Americans feel austerity’s bite as payroll taxes rise

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Americans are beginning to feel the pinch from Washington‘s decision to embrace austerity measures aimed at bringing down the nation’s budget deficit.Paychecks across the country have shrunk over the last week due to higher federal tax rates, and workers are already cutting back on spending, which will drag on the economy this year.In Warren, Rhode Island, Ben DeCastro got his...

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First Quantum Minerals Delivers Letter to Inmet Warning Against Improper Defensive Tactics

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Jan 12, 2013) – First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (“First Quantum”) (FM.TO) (FQM.L) today announced that it has delivered the following letter to David Beatty, Chairman of the Board of Inmet Mining Corporation, in response to reports received by First Quantum regarding a proposed sale of a further minority interest in the Cobre Panama project:“Dear David,First Quantum...

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Attention turns to financial earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After over a month of watching Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Avenue, Wall Street can get back to what it knows best: Wall Street. The first full week of earnings season is dominated by the financial sector - big investment banks and commercial banks - just as retail investors, free from the "fiscal cliff" worries, have started to get back into the markets. ...

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Armstrong to admit doping in Oprah interview

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Lance Armstrong will make a limited confession to doping during his televised interview with Oprah Winfrey next week, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.Armstrong, who has long denied doping, will also offer an apology during the interview scheduled to be taped Monday at his home in Austin, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because...

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Abandoning Afghanistan a bad idea

U.S. Marines from the 3rd Battalion 8th Marines Regiment start their patrol in Helmand Province on June 27. STORY HIGHLIGHTSWhite House aide suggested all U.S. troops could be withdrawn from AfghanistanPeter Bergen said the idea would be dangerous and send the wrong messageHe says U.S. has abandoned Afghanistan before and saw the rise of the TalibanBergen: U.S. is seeking agreement that military will...

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Simon Rattle to quit Berlin Philharmonic in 2018

BERLIN (Reuters) – Renowned British conductor Simon Rattle said on Thursday he would step down as head of the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic in 2018 when his current contract with the orchestra expires and before he turns 64.“In 2018 I will be nearly 64 years old,” the 57-year-old said in a statement on the Philharmonic’s website. “As a Liverpool boy, it is impossible not to think of the Beatles’...

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Global car industry sharpens U.S. focus for 2013

PARIS/DETROIT (Reuters) – The U.S. car market’s rebound may be slowing – but it still looks like the best bet to many of the global industry’s top brass as they converge on Detroit for the 2013 auto show.With Europe in a protracted meltdown and some emerging markets flagging, the United States will increase its share of world auto sales this year even as its economy cools, analysts and executives...

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Announcing the 2013 International Biomass Conference & Expo Agenda

MINNEAPOLIS, MN–(Marketwire – Jan 11, 2013) – BBI International announced this week the preliminary agenda for the 6th annual International Biomass Conference & Expo, North America’s largest and fastest growing biomass conference, taking place April 8-10, 2013 in Minneapolis. The 2013 agenda — featuring four comprehensive tracks — is tightly focused on leading edge developments in the biomass...

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Wall Street slips, weighed by Wells Fargo, banks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks edged lower on Friday after Wells Fargo & Co , the first major bank to kick off fourth-quarter earnings season for the financial sector, reported a decline in net interest margin despite a record profit in the latest quarter. Wells Fargo, the fourth-biggest U.S. bank and the nation's largest home lender, said its fourth-quarter net interest margin - a key...

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Eager Chudzinski takes over new-look Browns

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns have always been a part of Rob Chudzinski's life. Now, he's the man in charge.Chudzinski, who spent the past two seasons as Carolina's offensive coordinator, was introduced as the club's sixth fulltime coach on Friday, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the 44-year-old who as a kid pretended he played tight end for the Browns during games in his backyard in Toledo, Ohio."It...

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Why global labor reforms are vital

STORY HIGHLIGHTSSaudi authorities beheaded Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan womanShe was convicted of killing a baby of the family employing her as a housemaidThis was despite Nafeek's claims that the baby died in a choking accidentBecker says her fate "should spotlight the precarious existence of domestic workers"Jo Becker is the Children's Rights Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch and author of...

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Seattle bankruptcy hearing to decide Tully’s sale

SEATTLE (AP) — The auction for beleaguered coffee company Tully’s will likely conclude Friday in federal bankruptcy court, with an ownership group led by actor Patrick Dempsey in position to take over the chain. But Starbucks isn’t’ out of the running.Dempsey — dubbed “McDreamy” in the “Grey’s Anatomy” hospital TV drama — claimed victory last week after an auction.But a company that teamed up with...

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Jobless claims rise, but jobs market recovery intact

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week, the Labor Department said on Thursday, but details of the report suggested the jobs market continued to grow at a moderate pace.Other data suggested the economy remained on a steady growth path, with sales at wholesalers rising by the most in more than 1-1/2 years in November, keeping inventories...

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NXP Connects the Smart, Energy-Efficient Home With ZigBee and JenNet-IP

EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS and LAS VEGAS, NV–(Marketwire – Jan 10, 2013) – NXP Semiconductors N.V. ( NASDAQ : NXPI ) today announced the availability of the JN516x family of wireless microcontrollers for the Internet of Things, as well as a new evaluation kit which simplifies commercial development of ZigBee®, JenNet-IP™ and other IEEE 802.15.4 applications. The JN516x-EK001 evaluation kit provides...

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Wall Street slightly higher on China data; S&P near resistance level

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks inched higher on Thursday, helped by stronger-than-expected exports in China, the world's second-biggest economy, but gains were capped as the S&P 500 hovered near a 5-year high. Financial and telecommunications stocks were the day's top gainers, while the material sector was the biggest drag. The S&P 500 material sector index <.gspm> was...

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Jaguars fire Mularkey after team's worst season

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars fired coach Mike Mularkey on Thursday after just one season, the worst in franchise history.New general manager David Caldwell made the announcement two days after he was hired, giving him a clean slate heading into 2013. Caldwell said he wants to immediately explore every avenue possible to turn the Jaguars around."For that to happen as seamlessly...

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Architecture writer Ada Louise Huxtable, awarded first Pulitzer for criticism, dead at 91

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Ada Louise Huxtable, the architecture critic who was awarded the first Pulitzer Prize for criticism, has died. She was 91.Huxtable, who was the architecture critic for the New York Times from 1963 to 1982 and, later, the Wall Street Journal, died Monday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the Journal reported.Huxtable was a firm believer in the power...

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Business leaders warn UK PM against leaving EU

LONDON (AP) — Top executives have warned U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron that he could damage Britain‘s economy if he seeks to renegotiate the terms of its membership of the 27-country European Union.In a letter published in the Financial Times Wednesday, Virgin Group’s Richard Branson, London Stock Exchange head Chris Gibson-Smith, WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell and seven other business leaders...

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