AT APPROXIMATELY $1.30 PER POUND​ * FY2018 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $0.59 -- THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

https://www.reuters.com/article/brief-limoneira-q4-loss-per-share-019/brief-limoneira-q4-loss-per-share-0-19-idUSASB0C089

EU says banks' bad loan woes ease but need capital buffer hikes

58 AM / in 16 minutes EU says banks' bad loan woes ease but need capital buffer hikes Francesco Guarascio 3 Min Read BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union banks’ holding of bad loans is decreasing but remains high, the European Commission said on Thursday as it prepares measures to force higher provisioning for future soured debt. The 2008-2009 global financial crisis left European banks saddled with piles of non-performing loans (NPLs) which they struggled to recoup from distressed firms and households. But as the bloc’s economy recovers, the amount of bad debt is slowly receding, the European Commission said in a report. Using data from the European Central Bank, the EU executive said NPLs accounted for 4.6 percent of banks’ total loans in the period between April and June, a 1 percentage point drop from a year earlier. Despite the trend, bad loans were still worth 950 billion euros ($1.16 trillion) in the 28 EU countries and accounted for 5.4 percent of total loans in the euro zone, the European 19-country currency area. To tackle the problem, the Commission is planning new legislative measures, probably in March, to speed up banks’ unloading of bad debts and to prevent a future build-up of NPLs. An overhaul of insolvency rules and a strengthening of the secondary market for bad loans are among the measures planned to reduce the existing stock of soured debt. Against a future growth of NPLs, the Commission plans to introduce “statutory prudential backstops to prevent the risk of under-provisioning of NPLs,” the Commission said in a document, stressing that this would apply only to “newly originated loans that later turn non-performing”. The move clarifies the Commission’s intentions. It had previously said legislative measures on buffers were possible but not certain. It will still need to decide what could constitute a new loan and when the requirements would apply, EU officials said. There is still debate on whether new loans should include restructured debt and new payments of installments on old loans. The cut-off date for new loans is also under discussion. The Commission is considering four options: last November; the date of publication of the new proposals, likely to be in March; the date of the entry into force of the new measures, which could be two years away; or an even later date. Italy, one of the EU countries with the highest level of bad loans, has long called for a gradual reduction of NPLs to avoid fire sales that would leave huge holes in banks’ balance sheets. Other states, led by Germany, have called for a faster offloading of bad loans to reduce risks in the banking sector, which could lead to euro zone’s deeper financial integration. Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; editing by Philip Blenkinsop

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eurozone-banks-npls/eu-says-banks-bad-loan-woes-ease-but-need-capital-buffer-hikes-idUSKBN1F719T

Deborah Weinswig Named to Xcel Brands, Inc. Board of Directors

NEW YORK, Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:XELB) announced today the appointment of Deborah Weinswig to its board of directors. A leading global retail analyst, Weinswig is the Managing Director of FGRT (Fung Global Retail & Technology), the think tank for the Hong Kong-based Fung Group. Robert D'Loren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xcel Brands, Inc. said, "We are thrilled to add Deborah to our board of directors. She is a highly respected innovator in retail and technology and brings deep expertise and thought leadership to our organization. I look forward to working together to drive change and develop new solutions for today’s retail challenges.” As Managing Director of FGRT, Weinswig built the team’s research capabilities and provided insights into the advanced technologies that are changing the global retail industry. Earlier, Weinswig served as Head of the Global Staples & Consumer Discretionary Team at Citi Research. She was ranked as the #1 analyst by Institutional Investor for 9 consecutive years, and in 2012 was named one of Business Insider’s “36 Best Analysts on Wall Street.” "It is exciting to be joining the board of Xcel Brands, a company I have long admired for its bold leadership in disrupting the retail environment,” commented Weinswig. “The combined forces of Xcel’s senior executive team and board of directors will continue to leverage breakthrough technologies that expand the business and create greater value to shareholders, retail partners, and consumers.” Weinswig is a member of the advisory board of numerous accelerators including Alchemist Accelerator, where she serves as faculty mentor; The Cage, a Hong Kong–based accelerator powered by The Lane Crawford Joyce Group; Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator; Grand Central Tech; New York Fashion Tech Lab; Plug and Play; Revtech Accelerator; Techstars; TrueStart (UK); and XRC Labs. Weinswig also serves as an advisor to companies such as Eventable, Enterworks, Fashwire, LincGlobal, Nanopay, Rich Receipts, Smartzer, Tooso, SupplyAI, TigerTrade, and TRIVVER. Weinswig was named among the top five retail influencers of 2018 and 2017 by Vend, the cloud-based point-of-sale and retail platform, and is a recipient of the Asia Retail Congress’s Retail Leadership Award. In addition, she serves as an e-commerce expert for the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC’s) Research Task Force and was a founding member of the Oracle Retail Industry Strategy Council. She is a member of the board of directors of Kiabi (affiliated with the Auchan Group); an executive board member of The Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing at the University of Arizona; and an advisory board member of the World Retail Congress and a founding member of the Goodwill Retail Advisory Council. She also serves on the boards of numerous philanthropic organizations, including GoodXChange and Street Soccer USA. Ms. Weinswig’s appointment to Xcel’s board fills a vacancy following the retirement of Edward Jones. In accordance with Xcel’s board procedures, Ms. Weinswig will be a candidate for re-election to the board at the company’s annual meeting of stockholders. About Xcel Brands ( www.xcelbrands.com ) Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:XELB) is a media and consumer products company engaged in the design, production, licensing, marketing and direct-to-consumer sales of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, jewelry, home goods, and other consumer products, and the acquisition of dynamic consumer lifestyle brands. Xcel was founded by Robert W. D'Loren in 2011 with a vision to reimagine shopping, entertainment and social as one. Xcel owns and manages the Isaac Mizrahi, Judith Ripka, H Halston, C. Wonder and Highline Collective brands, pioneering an omnichannel sales strategy which includes the promotion and sale of products under its brands through direct-response television, internet, brick and mortar retail, and e-commerce channels. Headquartered in New York City, Xcel Brands is led by an executive team with significant technology, design, merchandising, production, marketing, retailing, and licensing experience and a proven track record of success in elevating branded consumer products companies. With a team of over 100 professionals focused on design, production, and digital marketing, Xcel maintains control of product quality and promotion across all of its product categories and distribution channels. The total lifetime retail sales of its brands exceed $7.5 billion. Contact Stephanie Taylor 347-727-2483 staylor@xcelbrands.com Source:Xcel Brands, Inc

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/25/globe-newswire-deborah-weinswig-named-to-xcel-brands-inc-board-of-directors.html

As Trump heads to Davos, survey points to rising risk of war

As Trump heads to Davos, survey points to rising risk of war 2:38pm GMT - 01:12 The risk of political and economic confrontations between major powers, including outright military conflicts, has risen sharply, according to a survey released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) days before its annual gathering in Davos. ▲ Hide Transcript ▶ View Transcript The risk of political and economic confrontations between major powers, including outright military conflicts, has risen sharply, according to a survey released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) days before its annual gathering in Davos. Press CTRL+C (Windows), CMD+C (Mac), or long-press the URL below on your mobile device to copy the code https://reut.rs/2B9WERs

https://uk.reuters.com/video/2018/01/17/as-trump-heads-to-davos-survey-points-to?videoId=386700684

French cycling hero retires - at 106

January 10, 2018 / 2:47 PM / Updated 6 hours ago French cycling hero retires - at 106 Reuters Staff 1 Min Read PARIS (Reuters) - French cyclist Robert Marchand is retiring at the age of 106, a friend of the bike-mad centenarian has announced. FILE PHOTO: French cyclist Robert Marchand, aged 105, rides on his way to cover 22.528 km (14.08 miles) in one hour to set a new record at the indoor Velodrome National in Montigny-les-Bretonneux, southwest of Paris, France, January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen/File Photo The decision to quit comes a year after the tenacious sportsman set what was widely billed as a world record for the over-105s category: he completed 22.528 km (14.08 miles) in one hour. The feat, at an indoor track near Paris, drew intense media coverage and a moment of international celebrity for Marchand, an amateur who has been in the saddle for well over 90 years. His retirement, at not far off twice the average retirement age in France and three or four times the age at which top-notch athletes usually bow out, was announced to AFP news agency by a neighbour and friend. Reporting By Brian Love Editing by Jeremy Gaunt

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-france-cyclist/french-cycling-hero-retires-at-106-idUKKBN1EZ1UG

Vandeweghe hit with $10k fine for obscene outburst

January 19, 2018 / 9:16 AM / Updated 5 hours ago Vandeweghe hit with $10k fine for obscene outburst Reuters Staff 1 Min Read MELBOURNE (Reuters) - CoCo Vandeweghe was fined $10,000 for shouting an obscenity at her opponent in her first round match at the Australian Open on Monday, organizers revealed on Friday. The fine, the highest levied at the tournament so far, was for unsportsmanlike conduct during the American 10th seed’s loss to Hungarian Timea Babos. Vandeweghe, who had been suffering from flu, told reporters that Babos had been “getting in my face”, prompting her to shout at her and fling her racket to the ground. The 2017 Australian Open semi-finalist was docked a point for the outburst after already having been handed a code violation for refusing to play while she waited for a banana to be delivered to her on court. Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Amlan Chakraborty

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tennis-ausopen-vandeweghe/vandeweghe-hit-with-10k-fine-for-obscene-outburst-idUSKBN1F80UL

TUNE Taps Brian Marcus as Vice President of Global Marketing

SEATTLE, Jan. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TUNE , the global leaders in marketing and advertising measurement, announced the promotion of Brian Marcus to Vice President of Global Marketing. Brian brings more than two decades of digital marketing leadership and expertise to the company, including 10 years building and managing high-performance teams at Google, Ebay and Teespring. In this new role, he will focus on extending TUNE's market leading position within the Fortune 1,000, where TUNE's suite of performance marketing solutions help companies find and win new customers at scale. In addition, Brian will oversee the global expansion of the TUNE brand, narrative and go-to-market activities. "Brian is an outstanding leader who knows the marketing world inside and out, and in fact helped create several of the largest and most successful performance marketing programs to date," said Ryan Buma, Chief Commercial Officer at TUNE. "He's played a pivotal role in the creation, execution and expansion of enterprise-focused marketing initiatives that enable us to drive new sales around the world. Not only is he a world-class marketer, but he's also one of the most passionate competitors I've ever met. Brian is the perfect person to lead TUNE marketing efforts." Prior to TUNE, Brian served as Global Director of the eBay Partner Network, eBay's largest paid acquisition channel at the time. At eBay, Brian and his team drove double-digit growth and marketing efficiency gains while simplifying the program for thousands of affiliate publishers. Prior to his work at eBay, Brian was a leader at Google, where his team launched Google's first full-scale affiliate network, Google Affiliate Network (GAN). Under Brian's leadership, GAN managed thousands of affiliate programs that ranged from the world's largest retailers and credit card issuers to self-service advertisers, and launched the original beta platform for what has evolved into Google's Product Listing Ads. While at Google, his team helped grow top-line revenue more than 30 percent year over year, and drove over $1B in online retail sales through the platform annually. Most recently, Brian served as Vice President of Marketing and General Manager at Teespring, a venture-funded custom apparel company. While in this role he was responsible for building and marketing the industry's best e-commerce platform to talented creators and performance marketers. "Over the course of my career, I've had a chance to meet and work with many amazing people in the performance marketing space," said Brian Marcus, VP of Marketing at TUNE. "I've always admired the TUNE team for its inventiveness and persistence in the creation of the first SaaS performance marketing and mobile attribution platform. As mobile and performance intersect to create new channels of revenue for CMOs and digital marketers, TUNE is poised to continue shaping the industry. I'm thrilled to play an important role in this mission." About TUNE TUNE delivers innovative measurement solutions that help marketers and their partners effectively manage campaigns, engage the right audiences, optimize ad performance, and grow their business. TUNE's solutions are trusted by innovative mobile marketers, the largest advertising platforms, and the world's most iconic brands. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington with over 300 employees in nine offices worldwide, TUNE solutions are used by Expedia, CVS, Subway, The New York Times, Line Corporation and more. For more information visit: www.tune.com . View original content with multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tune-taps-brian-marcus-as-vice-president-of-global-marketing-300586427.html SOURCE TUNE

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/23/pr-newswire-tune-taps-brian-marcus-as-vice-president-of-global-marketing.html

Cognex Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings Release Date and Conference Call

NATICK, Mass--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX) will release earnings for the fourth quarter of 2017 on Thursday, February 15, 2018, after the market closes, and will host a conference call that same day at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The earnings release and conference call are scheduled to coincide with the company’s expected filing of its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. The telephone number for the live call is (877) 704-4573 (or (201) 389-0911 if outside the United States). A replay will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 15, 2018, and will run continuously until 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 18, 2018. The telephone number for the replay is (877) 660-6853 (or (201) 612-7415 if outside the United States) and the access code is 13674455. Internet users can listen to a real-time audio broadcast of the conference call or an archived recording on the Cognex Investor Relations website: http://www.cognex.com/Investor . About Cognex Corporation Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of image-based products, all of which use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques that give them the human-like ability to make decisions on what they see. Cognex products include machine vision systems, machine vision sensors and barcode readers that are used in factories and distribution centers around the world where they eliminate production and shipping errors. Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 1.5 million vision-based products, representing over $5 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, USA, Cognex has offices and distributors located throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For details visit Cognex online at www.cognex.com . View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180111006117/en/ Cognex Corporation Susan Conway, 508-650-3353 Senior Director of Investor Relations susan.conway@cognex.com Source: Cognex Corporation

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/11/business-wire-cognex-announces-fourth-quarter-earnings-release-date-and-conference-call.html

Cramer's S&P 500 and Dow charts indicate a strong start to 2018

In light of the new year, CNBC's Jim Cramer wanted to zoom in on two of the market's top benchmarks to see how they'll fare in 2018: the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average . So the " Mad Money " host recruited technician Bob Lang, the founder of ExplosiveOptions.net and one of the three minds behind TheStreet.com's Trifecta Stocks newsletter, to get an analytical take on the action. Cramer and Lang began with the weekly chart of the S&P. For the first time ever, the index did not have a single losing month in all of 2017, perhaps even more impressive than its nearly 20 percent annual gain. "With so much momentum coming into this year, Lang thinks it would be a big mistake to get too bearish on this one," Cramer said. In the fourth quarter, more stocks in the S&P started to trade above their 50-day moving averages, a good indicator of the breadth and strength of the index's rally. Cramer attributed the strength to institutional buying after the S&P's small dip in November, and said that the strategy was a winning one going forward as well. "Until we see any evidence that these institutions want to start selling en masse, and we have none, Lang thinks you should keep buying the S&P into any dip if we get one," Cramer advised. "Last year, the S&P only had two pullbacks, and they both went to its 20-week moving average ... and both [of] these turned out to be excellent buying opportunities." All in all, Lang wouldn't be surprised if the S&P logged yet another double-digit gain in the new year, he told Cramer. What of the Dow industrials? First and foremost, Cramer noted the average's 25 percent gain for 2017, calling its weekly chart "picture-perfect." From the Chaikin money flow oscillator, which measures buying and selling pressure, to the Relative Strength Index, which measures momentum, the Dow's technical indicators were red-hot for most of 2017, indicating high levels of institutional buying. "From a momentum perspective, Lang says this chart is a thing of beauty," Cramer said. "Volume trends are positive, the money flow remains very strong — what's not to like?" Lang even said that trying to call a top for the Dow would be "pointless" given its strength and predicted a 12 to 15 percent rise in 2018, keeping the possibility of Dow 30,000 on the table. "[These] charts give us a lot of reasons to be feeling pretty darned good about 2018," Cramer said. "No, we don't want to get too euphoric. No, we don't want to be complacent. But I also think it's a big mistake to get too cynical — that's right, too sardonic — for your own good. Irony never made a dime for anybody. Let's face it: we've got a phenomenal bull market going here. Why don't you just enjoy it?" WATCH: A year of Dow and S&P 500 charts with Cramer show chapters Cramer's S&P 500 and Dow charts indicate a strong start to 2018 20 Hours Ago | 05:30

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/02/cramers-sp-500-and-dow-charts-indicate-a-strong-start-to-2018.html

Golf-Johnson cruises to victory in Hawaii

January 8, 2018 / 3:08 AM / Updated 3 hours ago Golf-Johnson cruises to victory in Hawaii Reuters Staff 1 Min Read Jan 7 (Reuters) eased to an eight-shot victory Sunday. Johnson entered the final round with a two-shot advantage and blew away the field with an eight-under-par 65 at the wide open The 33-year-old, who won four times last season, picked up four birdies on the first nine and added three more to go along with an eagle at the par-4 12th hole to shut the door on the competition. His only blemish was a bogey at the 11th. Spain’s Jon Rahm shot a four-under-par 69 and finished second at 16-under. Brian Harman, who entered the day as the nearest challenger at two shots back, ended at 15-under. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Americans Rickie Fowler and Pat Perez were another shot back at 14-under. (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

https://uk.reuters.com/article/golf-sentry/golf-johnson-cruises-to-victory-in-hawaii-idUKL4N1P31E9

As drone demand soars, New Jersey poised to bar drunken droning

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. drone sales in 2017 topped $1 billion for the first time ever, but don’t raise a glass too quickly if you are in New Jersey, where lawmakers are poised to outlaw drunken droning next week. It is one of a wave of U.S. states moving to bring the unmanned aircrafts’ high-flying fun back to earth. New Jersey’s Assembly is slated to vote on a bill approved by the state Senate to ban inebriated or drugged droning, as well as to outlaw flying unmanned aircraft systems over prisons and in pursuit of wildlife. The vote was set for Thursday but postponed until Monday because of a severe snowstorm that triggered a state of emergency in New Jersey. “It’s basically like flying a blender,” said John Sullivan, 41, of New York, a drone buff and aerial cinematographer. He said he opposed drunk droning but also fretted about regulatory overreach. “If I had like one drink, I’d be hesitant to even fly it.” A 2015 drone crash on the White House lawn fueled debate in the U.S. Congress over the need for drone regulations. It was a drunken, off-duty employee of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency who flew the 2-foot-by-2-foot (60 cm by 60 cm) “quadcopter” from a friend’s apartment balcony and lost control of it over the grounds surrounding the White House, the New York Times reported. FILE PHOTO: A small drone helicopter flies over Coney Island in New York, U.S., August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo New statistics set for release next week show 3.1 million drones were sold in the United States last year, up 28 percent from 2016, said Richard Kowalski, manager for the Consumer Technology Association. “This was the first year that drone revenues reached $1 billion,” Kowalksi said in an email. At least 38 states are considering restrictions on the devices this legislative year, including Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, said Amanda Essex, senior policy specialist for the National Conference of State Legislatures. “Like any technology, drones have the ability to be used for good, but they also provide new opportunities for bad actors,” said Assemblywoman Annette Quijano of Elizabeth, New Jersey. She backed the bill, which would impose a punishment of up to six months prison and a $1,000 fine for drunk droning. If the Assembly passes the bill, Governor Chris Christie must sign it into law before he leaves office in less than two weeks or the legislation is dead, said Quijano’s Chief of Staff Shane Derris. Already, nine states prohibit drones from operating near or over prisons, including Arizona, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, Essex said. A drone carrying wire cutters and a cell phone likely aided a prisoner’s escape in July from a maximum security prison in South Carolina, officials said. Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Scott Malone, David Gregorio and Frances Kerry

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drones-drunken/as-drone-demand-soars-new-jersey-poised-to-bar-drunken-droning-idUSKBN1ET15A

U.S. ambassador to Panama resigns, says cannot serve Trump

January 12, 2018 / 5:45 PM / Updated 17 minutes ago U.S. ambassador to Panama resigns, says cannot serve Trump Reuters Staff 3 Min Read WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to Panama John Feeley, a career diplomat and former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, has resigned, saying he no longer felt able to serve President Donald Trump. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Ambassador to Panama John Feeley in Mexico speaks during a ceremony at a hangar of the Secretariat of National Defense in Mexico City, Mexico November 8, 2010. REUTERS/Eliana Aponte/File Photo Feeley’s departure had been communicated to State Department officials on Dec. 27 and was not a response to Trump’s alleged use of the word “shithole” to describe Haiti and African countries at a meeting on Thursday, U.S. officials said. Trump denies using the term. Feeley, one of the department’s Latin America specialists and among its senior most officers, made clear that he had come to a place where he no longer felt able to serve under Trump. “As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the president and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies,” Feeley said, according to an excerpt of a resignation letter read to Reuters on Friday. “My instructors made clear that if I believed I could not do that, I would be honor bound to resign. That time has come.” A State Department spokeswoman confirmed Feeley’s departure, saying that he “has informed the White House, the Department of State, and the Government of Panama of his decision to retire for personal reasons, as of March 9 of this year.” Speaking to reporters, Under Secretary of State Steve Goldstein said he was aware of Feeley’s planned departure on Thursday morning, before Trump’s alleged use of the vulgar term, and said the ambassador was leaving for “personal reasons.” ”Everyone has a line that they will not cross,“”Goldstein told reporters at the State Department. “If the ambassador feels that he can no longer serve ... then he has made the right decision for himself and we respect that.” U.S. officials declined to discuss Feeley’s reasons for leaving the department after a long career, much of which was spent working on Latin American issues. Some of Trump’s policies have been widely regarded within the region as hostile to Latin America. The Trump administration has taken a tougher stance on immigration from Latin America, most notably with moves to expel hundreds of thousands of immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti and Nicaragua who benefited from temporary protection status after natural disasters. Feeley’s career included serving as the No. 2 official in the State Department bureau that deals with Latin America, as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Mexico City and as director for Central American affairs in Washington. Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; editing by Tom Brown

