Braves swap starter Hanson for Angels reliever Walden

(Reuters) - The Atlanta Braves borrowed from their starting rotation to boost their bullpen by trading Tommy Hanson to the Los Angeles Angels for hard-throwing reliever Jordan Walden, the Major League Baseball teams said on Friday.Both young pitchers have shown glimmers of greatness but slipped back last season.Hanson, 26, who broke into the majors midway through the 2009 season and went 11-4 with...

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Angels land slugger Hamilton in $125 million deal

(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Angels grabbed Major League Baseball's prized free agent for a second consecutive year on Thursday by signing slugger Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125 million contract.Hamilton, a five-time All-Star who overcame drug and alcohol addictions to become one of Major League Baseball's most feared hitters, powered the Texas Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances in...

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Yankees sign former rival Youkilis to one-year deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Red Sox rival Kevin Youkilis officially joined the New York Yankees on Friday when he signed a one-year contract to fill a void left by the absence of Alex Rodriguez, the American League team said.The three-time All-Star, 33, will serve as the starting third baseman with slugger Rodriguez expected to be sidelined until midseason after having surgery on his left hip.The...

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France chooses Africa intervention carefully

PARIS (AP) — France has a history of intervention in Africa, where it was a colonial power for decades and still maintains several military sites and has hundreds of troops across the continent, including Senegal, Ivory Coast, Chad and Gabon.MALI— January 2013: French helicopter gunships and fighter jets struck at Islamist fighters in Mali at the request of Mali's president, after the rebels began...

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More money, time needed to remove Concordia wreck

GIGLIO, Italy (AP) — More time and money will be needed to remove the Costa Concordia cruise ship from the rocks off Tuscany where it capsized last year, in part to ensure the toxic materials still trapped inside don't leak into the marine sanctuary when it is righted, officials said Saturday.As shipwreck survivors and relatives of the 32 killed began arriving on the island of Giglio to mark Sunday's...

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UPDATE 2-Baseball-MLB, players agree to expand drug testing

* HGH and testosterone testing to be used this season* WADA-accredited lab hails toughness of new MLB testing (Adds USADA comment in paras 5-7)Jan 10 (Reuters) - Major League Baseball and the players' union have agreed to expand their drug program to include random in-season blood testing for human growth hormone and a new test for testosterone, they said on Thursday.The advanced testing will start...

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MLB, players agree to expand drug testing

(Reuters) - Major League Baseball and the players' union have agreed to expand their drug program to include random in-season blood testing for human growth hormone and a new test for testosterone, they said on Thursday.The advanced testing will start this season, in what will be the sternest doping program in major North American professional sports."This agreement addresses critical drug issues...

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NFL's Junior Seau had disease from hits to head - report

Jan 10 (Reuters) - NFL linebacker Junior Seau, who committed suicide last year, had a debilitating brain disease, likely from 20 years of hits to the head, ABC News and ESPN reported on Thursday, citing researchers and his family as sources.Seau, 43, died in May after shooting himself in the chest. He had played for the San Diego Chargers and had a 20-year career in the National Football League.A...

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Chinese police probe kickbacks by Foxconn managers

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Hon Hai Precision, a leading maker of iPhones and other high-tech gadgets, has said it is working with Chinese police probing allegations that employees of its Foxconn unit solicited kickbacks from suppliers.Hon Hai said in a statement late Wednesday that it will "thoroughly investigate" the alleged kickback case and also review its procurement procedures to close any possible...

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Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile all confirm upcoming BlackBerry 10 launches

Research In Motion’s (RIMM) next-generation smartphone platform has received all-important nods from three of the four major nationwide carriers in the United States. Following official endorsements from some international carriers, executives at Verizon Wireless (VZ), AT&T (T) and T-Mobile have each confirmed to Reuters that they will carry BlackBerry 10 devices some time after the new operating...

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Is BlackBerry back? Strong early BlackBerry 10 demand could signal RIM comeback

After hitting a rough patch that seemed to last for most of 2012, Research In Motion (RIMM) may finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. RIM plans to unveil the finished version of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform at a press conference on January 30th, and at least one new smartphone is expected to be revealed during the event. Generating interest in BlackBerry 10 within the crowded...

