Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Yahoo! News: Health News

Yahoo! News: Health News

Wall Street edges up after housing data

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:16 AM PDT

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock ExchangeNEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks edged higher on Wednesday in reaction to data which showed the pace of home resales rose in August to its fastest in over two years. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 36.62 points, or 0.27 percent, to 13,601.26. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 2.45 points, or 0.17 percent, to 1,461.77. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 0.97 points, or 0.03 percent, to 3,178.78. (Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Home resales at two-year high, housing recovery advances

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:29 AM PDT

Sold sign outside new townhouse construction site in Fairfax, Virginia, outside WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pace of home resales rose in August to its fastest in over two years and groundbreaking on new homes also climbed, hopeful signs that a budding housing market recovery is gaining traction. The National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday that existing home sales increased 7.8 percent last month to an annual rate of 4.82 million units last month. That was the fastest annual rate since May 2010 and well above analysts' expectations of a 4.55 million-unit rate. While the broader U.S. ...

Blackstone buys security firm Vivint for over $2 billion

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:26 AM PDT

VivintNEW YORK (Reuters) - Blackstone Group LP has agreed to buy home security provider Vivint Inc for more than $2 billion, betting that more households in North America will adopt its alarm, air conditioning and energy management systems. Blackstone, the private equity company, is also taking over Vivint's affiliates, Vivint Solar Inc and 2GIG Technologies, as part of the transaction, which is set to close by year end, the companies said on Wednesday. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Blackstone was nearing an agreement to buy Vivint in a deal that could value the company at as much as $2 billion. ...

AT&T says iPhone demand "incredible"

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:51 AM PDT

The iPhone 5 on display after its introduction during Apple Inc.'s iPhone media event in San FranciscoNEW YORK (Reuters) - Demand for the new Apple Inc iPhone 5 has been "incredible," AT&T Inc Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said on Wednesday. AT&T has seen a lot of anecdotal evidence of customers looking to buy the new smartphone even if they are not yet eligible for a subsidized upgrade, Stephenson said during a webcast of an investor conference. He said AT&T would have more concrete details on demand after the first few weeks of sales. The executive stood by AT&T's target to sell about 25 million smartphones this year, in line with 2011 sales. ...

Oil falls on Saudi pressure to keep prices down

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:25 AM PDT

Greenpeace environmental stickers are seen on gas pumps at a Shell gas station in PragueLONDON (Reuters) - Brent crude oil futures slid to a six-week low on Wednesday, as the market digested comments from the world's largest oil exporter Saudi Arabia that it would take action to keep prices in check, raising expectations of increased supply. Oil fell further after weekly data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed crude stocks in top consumer the United States climbing 8.5 million barrels - far more than expected. On Tuesday an OPEC Gulf source said Saudi Arabia was pumping around 10 million barrels per day (bpd) and working to keep oil prices down. ...

Richest 400 Americans' net worth jumps 13 percent to $1.7 trillion: Forbes

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:13 AM PDT

Handout of the cover of the Forbes 400 issueNEW YORK (Reuters) - The net worth of the richest Americans grew by 13 percent in the past year to $1.7 trillion, Forbes magazine said on Wednesday, and a familiar cast of characters once again populated the top of the magazine's annual list of the U.S. uber-elite, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison and the Koch brothers. The average net worth of the 400 wealthiest Americans rose to a record $4.2 billion, the magazine said. Collectively, this group's net worth is the equivalent of one-eighth of the entire U.S. economy, which stood at $13. ...

HTC unveils two Windows phones, several carrier customers

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:11 AM PDT

(Reuters) - HTC Corp on Wednesday unveiled two smartphones running Microsoft Corp's Windows Phone 8 software and said the devices would be available in November with several operators around the world. The two brightly colored devices -- the Windows Phone 8X and the Windows Phone 8S -- will pitch HTC directly against Microsoft's main partner Nokia, which also unveiled two phones based on the Windows software earlier this month. However, while Nokia did not name any customers for its devices, HTC said theirs would go on sale at three of the top four U.S. ...