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-diplomacy-panama/u-s-ambassador-to-panama-resigns-says-cannot-serve-trump-idUKKBN1F1233

Del Potro sets up Auckland semi-final with Ferrer

(Reuters) - Juan Martin del Potro kept his Australian Open preparations on track with a 7-6(4) 6-3 win over Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the Auckland Classic on Thursday, setting up a semi-final meeting with David Ferrer. Former U.S. Open champion Del Potro fired down 11 aces and did not face a break point during the one hour, 33 minutes match. The 29-year-old second seed, who won the tournament the last time he played in it in 2009, will now return to the top 10 in the ATP rankings on Monday for the first time since August 2014 after struggling with injuries over the past few years. Waiting for Del Potro in the last four will be Spaniard Ferrer, who brushed aside ATP NextGen Finals champion Chung Hyeon of South Korea 6-3 6-2. Ferrer is yet to drop a set in Auckland and has shown glimpses of his old form that saw him win the tournament in 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2013. “I tried to play consistent and aggressive because with Chung, he plays with power, and it’s never easy,” Ferrer said in a court-side interview. “He has a really great future.” Ferrer’s countryman Roberto Bautista Agut will play Dutchman Robin Haase in the other semi-final. 2016 champion Bautista Agut defeated Czech Jiri Vesely 7-6(1) 6-2 in the last eight while Hasse beat Peter Gojowczyk of Germany 6-4 6-4. Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Peter Rutherford

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tennis-auckland-men/del-potro-sets-up-auckland-semi-final-with-ferrer-idUSKBN1F00XP

SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP Is Investigating Versum Materials, Inc. for Potential Breaches Of Fiduciary Duty By Its Board of Directors

NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP, a class action law firm dedicated to representing shareholders nationwide, is investigating a potential breach of fiduciary duty claim involving the board of directors of Versum Materials, Inc. (NYSE: VSM). If you are a shareholder of Versum Materials, Inc. and are interested in obtaining additional information regarding this investigation, free of charge, please visit us at: http://pjlfirm.com/versum-materials-inc/ You may also contact Robert H. Lefkowitz, Esq. either via email at rl@pjlfirm.com or by telephone at 212-725-1000. One of our attorneys will personally speak with you about the case at no cost or obligation. Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP is a law firm exclusively committed to representing shareholders nationwide who are victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty and other types of corporate misconduct. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://pjlfirm.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. View original content: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-alert-purcell-julie--lefkowitz-llp-is-investigating-versum-materials-inc-for-potential-breaches-of-fiduciary-duty-by-its-board-of-directors-300576961.html SOURCE Purcell Julie & Lefkowitz LLP

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/03/pr-newswire-shareholder-alert-purcell-julie-lefkowitz-llp-is-investigating-versum-materials-inc-for-potential-breaches-of-fiduciary-duty.html

Fulton Financial Corporation Announces Dates for Fourth Quarter/Year-End 2017 Earnings Release and Webcast

LANCASTER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fulton Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: FULT) today announced that it will distribute its fourth quarter/year-end 2017 earnings news release and accompanying charts on Monday, January 22, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The Corporation will host its quarterly conference call with analysts who cover the company on Tuesday, January 23, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. E. Philip Wenger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will host the call. He will be joined by Philmer H. Rohrbaugh, Senior Executive Vice President and Interim Chief Financial Officer. The live webcast of this call can be heard/viewed by going to Fulton Financial Corporation's website, www.fult.com , selecting the Investor Relations tab, and clicking on the link to the webcast. The webcast will be archived on the company's website following the call. You can also dial in to listen to an audio-only version of the call at 844-264-2102, Conference ID 3291809. Fulton Financial Corporation is a financial holding company that operates banking offices in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Virginia through the following subsidiary banks: Fulton Bank, N.A., Lancaster, PA; Swineford National Bank, Middleburg, PA; Lafayette Ambassador Bank, Easton, PA; FNB Bank, N.A., Danville, PA; Fulton Bank of New Jersey, Mt. Laurel, NJ; and The Columbia Bank, Columbia, MD. The Corporation's additional financial services providers include Fulton Financial Advisors, Lancaster, PA and Clermont Wealth Strategies, Lancaster, PA. Residential mortgage lending is offered by all banks through Fulton Mortgage Company. Additional information on Fulton Financial Corporation is available at www.fult.com . View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180105005654/en/ Fulton Financial Corporation Stacey Karshin, 717-291-2739 Source: Fulton Financial Corporation

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/05/business-wire-fulton-financial-corporation-announces-dates-for-fourth-quarteryear-end-2017-earnings-release-and-webcast.html

Correction: Dunkin Without The Donuts story

QUINCY, Mass. (AP) — In a story Jan. 13 about a new Dunkin' Donuts store opening near Boston, The Associated Press reported erroneously that it would be the company's first location in the U.S. to be billed simply as Dunkin'. The chain says its first franchise to drop "Donuts" from its name did so last year in Pasadena, California. A corrected version of the story is below: Dunkin' without the 'Donuts': New store tests shorter name A new Dunkin' Donuts store opening in the Boston suburb of Quincy is dropping 'Donuts' from its name QUINCY, Mass. (AP) — Dunkin' without the Donuts? A new Dunkin' Donuts store opening in the Boston suburb of Quincy is giving the idea a try, at least in name. Officials say the "next generation" store being unveiled Tuesday will be be billed simply as "Dunkin." But the chain's signature doughnuts aren't going anywhere. The restaurant will still serve the fried treats that have been a mainstay for the company since its founding in Quincy in 1950. The shortened name is part of a broader rebranding at several of the company's stores. The Canton, Massachusetts-based company has been referring to itself as Dunkin' in advertisements for years, and last year, a franchise in Pasadena, California, became the first in the nation to drop "Donuts" from its name. The Patriot Ledger reports the Quincy franchise also will pilot other new concepts, including multiple, high-tech drive-thru lanes.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/the-associated-press-correction-dunkin-without-the-donuts-story.html

South Korea considering shutting down all virtual currency exchanges

49 AM / Updated 18 minutes ago South Korea considering shutting down all virtual currency exchanges Dahee Kim 2 Min Read SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s financial regulator chief said the government is considering shutting down all local virtual currency exchanges in a national policy committee meeting on Thursday. “(The government) is considering both shutting down all local virtual currency exchanges or just the ones who have been violating the law,” said Choi Jong-ku, chief of Financial Services Commission, to a question from a parliament member. His comments came after the world’s most popular virtual currency, bitcoin, slid 18 percent on Wednesday on reports suggesting South Korea could ban trading of cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin stood at $11,560 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange as of 0218 GMT, paring a bit of its previous losses. Hong Nam-ki, minister of the office for government policy co-ordination, said that opinions on cryptocurrency trading are sharply divided within the government, but vowed to make a decision on regulations during Thursday’s meeting. South Korea’s justice minister had said last week the ministry was preparing a bill to ban cryptocurrency trading, which sent bitcoin prices plummeting. The shift toward tighter regulation sparked strong reaction from many South Koreans, thousands of whom signed a petition on the website of the presidential Blue House to stop a ban on cryptocurrency trading. Reporting by Dahee Kim; Editing by Michael Perry and Sam Holmes

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-bitcoin/south-koreas-financial-regulator-says-considering-shutting-down-all-virtual-currency-exchanges-idUKKBN1F706T

UPDATE 1-Bulgaria expects to apply to join ERM-2 by June-finmin

January 11, 2018 / 10:37 AM / Updated an hour ago UPDATE 2-Defiant Bulgaria to push for ERM-2 membership Reuters Staff * Sofia to apply for ERM-2 by mid-year - finmin * Bulgaria has long met formal criteria to join euro * Sofia losing patience with lack of clarity on its bid * Move comes as Bulgaria starts six-month EU presidency (Releads with application, adds quotes) By Alastair Macdonald and Tsvetelia Tsolova SOFIA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Bulgaria stepped up its campaign to adopt the euro on Thursday, challenging member states to let it into the single currency’s “waiting room” in the coming months -- or spell out why it cannot join. Speaking to Brussels-based reporters as EU commissioners visited Sofia at the start of Bulgaria’s six-month presidency of EU ministerial councils, the finance minister said he was ready to apply to join the ERM-2 exchange rate mechanism this year even if he had no assurance that the request would be accepted. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and finance chief Vladislav Goranov said the European Union’s poorest nation had long met all formal criteria for joining the euro zone and was frustrated that fellow EU states were reluctant to let it in. “We have done our homework for the euro zone,” Borissov said, noting the lev’s 20-year-old fixed rate against the euro, a non-existent budget deficit and one of the lowest public debt levels in the EU. “Any moment they invite us, we can enter it.” Bulgaria has been reluctant to repeat the experience of flat rejection of its request to join the Schengen passport-free area and has been in discussions on joining the ERM-2 with the European Commission and the European Central Bank, hoping for an informal green light before lodging its formal application. However, Goranov said, patience was wearing thin with a lack of clarity from states on why they object. Euro zone officials say that lead economy Germany sees the gulf between Bulgarian incomes with the EU average and concerns over graft and organised crime as reasons to keep it at arm’s length. Goranov said he now expected to lodge an application by the middle of this year after a biennial EU report on performance on economic convergence, which the EU executive said it plans to publish in May. “We are ready to file a formal application even if we are not convinced that the reply will be ‘yes’,” Goranov said. “This is not a threat,” he said, noting pressure on the government from Bulgarian businesses to join. “A ‘no’ will also show us what to do in order to get there.” As an example, he cited the fact that Bulgaria’s GDP per capita is about half that of the EU average and said that if euro zone states wanted to set it a target of 70 percent of the average he could accept that. There is no such formal criterion at the moment and some euro zone countries are below that level. NO RUSH TO EURO Goranov stressed that Bulgaria would be in no rush to move from the ERM-2, in which it participates as an observer in some euro zone institutions, to full membership of the currency area. The rules stipulate two years in the ERM-2 before adopting the euro, but Goranov said: “We are prepared to wait there until we are fully ready to go on ... As many years as we need.” ERM-2 membership would bolster investor confidence and help the central bank manage its reserves, he said. Ratings agencies have already cited ERM-2 as grounds for a possible upgrade. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who was leading his EU executive’s visit to Sofia, supports Bulgaria’s case for moving toward euro membership as part of a broader strategy to bolster confidence in the project following the sovereign debt crises of the past decade. It could also ease divisions between the rich west and ex-communist east of the bloc in the wake of Britain’s decision to quit the EU next year. A Commission spokesman noted that euro membership was an obligation in the long run for most EU states, saying: “Member states that want to join the euro must be able to do so.” Goranov acknowledged reservations at the ECB and among richer euro zone states but added: “I don’t think that things are so bad that we need to be treated as second class.” (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, additinal reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova; Editing by Gareth Jones)

https://www.reuters.com/article/bulgaria-eurozone/update-1-bulgaria-expects-to-apply-to-join-erm-2-by-june-finmin-idUSL8N1P625A

European shares trade sideways, focus on M

January 22, 2018 / 8:57 AM / Updated 18 minutes ago Dealmaking drives European stocks as equity melt-up continues Julien Ponthus , Helen Reid 4 Min Read LONDON (Reuters) - A flurry of merger activity among European stocks drove strong moves on Monday as regional indexes notched up new records, with investors shrugging off the U.S. government shutdown as a global stocks “melt-up” continued to grip European markets. Euro zone stocks .STOXXE gained 0.3 percent to hit a fresh 10-year high, and the pan-European STOXX 600 index recovered from early losses to trade up 0.3 percent. Spain's IBEX .IBEX , which had been held back by instability in Catalonia, hit its highest since August, up 1 percent after a ratings upgrade from Fitch that also sent the country's borrowing costs down to six-week lows. Spain’s Santander bank ( SAN.MC ) was the biggest single boost to the STOXX 600, leading a rally among financials. While strong banking and oil stocks underpinned the market, merger and acquisition news across telecoms, pharmaceuticals and luxury sectors drove the lion’s share of big stock moves. Orange ( ORAN.PA ) and Deutsche Telekom ( DTEGn.DE ) rose 2.1 percent each after a report in French daily Le Monde said the two companies had held merger talks last year. “This could boost M&A expectations in Europe,” said AFS Group analyst Jauke de Jong in Amsterdam. The telecoms sector has lagged the market for months, but hopes of dealmaking drew investors in, sending the index .SXKP up 1.4 percent. French drugmaker Sanofi ( SASY.PA ) fell 2.9 percent after the company announced an $11.6 billion takeover of U.S. hemophilia treatment specialist Bioverativ ( BIVV.O ), with some traders saying the deal looked expensive. Kepler Cheuvreux analysts said the deal raised a “host of questions” and wondered whether Bioverativ’s pipeline could offset pressure from a rival Roche treatment. Swedish firm Sobi ( SOBIV.ST ), a partner to Bioverativ, soared 16.5 percent. Cartier owner Richemont’s ( CFR.S ) offer for full control of online luxury retailer Yoox Net-a-Porter ( YNAP.MI ) sent the Italian stock surging 24 percent to a record high. “Given the lack of interesting acquisition targets up for sale in their core business of hard luxury, Richemont has decided to put at work its big cash pile investing into distribution channels,” wrote Bernstein analysts. Richemont shares closed down 1.6 percent as investors digested the up-to-2.8 billion euro ($3.4 billion) offer, a nearly 26 percent premium over YNAP’s closing price on Friday. UBS ( UBSG.S ), Switzerland’s biggest bank, recovered after an early fall when it reported a quarterly loss, driven by a large writedown on the U.S. tax reforms. UBS still boosted its dividends and announced a new share buyback program, and the stock was up 0.4 percent at the close. Retailers .SXRP performed well thanks to a 27.5 percent jump from UK online grocer Ocado ( OCDO.L ) after it signed an agreement with Sobeys SOBEF.UL to develop the online grocery business at Canada’s second-largest food retailer. Germany-listed shares in South African retailer Steinhoff ( SNHG.DE ) ( SRRJ.J ) rose more than 11 percent after the firm sold its 13.5 percent stake in investment firm PSG Group for 7.1 billion rand ($587 million) as it scrambled to plug a liquidity hole. Reporting by Julien Ponthus; Editing by Tom Pfeiffer and Kevin Liffey

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-stocks/european-shares-trade-sideways-focus-on-ma-idUSKBN1FB0WT

Nigeria starts large scale evacuation of its citizens from Libya

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Nigeria is starting flights to evacuate thousands of its citizens from Libya which will continue until all those wanting to return home have done so, its foreign minister said on Saturday. Nigerians have recently been the largest national group among African migrants traveling to Libya and trying to cross from there to Italy by sea. Since local armed factions and Libya’s coastguard began blocking more migrants from leaving in July last year, large numbers have been trapped in Libya, where they often face dire conditions and abuse, including forced labor. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has in recent months accelerated a “voluntary returns” program to repatriate migrants from a number of countries. Nigeria now joins Niger in organizing bilateral returns. “The main objective, and we’re very focused on that objective, is to get these Nigerian citizens back home as quickly as possible,” Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyema told reporters during a visit to Tripoli. ”Our president has made available all the resources necessary to repatriate all the Nigerians here. “We have two planes arriving today and God willing we are hoping to evacuate anything up to 800 Nigerians today.” Nigeria had been expecting to fly back about 5,500 migrants, Onyema said, but the situation on the ground made the actual number hard to ascertain. “Some of the difficulties with getting precise numbers is that some are within the control of the central government in camps, some are clearly outside the camps, some are also in less accessible areas where there might not be full central government control and authority,” he said. Facilitating voluntary returns could also be complicated by lack of access, Onyema said. Criminals involved in smuggling and trafficking migrants “also (have) an interest that a number of them should not be repatriated, because these represent economic assets for them”. Libya has been in turmoil since a 2011 uprising, with rival governments and armed factions vying for power. Onyema was hosted by the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, which has struggled to assert its authority on the ground. Slightly fewer than half as many migrants reached Europe by sea in 2017 than 2016, the IOM said on Friday, largely due to a drop in numbers crossing from Libya. Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Angus MacSwan

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-migrants-nigeria/nigeria-starts-large-scale-evacuation-of-its-citizens-from-libya-idUSKBN1EV0P8

Spurned by Trump, Europeans ponder how to meet Iran ultimatum

PARIS/BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A day before Donald Trump’s Jan. 12 ultimatum to “fix” the Iran nuclear deal, European powers met Iran’s foreign minister to show support for it, but the effort failed to soften Trump’s aversion to the accord, U.S. and European officials said. The gathering in Brussels may even have reinforced the U.S. president’s antipathy, according to three U.S. officials involved in the discussions. Trump instead gave the European allies, Britain, France, Germany, and the U.S. Congress 120 days to come up with a tougher approach on Tehran or see U.S. sanctions reimposed, they said. With Trump warning of a last chance for “the worst deal ever negotiated”, Britain, France and Germany have begun talks on a plan to satisfy him by addressing Iran’s ballistic missile tests and its regional influence while preserving the 2015 accord that curbed Iran’s nuclear ambitions for at least a decade. It is hard to say what might mollify the Trump administration, which is split between those who would like to tear up the agreement and those who wish to preserve it and which has said inconsistent things about its demands to keep the accord, U.S. and European officials said. Under U.S. law, Trump must decide again whether to renew the U.S. sanctions relief every 120 days, giving Congress, as well as U.S. and European diplomats, until mid-May to see if there is a way to finesse the issue. But the Brussels meeting has left European powers wary that whatever they agree, it may not be enough. “We’re going to work in the spirit that we’re ready to talk about everything, from the nuclear accord to Iran’s ballistic missiles,” said a senior European diplomat. “But we want to compartmentalise the subjects; we’re not going to mix them.” At stake is not just an historic accord negotiated - before Trump took office - by the United States, China, France, Russia, Britain, Germany and the European Union, and one that Europe sees as its biggest diplomatic achievement in decades. A collapse of the nuclear deal could see a breakdown in the relations between the United States and Europe that have underpinned the West’s security since World War Two, European diplomats and the senior U.S. official said, and could confirm Europe’s fears that it can no longer count on U.S. leadership. Britain, France, Germany and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, are adamant that the deal cannot be renegotiated, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also ruled that out this month, speaking at the United Nations. Initial contacts between the three European powers in Washington, European capitals and at the EU’s headquarters in Brussels suggest that Paris, London and Berlin will present a package of measures to the United States to allay Trump’s concerns about Iran but that do not reopen the nuclear accord. BALLISTIC THREAT The strategy could include threatening Iran with targeted economic sanctions if it does not agree to curtail its ballistic weapons arsenal, which the West believes contains longer-range missiles potentially capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson attends a news conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel and European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini after meeting Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (unseen) in Brussels, Belgium January 11, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir European diplomats favor creating a high-level working group with Iran to discuss the missile issue, while reminding Trump that NATO’s ballistic missile defense shield in southeastern Europe will boast a new site in Poland this year. Washington wants U.N. nuclear inspectors to be able to visit military sites as part of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s verification of the nuclear deal. The IAEA says it does not distinguish between military and non-military sites and has repeatedly said Iran is honoring its commitments under the deal. Diplomats say the IAEA has not yet inspected a military site, and if Washington wants it to do so it needs to provide new information showing that this is necessary. For its part, Iran has said its military sites are beyond the IAEA’s purview and repeatedly denied that its nuclear program has military dimensions, namely to develop bombs. Another part of the potential European strategy is pressure on Iran to rein in Middle East proxies such as Hezbollah, and to stop arming Houthi fighters combating government forces in Yemen’s war, which has devastated the country. There is discussion to push Iran to embrace U.N-backed peace talks for Syria, where Tehran is sharply at odds with the West in its support for President Bashar al-Assad and whose departure the United States and its EU allies have long sought. That could dovetail with U.S. legislative efforts to change the nuclear deal’s so-called sunset provisions as they expire from 2025, so that if Iran were eventually to launch a nuclear arms program, U.S. sanctions would kick in again. In the U.S. Congress, the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are working with the White House to write legislation they hope can meet Trump’s demand to eliminate “the disastrous flaws” in the pact. “Presented the right way, it could be just enough to allow Trump to claim a diplomatic victory and sign legislation from Congress,” said a senior EU diplomat. Mogherini will brief EU foreign ministers on Monday, while U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet his British and French counterparts in London and Paris this week on a trip where Iran “will dominate” many conversations, an aide said. “RAGING DISAGREEMENTS” While Britain, Germany and France appear united, Mogherini has so far been unwilling to consider EU sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missiles to avoid jeopardizing the nuclear deal. Iran already rejected a call in November by French President Emmanuel Macron for talks on its missiles, saying they were solely defensive in nature. “Their concept of dialogue is to explain that they are right,” a Western diplomat said of Iran. Britain, France and Germany also face a divided U.S. government - current and former U.S. officials said it is unclear whether Trump wants to save the pact or has set the Europeans and Congress an impossible task, giving him an excuse to end the deal and for someone to take the fall. ”There are these raging disagreements within the (Trump) administration,“ ” said a former U.S. official. “While one group wants to keep the agreement, the other wants this outreach to the Europeans and the Congress to fail and to be able to blame it on them.” Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal in Berlin, Michelle Nichols in New York, Francois Murphy in Vienna, John Walcott and Patricia Zengerle in Washington; editing by Mark Heinrich, William Maclean

