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| U.S. justice grants exemption in contraception mandate challenge Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:46 PM PST  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roman Catholic Church-affiliated organizations on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to block implementation of a part of the Obamacare healthcare law that requires employers to provide insurance policies that cover contraception. Catholic University of America and nonprofits in Michigan and Tennessee were among those filing three separate applications asking the court to temporarily exempt them from the so-called contraception mandate while litigation continues. The mandate, which is due to take effect for the organizations on January 1, is already in place for many women who have private health insurance. The court did not immediately respond to the applications. Full Story | Top |
| Gay couple to exchange vows on Rose Parade float Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:27 PM PST By Dana Feldman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A gay Los Angeles couple plans to exchange wedding vows on a flower-covered float trundling through Pasadena during the nationally televised Tournament of Roses Parade on Wednesday, capping a momentous year for same-sex marriage in the United States. The planned nuptials of Danny Leclair, 45, and Aubrey Loots, 42, who have been together for 12 years and own a chain of hair salons, will mark the first same-sex marriage on a Rose Parade float in the 125-year history of the annual event, organizers say. But it won't be the only wedding ever to have been performed on one of the Rose Parade's flower petal-bedecked floats on national television. Leclair and Loots plan to make it official aboard a float shaped like a wedding cake coated in white coconut chips, accented with red kidney beans and festooned with 12,000 roses and other floral decorations, said Ged Kenslea, a spokesman for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Full Story | Top |
| China's factory growth slower but resilient at year end Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 07:18 PM PST  Growth in China's factories slowed slightly in December as export orders and output weakened, official data showed on Wednesday, adding to views that while the world's second-largest economy remains resilient, it lost some steam in late 2013. The official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), published by the National Bureau of Statistics, dipped to 51.0 in December. Many economists have said China's economy was likely to show weaker momentum in the final three months of 2013 after a rebound between July and September, due to slowing credit growth and a fall-off in restocking demand. Domestically, tight liquidity is weighing on factory output and orders," said Li Heng, an economist at Minsheng Securities in Beijing. Full Story | Top |
| Railcars in North Dakota crude train crash older, less safe: investigators Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 05:28 PM PST By Alicia Underlee Nelson FARGO, North Dakota (Reuters) - The railcars carrying crude oil that crashed into a derailed grain train in North Dakota on Monday were all older types that do not meet the latest industry safety standards, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday. Robert Sumwalt, who is leading the NTSB's investigation into the collision of two BNSF Railway Co trains, said the cylindrical tank cars on the oil train were known as DOT-111s, which are widely used to move crude and ethanol. In October 2011, the American Association of Railroads, the rail industry's trade group, adopted new standards requiring tank cars manufactured after that date to have thicker hulls and reinforced valves to better protect against punctures and leaks in derailments. "Our preliminary information is that none of the cars were of the newer design," Sumwalt said at a news conference in Fargo, North Dakota, east of the crash site. Full Story | Top |
| Catholic groups ask U.S. Supreme Court to block contraception coverage Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 04:50 PM PST  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roman Catholic Church-affiliated organizations on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block implementation of a part of the Obamacare healthcare law that requires employers to provide insurance policies that cover contraception. Catholic University of America and non-profits in Michigan and Tennessee were among those filing three separate applications asking the court to exempt them temporarily from the so-called contraception mandate while litigation continues. The mandate, which is due to take effect for the organizations on January 1, is already in place for many women who have private health insurance. The court did not immediately respond to the applications. Full Story | Top |
| Wal-Mart offers 30 days of prescriptions to backlogged Obamacare enrollees Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 04:50 PM PST  (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Tuesday it will provide a month's supply of certain prescriptions at no upfront cost to participants of U.S. President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law who have not yet received a plan identification number. The move by Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, comes a day after Walgreen Co instituted a similar practice. Wal-Mart said it will fill up to a 30-day supply of prescriptions through the end of January for customers who have enrolled in Obamacare, but do not have an ID yet from an insurer. It was not immediately clear if Wal-Mart would seek reimbursement once customers obtain their Obamacare IDs, though Walgreen said it would do so. Full Story | Top |
| Wall St. ends best year since 1990s with moderate gains Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 02:26 PM PST  Wall Street ended 2013 with its positive momentum intact, advancing in its final trading day of the year on the back of positive consumer confidence data. The S&P 500 rose 29.6 percent over the year, its best annual performance since 1997, while the Dow climbed 26.5 percent in its best year since 1995. The Nasdaq jumped 38.3 percent, its best year since 2009. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 finished the final trading day of 2013 at record closing highs. Full Story | Top |
| Bombardier gets business jet order worth $2.2 billion Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 02:19 PM PST  (Reuters) - Bombardier Inc said on Tuesday it received a firm order from an undisclosed customer to buy 38 business aircraft in a deal valued at about $2.2 billion. The Canadian plane maker said the order was for 28 Global business jets and 10 Challenger 605 jets. Bombardier on Monday announced an order for 10 Challenger 350 business jets from an undisclosed customer in a deal worth about $259 million. Shares of Bombardier closed at C$4.61 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Full Story | Top |
