Hall of Famers happy to see Bonds, Clemens denied

NEW YORK (AP) — Nobody was happier about the Hall of Fame shutout than the Hall of Famers themselves.Goose Gossage, Al Kaline, Dennis Eckersley and others are in no rush to open the door to Cooperstown for anyone linked to steroids.Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa: Keep 'em all out of our club."If they let these guys in ever — at any point — it's a big black eye for the Hall and for baseball,"...

Read More..

Baseball-MLB, players agree to expand drug testing

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 testing will start this season.MLB has been conducting random blood testing for the detection of HGH among minor league players since July 2010.Starting this season, the...

Read More..

RPT-Baseball-MLB, players agree to expand drug testing

(Repeats to widen distribution)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 testing will start this season.MLB has been conducting random blood testing for the detection of HGH among minor league players since July...

Read More..

Venezuela VP heading to Cuba see Chavez, family

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's vice president flew to Cuba on Friday to visit the ailing Hugo Chavez and his family, while the leaders of Argentina and Peru also traveled to Havana saying they hoped to ask about the Venezuelan president's condition.The 58-year-old president is fighting a severe respiratory infection a month after he underwent cancer surgery in Havana, his government says."I'm...

Read More..

In Venezuela, humor not stymied by Chavez's crisis

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The monthlong absence of ailing President Hugo Chavez has elicited prayers, an emotional street rally and heated political debate. Amid the tense wait for news from Chavez's hospital in Cuba, Venezuelans are also turning to one of their most prized national attributes: a biting, irreverent sense of humor.A flurry of jokes and political cartoons have taken aim at the government's...

Read More..

Mexicans protest dog detentions, tests negative

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Dozens of protesters chanting "Free the dogs, arrest the criminals!" demonstrated outside Mexico City police headquarters Friday, demanding the release of 57 stray dogs seized over five suspected mauling deaths in recent weeks.The protesters said the dogs are innocent, and many claimed the victims were probably killed by humans. They acknowledged the famished dogs that live in...

Read More..

NFL's Junior Seau had brain disease from blows to head

Qualcomm Stadium to participate in a "Celebration of Life" memorial, held in Seau's …more (Reuters) - Junior Seau, the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker who killed himself last year, suffered from the same debilitating brain disease diagnosed in at least two other former NFL defensive players who also committed suicide, a study released on Thursday said.Seau, 43, died in May after shooting himself in the...

Read More..

Researchers: NFL's Seau had brain disease

When he ended his life last year by shooting himself in the chest, Junior Seau had a degenerative brain disease often linked with repeated blows to the head.Researchers from the National Institutes of Health said Thursday the former NFL star's abnormalities are consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.The hard-hitting linebacker played for 20 NFL seasons with San Diego, Miami and...

Read More..

NFL-Manning puts winning streaks on line against Ravens

Jan 10 (Reuters) - Peyton Manning, who has mounted a remarkable comeback with the Broncos, will be aiming to extend two big winning streaks when Denver hosts the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League playoffs on Saturday.Manning and the Broncos are gunning for their 12th win in a row this season in the divisional round against the Ravens, a team he has beaten nine consecutive times, with...

Read More..

With BlackBerry 10, there’s no place for home

Research In Motion (RIMM) has a steep hill to climb as it prepares to unveil its next-generation BlackBerry 10 operating system later this month. Launching sleek new BlackBerry 10 handsets that prompt a healthy portion of its current user base to upgrade is of the utmost importance, of course. Just as important, however, is creating a user experience that showcases compelling differentiation and...

Read More..

Panasonic shows off ultra-HD OLED TV

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Panasonic is showing off a prototype TV that combines the two hottest technologies at this year's gadget show in Las Vegas: organic light-emitting diodes and ultrahigh definition.The president of the Japanese electronics company, Kazuhiro Tsuga, showed off the prototype during a keynote speech on Tuesday, the opening day of the International CES. OLED TVs are hard to manufacture,...

Read More..

Stolen Android apps reportedly being sold in BlackBerry App World

One of the biggest problems with launching a new mobile platform just as the current leaders are starting to peak is attracting enough top developers to create an appealing ecosystem. Just ask Microsoft (MSFT). Research In Motion (RIMM) says it is making good progress in that regard and it expects BlackBerry App World to house more than 70,000 BlackBerry 10 apps when the new OS launches in the coming...

Read More..

FTSE 100 hits highest level since May 2008 on earnings optimism

LONDON (Reuters) - The FTSE 100 hit their highest level since May 2008 on Wednesday, with gains led by banking stocks and miners after a reassuring start to the U.S. earnings season boosted demand for riskier assets.The FTSE 100 broke through a near two-year high at 6,105.77 in afternoon trade, following a strong opening on Wall Street, peaking at 6,112.27, before settling to close up 45.02 points,...

Read More..

Nasdaq CEO says would definitely consider Euronext

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nasdaq OMX Group would definitely consider bidding for Euronext, the operator of the Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and Lisbon stock exchanges, if it were put up for sale, Nasdaq's Chief Executive Robert Greifeld said in an interview."We would have to take a look at it," he said. "I'm not saying we would bid on it, but we would have to take a look."Chatter that Euronext could be...