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-eu-usa/spurned-by-trump-europeans-ponder-how-to-meet-iran-ultimatum-idUSKBN1FA0S4

China says will not attend Vancouver meeting on North Korea

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will not attend an international meeting of foreign ministers in Canada to discuss North Korea, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Speaking at a daily news briefing, ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the meeting would not help resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula because not all of the main parties would be there. Canada and the United States are co-hosting the meeting in Vancouver on Jan. 16 to demonstrate international solidarity against North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests. Representatives of the countries that sent troops or other military support to the U.N.-backed effort to repel North Korean forces after the 1950 invasion of South Korea will attend. Reporting by Michael Martina; Writing by Philip Wen; Editing by Michael Perry

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-china/china-says-will-not-attend-vancouver-meeting-on-north-korea-idUSKBN1EZ0MH

Sudan recalls its ambassador from Egypt amid tensions

Updated 13 minutes ago Sudan recalls its ambassador from Egypt amid tensions KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan has recalled its ambassador from neighbouring Egypt for consultations, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, without giving details on why or how long he would stay. Egypt’s foreign ministry said it is evaluating the situation in order to take “appropriate action”. Relations have been soured by disputes over the ownership of the Halayeb Triangle border area, and over the use of the water from the River Nile that passes through their territories. Sudan has accused Cairo of political meddling and banned imports of Egyptian agricultural products last year. Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Andrew Heavens

https://in.reuters.com/article/sudan-egypt/sudan-recalls-its-ambassador-from-egypt-amid-tensions-idINKBN1ET2HS

Nikkei ends at 26-year high as oil, securities shares shine

January 4, 2018 / 6:38 AM / in 34 minutes Nikkei ends at 26-year high as oil, securities shares shine Reuters Staff 3 Min Read TOKYO, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Japanese stocks rallied on the first trading day of 2018, with the Nikkei and Topix pushing to multi-decade highs as brokerage and oil shares surged. Catching up to overseas gains after the long Japanese New Year’s holiday, the Nikkei share average finished up 3.26 percent at its session high of 23,506.33, its highest level since January 1992. Thursday’s gain was the Nikkei’s biggest for one day since Nov. 10, 2016. “The market was mostly domestically-driven in the morning, with foreign buyers emerging in the afternoon,” said Yutaka Miura, a senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities, who added that further gains were possible as the Nikkei topped a resistance point at 23,500. The broader Topix added 2.55 percent to end at a session high of 1,863.82, its best level since November 1991. Advancers outnumbered decliners 492 to 143, with 40 issues ending unchanged. In 2017, the Nikkei gained 19.1 percent and the Topix rose 19.7 percent, as the stronger global economy as well as domestic political stability and the Bank of Japan’s ultra-easy monetary policy underpinned Japanese corporate earnings. On Thursday, gains in many sectors helped power brokerage shares, with the securities subindex surging 4.86 percent. Nomura Holdings added 3.16 percent and Daiwa Securities Group was up 3.82 percent. Buoyant crude prices boosted the oil & coal subindex by 3.73 percent. JXTG Holdings added 3.99 percent and Cosmo Energy Holdings was 7.29 percent higher. Crude oil futures rose about 2 percent on Wednesday to their highest in 2-1/2 years, lifted by unrest in OPEC member Iran and strong U.S. and German economic data Semiconductor-related shares also outperformed, in line with their U.S. counterparts and PHLX Semiconductor Sector gains. Tokyo Electron shares rose 6.18 percent, and Screen Holdings shares were up 6.51 percent. Nintendo shares climbed 4.90 percent. The Financial Times reported on Monday that game developer Niantic Inc plans to launch its blockbuster Pokemon Go augmented reality game, in which Nintendo has a stake, in China through a partnership deal with local company NetEase. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shares were 2.57 percent higher, after the head of the company’s aircraft unit said it was on track to deliver its repeatedly delayed commercial jet by mid-2020 despite risk of an order cancellation. (Reporting by Lisa Twaronite; Editing by Richard Borsuk)

https://www.reuters.com/article/japan-stocks-close/nikkei-ends-at-26-year-high-as-oil-securities-shares-shine-idUSL4N1OZ28C

Angered by Trump, Palestinian protesters disrupt business seminar U.S. helped organise

January 30, 2018 / 11:54 AM / Updated 27 minutes ago Angered by Trump, Palestinian protesters disrupt business seminar U.S. helped organise Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh 3 Min Read BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians protesting against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy on Jerusalem halted a U.S.-coordinated Palestinian marketing workshop in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, damaging an American diplomatic vehicle as it sped away. Protesters threw tomatoes at the sports utility vehicle, which had U.S. consular licence plates, kicked one of its doors and ripped the plastic casing off a side mirror as it drove off under Palestinian police escort from the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce. Samir Hazboun, the chamber’s director, told Reuters that a digital marketing workshop was under way when about five protesters barged in. “We hosted an American expert on this issue. Some people who have been trying to express their point of view and protest (against) the American decision regarding Jerusalem and the political situation ... interrupted the workshop and we stopped the workshop,” Hazboun said. The U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, which helped organise the workshop, declined immediate comment. The U.S.-based lecturer was not a consular staff member. He was accompanied by consular security personnel and some of its Palestinian employees, organisers said. Trump’s Dec. 6 announcement recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital overturned decades of U.S. policy that its status should be decided in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. His declaration drew universal condemnation from Arab leaders, stirred Palestinian street protests and drew widespread international criticism. On a visit to Israel last week, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said that Trump’s promised relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would take place by the end of 2019. Palestinians boycotted Pence’s visit. Israel’s government regards Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the country, although that is not recognised internationally. Palestinians say East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in a 1967 war, must be the capital of a state they seek in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem on Saturday, effigies of Trump and Pence were hanged and burned in a protest attended by about 30 Palestinians. Writing by Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; editing by Mark Heinrich

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-trump-israel-palestinians/angered-by-trump-palestinian-protesters-disrupt-business-seminar-u-s-helped-organise-idUKKBN1FJ1IZ

FOREX-Euro takes breather below 3-year high after ECB officials' remarks

* Euro steadies after slipping from 3-year high * Dollar/yen steady above 4-month low By Masayuki Kitano SINGAPORE, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The euro nursed losses on Thursday, having pulled back from a three-year high as concerns voiced by European Central Bank officials this week dampened the currency’s momentum. The euro’s decline helped stabilise the greenback, which has come under pressure as central banks of other major economies begin to move toward tighter monetary policy amid a more synchronised global recovery. The euro last stood at $1.2197, up 0.1 percent on the day but well below a peak of $1.2323 set on Wednesday, the euro’s strongest level since December 2014. The common currency slipped on Wednesday as ECB policymaker Ewald Nowotny told reporters the euro’s recent strength against the dollar is “not helpful,” which encouraged a bout of profit-taking before a policy meeting next week. In an interview with an Italian newspaper Vitor Constancio, the ECB vice president, said he did not rule out that monetary policy would still continue to be “very accommodating for a long time”. Given the way the euro had surged after breaking above $1.20, it was only natural for ECB officials to address the pace of the euro’s rise, said Roy Teo, investment strategist for LGT Bank in Singapore. There could be some profit-taking and consolidation in the euro ahead of the ECB’s policy meeting next week, Teo added, although the currency’s outlook over 2018 looks positive. “We see upside risk towards $1.30 by the end of this year... It’s surprising to note that growth in the euro zone is actually similar if not outpacing the U.S.” The greenback gained some respite against other major peers. Against the yen, the dollar held steady at 111.27 yen, having bounced from Wednesday’s four-month low of 110.19 yen. The Canadian dollar eased about 0.2 percent to C$1.2462 , having see-sawed on Wednesday after the Bank of Canada raised interest rates and indicated confidence in the economic outlook but sounded a cautious tone on the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On Wednesday, the Canadian dollar had fluctuated in a relatively wide range of C$1.2540 to C$1.2362. Later on Thursday, investors will turn their focus to China’s fourth-quarter and 2017 gross domestic product data, and data on December factory output, retail sales and fixed-asset investment. The Chinese economic indicators are due to be released at 0700 GMT rather than the usual 0200 GMT. (Reporting by Masayuki Kitano; Editing by Sam Holmes)

https://www.reuters.com/article/global-forex/forex-euro-takes-breather-below-3-year-high-after-ecb-officials-remarks-idUSL3N1PD17U

Germany to play Saudi Arabia in World Cup dress rehearsal

08 PM / Updated 19 minutes ago Germany to play Saudi Arabia in World Cup dress rehearsal Reuters Staff 1 Min Read BERLIN (Reuters) - Soccer world champions Germany will play Saudi Arabia in their final test before they defend their World Cup title in Russia in June, the German football association (DFB) said on Friday. Germany will play Austria away in Klagenfurt on June 2, then host the Saudis in Leverkusen on June 8. “Against Austria we are facing a European team, and on a sporting and organisation level it fits with our preparations for the World Cup,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said. “Saudi Arabia have a different way of playing and a different mentality that we do not know very well. So it is important to prepare for that ahead of a World Cup.” The Germans have been drawn in Group F with Mexico, Sweden and South Korea. The Saudis have also qualified and will face hosts Russia, Egypt and Uruguay in Group A. Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Kevin Liffey

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-germany-saudiarabia/germany-to-play-saudi-arabia-in-world-cup-dress-rehearsal-idUKKBN1FF1UM

CES 2018: the battle of the virtual assistants

CES 2018: the battle of the virtual assistants 8:58am EST - 01:37 Several thousand people descended on a wet and dreary Las Vegas as the world's largest technology showcase opened to the public. As Ivor Bennett reports, voice assistance and artifical intelligence are this year's hottest trends. ▲ Hide Transcript ▶ View Transcript Several thousand people descended on a wet and dreary Las Vegas as the world's largest technology showcase opened to the public. As Ivor Bennett reports, voice assistance and artifical intelligence are this year's hottest trends. Press CTRL+C (Windows), CMD+C (Mac), or long-press the URL below on your mobile device to copy the code https://reut.rs/2CZ4GCN

https://www.reuters.com/video/2018/01/10/ces-2018-the-battle-of-the-virtual-assis?videoId=381601936

UPDATE 1-South Africa white maize futures scale 11-month peak on hot, dry conditions

(Updates with details) JOHANNESBURG, Jan 15 (Reuters) - South African white maize futures prices hit 11-month highs on Monday as a spell of hot, dry weather raised concerns about plantings and yields over a swathe of the maize belt. Maize is South Africa’s staple crop and policy makers such as the central bank, which will meet later this week on interest rates, monitor its price because of its implications for inflation, especially for lower-income households. The contract for delivery in March rose over 2 percent to 2,123.80 rand a tonne, its highest level in 11 months, before easing back to be 1.35 percent higher at 2,098 rand, according to Reuters’ data. Industry group Grain SA said last Monday the western part of South Africa’s maize belt had been hit by drought and farmers there had only planted 70 to 75 percent of the area they had intended to put in the ground, with the growing season near its midpoint. Weather conditions across a swathe of the maize belt have remained mostly hot and dry since then. In October, South Africa’s official Crop Estimates Committee said farmers were expected to plant 6 percent fewer hectares of the staple grain in the 2017/2018 season, after last year’s record harvest of over 16.7 million tonnes depressed prices. (Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Mark Potter)

https://www.reuters.com/article/safrica-grains/update-1-south-africa-white-maize-futures-scale-11-month-peak-on-hot-dry-conditions-idUSL8N1PA20R

Hip hop and R&B surpass rock as biggest U.S. music genre

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hip hop and R&B surpassed rock for the first time in 2017 as the biggest music genre in the United States, but British artist Ed Sheeran’s romantic pop album “Divide” was the year’s biggest single draw, according to a Nielsen Music report. Powered by a 72 percent increase in on-demand audio streaming, eight of the top 10 albums came from the world of rap or R&B, including Kendrick Lamar’s “DAMN,” Drake’s “More Life” and “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars, according to Nielsen Music’s 2017 year-end report, released on Wednesday. Rap and R&B also dominate the Grammy awards later in January, with rapper Jay-Z and Lamar leading nominations. In a reflection of the demise of rock among young people, the Coachella music festival line-up announced earlier this week featured no rock headliner for the first time in the 19-year history of the three-day Southern California event. Pop star Taylor Swift had the biggest album of 2017 in terms of sales with “Reputation,” with 1.9 million units sold, Nielsen said. The album, Swift’s first in three years, was kept off streaming for the first three weeks after its release in November. But it was Sheeran whose music dominated radio, digital and streaming in 2017. “Divide” notched up 2.7 million units, including sales and streaming activity, and the 26 year-old singer-songwriter’s single “Shape of You” spent 33 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and was streamed one billion times. Billboard charts tally units from album sales, song sales (10 songs equal one album) and streaming activity (1,500 streams equal one album). Vinyl sales surged for a 12th year in a row - up 9 percent in 2017 - especially among older fans. The top selling vinyl albums were The Beatles “Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” powered by a 50th anniversary reissue, and the British band’s 1969 release, “Abbey Road.” Reporting by Jill Serjeant

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-music-2017/hip-hop-and-rb-surpass-rock-as-biggest-u-s-music-genre-idUSKBN1ET258

Rocking from Scotland to Saudi Arabia, Canada to Qatar

LONDON (Reuters) - Curling, once a minority pastime played mostly by Scots and Canadians, will sweep onto the ice at next month’s Pyeongchang Olympics with the proud boast of being the world’s fastest growing winter sport. The ‘roaring game’, with its origins in the frozen ponds and mists of medieval Scotland, is now popping up in the sort of sunny places where ice usually comes in cubes to cool the drinks. Qatar’s men’s curling team celebrated their first international victory last November, beating Kazakhstan on Australia’s sun-soaked Central Coast north of Sydney. A few months earlier, Middle Eastern neighbors Saudi Arabia secured conditional membership of the World Curling Federation along with fellow-newcomers Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Portugal. Las Vegas, in Nevada’s Mojave desert, will host the men’s world championship next April. “You’d obviously think curling is for winter sport countries, it’s not really,” says Kate Caithness, the Scottish head of World Curling and one of only two female presidents of any Olympic sports. ”You can have curling anywhere in the world. “Give us a hall and we’ll make ice. We’ve got these new facilities where we can almost roll out a mat, plug it in, add water and freeze it,” she told Reuters from her headquarters in Perth, Scotland. In order to be included on the full program at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, curling needed to have 30 member nations. Twenty years on and there are 60 with more to come and a growth explosion predicted. “We’ve never been in better shape, actually,” says Caithness. “Mexico and Guyana are new members, and there’s other members in South America waiting to come on board.” At the 2010 Games in Vancouver, curling was the most watched Winter Olympic sport on television in Brazil -- a country that recently challenged Canada for a place at the men’s world championships. There are no member nations from Africa as yet, but there has been interest with South Africa most likely to be the first on board. SLEEPING GIANT Curling is big already in Korea and Japan and the main growth areas over the next four years for a sport also known as ‘chess on ice’ are likely to be China, hosts of the 2022 Olympics, and the United States. “China is a huge, huge market for us,” said Caithness. “We’ve just signed a $13.4 million contract with a sponsor (Kingdomway Sports) in China for the next four years in the runup between now and 2022.” The curling at those Beijing Winter Games will be held in the ‘Water Cube’ facility that hosted the swimming at the 2008 summer Olympics. Transformed into the Ice Cube, the plan is to have a three sheet rink in the basement so that fans can watch the competition upstairs and also try their hand at the sport downstairs. “I‘m on the 2022 IOC co-ordination commission, so I do have the inside information. I’ve been there already with the IOC,” said Caithness. “They are going to put 300 million people through winter sport (in China) between now and 2022... I understand they are building 500 new ice rinks. I think the sport’s going to explode.” Starting this year, a new made-for-television World Cup will start up with four city events on three continents forming the ‘Road to Beijing’. In the United States, USA Curling last year signed a sponsorship deal with Pepsico’s Frito-Lay brand Cheetos that features tight end Vernon Davis of the National Football League’s Washington Redskins. As part of the promotion, the cheese curl snack has come up with a rap video ‘Teach me how to Curl’ featuring curling moves and dance. Even if Cheetos said in a statement that the deal aimed to “help raise awareness for one of America’s least participated in sports”, Caithness felt things were moving in the right direction. “I think we’re going to see things go crazy in the United States. They’ve woken up at last,” she said. Curling, whose tournament starts a day before the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang and runs right through to the last Sunday, can also expect more television coverage than any other sport. To win a gold medal in men’s or women’s curling takes up to 33 hours on the field of play, with nine round robin games of three hours each followed by a semi-final and final. Pyeongchang sees the debut also of mixed doubles. “We’ll have non-stop curling every day from dawn until dusk. We have huge TV coverage and this is really going to help our sport as well,” said Caithness. Editing by Sudipto Ganguly

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-2018-curl-growth/rocking-from-scotland-to-saudi-arabia-canada-to-qatar-idUSKBN1F51JV

Itaú Corpbanca Schedules Fourth Quarter 2017 Financial Results, Conference Call and Webcast

SANTIAGO, Chile, Jan. 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ITAÚ CORPBANCA (NYSE:ITCB) (SSE:ITAUCORP) announced today that it will release its results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2017, after the market closes in New York on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. On Thursday, March 1, 2018, at 11:00 A.M. Santiago time (9:00 AM ET), the Company’s management team will host a conference call to discuss the financial results. The call will be hosted by Milton Maluhy, Itaú Corpbanca’s Chief Executive Officer, Gabriel Moura, Itaú Corpbanca’s Chief Financial Officer, and Claudia Labbé, Itaú Corpbanca’s Head of Investor Relations. Conference Call Details: Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: +1 (866) 819-7111 (US Toll Free Dial In), 0(800) 953-0329 (UK Toll Free Dial In) or +44 (0)1452-542-301 (Standard International Dial In). Please Quote: “Itaú Corpbanca” to the operator. A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available until Thursday, March 8, 2018, by dialing +1 (866) 247-4222 (US Toll Free Dial In), 0(800) 953-1533 (UK Toll Free Dial In) or +44 (0)1452 550-000 (Standard International Dial In). Access Code: 2339939# Slides and Audio Webcast: There will also be a live, and then archived, webcast of the conference call, available through the Company’s website. Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast. The webcast can be found at: http://itaucorp.irwebpage.com/webcast_2017-4Q.html About Itaú Corpbanca ITAÚ CORPBANCA (NYSE:ITCB) (SSE:ITAUCORP) is the entity resulting from the merger of Banco Itaú Chile with and into Corpbanca on April 1, 2016. The current ownership structure is: 36.06% owned by Itaú Unibanco, 30.65% owned by CorpGroup and 33.29% owned by minority shareholders. Itaú Unibanco is the sole controlling shareholder of the merged bank. Within this context and without limiting the above, Itaú Unibanco and CorpGroup have signed a shareholders’ agreement relating to corporate governance, dividend policy (based on performance and capital metrics), transfer of shares, liquidity and other matters. The merged bank has become the fourth largest private bank in Chile and will result in a banking platform for future expansion in Latin America, specifically in Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Central America. Itaú Corpbanca is a commercial bank based in Chile with operations also in Colombia and Panama. In addition, Itaú Corpbanca has a branch in New York and representative offices in Madrid and Lima. Focused on large and medium companies and individuals, Itaú Corpbanca offers universal banking products. In 2012, the bank initiated a regionalization process and as of the date hereof has acquired two banks in Colombia -Banco Santander Colombia and Helm Bank-, becoming the first Chilean bank having banking subsidiaries abroad. The merger with Banco Itaú Chile and the business combination of our two banks in Colombia, represent the continued success of our regionalization process. As of November 30, 2017, according to the Chilean Superintendence of Banks, Itaú Corpbanca was the fourth largest private bank in Chile in terms of the overall size of its customer loan portfolio, equivalent to 10.9% market share. As of the same date, according to the Colombian Superintendence of Finance, Itaú Corpbanca Colombia was the sixth largest bank in Colombia in terms of total loans and also the sixth largest bank in Colombia in terms of total deposits, as reported under local regulatory and accounting principles. As of November 30, 2017, its market share by loans reached 5.0%. Investor Relations – Itaú Corpbanca +56 (2) 2660-1701 / IR@corpbanca.cl Source:Itau Corpbanca