"Painful" Portugal reforms getting results: Schaeuble and Gaspar

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:22 AM PDT

German Finance Minister Schaeuble delivers speech during award ceremony of M100 media prize in PotsdamBERLIN (Reuters) - The finance ministers of Germany and Portugal said after meeting in Berlin on Wednesday that Portugal's painful economic reforms were producing encouraging results, with competitiveness getting better and government spending now under control. "The Portuguese economic adjustment is proving to be a demanding and painful process, calling for heavy sacrifices from the people, but the results are encouraging," Germany's Wolfgang Schaeuble and Portugal's Vitor Gaspar said in a joint statement. ...

France, Germany to seek common position on EADS-BAE

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:54 AM PDT

File photograph shows a member of staff working in the cockpit of an aircraft on the Eurofighter Typhoon production line at BAE systems Warton plant near PrestonBERLIN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The leaders of France and Germany will seek a common position at a series of meetings this week on a $45 billion defense merger that could involve them having to giving up strategic influence in aerospace group EADS . After talks on a tie-up between EADS and Britain's BAE Systems were leaked last week, government officials from across Europe have this week been setting out their views on the deal. ...

German banks gain extra six months to apply Basel rules: sources

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:02 AM PDT

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's banks will be given more time to prepare before the tighter global capital and liquidity requirements of Basel III are imposed, supervisory sources told Reuters. The Bundesbank and banking supervisor Bafin will give banks in Europe's largest economy until mid-2013, six months after the target starting date, to get reporting and controlling structures in place as well as adjust information technology systems, the sources said. "We won't be demanding anything of the banks that they are unable to supply," one of the sources told Reuters. ...

US home sales jump to highest since May 2010

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:30 AM PDT

This Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, photo, shows an exterior view of a home sold in Palo Alto, Calif. U.S. sales of previously occupied homes jumped in August to the highest level in more than two years, adding momentum to the housing recovery. The National Association of Realtors says sales rose 7.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.82 million. That's the most since May 2010, when sales were fueled by a federal home-buying tax credit. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)A jump in sales of previously occupied homes and further gains in home construction suggest the U.S. housing recovery is gaining momentum.

US housing starts rose 2.3 percent in August

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 06:25 AM PDT

In this Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, photo, a customer walks past building products at a Home Depot store in Nashville, Tenn. U.S. builders started construction on more homes in August, driven by the fastest pace of single-family home construction in more than two years. The Commerce Department says construction of new homes and apartments rose 2.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 750,000 last month. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)U.S. builders started work on more homes in August, driven by the fastest pace of single-family home construction in more than two years. The increase points to steady progress in the housing recovery.

Encouraging report about home sales lifts stocks

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:07 AM PDT

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, Michael O'Connor, right, of Getco Securities and a fellow trader work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Futures are edging higher Wednesday, Sept. 19, ahead of a pair of reports regarding the U.S. housing market that are expected to provide more hope for the beleaguered industry. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams, File)A pair of encouraging reports about the housing market gave U.S. stocks a small boost Wednesday.

Premiums inching higher for popular Medicare plans

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:02 AM PDT

Obama administration officials say they have some good election-year news for seniors.

Macy's NYC flagship getting $400M makeover

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 03:05 AM PDT

In this undated artist rendering by studiorendering.com and provided by Macy's shows the expected design for the women's shoe department once renovations are completed. Macy's New York flagship store is being transformed from old-fashioned, warm and fuzzy to a sleek, white 21st century style. The transformation will cost $400 million and is expected to take four years. (AP Photo/Macy's)A $400 million makeover is giving New York's iconic Macy's store a sleek, new 21st-century style.

Groupon launches payments service in US

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:29 AM PDT

Groupon launched a new payment service Wednesday that allows businesses to run credit cards using an iPhone or iPod Touch, the latest company to seek a portion of that growing market.