Read More..

Wall Street gains as earnings flow in; Alcoa up

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose on Wall Street Wednesday after U.S. corporate earnings reports got off to a good start.The Dow Jones industrial average rose 57 points to 13,396 as of 2:12 p.m. EST. The Dow is coming off of two days of losses.The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained four points to 1,461 and the Nasdaq composite rose 16 points to 3,108.Having rallied after a last-minute resolution stopped...

Read More..

Jets fire offensive coordinator Tony Sparano

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Tony Sparano has been fired as the New York Jets' offensive coordinator after one season in which the offense ranked among the league's worst.Sparano was hired last March to replace Brian Schottenheimer and take over an offense that struggled mightily. Instead, the former Miami Dolphins head coach wasn't able to jumpstart the running game or figure out a way to use Tim Tebow...

Read More..

CORRECTED-Institute of Medicine to study US youth sports concussions

(Corrects first and second paragraphs, headline to show that Institute of Medicine is not part of government)WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The Institute of Medicine launched on Monday a sweeping study of rising sports-related concussions among U.S. youth, amid concerns that the injuries may have contributed to the suicides of professional football players.The Institute, part of the private, non-profit...

Read More..

Institute of Medicine to study U.S. youth sports concussions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Institute of Medicine launched on Monday a sweeping study of rising sports-related concussions among U.S. youth, amid concerns that the injuries may have contributed to the suicides of professional football players.The Institute, part of the private, non-profit National Academies, will probe sports-related concussions in young people from elementary school through early...

Read More..

TSX drops as miners weaken, focus on U.S. earnings

Canada's main stock index retreated on Monday as mining stocks were pressured by softer gold prices and investors braced for the upcoming U.S. fourth-quarter earnings season.The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index's <.gsptse> fall tracked declines on U.S. stock markets as cautious investors cashed in recent gains ahead of the earnings season. The U.S. results are expected to...

Read More..

Asian shares fall on caution before earnings reports

 Asian shares fell on Tuesday as investors took a break from the new year's rallies, with caution setting in ahead of corporate earnings season for the last quarter of 2012 and the European Central Bank's policy meeting later in the week.The euro remained firm against the dollar on speculation the ECB might refrain from signalling more interest rate cuts when it meets on Thursday.The dollar...

Read More..

Asia stocks down ahead of US corporate earnings

 Asian stock markets headed lower Tuesday as investors turned cautious before U.S. earnings season kicks off this week.Investors will get a feel for corporate America's outlook as earnings reports start coming. Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. will launch the reporting season for the fourth quarter of 2012 on Tuesday after U.S. markets close. Events during the quarter such as Superstorm Sandy, the...

Read More..

Venezuela opposition: Chavez secrecy feeds rumors

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's opposition demanded that the government reveal specifics of President Hugo Chavez's condition Wednesday, criticizing secrecy surrounding the ailing leader's health more than three weeks after his cancer surgery in Cuba.Opposition coalition leader Ramon Guillermo Aveledo said at a news conference that the information provided by government officials "continues...

Read More..

Venezuelan gov't: Chavez fighting lung infection

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's government says President Hugo Chavez is being treated for a respiratory deficiency after complications from a severe lung infection.Information Minister Ernesto Villegas provided the update on the ailing president's condition Thursday night. He read from a statement saying that Chavez's lung infection had led to "respiratory deficiency" and required strict compliance...

Read More..

Disputes brewing over Hugo Chavez's inauguration

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez is due to be sworn in for a new term in less than a week and his closest allies still aren't saying what they plan to do if the ailing leader is unable to return from a Cuban hospital to take the oath of office.The Venezuelan government on Thursday night described Chavez's lung infection as "severe" and said he is now being treated for "respiratory deficiency."Chavez...

Read More..

Citigroup to seek permission to buy back shares - WSJ

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc is planning to ask regulators for permission to buy back a "minimal" number of shares, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.The bank is not planning to ask to increase its quarterly dividend, which is currently a penny a share, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the company's plans.Citigroup Chairman Michael O'Neill and newly installed CEO...

Read More..

"Cliff" concerns give way to earnings focus

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors' "fiscal cliff" worries are likely to give way to more fundamental concerns, like earnings, as fourth-quarter reports get under way next week.Financial results, which begin after the market closes on Tuesday with aluminum company Alcoa , are expected to be only slightly better than the third-quarter's lackluster results. As a warning sign, analyst current estimates...

Read More..

Fed officials suggest possible end to asset purchases in 2013

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve could halt its asset purchases this year, two top Fed officials suggested on Friday, a view also gaining traction among economists at Wall Street's top financial institutions. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, a voting member of the Fed's monetary policy panel in 2013, said a drop in the unemployment rate to 7.1 percent...

Read More..

Gunman kills 3 people, injures 2 in Swiss village

A shooting in southern Switzerland has left three women dead, two men wounded and highlighted the ease of access to firearms in gun-loving nations.The shooting — which came on the eve of students' return to classes in Newtown, Connecticut, after a horrific school shooting — also raised questions about why a troubled suspect was able to go on a rampage with an old military rifle.The suspect, a 33-year-old...

Read More..