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/29/globe-newswire-itaa-corpbanca-schedules-fourth-quarter-2017-financial-results-conference-call-and-webcast.html

Amtrak engineer misread signal before fatal crash near Seattle: U.S. agency

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Amtrak engineer aboard a passenger train that derailed last month in Washington state has told the National Transportation Safety Board he misread a signal and tried to brake before the crash that killed three people, the agency said on Thursday. All 12 cars and one of two engines jumped the tracks at a curve on Dec. 18, sending some cars tumbling from a bridge onto an interstate highway near Seattle. The NTSB this month said the crash, which also injured 70 people, could have been prevented if a safety technology system known as positive train control had been operational. It said the train was traveling at 79 miles per hour (126 km per hour) when it derailed, far above the 30 mph speed limit. The agency said it was not able to interview the engineer and the qualifying conductor, who were in the lead locomotive, until last week because both had suffered serious injuries in the crash. The engineer told investigators he was aware that the curve with a 30 mph (48 kph) speed restriction was at milepost 19.8 of the track, and that he had planned to start braking about one mile (1.6 km) prior to the curve, the agency said. The engineer said he did not recall seeing milepost 18 or the 30 mph advance speed sign that was posted two miles (3.2 km) ahead of the speed-restricted curve, the NTSB said. The engineer also mistook another signal at the accident curve for another signal located to the north, it said. The train was on its inaugural run on a faster route from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. The agency reported last month that six seconds before the derailment, the engineer remarked that it was speeding, and that he then applied the brakes but apparently not the emergency brake. The NTSB did not disclose the name of the engineer, 55, who was hired by Amtrak in 2004. It said he had completed about seven to 10 observational trips in the locomotive as well as three trips operating the equipment in the weeks before the accident. The agency said the engineers reported being well rested and that the qualifying conductor was not a distraction. Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Will Dunham

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-washington-train/amtrak-engineer-misread-signal-before-fatal-crash-near-seattle-u-s-agency-idUSKBN1FE2NH

UPDATE 1-Coach, Jimmy Choo fragrances boost France's Interparfums

(Adds analyst, shares, detail, background) Jan 10 (Reuters) - French perfumes maker Interparfums on Wednesday raised its 2017 revenue guidance for the second time after a strong end to the year and better-than-expected sales of men’s fragrance Coach. The company has benefited from demand for in-house brands such as Rochas, as well as successful product launches such as a fragrance line sold under the brand of luxury shoemaker Jimmy Choo. “Coach and Rochas performed much better than expected,” said Kepler Cheuvreux analyst David Cerdan. “In 2018, Jimmy Choo will be the second biggest brand of Interparfums, right after their first brand Montblanc.” Interparfums expects 2017 sales of 415-420 million euros ($495-$500 million), up from its previous guidance of around 400 million euros. The company said in November it expected more moderate growth in 2018, before a further boost from new product launches in 2019 and 2020. It also said on Wednesday it expected a 2017 operating margin of around 13.5 percent, compared with previous guidance of 13.0-13.5 percent. Kepler Cheuvreux raised its price target for Interparfums shares by almost 9 percent to 38 euros. At 0825 GMT, the stock was up 2.8 percent at 36.35 euros. $1 = 0.8384 euros Reporting by Manon Jacob; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Mark Potter Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://www.reuters.com/article/interparfums-outlook/update-1-coach-jimmy-choo-fragrances-boost-frances-interparfums-idUSL8N1P51BK

Toymaker Lego teams up with Chinese internet giant Tencent

COPENHAGEN, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Danish toymaker Lego is teaming up with Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd to jointly develop online games and potentially a social network aimed at Chinese children. Privately-owned Lego has seen a slowdown in sales growth in recent years, but the Chinese market has been a bright spot with sales growing 25-30 percent in 2016. It is competing with Barbie maker Mattel Inc and Hasbro, the firm behind My Little Pony, for a slice of the $31 billion toys and games market in China. Lego said on Monday the partnership with Tencent, China’s biggest social network and gaming company, aimed to create a safe online environment covering content, platforms, and experiences tailored for Chinese children. “We’ve seen more and more Chinese children engage with the world digitally, and the partnership will bring them safe and imaginative digital LEGO content that also supports their needs of learning, development and entertainment,” Jacob Kragh, head of LEGO in China, said in a statement. The partnership includes developing a Lego video zone for children on the Tencent video platform, as well as developing and operating Lego branded licensed games, the toymaker said. It also includes LEGO BOOST - a building and coding set that lets children turn their brick creations into moving objects - and will explore developing a joint social network for children in China. Tencent is Asia’s most valuable company with a market capitalisation of $537 billion. Last year, Mattel struck deals with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and online content developer BabyTree to sell interactive learning products based on its Fisher-Price toys. Lego has about a 3 percent market share in China, followed by Mattel and Hasbro with around 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively, according to Euromonitor International. In November 2016, Lego opened a factory in Jiaxing, China, which it expects to produce 70-80 percent of all Lego products sold in Asia. (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Mark Potter)

https://www.reuters.com/article/lego-china-tencent/toymaker-lego-teams-up-with-chinese-internet-giant-tencent-idUSL8N1PA14U

Columbia Banking System Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2017 Earnings Release and Conference Call Date

TACOMA, Wash., Jan. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Banking System, Inc. ("Columbia" NASDAQ: COLB) expects to report fourth quarter and full-year 2017 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, January 25, 2018. Management will discuss these results on a conference call scheduled for that afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (4:00 p.m. ET). Interested parties may listen to this discussion by joining one of two ways: Option 1: Live-streamed event Join the call through a web-based live streamed-event. If you choose this option, it is recommended that you listen through your phone or computer speakers and not dial into the conference number listed below in option 2. Click here to register and save the event to your calendar: https://engage.vevent.com/rt/columbiabankingsystemincao~9288084 Please test your connection prior to joining to ensure a successful user experience. Connection Test: Click Here For system requirements, visit our FAQ Option 2: Dial-in only Join the call on the day of the event using the toll-free number: 888-286-8956 Conference ID: 9288084 A replay of the call can be accessed beginning Friday, January 26, 2018 using the link below: https://engage.vevent.com/rt/columbiabankingsystemincao~9288084 About Columbia Headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, Columbia Banking System, Inc. is the holding company of Columbia Bank, a Washington state-chartered full-service commercial bank with locations throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho. For the eleventh consecutive year, the bank was named in 2017 as one of Puget Sound Business Journal's "Washington's Best Workplaces." Columbia ranked in the top 30 on the 2017 Forbes list of best banks. More information about Columbia can be found on its website at www.columbiabank.com . Investor Relations Contact: InvestorRelations@columbiabank.com 253-305-1921 Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which can be identified by words such as "may," "expected," "anticipate," "continue," or other comparable words. In addition, all statements other than statements of historical facts that address activities that Columbia expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Readers are encouraged to read the SEC reports of Columbia, particularly its form 10-K for the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2016, for meaningful cautionary language discussing why actual results may vary materially from those anticipated by management. View original content with multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/columbia-banking-system-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2017-earnings-release-and-conference-call-date-300579425.html SOURCE Columbia Banking System, Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/08/pr-newswire-columbia-banking-system-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2017-earnings-release-and-conference-call-date.html

Pacioretty scores twice as Canadiens edge Capitals

Max Pacioretty finished with two goals and an assist, and Paul Byron scored the tie-breaking goal midway through the third period as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Friday night in Washington. Pacioretty’s first goal gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead in the second period but his assist in the third helped Montreal snap a three-game losing streak. He fired a shot wide of Washington goalie Philipp Grubauer that banked off the boards behind the cage and rebounded to Byron on the edge of the left circle. Byron easily put it away to break a 1-1 tie with 9:19 left in the game. The third period did not start well for Montreal as it came up empty on two power plays and hit the post three times in the first eight minutes. However, the Canadiens finally got a break on the Byron goal. Pacioretty added an empty-net goal with 1:18 left that gave Montreal a 3-1 lead. Lars Eller then scored for Washington with 54 seconds remaining but the Canadiens held on. Both teams turned to their back-up goalies in this contest. Antti Niemi started for Montreal for the first time since a Dec. 23 loss to Edmonton and earned his first victory this season. He was 0-1-1 in four games, including two starts with the Canadiens, and 0-5-1 overall with three teams this season. Niemi posted 24 saves in the victory. Grubauer had been hot of late for Washington and played well once again with 23 saves in the loss. He is 4-1-2 in his last seven appearances. Washington now has lost two games in two nights, having fallen to New Jersey in a road contest on Thursday. The Canadiens took a 1-0 lead just 14 seconds after Washington’s Tom Wilson was whistled for hooking when Pacioretty beat Grubauer on a quick wrist shot at 7:08 of the second period. Washington tied it later in the period on a John Carlson power-play goal with 6:36 left. In off-the-ice news, Red Fisher, who covered the Canadiens from 1955 until 2012, died on Friday at the age of 91. Fisher received numerous honors, including the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award. -- Field Level Media

https://www.reuters.com/article/icehockey-nhl-wsh-mtl-recap/pacioretty-scores-twice-as-canadiens-edge-capitals-idUSMTZEE1KU46TIC

UPDATE 10-Government still shut down on Monday as U.S. Senate fails to clinch deal

deal@ (New throughout with no deal on Sunday) WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - A U.S. government shutdown will enter its third day on Monday as Senate negotiators failed to reach agreement late on Sunday to restore federal spending authority and deal with demands from Democrats that young "Dreamers" be protected from deportation. The Senate set a vote for 12 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Monday on advancing a measure to provide temporary government funding through Feb. 8, end the shutdown and allow hundreds of thousands of federal employees to return to work. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell offered an olive branch to Democrats late on Sunday, pledging on the Senate floor to bring immigration legislation up for debate in February if the issue is still unresolved by then. At the core of Democrats' demands is the fate of young people, known as Dreamers, who were brought to the country illegally as children. Former Democratic President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program extended legal protections to about 700,000 of them, shielding them from being deported. "It would be my intention to proceed to legislation that would address DACA, border security and related issues," McConnell said, adding: "It is also my intention take up legislation on increased defense spending, disaster relief and other important matters" then. It was unclear whether there would be enough Democratic votes on Monday to advance a temporary spending bill. Funding for federal agencies ran out at midnight on Friday amid an impasse between President Donald Trump, congressional Republicans and Democrats over DACA and other immigration issues. Democrats want Trump, who last year ordered an end to DACA in March, to live up to an earlier agreement to protect the Dreamers. Democrats refused last week to support another short-term government funding extension. Republican Senator Jeff Flake, part of a bipartisan working group pushing for legislation to replace DACA, told reporters that McConnell was still six or seven Democratic votes short of breaking the impasse that led to the shutdown. Flake said negotiations would resume early on Monday leading up to the midday vote on the Senate floor. 'BITE PRETTY HARD' While public reaction to the shutdown may have been muted over the weekend, Flake said Republicans would suffer politically in the long run. "If it comes back to bite, it comes back to bite pretty hard," the Arizona senator predicted. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer objected to a move by McConnell to speed up the vote on a temporary funding bill that had been set for 1 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Monday, signaling that a deal was still not in hand. In vowing to bring immigration legislation to the Senate floor next month, McConnell shifted from an earlier position, saying earlier he would do that this month only if there were a bipartisan deal backed by Trump. The Republican president has vacillated on what sort of legislation he supports and McConnell now seems willing to let the Senate craft a deal on legal protections for Dreamers and beefing up immigration enforcement at U.S. borders. The hope is that if the Senate passes an immigration bill, Trump would not only support it but help sell it to the more conservative House of Representatives. "We will not negotiate on the status of unlawful immigrants while Senator Schumer and the Democrats hold the government for millions of Americans and our troops hostage," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. Despite that statement, it was clear that senators were seeking paths both to reopen the government and address border security and the Dreamers. Last September, Trump said he was terminating DACA and challenged Congress to come up with a legislative replacement by March 5. If Congress fails, the Dreamers, many from Mexico and Central America, could face deportation. Many have spent most of their lives in the United States. FIRST SHUTDOWN SINCE 2013 The shutdown is the first since a 16-day closure in October 2013 and its effects will be more visible on Monday, when financial markets and federal offices open. The White House said Trump's planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week was in flux because of the standoff on Capitol Hill. With elections set for November for a third of U.S. Senate seats and the entire House of Representatives, both sides are maneuvering to blame the other for the shutdown. In a Senate floor speech on Sunday, McConnell accused Schumer of imperiling children's healthcare, military training, veterans' care and other programs. Schumer and his colleagues accused Trump of being an unreliable negotiating partner, saying the two sides came close to a deal on immigration several times, only to have Trump back out under pressure from anti-immigration conservatives. Since Democratic votes are needed in the Senate to pass spending bills, they are in a position to make demands on immigration before signing off on such a spending increase. (Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Howard Schneider, Patrick Rucker and Makini Brice in Washington and Megan Davies in New York; Writing by Warren Strobel, Matt Spetalnick and Richard Cowan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter Cooney)

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/21/reuters-america-update-10-government-still-shut-down-on-monday-as-u-s-senate-fails-to-clinch-deal.html

Australian retail sales surge on iPhone, Black Friday bonanza

January 11, 2018 / 2:48 AM / Updated 15 minutes ago Australian retail sales surge on iPhone, Black Friday bonanza Wayne Cole 3 Min Read SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian retail sales surged past all expectations in November as consumers splashed out on Apple iPhones and Black Friday promotions, a major boost for an economy that had been struggling with sluggish spending. A customer uses his iPhone 7 to take a photograph of the iPhone X during the global launch of the new Apple product in central Sydney, Australia, November 3, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray The local dollar jumped almost half a U.S. cent to a three-month peak of $0.7882 as the strength countered concerns consumers had lapsed into a near-permanent depression. Thursday’s figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed retail sales jumped 1.2 percent in November from October, when they rose a solid 0.5 percent. That was three times the market forecast and the steepest gain since early 2013. Sales were up 2.9 percent on a year earlier at a record seasonally adjusted high of A$26.38 billion (£15.4 billion). Gains were led by a hefty 4.5 percent rise in household goods and a 2.2 percent increase for other retailing. “Seasonally adjusted sales in both these industries are influenced by the release of the iPhone X and the increasing popularity of promotions in November, including Black Friday sales,” the ABS said in a note. Consumer spending has been under pressure from record-high household debt and sluggish wage growth, one reason the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is in no rush to raise interest rates from record lows. Futures markets <0#YIB;> slightly narrowed the odds of a hike in rates this year following the sales data and now imply around a 50-50 chance of a move by August. A rise from 1.5 percent is fully priced in by December. The revival in sales burnished the outlook for gross domestic product growth in the fourth quarter, given household spending accounts for 58 percent of annual economic output. Household consumption had expanded at its slowest pace since 2008 in the third quarter, marring an otherwise respectable annual growth outcome of 2.8 percent. “The underlying consumer may be more resilient than we previously assumed,” said Diana Mousina, a senior economist at AMP Capital. “There may be an upside risk that the Australian consumer may not act as such a large drag on the economy in 2018 as the consensus is currently assuming.” THE COMING OF AMAZON The data also showed rapid growth in online sales, which are only expected to take a bigger share as Amazon fully set up shop late last year and is rapidly expanding its offerings. The ABS measure of online sales surged 22 percent in original terms in November to A$1.51 billion. National Australia Bank estimates consumers spent A$24 billion online in the year to November, with annual growth running atop 14 percent. Anecdotal evidence from traditional retailers suggest they also had a better December holiday season than first feared, while surveys found a marked brightening in the consumer mood. A survey from ANZ and Roy Morgan out this week showed confidence had improved to the best since late 2013. Notably, those saying they were “better off” financially picked up to 35 percent, helping offset concerns about slow wages growth. Reporting by Wayne Cole; Editing by Paul Tait & Shri Navaratnam

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-australia-economy-salesfigures/australian-retail-sales-surge-on-iphone-black-friday-bonanza-idUKKBN1F0096