Tot tablets, retro brands are Toys R Us 'hot toys'

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 07:37 AM PDT

This undated product image provided by Toys R Us shows One Direction collector dolls by Hasbro, an item on Toys R Us' "Hot Toy" list. Toys R Us, a Wayne, N.J.-based retailer is introducing a It's still technically summer, but for some it's not too soon to think about what the kiddies will want for the holidays.

Queen's Brian May battles for threatened badgers

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:08 AM PDT

CORRECTS SPELLING OF GESTURES British musician Brian May gestures as he stands on a cherry picker to launch the national Team Badger campaign, in front of a giant billboard, on Cromwell road, west London, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. A rock star is facing off against British farmers, over badgers. The government has issued licenses for the country's first badger cull, and soon snipers will be roaming in search of the animals. But Queen guitarist Brian May is leading a band of badger defenders vowing to stop them. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)A battle over badgers is brewing in Britain — and rock star Brian May is leading the fight.

Gates, Buffett again top Forbes' billionaires list

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:23 AM PDT

This June 26, 2012 image provided by Forbes, and the pull-out cover for the magazine's Sept. 21 issue shows from left to right: Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Pete Petersen, Leon Black, Jon Bon Jovi (seated on the ground), Marc Benioff, David Rubenstein, Steve Case, Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Marc Andreessen posing for a portrait in the Trustees Room at the New York Public Library in New York. The twelve individuals shown were part of a group attending a Forbes convened event called the Forbes 400 Summit On Philanthropy. During the event, the magazine's editors invited twelve of the leading philanthropists in the U.S. to pose for the portrait. (AP Photo/Forbes, Michael Prince)Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates remains the nation's richest man by far, as the tech and philanthropy giant took the top spot on the Forbes 400 list for the 19th year running, with a net worth of $66 billion.

EU looks at e-books proposal of Apple, publishers

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:56 AM PDT

Apple and four major publishing houses are offering concessions to the European Union's antitrust watchdog to ease concerns that they may have illegally colluded to raise prices for e-books.

FDA urged to set standards for arsenic in rice

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:14 AM PDT

The Food and Drug Administration may consider new standards for the levels of arsenic in rice as consumer groups are calling for federal guidance on how much of the carcinogen can be present in food.

U.S. lawmaker calls for CFTC probe into high-speed oil trading

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:13 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. lawmaker on Wednesday asked futures regulators to probe the larger effects of high-speed trading in the oil markets after crude futures prices took a brief unexplained plunge earlier this week. Representative Edward Markey, a Democrat, asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to expand its review of the rapid price drop to include the larger effects of high-frequency trading. The congressman from Massachusetts is the ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources. ...

HTC unveils two Windows phones, several carrier customers

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:11 AM PDT

(Reuters) - HTC Corp on Wednesday unveiled two smartphones running Microsoft Corp's Windows Phone 8 software and said the devices would be available in November with several operators around the world. The two brightly colored devices -- the Windows Phone 8X and the Windows Phone 8S -- will pitch HTC directly against Microsoft's main partner Nokia, which also unveiled two phones based on the Windows software earlier this month. However, while Nokia did not name any customers for its devices, HTC said theirs would go on sale at three of the top four U.S. ...

Queen's Brian May battles for threatened badgers

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:08 AM PDT

CORRECTS SPELLING OF GESTURES British musician Brian May gestures as he stands on a cherry picker to launch the national Team Badger campaign, in front of a giant billboard, on Cromwell road, west London, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. A rock star is facing off against British farmers, over badgers. The government has issued licenses for the country's first badger cull, and soon snipers will be roaming in search of the animals. But Queen guitarist Brian May is leading a band of badger defenders vowing to stop them. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)A battle over badgers is brewing in Britain — and rock star Brian May is leading the fight.