| NY City's new labor official vows respectful stance with unions Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:48 PM PST By Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio on Tuesday named a new city labor director who immediately vowed to take a sympathetic stance toward public workers when the nation's biggest city renegotiates expired contracts with its workforce. Bob Linn, the new director of labor relations, pointedly weighed in on a national debate that has raged from New Jersey to Wisconsin over how teachers, firefighters and other public workers should be compensated. While it has become fashionable to attack public workers, "you will never hear that from any of us," he said. Public-employee unions in New York are demanding up to $8 billion in retroactive pay increases as part of new contracts that outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left for de Blasio, a liberal Democrat who takes office on Wednesday. Full Story | Top |
| Residents allowed to return home after smoky North Dakota rail crash Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:46 PM PST By Alicia Underlee Nelson CASSELTON, North Dakota (Reuters) - Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted on Tuesday in Casselton, North Dakota, where a fiery oil train crash a day earlier triggered a series of blasts and forced residents from their homes. The 106-car BNSF Railway Co oil train struck a derailed grain train on Monday afternoon about a mile west of Casselton, a town of 2,300 people. "The environment within the city limits of Casselton is now safe for residents to return to their homes," the Cass County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. One or two train cars carrying oil were still burning, but the fire is contained, said Casselton Mayor Ed McConnell. Full Story | Top |
| Target faces problems with gift cards sold over holidays Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:46 PM PST  By Dhanya Skariachan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Target Corp, which is dealing with one of the largest ever payment-data breaches in U.S. retail history, said on Tuesday that some of the gift cards it sold over the holiday season were not activated properly. "We are aware that some Target gift cards were not fully activated and apologize for the inconvenience," Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said in an e-mail. Shoppers can bring the cards to the guest service desk at their local Target stores or call 1-800-544-2943 for assistance, Snyder added. Target's consumer perception scores dropped to their lowest level since 2007 after the breach, a survey showed. Full Story | Top |
| TSX ends year broadly higher, gains 9.6 percent in 2013 Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:42 PM PST  By Alastair Sharp TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index closed out 2013 with a broad but modest gain on Tuesday, boosted by higher miners, banks, railways and energy companies, as investors looked optimistically ahead to 2014. "A nice close, and I think the momentum will probably continue on January 2nd," said David Cockfield, a portfolio manager at Northland Wealth Management. The rise capped a 9.6 percent gain for the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index in 2013, a far smaller gain than those notched by the three main U.S. indices. Much of Canada's lag can be blamed on dismal returns from mining stocks, which struggled with rising production costs and volatile prices, while U.S. stocks were more directly boosted by the U.S. Federal Reserve's massive stimulus program. Full Story | Top |
| Over 2.1 million have signed up for Obamacare: officials Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:38 PM PST  By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 2.1 million people have enrolled in private health insurance plans through new federal and state websites since they were launched in October as part of President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Sign-ups for what has become known as Obamacare gained pace during December as the website's performance improved, and as more Americans focused on getting coverage by the new year. Many of the newly insured under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enrolled just ahead of a December 24 deadline to receive benefits on January 1, giving health insurers a tight framework to create accounts that can be accessed by doctors. About half the 2.1 million signed up for private health insurance on the federal website, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters in a conference call. Full Story | Top |
| Apple says never worked with NSA on iPhone hacks Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:32 PM PST  Apple Inc has never worked with the U.S. National Security Agency and is unaware of efforts to target its smartphones, the company said in response to reports that the spy agency had developed a system to hack into and monitor iPhones. Germany's Der Spiegel reported this week that a secretive unit of the NSA, which is under fire for the extent and depth of its spying programs around the world, makes specialized gear and software to infiltrate and monitor a plethora of computing devices, including mobile phones. (http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-941262.html) The report included an NSA graphic dated 2008 that outlined a system in development called DROPOUTJEEP, described as a "software implant" that allows infiltrators to push and pull and retrieve data from iPhones such as contact lists. In a statement issued Tuesday, the NSA did not comment on any specific allegations but said that its interest "in any given technology is driven by the use of that technology by foreign intelligence targets." "The United States pursues its intelligence mission with care to ensure that innocent users of those same technologies are not affected," the agency added. Full Story | Top |
| World indexes finish vintage year, more gains seen in 2014 Tuesday, Dec 31, 2013 01:20 PM PST  By David Gaffen NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks closed 2013 by setting record highs and world equity markets ended at six-year peaks on Tuesday, while benchmark bond yields posted their first annual rise since 2009. Equity strategists see the gains continuing into 2014 as economic growth improves even as the Federal Reserve steadily trims its bond-buying stimulus. "This has been a terrific year, with all the concerns we had in January proving unfounded, and with current economic growth giving us a strong outlook for 2013," said John Carey, portfolio manager at Pioneer Investment Management in Boston. Japan's Nikkei ended the year up 56.7 percent and European shares gained 16 percent. Full Story | Top |
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