Pacific Commerce Bancorp Reports 2017 Another Record Year

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pacific Commerce Bancorp (OTC Pink: PCBC) (the “Company”), parent company of Pacific Commerce Bank (the “Bank”), today reported results for the year ending December 31, 2017. The Company also reported a one-time, non-cash deferred tax asset (DTA) charge of $930,000, or $0.10 per share, as a result of the new federal tax law passed in December 2017. HIGHLIGHTS Core net income increased 29% for the year to $5.6 million, or $0.60 per diluted share, from $4.3 million, or $0.54 per diluted share in 2016. Core return on average assets (ROAA) for the year equaled 1.05%, compared to 0.92% for 2016. Core return on average equity (ROAE) equaled 9.01%, compared to 8.53% for 2016. The efficiency ratio for 2017 equaled 62.2%, compared to 66.6% in 2016. Total noninterest bearing demand deposits equaled 49.8% of total deposits and total non-maturity deposits equaled 81.5% of total deposits. Following the passage of the new federal tax law in December the Company determined that a DTA impairment charge was required based on the reduction in the federal corporate tax rate from 34% to 21%. The Company expects to see its total tax burden reduced by approximately 28% in future periods, recouping the DTA charge in the next three quarters. Chief Executive Officer Frank Mercardante said, “2017 was the strongest year for earnings in the Company’s history. Loan originations exceeded $136 million and core deposit growth remains robust. Given the strength of the economy and the Bank’s current position in the marketplace, we remain excited about the future.” Net income, including the DTA adjustment, totaled $4,664,000, or $0.50 per diluted share, for the year just ended. This represents a 26.3% increase over 2016 net income of $3,692,000, or $0.45 per diluted share. Excluding the DTA impairment charge, the 2017 after tax operating income increased 29.4% to $5,594,000, or $0.60 per diluted share, compared to $4,324,000, or $0.54 per diluted share in 2016, excluding non-core merger expenses. Net interest income, before loan loss provisions, increased 12% in 2017 to $22,673,000 from $20,255,000 in 2016. The net interest margin for 2017, exclusive of the impact of purchase accounting accretion and amortization, equaled 4.40%, compared to 4.56% for 2016. Net interest income was positively impacted during 2017 by purchase accounting accretion in the amount of $382,000, or 8 basis points, compared to $709,000, or 17 basis points for all of 2016. The yield on average interest bearing assets, exclusive of the impact of purchase accounting accretion, equaled 4.71% for 2017, compared to 4.87% in 2016. The 16 basis point decline was primarily due to a higher volume of prepayment penalties earned on loans in 2016. The cost of interest bearing liabilities, exclusive of purchase accounting accretion, equaled 0.65% for all of 2017, compared with 0.59% in 2016. Average interest earning assets in the current year equaled $505.8 million, while average interest bearing liabilities equaled $242.8 million. This compares to $428.6 million and $237.6 million in 2016, respectively. Total loans averaged $420.3 million in 2017, compared with $368.8 million in 2016. Total Deposits averaged $462.4 million in 2017, compared to $381.8 million in 2016. Total non-maturity deposits averaged $366.7 million in 2017, compare to $286.4 million in 2016. Noninterest income increased 6.3% in the year to $3,283,000 from $3,088,000 in 2016. Service charges and fee income were up 47.1% and SBA loan sales and fee income was up 8.1%, while other noninterest income was down 6.8%. The Company also recorded a loss on the sale of a Shared National Credit in the amount of $184,000 during the second quarter, which is reflected in other noninterest income. Noninterest expenses, including merger related charges, declined year-over-year by $477,000, or 3%, to $16,139,000 from $16,616,000 in 2016. Other noninterest expenses declined by 2% in all of 2017 compared to 2016. Occupancy and salaries and benefits increased by 12% and 6%, respectively. The ROAA for the twelve months of 2017, exclusive of the DTA adjustment, was 1.05%, compared with 0.96% for 2016. The ROAE for the full 2017 year, exclusive of the DTA adjustment, totaled 9.01%, compared with 9.18% for 2016, excluding non-core merger costs. Credit quality remained strong throughout the year. The Company recorded a provision for loan losses of $300,000 in 2017, compared to $250,000 in 2016, largely due to growth in the portfolio. Excluding $144.1 million in loans carried under purchase accounting rules, which are held at a discount of 1.38% as of December 31, 2017, the allowance for loan and lease losses to total loans held for investment equaled 1.25% of loans outstanding. Total loans held for sale equaled $7.9 million at the end of the year. Shareholders’ equity at the Company as of December 31, 2017, equaled $64.1 million, compared to $58.6 million at December 31, 2016. Both the Company and Bank remained “Well-Capitalized” by regulatory definition at December 31, 2017, with capital ratios as follows: Minimum Required Company Bank Tier 1 Leverage Ratio: 4.00% 10.11% 11.10% Common Equity Tier 1 Capital Ratio: 4.50% 11.85% 13.01% Tier 1 Capital Ratio: 6.00% 11.85% 13.01% Total Capital Ratio: 8.00% 12.70% 13.86% About Pacific Commerce Bancorp Pacific Commerce Bancorp is the parent company for Pacific Commerce Bank. Pacific Commerce Bank operates six full-service branches in Los Angeles and San Diego Counties, including its wholly owned division, ProAmérica Bank, in Downtown Los Angeles. The Bank provides a complete array of deposit, treasury, cash management and loan banking solutions to small businesses, professionals and high net worth individuals from Los Angeles to the Mexico border. As a Preferred SBA Lender, the Bank provides a full complement of lending solutions to small businesses throughout Southern California. Pacific Commerce Bancorp’s common stock is publicly traded on the Over the Counter Market under the ticker symbol “PCBC”. For more information please visit our website at www.pacificcommercebank.com . Forward-Looking Information The financial information in this press release is based on unaudited financial results. Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking" statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and therefore the Company's actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties that the Company is subject to include, but are not limited to, risks related to the local and national economy, including fluctuations in interest rates and costs and changes in economic policy; the ability of the Company to perform in accordance with its plans; competition; regulatory matters; demand for loan products; deposit flows; its ability to develop and implement new technologies; and other factors. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements. Pacific Commerce Bancorp Consolidated Selected Financial Data – Unaudited (Amounts are in thousands, except for book value per share and shares outstanding data) BALANCE SHEETS December 31, September 30, December 31, 2017 2017 2016 Assets Cash and due from banks $ 8,615 $ 9,565 25,664 Interest Bearing Deposits with Other Banks 16,536 11,588 64,380 Federal Funds Sold 56,139 70,102 3,000 Investment securities - - 74 Mortgage Warehouse Loans Held for Sale - - 1,696 Other Loans Held for Sale 7,940 11,174 9,596 Loans, net of unearned income 425,027 413,443 412,102 Less: Allowance for loan losses (3,763 ) (3,561 ) (3,436 ) Net Loans 429,204 421,056 419,958 Other assets 25,617 26,099 26,484 Total Assets $ 536,111 $ 538,410 $ 539,560 Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Demand deposits $ 231,119 $ 234,796 $ 204,984 Non-maturity interest bearing deposits 147,283 145,459 143,815 Time Deposits 86,001 86,733 109,302 Total Deposits 464,403 466,988 458,101 Borrowings 5,947 5,937 20,906 Accrued interest and other liabilities 1,682 1,985 1,925 Total Liabilities 472,032 474,910 480,932 Shareholders' Equity Common stock 57,771 57,628 56,984 Retained Earnings 6,308 5,872 1,644 Other Comprehensive Income - - - Total Shareholders' Equity 64,079 63,500 58,628 Total Liabilities & Shareholders' Equity $ 536,111 $ 538,410 $ 539,560 Book value per share at end of period $ 7.16 $ 7.09 $ 6.58 Tangible Book Value per share at end of period $ 6.07 $ 6.00 $ 5.46 Ending Shares outstanding 8,951,285 8,951,285 8,912,269 Pacific Commerce Bancorp Consolidated Selected Financial Data – Unaudited (Amounts are in thousands, except for book value per share and shares outstanding data) STATEMENTS OF INCOME For the Twelve Months Ended December 31, For the Three Months Ended 2017 2016 % change $ change Dec 31, 2017 Sep 30, 2017 Dec 31, 2016 Total interest income $ 24,234 $ 21,609 12.1 % $ 2,625 $ 6,151 $ 6,150 $ 6,223 Total interest expense 1,561 1,354 15.3 % 207 436 407 387 Net interest income 22,673 20,255 11.9 % 2,418 5,715 5,743 5,836 Provision for loan losses 300 250 20.0 % 50 200 100 0 Net Income After Prov. for Loan Losses 22,373 20,005 11.8 % 2,368 5,515 5,643 5,836 Non-Interest Income: Service charges and fees 900 612 47.1 % 288 236 251 174 (Loss) on sale of loans (184 ) - - (184 ) - - - Gain on SBA loan sales and related fees 1,887 1,746 8.1 % 141 609 367 458 Other noninterest income 680 730 -6.8 % (50 ) 151 148 152 Total non-interest income 3,283 3,088 6.3 % 195 996 766 784 Non-Interest Expense (Non-merger Related): Total Salaries and employee benefits 9,353 8,858 5.6 % 495 2,486 2,173 2,294 Total Occupancy 1,950 1,747 11.6 % 203 482 501 491 Total Other noninterest expense 4,836 4,930 -1.9 % (94 ) 1,245 1,305 1,315 Non-Interest Expense (Non-merger Related) 16,139 15,535 3.9 % 604 4,213 3,979 4,100 Core earnings before Merger Related Expenses and Income Taxes 9,517 7,558 25.9 % 1,959 2,298 2,430 2,520 Non-Recurring Merger Related Expenses - 1,081 -100.0 % (1,081 ) - - - Tax Reform DTA Adjustment 930 - - 930 930 - - Income tax expense 3,923 2,785 40.9 % 1,138 931 1,010 994 Net Income (GAAP) $ 4,664 $ 3,692 26.3 % $ 972 $ 437 $ 1,420 $ 1,526 Basic earnings per share $ 0.52 $ 0.46 $ 0.05 $ 0.16 $ 0.17 Diluted EPS $ 0.50 $ 0.45 $ 0.05 $ 0.15 $ 0.17 Diluted EPS (excl. tax reform adj) $ 0.60 $ - $ 0.15 - - Diluted core earnings per average share $ 0.60 $ 0.54 $ 0.15 $ 0.15 $ 0.17 Average shares outstanding 8,942,630 8,004,766 8,951,285 8,950,133 8,912,269 Diluted average shares outstanding 9,249,023 8,160,970 9,311,655 9,264,445 9,068,473 Efficiency Ratio - GAAP 62.2 % 71.2 % 62.8 % 61.1 % 61.9 % Efficiency - merger expense adjusted 62.2 % 66.6 % 62.8 % 61.1 % 61.9 % Tax Reform DTA Adjustment 930 - 930 - - Net merger expenses after tax - 632 - - - ROAA GAAP 0.88 % 0.78 % 0.32 % 1.07 % 1.11 % ROAE GAAP 7.51 % 7.29 % 2.68 % 8.95 % 10.47 % ROAA (excl. merger exp) - 0.92 % - - - ROAE (excl. merger exp) - 8.53 % - - - ROAA (excl. tax reform adjustment) 1.05 % - 1.00 % - - ROAE (excl. tax reform adjustment) 9.01 % - 8.39 % - - Net Interest Margin - GAAP 4.48 % 4.73 % 4.41 % 4.55 % 4.47 % View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180123005499/en/ Pacific Commerce Bancorp Long T. Huynh, Chief Financial Officer 213-617-0082 Source: Pacific Commerce Bancorp

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/23/business-wire-pacific-commerce-bancorp-reports-2017-another-record-year.html

China drawing up new 2018-2020 crackdown on smog - official

January 31, 2018 / 2:36 AM / Updated an hour ago China drawing up new 2018-2020 crackdown on smog: official Reuters Staff 3 Min Read BEIJING (Reuters) - China is drawing up plans to extend curbs on smog over the 2018-2020 period, an environment ministry official said on Wednesday, after a five-year crackdown on pollution helped it meet its air quality targets last month. Liu Youbin, a spokesman at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said officials were working on “a three-year battle plan in the war to protect blue skies”, involving tighter regulations for major industrial regions like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the Yangtze and Pearl River deltas. The new three-year plan was expected to be completed in the first half of this year, Liu told reporters after a formal briefing. “It will continue to make Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei its key focus but it will also focus on other major regions like the Yangtze river delta, the northeast and Chengdu-Chongqing,” he added. China’s previous action plan, covering 2013-2017, forced the smog-prone Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to take action to reduce concentrations of hazardous particles known as PM2.5 by more than 25 percent. Despite near-record PM2.5 readings in January and February last year, northern China managed to meet 2013-2017 air quality targets by the end of 2017, largely thanks to a campaign that forced polluting factories in 28 cities to reduce output over the winter. The campaign is due to end in March and China has been trying to “normalize compliance” and put firms under more permanent scrutiny amid concerns that enterprises and local governments could lower their guard after meeting 2017 targets. A coal worker walks next to wagons amid smog in Huaibei, Anhui province, China January 29, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer Beijing has already sought to impose new “special emissions restrictions” on enterprises in major industrial sectors in northern China. Liu said China would continue to tackle “scattered” coal-burning sources - a major source of uncontrolled pollution in provinces like Hebei - and would also “steadily” promote clean energy heating. According to local media reports this week, Hebei was forced to suspend its plans to convert large numbers of coal-fired heating boilers to natural gas after winter supply shortages left thousands of households without heat. However, Liu denied the reports, telling reporters the Hebei government would “continue to pay close attention” to its coal-to-gas conversion efforts. Liu Zhiquan, head of the MEP’s monitoring office, told the briefing that average PM2.5 readings for the whole of China from Jan. 1-28 stood at 64 micrograms per cubic meter, down 20 percent on the year. Concentrations in Beijing fell 70.5 percent to 36 micrograms per cubic meter, close to the state standard of 35 micrograms. However, average readings in the Yangtze and Pearl river deltas, which include Shanghai and Guangzhou respectively, actually increased over the month, he said, without giving details. Reporting by Muyu Xu and David Stanway; Editing by Joseph Radford and Richard Pullin

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution/china-drawing-up-new-2018-2020-battle-plan-against-smog-official-idUKKBN1FK095

Global markets: oil slides, dollar in the dumps

Global markets: oil slides, dollar in the dumps 2:12pm GMT - 01:53 Share markets continue to take heart after China's GDP data adds more brushstrokes to an improving global growth picture. But, as David Pollard reports, fears of a US government shutdown dominate the dollar, and oil prices slide sharply on supply concerns. Share markets continue to take heart after China's GDP data adds more brushstrokes to an improving global growth picture. But, as David Pollard reports, fears of a US government shutdown dominate the dollar, and oil prices slide sharply on supply concerns. //reut.rs/2DrkvCg

https://uk.reuters.com/video/2018/01/19/global-markets-oil-slides-dollar-in-the?videoId=387179441

Cricket-Inspired India rip through South Africa to set up victory chance

January 8, 2018 / 11:04 AM / Updated 36 minutes ago Philander takes six as South Africa beat India Nick Said 3 Min Read CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Seamer Vernon Philander took career-best figures as rampant South Africa claimed a 72-run victory over India on a gripping fourth day of the first test on Monday. Cricket - India v South Africa - First Test cricket match - Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa - January 8, 2018. India cricket players celebrate the dismissal of South Africa's Faf du Plessis, bowled by Mohammed Shami. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham Set 208 for victory, India were skittled out for 135 in 42.4 overs in their second innings on a lively wicket with Philander the chief destroyer, recording figures of 6-42. India had looked to seize control of the test when they bowled South Africa out for 130 in the morning session, but found the home attack on the seamer-friendly wicket too much of a challenge. ”I was nervous we did not have enough runs,“ South Africa captain Faf du Plessis told reporters. ”I knew the new ball would be key for us, if we could strike early we believed we could get through their batting line-up. “But I came in this morning hoping to get a 350 lead and bowl at them tonight, so obviously that did not go to plan.” After day three had been a washout, 18 wickets fell in 64 overs on Monday, all going to seamers. South Africa resumed on 65 for two, but were only able to double their score before they lost their last eight wickets. Mohammed Shami (3-28) and debutant Jasprit Bumrah (3-39) were the pick of the Indian bowlers. Only an attacking 35 from AB De Villiers stemmed the tide to a degree before he was the last man out. Cricket - India v South Africa - First Test cricket match - Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa - January 8, 2018. South Africa's Vernon Philander bowls to India's Murali Vijay. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham South Africa, without injured seamer Dale Steyn who will miss the rest of the series with a heel problem, weathered a first-wicket stand of 30 for India in reply. Shikhar Dhawan (16) was out first as he sparred a rising deliver from Morne Morkel (2-39) to gully. Philander picked up his first wicket as fellow opener Murali Vijay (13) edged to third slip. Slideshow (11 Images) Cheteshwar Pujara (four) became Morkel’s second victim with the score on 39, before Indian captain Virat Kohli (28) took the attack to the South Africans. He was undone playing across a straight delivery from Philander. Rohit Sharma (10) was bowled off the inside edge by Philander before the tourists’ first-innings hero Hardik Pandya edged Kagiso Rabada to De Villiers in the slips. Rabada claimed the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha (eight) with the last ball before tea. Philander then took three wickets in four balls to seal victory after a seventh-wicket stand of 49 between top-scorer Ravichandran Ashwin (37) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (13 not out) had briefly sent jitters through the Newlands crowd. “We were in the game for the three days and it was a wonderful match to be part of,” Kohli said. “But we need to rectify our mistakes... the mindset really matters when you travel away from home.” South Africa are hosting India in a three-test series this month, with matches to come in Pretoria, starting on Saturday, and Johannesburg. Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond and Christian Radnedge

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-cricket-test-zaf-ind/inspired-india-rip-through-south-africa-to-set-up-victory-chance-idUKKBN1EX0WL

China holds key to future of Airbus A380 superjumbo

Hugely popular with passengers but less so with airlines, after just 10 years in the sky, the Airbus A380 superjumbo is struggling to find buyers. The France-based manufacturer is reportedly offering China an industrial partnership with the company if Beijing places orders for its largest passenger jet. Airbus Chief Operating Officer Fabrice Bregier is in China to hold talks after traveling to the country as part of French President Emmanuel Macron's trade mission. Rami Myerson, an analyst at Investec, said Monday that there had been speculation for some time that Beijing will invest in the struggling superjumbo. "There is a view that aircraft and airspace are becoming more and more congested and given the strong growth in China that could be an attractive plane for the country," he said. Airbus currently has fewer than 100 Airbus A380s on its production line and it is expected that some of these orders will be canceled. It had hoped to announce a fresh deal for at least 30 more A380s with top customer Emirates at the Dubai Airshow in November, but that never happened and negotiations appear to have stalled. Emirates has expressed concern that, with few other customers, Airbus may not be able to fulfill its delivery promise. NASSER YOUNES | AFP | Getty Images Myerson said that it was "definitely a possibility" the plane's program could end if China showed no interest in working on it. The analyst added that there is competition from Boeing's upgraded 777 and that airlines are debating if they want a slightly smaller aircraft for long-haul operations. Fulfilling capacity demand is one reason for China to buy the A380, but Myerson said another incentive is to glean technical experience of how a wide-body aircraft is built. China has openly stated that it wants to grow its own domestic aerospace industry so that in future it can vie with the likes of Boeing and Airbus. Airbus has a new senior management team coming on board in early 2019 and Myerson said that while it will be expected to address the future of the A380, investors will be focused more on the success of the A320 and A350 programs.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/08/china-holds-key-to-future-of-airbus-a380-superjumbo.html

Factbox: A chronology of Thomson Reuters Corp

(Reuters) - Thomson Reuters Corp’s origins date back to the 19th century, when Paul Julius Reuter started a business providing stock prices and news in London, while The Thomson Corporation was founded by newspaper publisher Roy Thomson in 1934 in Canada. The current company resulted from the purchase by The Thomson Corporation of Reuters Group PLC in 2008. Here are highlights in the history of the two companies: 2018 - Thomson Reuters agrees to sell a 55 percent stake in its Financial and Risk division, which provides real-time data on securities, currencies, commodities and news to the financial sector, into a joint venture with U.S. private equity firm Blackstone Group LP. The deal values the business at $20 billion including debt. 2008 - Thomson Corp and Reuters Group Plc merge into Thomson Reuters Corp, providing real time news and analytics to the financial sector, online legal and accounting information, and news to newspapers, television, radio and websites internationally. 1996 - Thomson sells all its UK holdings along with 43 daily newspapers in the United States and Canada and buys West Publishing, a U.S. provider of legal information. 1981 - Thomson sells The Times of London to Rupert Murdoch’s News International Ltd (UK). 1973 - Reuters launches Reuter Monitor Money Rates Service, the first electronic marketplace for foreign exchange and money rates and later sets up Reuters Monitor Dealing Service for the trading of foreign exchange via video terminals. 1959 - Thomson expands into the UK with acquisition of The Sunday Times newspaper and later buys the Times of London. 1941 - Creation of the Reuter Trust Principles, an agreement with the UK Newspaper Publishers Association and the shareholders of Reuters that imposed obligations on Reuters to act with “integrity, independence and freedom from bias.” 1932 - Roy Thomson, the son of a barber who left school at 14 to become a bookkeeper opens a radio station in Canada and later buys his first newspaper, The Timmins Press, in Canada. 1851 - Paul Julius Reuter, the son of a German rabbi who married the daughter of a German Lutheran pastor, moves to London and establishes a news wire agency and stock price service. (This version of the factbox corrects name of company founder in first and last paragraphs to Paul Julius Reuter) Reporting by Leslie Adler

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thomsonreuters-f-r-blackstone-factbox/factbox-a-chronology-of-thomson-reuters-corp-idUSKBN1FK085

BLACKHAWK NETWORK HOLDINGS, INC. SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Former SEC Attorney Willie Briscoe Believes the Acquisition by Silver Lake and P2 Capital Partners May be Unfair to Shareholders

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Former United States Securities and Exchange Commission attorney Willie Briscoe is investigating potential claims against the Board of Directors of Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (“Blackhawk”) (NASDAQ: HAWK) concerning the acquisition by Silver Lake and P2 Capital Partners. Under the terms of the agreement, valued at approximately $3.5 billion, Blackhawk shareholders will only receive $45.25 in cash per Blackhawk share owned. The consideration is significantly lower than at least one analyst’s estimated value of $51.00. If you are an affected investor, and you want to learn more about the investigation or if you have information that you believe would be helpful to our investigation of the fairness of the proposed transaction, contact Willie Briscoe at The Briscoe Law Firm, PLLC via email at shareholders@thebriscoelawfirm.com or by calling (888) 809-2750. There is no cost or fee to you. The investigation centers on whether Blackhawk’s Board of Directors is acting in the shareholders’ best interests, whether the board considered alternatives to the acquisition, and whether the board has employed an adequate process to review and act on the proposed transaction. Notably, at least one analyst with Yahoo! Finance believes the true inherent value of Blackhawk could be as high as $51.00 per share. The Briscoe Law Firm, PLLC is a full service business litigation and shareholder rights advocacy firm with more than 20 years of experience in complex litigation matters, including claims of investor and stockholder fraud, shareholder derivative suits, and securities class actions. View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180116006443/en/ The Briscoe Law Firm, PLLC Willie Briscoe, 888-809-2750 shareholders@thebriscoelawfirm.com Source: The Briscoe Law Firm, PLLC

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/business-wire-blackhawk-network-holdings-inc-shareholder-alert-former-sec-attorney-willie-briscoe-believes-the-acquisition-by-silver-lake.html

RM LAW Announces Class Action Lawsuit Against Yelp Inc.