Encouraging report about home sales lifts stocks

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:07 AM PDT

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, Michael O'Connor, right, of Getco Securities and a fellow trader work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Futures are edging higher Wednesday, Sept. 19, ahead of a pair of reports regarding the U.S. housing market that are expected to provide more hope for the beleaguered industry. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams, File)A pair of encouraging reports about the housing market gave U.S. stocks a small boost Wednesday.

Canada targeting Japan for new LNG exports: minister

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:06 AM PDT

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Japan will emerge as a top market for Canadian liquefied natural gas as developers gear up to export more than 9 billion cubic feet a day, the equivalent of nearly all the gas that flows from Alberta's gas fields into its massive pipeline network, Canada's natural resources minister said. Five LNG plants are currently planned for Canada's Pacific Coast, and two of those already have 20-year gas export licenses, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said in an interview from Tokyo. The one snag so far has been the inability of the developers to sign up customers. ...

Kenya's 15-yr T-bond yield falls less than expected

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:04 AM PDT

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Yields on Kenya's 15-year Treasury bond fell less than expected in an oversubscribed auction on Wednesday, which fixed income traders said pointed to the Treasury needing cash to cover budget spending. The weighted average yield on the 15-year security fell 30 basis points to 12.089 percent as investors starved of long-term paper bought heavily. The bank received bids worth 24.15 billion shillings and accepted offers worth 19.53 billion shillings. It had offered up to 15 billion shillings worth of the paper. "The results are not what we expected. ...

Gold flat near 6-1/2-month high, stimulus supports

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:03 AM PDT

Gold Bullion from the American Precious Metals Exchange (APMEX) is seen in New YorkNEW YORK (Reuters) - Gold traded flat on Wednesday, hovering near a 6-1/2 month high hit in early trade, buoyed by monetary stimulus from central banks around the world despite pressure from tumbling crude oil prices. Turnover in U.S. gold futures was higher than usual after the Bank of Japan became the latest major central bank to ease monetary policy with a new round of asset buying. Last week, gold posted its fourth straight weekly rise after the Federal Reserve unveiled a third round of bond-buying, called quantitative easing or QE3. ...

German banks gain extra six months to apply Basel rules: sources

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:02 AM PDT

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's banks will be given more time to prepare before the tighter global capital and liquidity requirements of Basel III are imposed, supervisory sources told Reuters. The Bundesbank and banking supervisor Bafin will give banks in Europe's largest economy until mid-2013, six months after the target starting date, to get reporting and controlling structures in place as well as adjust information technology systems, the sources said. "We won't be demanding anything of the banks that they are unable to supply," one of the sources told Reuters. ...

Scandinavian magazine publishes Kate topless pics

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:59 AM PDT

Lawyer Maud Sobel, left, is surrounded by reporters as she reads a statement by a French court which ordered a magazine publisher to hand over all digital copies of topless photos of Britain's Duchess of Cambridge and blocked the further publication of the images, at a court house in Nanterre, west of Paris, Tuesday Sept. 18, 2012. Under the ruling Tuesday, the French gossip magazine Closer faces a daily fine of euro 10,000 ($13,100) if it fails to hand over the photos taken during the royals' vacation in southern France and cannot disseminate them any further, including on its website and tablet app. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)A Swedish celebrity magazine published topless photos of Britain's likely future queen Wednesday, and its sister publication in Denmark said it would do the same later this week.

EU looks at e-books proposal of Apple, publishers

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:56 AM PDT

Apple and four major publishing houses are offering concessions to the European Union's antitrust watchdog to ease concerns that they may have illegally colluded to raise prices for e-books.

Ivory Coast cocoa reform reserve fund reaches 47 bln CFA

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:45 AM PDT

Man sews up sacks full of cocoa beans for sale in DaloaABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast has paid more than 47 billion CFA francs into a reserve fund to protect against price fluctuations as it implements a sweeping reform of its cocoa sector, a government spokesman said on Wednesday. The 2012/13 cocoa season opens October 1 in the world's top grower under a new scheme to create a government-guaranteed farm gate price in the hope it will boost farmer incomes and encourage reinvestment in plantations. "The treasury balance for the reserve fund is today at 47. ...