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Global shares, dollar down ahead of earnings, bonds rise

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global shares fell and bond prices rose on Tuesday, with investors cautious ahead of a U.S. earnings season expected to show sluggish growth in quarterly corporate profits.The dollar and euro fell against the yen as investors booked profits in the aftermath of swift and significant gains, but looser Bank of Japan monetary policy should limit the yen's upside.The dollar was last...

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Alcoa sees brighter 2013, but remains cautious

(Reuters) - Alcoa Inc , the largest aluminum producer in the U.S., expressed cautious optimism that demand for the metal will continue to grow in 2013, helped in part by global growth in the aerospace and construction markets.The company posted a fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, in line with Wall Street expectations, and handily beat expectations on revenue, helping calm investors' nerves after...

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Alcoa earnings as expected, revenue tops forecasts

NEW YORK (AP) -- Alcoa Inc. on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter earnings that met Wall Street's expectations, and the company said it expects slightly higher demand for aluminum this year.The sluggish global economy has weakened prices for aluminum used in everything from airplanes to soda cans.But Alcoa forecast demand growing 7 percent in 2013, up from a 6 percent gain in 2012. It sees the best...

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Golf-Rose, Dufner, Olazabal add more stardust to Qatar Masters

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Twice U.S. Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, Briton Justin Rose and American Jason Dufner will join several other big names at this month's Qatar Masters, organisers said on Tuesday.World number four Rose and ninth-ranked Dufner join former world number one Martin Kaymer and Ryder Cup teammates Sergio Garcia and Paul Lawrie, who announced on Monday they would play in the $2.5...

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Rose, Dufner, Olazabal add more stardust to Qatar Masters

(Reuters) - Twice U.S. Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, Briton Justin Rose and American Jason Dufner will join several other big names at this month's Qatar Masters, organizers said on Tuesday.World number four Rose and ninth-ranked Dufner join former world number one Martin Kaymer and Ryder Cup teammates Sergio Garcia and Paul Lawrie, who announced on Monday they would play in the $2.5 million...

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European events as strong as any in world: Tour chief

(Reuters) - Europe's economic plight has not affected the continent's premier golf circuit and the tour still has some of the best events in the world, chief executive George O'Grady said on Tuesday.The European Tour is increasingly spreading its wings beyond Europe to the Far East in terms of venues and O'Grady is full of optimism for this season despite the move to the U.S. PGA Tour of top performers...

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Veteran broker departures shift $133 billion client assets in 2012

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brokerages saw top advisers depart in droves last year and shift $132.5 billion in client assets with them, a Reuters tally shows, creating headaches for some Wall Street banks at a time when wealth management is becoming an increasingly important part of business.Unprecedented signing bonuses, cultural changes linked to acquisitions, a push to cross-sell company products, and...

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Global shares, oil dip, but growth prospects limit falls

 World stocks and oil prices eased on Monday ending a new year rally as some investors chose to book profits, but signs of a brightening global economic growth outlook limited the falls.Wall Street looked to set to follow a similar path after the benchmark Standard & Poor's index surged to a five-year high on Friday when data showed employers kept up a steady pace of hiring in December and...

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Futures slip after S&P hits pre-recession levels

 Stock futures are cooling off after the Standard & Poor's index reached levels last week not seen since the start of the Great Recession.Dow Jones industrial futures are down 8 points to 13,338. The broader S&P futures have lost 0.80 points to 1,456.90. Nasdaq futures are down a point at 2,712.Investors appear to be taking some money off the table with the earnings season kicking off...

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US troops arrive in Turkey for Patriot missiles

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — U.S. troops have started to arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missiles meant to protect the NATO ally from potential Syrian warheads, the U.S. military said Friday.The United States, Germany and the Netherlands are each deploying two batteries of the U.S.-built defense system to boost ally Turkey's air defenses against any spillover from Syria's nearly 2-year civil war. The Patriot...