BERWYN, Pa., Jan. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- RM LAW, P.C. announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP) ("Yelp" or the "Company") securities between February 10, 2017 and May 9, 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Yelp shareholders may, no later than March 19, 2018, move the Court for appointment as a lead plaintiff of the Class. If you purchased shares of Yelp and would like to learn more about these claims or if you wish to discuss these matters and have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights, contact Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or to sign up online, click here . Yelp operates a social networking, user review, and local search website. The Company provides the site as a guide for visitors to find reviews and details about local businesses. On February 9, 2017, Yelp reported Fiscal 2016 financial and operational results, and provided a "business outlook" for Fiscal 2017. For Fiscal 2017 the Company reported that "net revenue is expected to be in the range of $880 million to $900 million" and that adjusted EBITDA "is expected to be in the range of $150 million to $165 million." The shareholder class action complaint alleges that Yelp and certain of its senior executive officers made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Yelp's transition from a Cost-Per-Thousand-Impressions ("CPM") to a Cost-Per-Click ("CPC") model in Fiscal 2016 created a distinct cohort of local advertisers that would reach the end of their contracts during the first part of Fiscal 2017; (ii) new customers that signed on with Yelp under the CPC pricing model had lower retention rates because the customers did not effectively compete with Yelp's more established customers; and (iii) that, as a result of the lower retention rates, Yelp was not on track to achieve its financial guidance or results during the Class Period. On May 9, 2017, Yelp reported its First Quarter 2017 financial and operational results and reduced its Fiscal 2017 business outlook. Specifically, the Company announced that it had decreased its net revenue outlook for Fiscal 2017 down to $850 – $865 million from $880 – $900 million, and that it had decreased its adjusted EBITDA outlook for Fiscal 2017 down to $130 – $145 million from $150 – $165 million. Following this news, shares of the Company's stock declined $6.37 per share, or over 18.3%, to close on May 10, 2017 at $28.33 per share, on unusually heavy trading volume. If you are a member of the class, you may, no later than March 19, 2018, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff of the class. A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Under certain circumstances, one or more class members may together serve as "lead plaintiff." Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. You may retain RM LAW, P.C. or other counsel of your choice, to serve as your counsel in this action. For more information regarding this, please contact RM LAW, P.C. (Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire) toll-free at (844) 291-9299 or by email at rm@maniskas.com or click here . For more information about class action cases in general or to learn more about RM LAW, P.C. please visit our website by clicking here . RM LAW, P.C. is a national shareholder litigation firm. RM LAW, P.C. is devoted to protecting the interests of individual and institutional investors in shareholder actions in state and federal courts nationwide. CONTACT: RM LAW, P.C. Richard A. Maniskas, Esquire 1055 Westlakes Dr., Ste. 3112 Berwyn, PA 19312 484-324-6800 844-291-9299 rm@maniskas.com View original content with multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rm-law-announces-class-action-lawsuit-against-yelp-inc-300586956.html SOURCE RM LAW, P.C.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/23/pr-newswire-rm-law-announces-class-action-lawsuit-against-yelp-inc.html

JPMorgan, Goldman to lead Dropbox in U.S. - Bloomberg

Jan 11 (Reuters) - Data-sharing business Dropbox Inc has filed confidentially for a U.S. initial public offering led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc and JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Dropbox is in talks with other banks to fill additional roles on the IPO and is aiming to be listed in the first half of 2018, the report said. The company, valued at almost $10 billion in a private fundraising round in 2014, was seeking to hire underwriters for an IPO, Reuters had reported in June. Dropbox could not be immediately reached for comment. (Reporting by Shariq Khan in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/11/reuters-america-jpmorgan-goldman-to-lead-dropbox-in-u-s-ipo--bloomberg.html

Dallas' Caldwell Cassady & Curry Promotes Attorney Hamad Hamad to Principal

DALLAS, Jan. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dallas-based law firm Caldwell Cassady & Curry has promoted attorney Hamad M. Hamad to principal. Mr. Hamad's new role is based on his successful representation of clients and demonstrated firm leadership. Having represented both plaintiffs and defendants in intellectual property disputes and complex commercial litigation, Mr. Hamad provides broad experience in cases involving multimedia content protection and purchasing; digital encryption; medical devices; audio/video conferencing; virtual private networks; cloud computing; oil and gas well completion; and a variety of additional technologies. Mr. Hamad was a key member of the Caldwell Cassady & Curry trial team that helped Smartflash LLC win Texas' largest intellectual property verdict in 2015 against Apple Inc. A year later, he helped Cellular Communications Equipment, LLC, win a $22 million verdict against Apple in a separate patent infringement trial. He also represented VirnetX Inc. in another victory against Apple that was entered as a judgment of nearly $440 million in late 2017. His additional work for clients includes assisting with matters before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board on behalf of REM Holdings and Dr. Robert Morley Jr. in a patent infringement and founders' dispute lawsuit against Square Inc. Registered as a patent attorney before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Mr. Hamad also is licensed to practice in Texas state courts; the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Hamad has been honored as one of the state's top young lawyers since 2015 on the Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars list by Thomson Reuters. He earned his law degree, magna cum laude, at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law after completing his undergraduate degree in biology, summa cum laude, at the University of Texas at Arlington. Caldwell Cassady & Curry represents companies and individuals in high-stakes civil litigation, including patent infringement cases, trade secrets claims, fiduciary duty cases, class actions, and disputes involving company founders. The firm has tried and won some of the nation's top verdicts against the largest companies in the world. To learn more, visit www.caldwellcc.com . For more information, contact Bruce Vincent at 214-763-6226 or bruce.vincent@musecommunicationsllc.com . View original content: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dallas-caldwell-cassady--curry-promotes-attorney-hamad-hamad-to-principal-300579235.html SOURCE Caldwell Cassady & Curry

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/08/pr-newswire-dallas-caldwell-cassady-curry-promotes-attorney-hamad-hamad-to-principal.html

Engineering Services Network (ESN) Promotes Douglas R. Lopez to President

WOODBRIDGE, Va., Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Engineering Services Network, Inc.(ESN) , a leading provider of professional engineering and IT services for military and government customers, named Douglas "Doug" R. Lopez as its new President. As President, Lopez, 46, will be responsible for implementing IT, program management, cyber engineering and logistic solutions and services that deliver the right capabilities at the right cost to ESN's customers in the Defense Department and federal government marketplace. "Doug brings significant leadership, a rich military background, and a wealth of experience in engineering, IT and cyber engineering to ESN," said Chairman and CEO Raymond F. Lopez, Jr., the founder of ESN, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business based in Woodbridge, Va. "He will continue to lead the future of ESN's growth strategy and as a service-disabled veteran, he will ensure ESN's continued success as a Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business." Doug Lopez's ascent began in 1998 when he joined ESN as a system analyst. Lopez advanced to Program Manager, then Director of Operations before becoming COO, and now President. "I'm honored to take the day-to-day helm at ESN and focus on assisting our military and government customers," Lopez said. "As a small business leader in the Washington, DC, area since 1995, ESN and our advanced teams are always ready to provide the most cost-effective, leading-edge IT solutions to our growing list of customers. Technology and cyber capabilities are driving the changes today at the DoD, and we want to continue as a small business leader in that arena." Engineering Services Network, Inc. ESN is a trusted leader in engineering and technology solutions. Founded in 1995, ESN is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business with military and government customers, delivering professional management & systems engineering services; cyber security & information/mission assurance services ; network design, integration, & data center consolidation services ; enterprise IT ITIL & ITSM services ; systems development & life-cycle services ; health IT services ; and acquisition services . ESN customer experience includes U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Military Sealift Command, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, HHS and agencies. Based in Woodbridge, VA, ESN has offices in U.S./worldwide. ESN is ISO 9001:2008 certified and has achieved Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level 3 for Services v 1.3. ESN: esncc.com . Company: Al Desmarais, Business Development 678-967-1424; ADesmarais@esncc.com Media: Carol Castaneda for ESN 703-863-9960 Castaneda@cgcprmedia.com View original content: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/engineering-services-network-esn-promotes-douglas-r-lopez-to-president-300590005.html SOURCE Engineering Services Network, Inc. (ESN)

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/30/pr-newswire-engineering-services-network-esn-promotes-douglas-r-lopez-to-president.html

UPDATE 1-Pfizer's biosimilar of Roche's Rituxan succeeds in study

(Adds background, Roche share price) Jan 24 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc said on Wednesday its biosimilar of Roche’s Rituxan was as effective as the original drug in treating patients with a type of follicular lymphoma, meeting the main goal of a study. The success of Pfizer’s biosimilar comes as Rituxan’s U.S. patent is set to expire later this year. The drug had raked in sales of about 7.30 billion Swiss francs ($7.70 billion) in 2016. Rituxan, Roche’s best-selling drug, is used in treating several types of blood cancer as well as rheumatoid arthritis. Increasing competition by biosimilars is expected to erode sales for a number of Roche’s top-selling cancer drugs. The Swiss drugmakers shares were down 0.8 percent on Thursday. Rituxan, breast cancer drug Herceptin and Avastin together had 2016 revenue of 20.9 billion Swiss francs ($21.8 billion) - equal to more than half Roche’s pharmaceuticals business. Still, their combined sales are expected to fall more than 40 percent by 2022, according to consensus analyst forecasts compiled by Thomson Reuters. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Mylan NV’s biosimilar of Herceptin last month. The FDA and the European Commission have both approved Amgen’s biosimilar version of Avastin. Roche and Biogen Inc co-market Rituxan in the United States. The drug is sold under the brand name MabThera by Roche in other markets, except Japan where its is co-marketed by Chugai and Zenyaku Kogyo Co Ltd. Rituxan first received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval in 1997 to treat a type of blood cancer. Pfizer’s shares were up marginally in late morning trading on Wednesday. (Reporting by Manas Mishra and Akankshita Mukhopadhyay in Bengaluru and Michael Erman in New York; Editing by Anil D‘Silva and Bernadette Baum)

https://www.reuters.com/article/pfizer-study/update-1-pfizers-biosimilar-of-roches-rituxan-succeeds-in-study-idUSL4N1PJ4KE

The painful search for loved ones detained by Islamic State

The painful search for loved ones detained by Islamic State 9:58am EST - 02:10 Thousands of people that were detained by Islamic State remain missing their loved ones are demanding answers about where they've gone now the militant group has collapsed. Reuters Emily Wither reports from Istanbul. ▲ Hide Transcript ▶ View Transcript Thousands of people that were detained by Islamic State remain missing their loved ones are demanding answers about where they've gone now the militant group has collapsed. Reuters Emily Wither reports from Istanbul. Press CTRL+C (Windows), CMD+C (Mac), or long-press the URL below on your mobile device to copy the code https://reut.rs/2B315NW

https://www.reuters.com/video/2018/01/15/the-painful-search-for-loved-ones-detain?videoId=386222714

LTC Declares Its Monthly Common Stock Cash Dividend for the First Quarter of 2018

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- LTC Properties, Inc. (NYSE:LTC) announced today that it had declared a monthly cash dividend on its common stock for the first quarter of 2018. The Company declared a monthly cash dividend of $0.19 per common share per month for the months of January, February and March 2018, payable on January 31, February 28 and March 30, 2018, respectively, to stockholders of record on January 23, February 20 and March 22, 2018, respectively. About LTC Properties LTC (NYSE:LTC) is a real estate investment trust that invests in seniors housing and health care properties primarily through sale-leaseback transactions, mortgage financing and structured finance solutions including mezzanine lending. The company’s portfolio currently includes more than 200 assisted living communities, memory care communities and post-acute/skilled nursing centers, located in 28 states with 29 regional and national operating partners. For more information on LTC Properties, Inc., visit the Company’s website at www.LTCreit.com , or connect with us on Twitter @LTCreit and LinkedIn . This press release includes statements that are not purely historical and are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding the Company’s expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. All statements other than historical facts contained in this press release are forward looking statements. These forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. All forward looking statements included in this press release are based on information available to the Company on the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update such forward looking statements. Although the Company’s management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. The actual results achieved by the Company may differ materially from any forward looking statements due to the risks and uncertainties of such statements. View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180102005016/en/ LTC Properties, Inc. Wendy Simpson Pam Kessler (805) 981-8655 Source: LTC Properties, Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/02/business-wire-ltc-declares-its-monthly-common-stock-cash-dividend-for-the-first-quarter-of-2018.html

Catalyst OrthoScience Strengthens Its Board of Directors with The Addition of Greg Rainey

NAPLES, Fla., Jan. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Catalyst OrthoScience, Inc., a cutting-edge medical device company focused on the upper extremity orthopedics market, today announced the addition of Greg Rainey to its Board of Directors. Mr. Rainey brings over forty years of experience to the Catalyst OrthoScience Board. Mr. Rainey's career has been in sales management and business development, serving a cross section of the healthcare industry including orthopedics, medical supplies and equipment, and biologics. Mr. Rainey is the founder and principal of CCI Performance Group, an executive consulting firm designed to deliver sustainable business solutions for both leading Fortune 500 healthcare companies and early-stage medical device ventures. Most recently, he served on the Board of Directors for RTI Surgical (RTIX), and currently sits on the Board of CAS Medical (CASM). Mr. Rainey's experience includes Stryker Corporation where he served as Vice President of Sales for the Orthopedic Division. Prior to Stryker, Mr. Rainey held sales leadership positions Joint Medical Corporation and U.S. Surgical Corporation. Mr. Rainey received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Loyola University. "We are privileged to have Greg join our board at such an important time in our company's history. Greg's successful track record in orthopedics is critical to us as we expand the market presence of our disruptive, stemless shoulder replacement technology. We look forward to his contributions," said Bob Kaufman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Catalyst OrthoScience. The Catalyst CSR™ Total Shoulder System provides consistently reproducible shoulder joint restoration with a canal-sparing humeral implant that is smaller, more anatomically-shaped, and less invasive than traditional shoulder replacement Catalyst OrthoScience was founded in 2014 by orthopedic surgeon Steven Goldberg, M.D. saw the need to make shoulder replacement surgery less invasive and give patients a more normal feeling shoulder after surgery. About Catalyst OrthoScience Inc. Headquartered in Naples, FL, Catalyst OrthoScience develops and markets innovative medical device solutions that make orthopedic surgery less invasive and more efficient for both surgeons and patients. The company's first offering, the Catalyst CSR™ Total Shoulder System, represents the next evolution in stemless total shoulder arthroplasty. The Catalyst CSR™ is a single-tray total shoulder arthroplasty system containing a non-spherical humeral implant for consistent anatomic joint line restoration and specialized, patented glenoid instrumentation for a less invasive approach that preserves the natural anatomy and removes less of the patient's bone. The Catalyst CSR™ System is optimal for use in both the inpatient and outpatient settings and was cleared for use by the FDA in 2016. Catalyst OrthoScience's products are marketed under a variety of brands including Catalyst OrthoScience® and Catalyst CSR™. For additional information on the Company, please visit http://www.catalystortho.com . View original content with multimedia: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/catalyst-orthoscience-strengthens-its-board-of-directors-with-the-addition-of-greg-rainey-300583672.html SOURCE Catalyst OrthoScience, Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/pr-newswire-catalyst-orthoscience-strengthens-its-board-of-directors-with-the-addition-of-greg-rainey.html

UnitedCorp Subsidiary Blockchain Data Centers Inc Acquires First Dedicated Blockchain Mining Data Center

MIAMI, Jan. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- Miami-based United Blockchain Corp a wholly owned subsidiary United American Corp ("UnitedCorp"), (OTC:UAMA) announced today that it has acquired its first data center facility in the Mile End neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec Canada which it will operate through a newly created mining division; Blockchain Data Centers Inc. The leased facility which has capacity for 50 mining rigs is fully built out and will be ready to start hosting GPU-based mining servers within the following weeks. UnitedCorp recently completed experimental testing on its own custom designed and built, 13 GPU-based Ethereum mining rig, and successfully completed a full 30 day uninterrupted hashing rate of 400 Mega Hash per second (400 MHash/s) in precise over clock calibration. The total amount of Ether (Ethereum or ETH) tokens mined using an independent third party mining pool, was 2 ETHER TOKENS over a 31 continuous days with current Ethereum network difficulty during the period of November 21 to December 22, 2017. The total revenue in USD is estimated at US$2,225 based on the current value of an ETH. The power draw of the rig was on average 1,492 watts or 1.492 kW/h resulting in an estimated cost of electricity of approximately US$50 per month based on undiscounted power rates. The total cost of each rig including assembly is estimated at US$8,000 and the company is currently evaluating options for the financing of a suite of rigs for the facility. About United American Corp Established in 1992, United American Corp is a Florida-based development and management company focusing on telecommunications technologies. The company currently holds the rights to manage and develop projects based on a portfolio of patent and proprietary technology in telecommunications, social media and more recently in Blockchain PSTN technology. This includes patent pending Smartphone-over-IP technology as well as the Canada and US patented iFramed social media posting gateway. iFramed is currently the subject of enforcement action against Snap Inc. which UnitedCorp alleges is the underlying technology for Snap's "Geofilters". For more information, visit: www.unitedcorp.com . This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors that may be beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made, and the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances in management's expectations or opinions change. Source: United American Corp Contact: Jenna Trevor-Deutsch Investor Relations investorrelations@unitedcorp.com 604 398 5000 ext: 109 Source:United American Corp.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/09/globe-newswire-unitedcorp-subsidiary-blockchain-data-centers-inc-acquires-first-dedicated-blockchain-mining-data-center.html

FOREX-Dollar nurses losses but set for big monthly drop; franc slips

* Dollar set to decline 3 percent on a monthly basis * German bond yields rise to multi-year highs * UBS expects Swiss Franc to weaken to 1.19 vs euro * Graphic: World FX rates in 2017 tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh By Saikat Chatterjee LONDON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The dollar consolidated losses against a basket of currencies on Monday as U.S. bond yields rose but traders were cautious on the broader outlook as recent strong data has not changed expectations about the path of U.S. interest rates. Data on Friday showed U.S economic growth accelerated to 2.3 percent in 2017, faster than the 1.5 percent logged in 2016, although growth in the December quarter slowed on a sequential basis and was below market expectations. Lee Hardman, a currency strategist at MUFG, said the strong data should encourage the Fed to adopt a more confident tone in this week’s policy meeting and will only cement expectations of another rate hike in March. But “the updated signal is unlikely to prove sufficient to prompt the market to price in more rapid tightening beyond the Fed’s current plans for three hikes this year, thereby dampening support for the U.S. dollar”, he added. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin gave U.S. currency bears a major boost last week with a tacit endorsement of a weak dollar. While U.S. President Donald Trump, who has advocated a strong dollar, tried to row back from those comments, the damage had already been done and the greenback’s downturn since November showed little sign of abating. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar bounced a quarter of a percent higher to 89.30 after scoring six consecutive weeks of losses. On a monthly basis it is set to fall 3 percent. Over the last decade, including the global financial crisis in 2008, it has fallen by that extent only 10 times, according to Thomson Reuters data. Reuters data points to market expectations of about three more Federal Reserve rate hikes this year, starting in March, although some analysts, including at Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Asset Management expect the Fed to raise four times. U.S. Treasury yields climbed to fresh multi-year highs in European trade on Monday, extending rises seen last week as investors braced for major central banks to step back from ultra-easy monetary policies. The 10-year yield rose to 2.71 percent, its highest since early 2014. FRANC WEAKNESS The Swiss franc was the day’s underperformer, declining more than a quarter of a percent against the dollar and weaker against the crosses after weekly deposits data showed a pick up in capital outflows. The franc has traditionally been a countercyclical currency for global funds as it tends to gain when risk aversion is on the rise and vice versa, although that correlation has weakened thanks to central banks’ unconventional monetary policies. But as the European Central Bank starts to unwind its multi-year policy stimulus starting this month, market watchers expect the Swiss currency to weaken substantially as domestic investors look to international markets for better returns. “We expect the SNB (Swiss National Bank) to lag the other European central banks in normalizing monetary policy as the exchange rate remains highly overvalued and as outflows from the Swiss market have picked up pace. That should be a relief for the SNB,” said Kamal Sharma, a director of G10 FX strategy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. While the franc edged 0.3 percent weaker against a broadly struggling dollar, it was also on the back foot against the euro, with the currency stabilising above the 1.16 line. UBS Wealth Management expects the franc to weaken to 1.19 against the euro as the gap between ECB policy withdrawal and SNB’s precautionary stance is likely to widen. Chairman Thomas Jordan reaffirmed the SNB’s view on the currency earlier this month, saying the Swiss franc remained “highly valued” and negative interest rates were still needed. The euro traded at $1.2400, down 0.2 percent and off a three-year peak of $1.2538 touched on Thursday. The single currency’s failure over the past couple of days to stay above $1.25 is seen by some traders as a sign of fatigue in its six-week old rally. Data from U.S. financial watchdog the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed speculators’ net long position in the euro/dollar futures traded in Chicago rose to a record high, suggesting that profit-taking could be on the cards. Reporting by Saikat Chatterjee; Editing by Catherine Evans

https://www.reuters.com/article/global-forex/forex-dollar-nurses-losses-but-set-for-big-monthly-drop-franc-slips-idUSL4N1PO3WW