Deckers shares fall on lower Uggs prices

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:42 AM PDT

Shares of Deckers Outdoor Corp. fell Monday after an analyst reiterated that sales on its classic Uggs boots — which are rarely discounted — are a troubling sign for the shoe maker. The note came two days after the same analyst warned that Deckers' margins might come under pressure after an unexpected sale of Uggs showed up on a Website.

Bailed-out Portugal pays less to borrow $2.6 bln

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:41 AM PDT

Portugal's interest rates fell steeply in a short-term debt auction Wednesday where it borrowed €2 billion ($2.61 billion), evidence that the European Central Bank's recently-unveiled plan to intervene in bond markets is boosting investor confidence.

Kenyan shilling gains vs dollar, shares creep up

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:41 AM PDT

A currency dealer counts Kenya shillings at a money exchange counter in NairobiNAIROBI (Reuters) - The Kenyan shilling snapped a two-day losing streak on Wednesday helped by dollar inflows from farming exports, and traders said foreign appetite for a 15-year Treasury bond could buoy it further. On the Nairobi Securities Exchange, stocks inched up for the first session in four. At the 1300 GMT close of trade, commercial banks quoted the shilling at 84.70/90 per dollar, off an intraday low of 84.95/85.15 and firmer than Tuesday's close of 84.80/85.00. "There is still (dollar) demand from the oil sector. ...

Reviewers swoon over Apple's "flat out lovely" iPhone 5

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:39 AM PDT

The iPhone 5 on display after its introduction during Apple Inc.'s iPhone media event in San Francisco(Reuters) - Apple Inc's iPhone 5 has won rave reviews from tech bloggers and other reviewers who were given the faster, slimmer and lighter smartphone ahead of its release to customers later this week, with CNET describing it as "flat out lovely." The new connector to link the iPhone to docking stations got the thumbs down because it renders existing speakers and other accessories obsolete, but the phone itself wowed reviewers. "The iPhone 5 is the iPhone we've wanted since 2010, adding long-overdue upgrades like a larger screen and faster 4G LTE in a razor-sharp new design. ...

Japan gets cold feet on total nuclear phase-out

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:31 AM PDT

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2008 file photo, Japan's then Atomic Energy Commission vice chairman Shunichi Tanaka delivers a speech at a meeting celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Nuclear Energy Agency, at the OECD in Paris. Tanaka, a nuclear physicist and Fukushima native is head of a five-member Nuclear Regulation Authority inaugurated in Japan, on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. Opposition lawmakers and activists have raised questions about his credentials because he had been executive of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, which promotes development of nuclear energy. Tanaka, 67, has helped decontaminate areas around the Fukushima plant contaminated with radiation. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)Japan's Cabinet stopped short of a commitment Wednesday to phase out nuclear power by 2040, backtracking from an advisory panel's recommendation in the face of opposition from pro-nuclear businesses and groups.

US home sales jump to highest since May 2010

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:30 AM PDT

This Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, photo, shows an exterior view of a home sold in Palo Alto, Calif. U.S. sales of previously occupied homes jumped in August to the highest level in more than two years, adding momentum to the housing recovery. The National Association of Realtors says sales rose 7.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.82 million. That's the most since May 2010, when sales were fueled by a federal home-buying tax credit. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)A jump in sales of previously occupied homes and further gains in home construction suggest the U.S. housing recovery is gaining momentum.

Oil's slide continues, with crude below $93

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:29 AM PDT

Oil prices are falling for a third day, as traders realize that a recent run-up to $100 may have been overdone.

World Bank: Palestinian fiscal crisis is deepening

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:28 AM PDT

The World Bank warned Wednesday of a deepening fiscal crisis in the Palestinian territories and appealed to donors to act urgently to prop up the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
Posted by Harshad at 9:46 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)