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Church of England ends ban on gay bishops

LONDON (Reuters) - The Church of England has lifted a ban on gay male clergy who live with their partners from becoming bishops on condition they pledge to stay celibate, threatening to reignite an issue that splits the 80-million-strong global Anglican community.The issue of homosexuality has driven a rift between Western and African Anglicans since a Canadian diocese approved blessings for same-sex...

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Christmas updates to shine light on UK retail prospects

LONDON (Reuters) - The prospects for consumer spending and the broader British economy will be in focus next week when a host of retailers, including Marks & Spencer and Tesco, report Christmas sales figures.Many store groups found the going tough last year as consumers fretted over job security and a squeeze on incomes.With wage rises failing to match inflation and another round of government...

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Wall Street set for higher open after jobs report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street was set for a higher open on Friday after a key U.S. jobs report showed the pace of hiring by employers had eased sightly in December but gave signals of some momentum in the labor market's recovery since the 2007-09 recession.Though the data showed lackluster economic growth was unable to make a dent in the still-high U.S. unemployment rate, it calmed fears about...

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Stocks inch higher following jobs report

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are mostly edging higher on Wall Street in early trading after the U.S. government reported that hiring held up last month.The Dow Jones industrial average rose 11 points to 13,403 shortly after the opening bell Friday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose two to 1,461 and the Nasdaq fell a point to 3,099.The Labor Department said U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs in December....

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Sensex edges up to two-year high on oil, earnings

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The BSE Sensex edged higher on Friday to touch two-year high, posting its strongest weekly performance since the end of November, as oil companies such as ONGC rose on hopes a proposed change in the government's pricing formula would boost gas prices.Software services exporters such as Tata Consultancy Services also rose on expectations upcoming October-December earnings results...

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Israeli undercover raid sets off violent protests

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Israeli undercover troops broke into a West Bank apartment building in a failed arrest raid Thursday, igniting a violent protest and signaling that Israeli-Palestinian security coordination may be in trouble, officials said.Thursday's raid targeted a suspected Islamic militant and marked the second time this week an army operation sparked clashes. Palestinians accused Israel...

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Israeli library unveils ancient Afghan manuscripts

JERUSALEM (AP) — A trove of ancient manuscripts in Hebrew characters rescued from caves in a Taliban stronghold in northern Afghanistan is providing the first physical evidence of a Jewish community that thrived there a thousand years ago.On Thursday Israel's National Library unveiled the cache of recently purchased documents that run the gamut of life experiences, including biblical commentaries,...

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Brotherhood official urges Egypt's Jews to return

CAIRO (AP) — A leading Muslim Brotherhood member and adviser to Islamist President Mohammed Morsi created a stir in Egypt when he called on Egyptian Jews in Israel to return home because Egypt is now a democracy and because the Jewish state won't survive.Essam el-Erian's remarks in a TV appearance put the Brotherhood, which holds power in Egypt, on the spot as opponents — and some allies — jumped...

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Activists: At least 9 killed by Damascus car bomb

BEIRUT (AP) — A car bomb blew up late Thursday in a Damascus gas station, killing at least nine people, a Syrian activist group said.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the death toll in the blast in the capital's Masakin Barzeh neighborhood is expected to rise because many of the wounded were in critical condition.Syria's state news service also reported the blast but did not...

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Rebel area shows limits of rebel push for Damascus

Twin airstrikes by government jets on a large, rebel-held suburb of Damascus on Thursday sheered the sides off apartment towers and left residents digging through rubble for the dead and wounded.The bombing of Douma came amid a wave of attacks on rebellious districts of the Syrian capital, part of the government's efforts to keep rebel fighters out of President Bashar Assad's seat of power. Late Thursday,...

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Fiscal-cliff deal no recipe for a robust economy

Housing is rebounding. Families are shrinking debts. Europe has avoided a financial crackup. And the fiscal cliff deal has removed the most urgent threat to the U.S. economy.So why don't economists foresee stronger growth and hiring in 2013?Part of the answer is what Congress' agreement did (raise Social Security taxes for most of us). And part is what it didn't do (prevent the likelihood of more...

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