How much pro athletes earn in the Super Bowl and World Series

With the National Football League playoffs in full swing, fans will spend their weekends rooting for their team to make it to the Super Bowl. For the players, a Super Bowl win doesn't just mean glory. It also comes with a hefty bonus check. But, surprisingly, not one as hefty as the bonus check some other winning athletes can expect. SB Nation crunched the numbers to determine approximately how much athletes in every sport would take home after winning their respective championship game, looking at professional football, hockey, baseball and basketball. To compile the data, SB National analyzed major American sports leagues' collective bargaining agreements. show chapters Dallas Cowboys running back Alfred Morris drives a $2 car 9:47 AM ET Thu, 19 Oct 2017 | 00:49 In total, Super Bowl 52's champs will receive around $191,000 each, though the number can fluctuate depending on the team's starting position and schedule. A team that has a bye during the wild card round will earn less than a lower-ranked team that goes on to win all four of their games. Last year, every member of the winning New England Patriots took home $107,000 , even if they didn't play a single minute. Even the losing team was compensated: The Atlanta Falcons received $53,000 each. In comparison, baseball players on the Houston Astros who claimed a world series win in 2017 earned around $438,901.57. That's 130 percent more than their NFL counterparts for scoring a victory at the championship game. show chapters This NFL starting quarterback drives a dented van he bought from his grandma for $5,000 11:38 AM ET Fri, 17 Nov 2017 | 00:52 Basketball falls somewhere in the middle — $221,000, as estimated by SB Nation — while hockey is decidedly less at around $163,000 per player. Although $191,000 is a sizable amount of money by normal standards, it pales in comparison to many NFL players' salaries. Take Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, who all earn more than $20 million per season . There is one thing you can't put a price on, however: a Super Bowl ring. They can be worth anywhere from $5,000 to $37,000 or more, but the prestige that comes with being the best in the league, if only for a season, is priceless. Don't miss: Here's how much the highest-paid NFL players make now, compared to their first year in the league Why an NFL player who earns millions still drives a 26-year-old car he bought for $2 Why these 5 pro athletes earn millions but still drive super cheap cars Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook ! show chapters Why top MLB players are leaving major bat brands for this upstart company 7:25 AM ET Wed, 18 Oct 2017 | 01:50

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/12/how-much-pro-athletes-earn-in-the-super-bowl-and-world-series.html

Amazon, Berkshire, JPM to partner on cheaper healthcare for staff

January 30, 2018 / 12:29 PM / Updated 22 minutes ago Amazon, Berkshire, JPMorgan partner to cut U.S. healthcare costs Caroline Humer , Ankur Banerjee 5 Min Read (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase & Co said on Tuesday they will form a company to cut health costs for hundreds of thousands of their U.S. employees, setting up a major challenge to an inefficient U.S. healthcare system. The move by three of the best-known U.S. business leaders - Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Berkshire’s Warren Buffett and JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon - would take on the world’s most expensive healthcare system, whose mounting costs have hurt corporate profits. Shares in U.S. healthcare companies fell across the board. The new, not-for-profit venture will initially focus on technology for “simplified, high-quality and transparent healthcare” for their more than 500,000 U.S. employees. They did not elaborate on their strategy, but said they are searching for a chief executive officer. Healthcare industry experts say the new entity could eventually negotiate directly with drugmakers, doctors and hospitals and use their vast databases to get a better handle on the costs of those services. That could undercut the industry’s “middlemen,” from health insurers to pharmacies and benefits managers. “The ballooning costs of healthcare act as a hungry tapeworm on the American economy,” said Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Warren Buffett. “Our group does not come to this problem with answers. But we also do not accept it as inevitable.” ISI Evercore analyst Michael Newshal said the selloff in healthcare stocks reflected the fear of disruption in a sector helped by rising prices year after year, but is under growing scrutiny from U.S. consumers, regulators and politicians. “There are a lot of companies, or arguably almost all companies, in healthcare that benefit from cost inflation running as high as it has been for many years. And if there is pressure to lower that, that can flow throughout the entire system,” Newshal said. MAJOR DISRUPTOR? U.S. healthcare spending has been increasing annually faster than inflation, and in 2017 accounted for 18 percent of the U.S. economy. Corporations sponsor health benefits for more than 160 million Americans. Major healthcare players have tried to reduce costs without losing their profit margins. Most recently, pharmacy network CVS Health Corp reached a $69 billion deal to buy insurer Aetna Inc, arguing their combination could save money for the nation’s employers. Slideshow (3 Images) Investors in the sector see Amazon becoming a major disruptor of healthcare, just as it has done in the retail industry, fueled by media reports in recent months that the company was considering entering the pharmacy business. Teaming up with JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. bank, and Berkshire, the third largest public company in the world, offers new opportunities to shake up the industry, analysts said. For example, JPMorgan could help shape new payment models for consumers and providers, and provide cost data. CEO Dimon has for years expressed concerns about rising healthcare costs. In 2015 he wrote in his annual letter that the company spent $1.1 billion on medical benefits for U.S. employees, 2 percent of companywide expenses. Berkshire CEO Buffett has long complained that high healthcare costs were hurting American businesses, and publicly began using the term “tapeworm” to describe their effects as early as 2010. The partnership will be spearheaded by Berkshire investment officer Todd Combs, JPMorgan managing director Marvelle Berchtold and Amazon senior vice president Beth Galetti. Combs, 47, has been an investment deputy to Buffett since 2010, and joined JPMorgan’s board in 2016. INSURERS FALL Health insurers that provide benefit management or health plans to Amazon, JPMorgan and Berkshire could be among the hardest hit. JPMorgan uses UnitedHealth Group Inc ( UNH.N ) and Cigna Corp ( CI.N ) for health benefits for its global workforce, according to ISI Evercore analyst Ross Muken. Neither company was available for comment. Amazon uses Premera Blue Cross, part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield network, according to Muken. Express Scripts ( ESRX.O ), the pharmacy benefits manager, has disclosed it manages pharmacy benefits for Amazon. Shares in UnitedHealth, Cigna Corp and health insurer Anthem Inc fell 3 percent to 7 percent. Drugstore operators CVS ( CVS.N ) and Walgreen Boots Alliance ( WBA.O ) as well Express Scripts all dropped between 4 percent to 5 percent. Drug distributors Cardinal Health ( CAH.N ), AmerisourceBergen and McKesson were off 1 percent to 3 percent. Amazon added 0.7 percent. Related Coverage

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-healthcare/amazon-berkshire-jpm-to-partner-on-cheaper-healthcare-for-staff-idUKKBN1FJ1NF

Cannae Holdings, Inc. Announces Ceridian’s Confidential Submission of a Draft Registration Statement for Initial Public Offering

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cannae Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CNNE) (“Cannae”) today announced that Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. (“Ceridian”), a Cannae portfolio company, has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock. The number of shares of common stock to be sold and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. The initial public offering is expected to commence after the SEC completes its review process, subject to market and other conditions. This press release is being made pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 135 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction. About Cannae Cannae holds majority and minority equity investment stakes in a number of entities, including Ceridian, American Blue Ribbon Holdings, LLC and T-System Holding LLC. View source version on businesswire.com : http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180117005743/en/ Solebury Trout Jamie Lillis, 203-428-3223 jlillis@soleburyir.com Source: Cannae Holdings, Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/17/business-wire-cannae-holdings-inc-announces-ceridianas-confidential-submission-of-a-draft-registration-statement-for-initial-public.html

Fed expected to keep interest rates steady as Yellen era ends

January 31, 2018 / 6:05 AM / Updated 13 minutes ago Fed leaves rates unchanged, sees inflation rising this year Ann Saphir , Jason Lange 4 The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday but said inflation likely would rise this year, bolstering expectations borrowing costs will continue to climb under incoming central bank chief Jerome Powell. Citing solid gains in employment, household spending and capital investment, the Fed said it expected the economy to expand at a moderate pace and the labor market to remain strong in 2018. “Inflation on a 12-month basis is expected to move up this year and to stabilize” around the Fed’s 2 percent target over the medium term, the central bank said in a statement following a two-day policy meeting, the last under Fed Chair Janet Yellen. It also said its rate-setting committee had unanimously selected Powell to succeed Yellen, effective Feb. 3. Powell, a Fed governor who has worked closely with Yellen, was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Powell is expected to hew closely to the policies embraced by Yellen, who spearheaded the gradual move away from the near-zero interest rates adopted to nurse the economy back to health and spur job growth after the 2007-2009 recession. Fed policymakers have been encouraged in recent months as the economy picked up speed and the unemployment rate fell to a 17-year low of 4.1 percent. The Fed, which raised rates three times last year and in December forecast three more hikes for this year, said on Wednesday it expected “further gradual” rate increases will be warranted. The target range for the federal funds rate currently is 1.25 percent to 1.50 percent. “The use of ‘further’ opens the door to four hikes and likely closes the door on two,” Michael Gapen, chief U.S. economist for Barclays, wrote in a note to investors. U.S. stocks rose slightly after the Fed statement before paring gains. Short-term interest rate futures showed traders adding slightly to bets the Fed would raise rates three times in 2018, starting at its next meeting in March. INFLATION VIEW UPGRADED The Fed’s gradual path of rate increases will hinge on a continued pickup in inflation, which has lingered below target despite a strong job market. Fed policymakers have said they expect an acceleration this spring, once short-term factors that held down inflation are squarely in the rear-view mirror. In its statement, the central bank noted that market-based measures of inflation have increased in recent months. The statement did not address the likely impact of the Trump administration’s tax overhaul on economic growth, and gave no hint of concern about overshooting on inflation. Several Fed policymakers recently have said they expected the tax changes, which include an estimated $1.5 trillion in corporate and individual tax cuts, to provide an economic lift by boosting business and household spending. Related Coverage Instant View: Fed leaves rates unchanged, sees inflation firming The economy grew 2.3 percent in 2017. U.S. stocks have soared to record highs in recent weeks as investors calculated that corporate profits would rise after the passage of Trump’s tax legislation. There were no dissents in the Fed’s decision on Wednesday. Reporting by Ann Saphir and Jason Lange; Additional reporting by Sinead Carew and Richard Leong in New York and Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Editing by Paul Simao

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed/fed-expected-to-keep-interest-rates-steady-as-yellen-era-ends-idUSKBN1FK0IQ

Drop Announces $21M (USD) Series A Raise; Hires Former Airbnb Exec to Lead Engineering Team

Drop, the first truly flexible mobile rewards program, to use cash infusion and addition of Ian Logan, former lead of Airbnb Payments, to make major innovation push in 2018 TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Drop , a fast-growing, millennial-focused rewards program, announced today it has raised $21 million (USD) in Series A funding, led by top venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA). The round also features continuing participation from firms including Sierra Ventures, White Star Capital, ff Venture Capital, Portag3 Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank. Drop's $21M USD Series A round is one of the largest Series A raises in Canadian Fintech. The cash infusion will support the company's rapid growth in 2018. This includes an upcoming engineering push directed by Drop's new executive hire, Ian Logan, formerly Director of Engineering at Airbnb, where he led the charge on all of Airbnb Payments. This announcement comes on the heels of massive growth for the company, reaching 1 million users soon after launching in the United States in October 2017. "We've invested in some exciting Canadian tech companies in the past, and Drop is a prime example of the growing talent and innovation emerging from Toronto," said Rick Yang, partner at NEA. "Drop's mobile-first, direct-to-consumer approach, and focus on the millennial demographic have proven to fill a large demand in the market for consumers and brands alike. We're thrilled to partner with the Drop team as they continue to disrupt the massive loyalty market." In conjunction with the closing of their Series A, Drop is also thrilled to be bringing on Ian Logan as its Vice President of Engineering. Logan will be responsible for the vision for the technology design behind the Drop platform and the growth and management of its engineering team. He plans to recruit and build a top-tier, diverse technical team across multiple areas such as frontend engineering, backend engineering, data infrastructure, data science, and machine learning." Logan describes the choice to leave the steady, rapidly booming Silicon Valley bubble to return to Canada as the "easiest difficult decision" he's ever made. In 2017, Toronto was named one of the top 10 cities in North America for tech jobs, demonstrating its vast potential to be a major hub for tech innovation. "I was inspired by the possibility of influencing the growing tech community in Canada. I saw the opportunity to cross-pollinate my own experience and knowledge in scaling companies. I wanted to make as big of an impact as possible in helping local innovation. I am now on a mission to contribute to Canada's startup ecosystem by helping make globally focused companies that are locally headquartered a success." Originally from Canada, Logan moved to the US to pursue a career in tech in Silicon Valley. Joining Airbnb in 2011 as one of its early engineers, Ian built a multitude of systems, helping grow the engineering team from less than 10 engineers to over 800. His expertise ranges from team culture building to advanced payments engineering and leading groups with high team engagement scores and consistency in delivering outsized business impact. The app is available for iOS and Android . For more information about Drop, visit http://www.earnwithdrop.com . About Drop: Drop is a personalized rewards program focused on bringing value to millennials by making their every day more rewarding. Drop enables the consumer to earn rewards easily by simply spending with the debit and credit cards they link to the app, eliminating the need to scan receipts, enter promo codes or sign up for additional loyalty programs. This intelligent mobile app surfaces relevant offers and rewards based on what users are spending, creating a highly personalized, seamless experience for the consumer. Founded in 2015, Drop has built up a base of over one million millennials while reaching No.2 in the App Store. For brands featured on the platform like Sephora, Bloomingdales, The Body Shop, Amazon, Under Armour, Casper and Boxed, Drop helps them gain unique insights about consumers that they haven't had access to before. For more information visit: www.earnwithdrop.com . SOURCE Drop

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/30/pr-newswire-drop-announces-21m-usd-series-a-raise-hires-former-airbnb-exec-to-lead-engineering-team.html

BRIEF-First Bancshares Q4 Earnings Per Share $0.23

January 26, 2018 / 9:32 PM / in 9 minutes BRIEF-First Bancshares Q4 Earnings Per Share $0.23 Reuters Staff 1 Min Read Jan 26 (Reuters) - First Bancshares Inc: * THE FIRST BANCSHARES, INC. REPORTS A 9.8% INCREASE IN NET INCOME AVAILABLE TO COMMON SHAREHOLDERS AND A 70.3% INCREASE IN OPERATING NET EARNINGS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017; DECLARES AN INCREASED QUARTERLY DIVIDEND OF 33.3% * Q4 EARNINGS PER SHARE $0.23 * ‍NET INTEREST INCOME FOR Q4 OF 2017 WAS $15.2 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF $4.5 MILLION WHEN COMPARED TO Q4 OF 2016​ Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

https://www.reuters.com/article/brief-first-bancshares-q4-earnings-per-s/brief-first-bancshares-q4-earnings-per-share-0-23-idUSASB0C2ML

Tintina Announces Company Name Change

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, Mont., Jan. 31, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tintina Resources Inc. (“Tintina” or the “Company”) announces that effective February 2, 2018 the Company will change its company name from Tintina Resources Inc. to Sandfire Resources America Inc. In a seamless transition for shareholders, the Company will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “SFR.V”. FINRA will announce a decision on the proposed U.S. OTC Market symbol change before market open on February 2, 2018. CEO John Shanahan stated, “We believe it is important, as we undertake these final permitting steps for the Black Butte Copper Project, and look towards construction and operation, that we are transparent and clear with all shareholders and stakeholders regarding the ongoing financial and technical support of our majority shareholder, Sandfire Resources NL. Sandfire Resources NL owns and operates the state-of-the-art DeGrussa copper mine in Australia and has been recognized internationally as an industry leader and environmental steward. The best way we can reflect this important direction is through a corporate name change.” Senior VP of Exploration Jerry Zieg added, “This is a very positive sign of progress for our project. The fact that a quality company such as Sandfire Resources NL has chosen to believe and invest in the Black Butte Project is a great signal of strength. We look forward to building a world-class operation and to a bright future for all our shareholders, employees, and communities of central Montana.” The corporate name change is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Contact Information: Tintina Resources Inc. Nancy Schlepp, VP Communications Mobile: 406-224-8180 Office: 406-547-3466 Email: nschlepp@tintinaresources.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain disclosures in this document constitute “forward looking information” within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the Company’s proposed name change and plans for advancing the Black Butte Copper Project, and expected outcomes. In making these forward-looking statements, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable, including that the Company will receive required regulatory approvals for the proposed name change, that the Company will continue to be able to access sufficient funding to execute its plans, that the Company’s plans for tailings and water management will be implemented as expected and will have the intended benefits and that the results of exploration and development activities are consistent with management’s expectations. However, the forward-looking statements in this document are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors, including factors relating to the Company’s operation as a mineral exploration and development company and the Black Butte Copper Project, that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including that the Company will not receive required regulatory approvals for the proposed name change when expected or at all, that results of exploration and development activities will not be consistent with management’s expectations, delays in obtaining or inability to obtain required government or other regulatory approvals or financing, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, the risk of accidents, labor disputes, inclement or hazardous weather conditions, unusual or unexpected geological conditions, ground control problems, earthquakes, flooding and all of the other risks generally associated with the development of mining facilities and the operation of a producing mine. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Source:Tintina Resources Inc.

http://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/31/globe-newswire-tintina-announces-company-name-change.html

Norwegian Air won't need expensive aircraft leases in 2018 -CEO

OSLO (Reuters) - Budget carrier Norwegian Air ( NWC.OL ) is better prepared to cope with peak travel seasons in 2018, and does not plan to rent expensive aircraft or crews from other companies, Chief Executive Bjoern Kjos told reporters on Thursday. The rapidly growing airline incurred unforeseen leasing costs of around 1 billion Norwegian crowns ($123.71 million) in the summer of 2017 after a spate of cancellations left passengers stranded in airports. The problems, similar to those of competitor Ryanair ( RYA.I ), quickly led to a scramble among low-cost airlines to recruit more senior pilots. Norwegian will add some 25 new Boeing ( BA.N ) aircraft to its fleet this year under a long-term investment plan. “We’re much better prepared entering 2018 than we were last year, and we won’t have to hire planes. We’ll be fully covered, with crews,” Kjos told a news conference. The company’s bookings for the coming year are also stronger than they were at the same time a year ago, even when taking into account the growth in its fleet, he added. Reporting by Joachim Dagenborg, editing by Terje Solsvik

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norweg-air-shut-ceo/norwegian-air-wont-need-expensive-aircraft-leases-in-2018-ceo-idUSKBN1ET1RF

KfW back in dollar 10s with a bang

LONDON, Jan 24 (IFR) - KfW returned to the long end of the US dollar market with a bang on Wednesday, attracting over US$6.2bn of demand for a US$3bn trade expected to be priced later today. The German development bank has not tapped the 10-year tenor since 2015, instead favouring shorter maturities in US dollars. “We’ve had plenty of good trades in 10-year US dollars, so it’s not like the market hasn’t been opened, but KfW is always keen to take out size and they’ve been able to do that in the euro market,” said a lead. “But a combination of attractive outright yields, spread to US Treasuries, the shape of the yield curve and the move in swaps spreads all contributed to the success of the trade.” The 10-year US Treasury yield was at 2.65% on Wednesday, the highest it has been since 2014. Leads Bank of America Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan and TD started marketing the trade at 23bp area over mid-swaps but were able to revise the level twice - to 22bp area, then 21bp area, for a final print at 20bp over. “It’s a brilliant trade. They’d been away from that market for three years and one of their concerns was that they weren’t going to be able to get a US$3bn size,” said a banker away. “They did three €5bn last year for the first time ever, they did more euros than anything else put together last year and if they’d done a US$2bn 10-year when they can do €5bn, it would have looked pretty bad. They need both markets to look good.” (Reporting by Helene Durand; Editing by Philip Wright)

https://www.reuters.com/article/kfw-back-in-dollar-10s-with-a-bang/kfw-back-in-dollar-10s-with-a-bang-idUSL8N1PJ60G

MIDEAST STOCKS-Gulf moves little, Egypt rises on presidential election date

January 9, 2018 / 2:00 PM / Updated 30 minutes ago MIDEAST STOCKS-Gulf moves little, Egypt rises on presidential election date Reuters Staff * Qatar slows after surge on dividend-hunting * Aamal Co rises on industrial plans * PetroRabigh surges again in Saudi Arabia * Dubai’s Air Arabia, Dubai Islamic Bank strong * Egypt market anticipates Sisi win in March 26-28 poll By Andrew Torchia DUBAI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Gulf stock markets were mostly sluggish on Tuesday as Qatar slowed after surging for two days, but Egypt’s bourse rose after authorities announced a date for presidential elections. The Qatari stock index closed 0.3 percent higher, well off early lows, as trading volume shrank by nearly a third. The index had gained 2.6 percent on Monday as investors positioned for annual dividend announcements in a few weeks. Some of the best performers of the past two days pulled back, with Doha Bank losing 1.5 percent. But Aamal Co rose 2.4 percent after announcing plans for an affiliate which it owns 50-50 with Egypt’s El Sewedy Electric Co to build three factories to produce copper wires, aluminium bars and drums for cables -- the country’s first such factories. In Saudi Arabia, the index fell 0.3 percent as petrochemical giant Saudi Basic Industries dropped 0.5 percent. But PetroRabigh gained a further 3.9 percent in the wake of the opening of facilities in its Phase II petrochemical complex. Dubai’s index rose 0.4 percent as Air Arabia climbed 3.2 percent to its highest level since early February 2017, in its heaviest trade since mid-October. Dubai Islamic Bank rose 1.7 percent to its highest since August 2015. But builder Drake & Scull dropped a further 3.5 percent on further profit-taking after big gains since November. After the close, Dubai Financial Market released a list of the first 19 stocks for which it will permit regulated short-selling. They include Air Arabia and Drake & Scull as well as blue chips such as Emaar Properties. In Egypt, the index gained 1.4 percent to a record high in its heaviest trade since November after the presidential elections were scheduled for March 26-28. Incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has yet to announce his candidacy but is widely expected to run and win, which could extend a period of relative political stability and provide more time for Egypt’s economic reforms to bear fruit. HIGHLIGHTS * The index fell 0.3 percent to 7,291 points. DUBAI * The index rose 0.4 percent to 3,505 points. ABU DHABI * The index was flat at 4,586 points. QATAR * The index rose 0.3 percent to 9,002 points. EGYPT * The index gained 1.4 percent to 15,159 points. KUWAIT * The index rose 0.3 percent to 6,519 points. BAHRAIN * The index fell 0.4 percent to 1,315 points. OMAN

https://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-stocks/mideast-stocks-gulf-moves-little-egypt-rises-on-presidential-election-date-idUSL8N1P41FT

U.S. clears Chinese acquisition in rare move

(Reuters) - Beijing-based Naura Microelectronics Equipment Co Ltd has completed a deal to buy U.S. semiconductor manufacturing equipment company Akrion Systems LLC, in a rare instance of the U.S. government approving such an acquisition, attorneys for Naura said on Wednesday. The deal, worth just $15 million, is small by dealmaking standards, yet it comes as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals for potential national security risks, has made it more difficult for Chinese companies to buy U.S. assets. CFIUS’ stance has toughened as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to put pressure on China to help tackle North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and be more accommodative on trade and foreign exchange issues. Unfilled political vacancies at several government departments and agencies have also made it more difficult for CFIUS to approve deals. “As far as we are aware, this is the first Chinese acquisition of a U.S. company to be approved by CFIUS under the Trump administration,” said Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP partner Fang Xue, one of the deal lawyers representing Naura. CFIUS has been traditionally wary of semiconductor deals with Chinese entities, because it is concerned about the transfer of potentially sensitive technology. Canyon Bridge Capital Partners LLC, a U.S.-based private equity firm funded by the Chinese government, saw its $1.3 billion acquisition of U.S. chip maker Lattice Semiconductor Corp collapse last year after it was blocked by CFIUS, a rejection subsequently upheld by the White House. But Akrion, based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a supplier of equipment to manufacturers of semiconductors and technology companies. It provides machinery that prepares the chips for use. CFIUS’ approval of the Akrion deal bodes well for Xcerra Corp, a U.S. semiconductor testing company whose deal to be acquired for $580 million by Unic Capital Management, a subsidiary of China’s Sino IC Capital and the Hubei Xinyan Equity Investment Partnership, is also under CFIUS review. Like Akrion, Xcerra does not manufacture any chips itself. The most high-profile Chinese acquisition of a U.S. company to be shot down by CFIUS since Trump’s inauguration a year ago was Ant Financial’s acquisition of U.S. money transfer company MoneyGram International Inc, which was terminated earlier this month. Xue said the Akrion deal was approved by CFIUS during the standard 75-day review period, even as other deals have had to refile their applications to secure extensions. Akrion faces financial difficulties because it lacked scale, and the deal with Naura will boost its ability to compete, Xue added. Naura, a semiconductor manufacturing equipment company, is a subsidiary of Naura Technology Group Co, a Chinese state-backed company. Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in Washington; Additional reporting by Liana B. Baker in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney

https://in.reuters.com/article/akrion-m-a-naura/u-s-clears-chinese-acquisition-in-rare-move-idINKBN1F70BP

UK's May's attempt to reassert authority branded a shambles

January 9, 2018 / 8:52 AM / Updated 23 minutes ago 'Farce' - no new start for Britain's May with reshuffle Elizabeth Piper 5 Min Read LONDON (Reuters) - A government reshuffle by British Prime Minister Theresa May was dismissed even by some of her allies on Tuesday as a failure that one said left her attempt to reassert her authority in “smoke and wreckage”. One former minister, George Osborne, sacked by May when she came to power in July 2016, led the criticism, calling the moves a “farce”. But other more loyal members of her governing Conservatives also questioned the prime minister’s ability to put the party back on track for election success after a year of scandals, gaffes and divisions over Brexit. A cabinet reshuffle is meant to offer a chance for a leader to assert authority on a team. May had hoped the limited changes would not only re-energise her domestic agenda but also strengthen her hand in talks to leave the European Union. Instead, it did little more than demonstrate May’s weakness, with the only high-profile moves derailed when one minister quit rather than take a new job and another talked May out of changing his role. May said her reshuffle helped the government look “more like the country it serves”. “It allows a new generation of gifted ministers to step up and make life better for people across the whole UK,” she said in a statement. But for Osborne, it was simply a “farce”. “You have to hand it to this prime minister: she’s given us the hat-trick of the worst reshuffle, the worst party conference speech and the worst manifesto in modern history,” the former finance minister wrote in his newspaper, London’s Evening Standard. “If they were not facing one of the worst oppositions we’ve ever had, the Tories would be finished.” But while his criticism was to be expected, even loyal lawmakers and commentators asked why the prime minister had launched a reshuffle from a weakened position, unable to force her will. “She should not have been in the position of having to plead with a minister whose talents she needs, faced with a choice of giving in or sacking him,” the Conservativehome website, which airs the views of the party, wrote in an editorial. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leads her first cabinet meeting of the new year following a reshuffle at 10 Downing Street, London January 9, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool But, it added, in the “smoke and wreckage this morning, there are a few points of hope and light”. PALE, MALE, STALE On Tuesday, May moved to promote younger, black and women lawmakers to junior roles in government, hoping to rid the party of its reputation of being “pale, stale and male”. But by playing very much to her own party rather than the country, some critics said May risks losing the chance to revitalise what her aides call her “reform agenda”, already hampered by Brexit, a scandal over sexual harassment and struggling public services. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leads her first cabinet meeting of the new year following a reshuffle at 10 Downing Street, London January 9, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool Monday’s reshuffle was blown off course when Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt convinced May at a lengthy meeting not to move him to a different job. Newspapers said he refused to accept a new post, although a source close to May denied that, and said Hunt simply persuaded her. Then education minister Justine Greening refused to take a job at the pensions department and quit instead. Losing the only gay minister in the cabinet threatens what May hoped to be the narrative of her reshuffle: that she was ushering in a new, more diverse team to counter accusations that the Conservative Party is out of touch. The resignation of the newly appointed board member of a new universities watchdog over sexist tweets also did little to help distance May from scandals over sexual harassment last year that brought down two ministers. But aides had long said Monday’s moves were less important that those on Tuesday, when May promoted lawmakers to junior positions in preparation of a wider reshuffle after Brexit. “Today I expect the rest of the picture to show that it’s more about preparing the ground for a post-Brexit reshuffle at a senior level,” Crispin Blunt, a Conservative lawmaker, told Reuters. And few predicted the furore to lead to her downfall. “Once everyone is in place, there won’t be any trouble,” a senior Conservative member said on condition of anonymity. “It’ll be more of the same, she will take one step at a time ... and suddenly, we’ll be in 2019.” additional reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Peter Graff and Angus MacSwan

https://in.reuters.com/article/britain-politics/uks-mays-attempt-to-reassert-authority-branded-a-shambles-idINKBN1EY0S5

Stress-test your portfolio to make sure it's ready for a market downturn

If you haven't stress-tested your portfolio recently, now might be the time. U.S. stocks fell sharply for the second day in a row Tuesday, in the year's first major sell-off. Monday was the worst session of the year for both the Dow and the S&P 500 . It's a notable reversal given the market's strong start to 2018. Up markets represent a prime opportunity to stress-test your portfolio against future volatility and downturns, certified financial planner Lynn Ballou, regional director at EP Wealth Advisors in Lafayette, California, told CNBC.com earlier this year. Make sure you're comfortable with all the investments you're holding. show chapters Market pause 'natural' after long rally: JP Morgan strategist 7 Hours Ago | 04:00 "We get lulled into complacency in times like this … then we kick ourselves if there's a market correction," she said. As part of that analysis, examine allocations to make sure they're in line with your time horizon and risk tolerance. That favorable stock performance may mean your portfolio has gotten more aggressive over time. "If you're talking about a short-term goal of four years or less, I don't care how appetizing the market looks. Cash is your best friend." -Douglas Boneparth, Bone Fide Wealth "Ask, 'Has my portfolio become unbalanced, because my equities have completely taken over the garden?'" Ballou said. "It's time to do some pruning and take some money off the table." Gauging your tolerance for risk is especially key. For more risk-averse investors, forgoing some gains now might be preferable to the pain and panic of a market downturn, certified financial planner Mark LaSpisa, president of Vermillion Financial Advisors in South Barrington, Illinois, told CNBC.com earlier this year. "The real question is, for the person that hasn't experienced a correction in the past nine years, how are they going to react?" he said. Depending on your goals, strategically shifting your investments could help reduce risk and still meet return your objectives, LaSpisa said. For example, he said, an investor who only needs 3 percent to 5 percent to meet retirement income obligations — and has already benefitted from several years of above-average returns — may not need to chase double-digit returns or stay in riskier investments to achieve that goal. "Why are we reaching for that return if it's not needed?" LaSpisa said. Keep goal timelines in mind, too, both for current investments and money you're thinking of investing, Douglas Boneparth, a certified financial planner and president of Bone Fide Wealth in New York, told CNBC.com earlier this year. "Long-term goals, the ones that are seven, 10 years plus … it's easier to remain unemotional because you have time on your side," he said. show chapters Market moving towards bearish extreme on bonds, says investor 9 Hours Ago | 03:19 Those long-term investors can benefit from dollar-cost averaging, he said, continuing regular contributions into their retirement accounts, 529 plans and the like. But it's a different story for goals you need to fund on a short timeline. "If you're talking about a short-term goal of four years or less, I don't care how appetizing the market looks," Boneparth said. "Cash is your best friend." More from Personal Finance: Equifax free credit protection offer ends Jan. 31 Unused vacation costs workers $66 billion in lost benefits Here's what fans will likely spend on the Super Bowl

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/30/stress-test-your-portfolio-to-make-sure-its-ready-for-a-market-downturn.html

Cricket-De Villiers hungry for big test runs, says South Africa captain

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa are backing AB de Villiers to show his class and score heavily as he continues his return to the test arena, captain Faf du Plessis said ahead of their three-test series against India. Britain Cricket - South Africa Nets - Ageas Bowl - June 20, 2017 South Africa's AB de Villiers during nets Action Images via Reuters / Paul Childs Livepic/File Photo Former world No.1 batsman De Villiers took almost two years out of first-class cricket to concentrate on the shorter formats and spend more time with his young family. But the 33-year-old is now back for South Africa as they begin a busy home schedule with the opening test against India at Newlands on Friday. “What’s important with AB is that he is fresh and hungry to score big runs. He has had a good break,” said Du Plessis on Thursday. “He feels mentally strong and he wants to put in big performances, so I think that’s half the battle already. When you have a high-quality player like him, if you get the mental side of things right, he can be a good asset.” De Villiers scored a quick-fire half century -- his 40th in test cricket -- on his test return in the brief Boxing Day test against Zimbabwe in Port Elizabeth last week, but this will be a much tougher examination. “I don’t know when the next test series against India is, but it’s probably the last time a lot of us play against India and there’s no better way than playing a series in South Africa,” Du Plessis said of South Africa’s experienced line-up. “We were disappointed the last time we went there and we’ve got a score to settle, so we’re excited for this series.” South Africa lost three of their four tests in India in late 2016 in the last meeting between the two nations that top the International Cricket Council’s test rankings. “It’s good that we can have some importance to this series. Big series are why you play. We don’t have an Ashes, so it’s good to see that India v South Africa can start becoming a really big series,” Du Plessis said. “There are some really high-class players that are going to bash it out over the next four weeks.” The three tests against Virat Kohli’s side in a busy January are followed by the another four home tests against Australia in March and April. “The next two or three years are going to be very exciting for South African cricket. We are maturing a lot more - both the ODI team and test team,” their captain said. “If you look at the names we have available this series, it’s a very strong team on paper. I’d like to look at it that, for the next three years, we can push really hard to get to No.1.” Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by David Goodman

https://in.reuters.com/article/cricket-test-zaf-ind-duplessis/de-villiers-hungry-for-big-test-runs-says-south-africa-captain-idINKBN1ET1LT

Bitcoin Roller-Coasters Back Above $11,000 | Fortune

By Bloomberg January 18, 2018 The roller coaster January for cryptocurrency investors eased for a few hours on Thursday as Bitcoin held steady after roaring back from its first plunge below $10,000 since December . The largest digital currency climbed 2.1% to $11,620 at 11:34 a.m. in London, Bloomberg composite pricing showed. It held fairly steady for much of the Asia trading day as investors took a breath following a frantic 24 hours in which the digital coin swung through a trading range of $2,600. Rivals ethereum and litecoin were little changed, while Ripple jumped 12%. “This market is volatile and there is not enough capital in it to stabilize,” Darren Franceschini, chief executive with Blockchain Technologies Consulting, said in an email. Bitcoin’s gyrations in 2018 has investors, regulators and onlookers debating whether the speculative bubble has popped after a 1,400 percent ascent last year. Jitters across the globe over a potential bloodbath helped wipe about $400 billion off the global market value of digital assets in 10 days through Wednesday. Read: Did Bitcoin Just Burst? How It Compares to History’s Big Bubbles While Bitcoin and peers staged multiple comebacks in 2017 following double-digit daily losses, the digital coin has not been able to string together a rally through the first three weeks of this year. Cryptocurrencies across the board are coming under increasing scrutiny from regulators around the world, with South Korean authorities debating a potential ban on local exchanges while China is widening its crackdown on the industry. Bixin, one of China’s larger operators for the so-called wallets that hold digital coins, said it was suspending all OTC trading and escrow trading on Wednesday, blaming “uncertainties regarding regulation policies.” No re-start date was set.B SPONSORED FINANCIAL CONTENT

http://fortune.com/2018/01/18/bitcoin-rollercoasters-above-11000/

Commentary: The unlikely Mideast alliance that threatens Iran

Shortly after Iranian protesters took to the streets on Dec. 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video on his Facebook page wishing “the Iranian people success in their noble quest for freedom.” In Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, state-run media hailed the protesting Iranians with such joyful hysteria that Saudis could be forgiven for believing that the regime in Tehran was on the verge of collapse. Jewish Israel and Sunni Saudi Arabia have no formal diplomatic ties and decades of enmity behind them. However, their mutual pleasure over the grassroots demonstrations in Iran is the latest manifestation of a growing convergence of political interests, between the two Middle Eastern countries against their shared regional nemesis: Iran. If the Saudi-Israeli rapprochement continues, their collaboration could lead to improved Israeli relations with other Arab states, removing Iran’s security buffer and possibly making Tehran more vulnerable to direct Israeli military action. The first signs of the thaw between Saudi Arabia and Israel appeared in 2015, when both nations opposed the nuclear deal struck between Iran and the six world powers known as the P5+1. According to the terms of the deal, Tehran would cut back its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions. To compensate for its nuclear concessions and concerned that Washington might not honor its commitment to the agreement, Iran followed its signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by intensifying the consolidation of its regional power base. To that end, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and their overseas operations arm, the Quds Force, doubled down on their support for like-minded and mostly Shi’ite paramilitary groups across the Middle East. In Syria, Iranian intervention in favor of Bashar al-Assad, coupled with a relentless Russian air campaign against the rebels, finally turned the tide of civil war and kept Assad in power. Tehran also took the opportunity to help oust extremist anti-Shi’ite groups like Islamic State (IS) from Syria. Iranian leaders insisted their intent was to “nip terrorism in the bud,” but their tacit goal was also — and more importantly — to maintain land access and supply lines to their main proxy, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as part of the Islamic Republic’s commitment to the “axis of resistance” and its “strategic depth” policy in the region. The recapture of Aleppo by Syrian government forces in December 2016 relieved Iranian-backed militia forces stationed in northwestern Syria of a formidable battlefield challenge, enabling them to concentrate their manpower and firepower on the southwestern and eastern fronts. This sounded alarm bells for the Israeli government, which feared entrenchment of Iran’s military foothold in its immediate neighborhood. Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, has spoken figuratively of a “resistance highway” that starts in Tehran and continues through Mosul, Damascus and Beirut to the Mediterranean. Similarly, with the expulsion of IS from Syria’s eastern province of Deir al-Zor, IRGC-affiliated media outlets such as Mashregh News and Javan Online have promoted the establishment of a land “corridor,” linking Iran to the Mediterranean and potentially useful for military as well as trade purposes. German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 24, 2018. Bundesregierung/Guido Bergmann/Handout via REUTERS Israel has responded to this perceived threat militarily and politically. On the military front, it has embarked on a sustained campaign of targeted airstrikes against arms convoys believed to be delivering “game-changing” weapons to Hezbollah as well as a reported Iranian military base in Syria. On the political front, Israel has sought to build an anti-Iran “coalition” with the Arab Sunni bloc led by Saudi Arabia. In an unprecedented Nov. 16 interview with Elaph, the popular independent Arabic news site, Israel’s army chief of staff Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot offered to cooperate with Saudi Arabia against Tehran, which he labeled the “biggest threat” in the Middle East. “We are ready to exchange experiences with moderate Arab countries and to exchange intelligence to confront Iran,” he said, adding that “in this matter there is complete agreement between us and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” Less than two months later, in a Dec. 28 BBC interview, Israeli education minister Naftali Bennett echoed Eizenkot, explaining that Israel hoped to form “coalitions” with “moderate” Arabs, in order to “contain” Iran. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, pictured here in Riyadh, has met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas about a U.S.-devised peace plan. December 30, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS Riyadh, too, has been cautiously building closer ties with Tel Aviv. In the summer of 2016, one year after Iran’s nuclear deal, a Saudi delegation headed by retired general Anwar Eshki met with Israeli foreign ministry officials and Knesset members in an unusual visit to Jerusalem. During the meeting, Eshki tried to persuade the Israelis to accept the Arab Peace Initiative, arguing that a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would foil Iran’s attempts to exploit the Palestinian cause and delegitimize its support for anti-Israeli groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah. Israel made no commitments, but welcomed the improvement of ties with Arab states. The growth of Iranian power and influence in the region, however, is not the only driver of Saudi-Israeli entente. The Trump administration’s determination to counter the Islamic Republic, along with Washington’s close relations with Saudi Arabia and Israel, have facilitated bilateral efforts to form such an alliance. In November 2017, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman summoned Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to Riyadh and presented him with the blueprint for a U.S.-devised peace plan that favored Israelis. The powerful prince then demanded that Abbas either accept the scheme or resign. Tellingly, the Palestinian leader’s urgent trip to Riyadh came less than two weeks after Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and advisor on the Middle East, visited the Saudi capital to discuss the plan with bin Salman. As delegates met at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos this week, there were no official Saudi-Israel meetings reflected on the public program. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Saudi officials, including Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, are at the summit and have already made it clear, in formal panel discussions and conversations with reporters, that their governments view countering the threat from Iran as a primary foreign policy goal. Davos is famous for its backroom meetings as well as the inevitable spontaneous encounters that occur when attendees are crowded into an Alpine conference center; it’s not unreasonable to assume that these discussions could solidify relationships out of the public eye. Iranian leaders are clearly worried about the emerging Saudi-Israeli alliance, which is likely to bring Riyadh’s Sunni allies, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, into its fold as well. In a recent address to the Iranian parliament, President Hassan Rouhani declared that Iran would not resume its ties with Saudi Arabia unless Riyadh ended its friendship with Israel. The new realpolitik of the Middle East means that Tehran may face even greater strategic challenges in the future. About the Author Maysam Behravesh is a PhD candidate in political science at Lund University, Sweden, and a multimedia journalist at the news channel Iran International. @behmash The views expressed in this article are not those of Reuters News.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-behravesh-iran-commentary/commentary-the-unlikely-mideast-alliance-that-threatens-iran-idUSKBN1FC358