Business News Headlines - Yahoo! News

	Business News Headlines - Yahoo! News
	Switzerland close to deal in U.S. tax dispute: finance minister ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland is on the brink of a deal to settle a long-running dispute with U.S. authorities over Swiss banks accused of helping wealthy Americans evade billions of dollars of tax, the finance minister said on Saturday. "We hope that we will shortly be at the finishing line," Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told Swiss radio in an interview. "The banks won't get it for nothing." Widmer-Schlumpf declined to say how high fines might be, but added: "It is clear that it will not be a pleasant solution. ... Read More » Politics, bribery charges swirl around Ugandan oil KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Even before the first drops flow, Uganda's oil sector is beset by bribery allegations against officials, tax-related cases abroad that cost the government millions in legal fees, and the alleged interference of a president whose firm control of the sector worries transparency campaigners. Read More » New Xbox more than a game console for Microsoft By Malathi Nayak and Bill Rigby SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is set to make a splash this week with the eagerly awaited unveiling of its new Xbox game console, eight years after the last version, as it seeks a larger share of the $65 billion a year global computer gaming industry. But the small device faces some big competition from the PlayStation 4 by Sony Corp and the Wii U by Nintendo Co Ltd in a shifting market. ... Read More » Google's wearable Glass gadget: cool or creepy? By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google staged four discussions expounding on the finer points of its "Glass" wearable computer during this week's developer conference. Missing from the agenda, however, was a session on etiquette when using the recording-capable gadget, which some attendees faithfully wore everywhere - including to the crowded bathrooms. Google Glass, a cross between a mobile computer and eyeglasses that can both record video and surf the Internet, is now available to a select few but is already among the year's most buzz-worthy new gadgets. ... Read More » LATAM Airlines to resume Argentina flights later Saturday SANTIAGO (Reuters) - LATAM Airlines Group SA said on Saturday it will resume flights to, from and within Argentina by 1530 GMT after state company Intercargo unilaterally decided on Friday to stop providing services to the carrier. Argentine state company Intercargo manages services for the loading and unloading of luggage on airplanes, the transportation of passengers on buses to terminals, and provides the jet bridge services that connect aircraft to the airport, allowing passengers to embark and disembark. ... Read More » Bernanke upbeat on innovation outlook in commencement address WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke painted an upbeat picture on Saturday for the potential of innovation to lift living standards, delivering a sweeping look at the last 100 years that included memories of his 1963 South Carolina home. Bernanke made no reference to monetary policy or the immediate outlook for the U.S. economy in prepared remarks to graduates of Bard College at Simon's Rock, Massachusetts. But the die-hard baseball fan did manage to work in a reference to one of the sport's greats. ... Read More » Alpine in talks with FCC on financing: CEO VIENNA (Reuters) - Alpine, the Austrian unit of Spanish construction group FCC , will hold talks with its owners on how to meet its financing needs and has many options open, Chief Executive Arnold Schiefer said. He was responding to a newspaper report that FCC was worried about Alpine's finances and that Austria's second-biggest construction group had to come up with another 150 million euros ($192 million) this year despite reaching a deal with creditors in March. Alpine lost 450 million euros in 2012 as it began to exit unprofitable projects abroad. ... Read More » China April housing inflation quickens to two year high By Xiaoyi Shao and Michael Martina BEIJING (Reuters) - China's housing inflation accelerated to its fastest pace in April in two years, driven by a jump in prices in Beijing and Shanghai, complicating the task of policymakers trying to cool the property sector while supporting economic expansion. Average new home prices rose 4.9 percent last month from a year ago, after a year-on-year increase of 3.6 percent in March, according to Reuters calculations from data released by the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) on Saturday. The rise was the sharpest since April 2011. ... Read More » Exclusive: EU cites Chinese telecoms Huawei and ZTE for trade violations By Daniel Bases NEW YORK (Reuters) - Europe's top trade official for the first time late on Friday officially cited Chinese mobile telecommunications equipment makers Huawei and ZTE Corp for violating anti-dumping and anti-subsidy guidelines. European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said he was prepared to launch a formal investigation into anti-competitive behavior by these Chinese companies in order to protect a "strategic" sector of Europe's economy. ... Read More » Glance: Europe's Key Institutions Following the chaotic bailout of Cyprus, top European Union officials are saying it's time to rethink how the region manages its crisis — and who should be involved. Read More » Top officials call to overhaul euro institutions BERLIN (AP) — Engineering a financial bailout for Cyprus in March was such a chaotic process that top European officials say it is time to rethink how the region manages its crisis — and who should be involved. Read More » Report: Yahoo nearing $1.1B acquisition of Tumblr NEW YORK (AP) — Yahoo may be on the verge of closing its biggest acquisition during the 10-month reign of CEO Marissa Mayer as she tries to attract more traffic and advertisers to the Internet company's website and mobile applications. Read More » Caribbean talks conservation on Branson's island NECKER ISLAND, British Virgin Islands (AP) — Surrounded by a turquoise sea and a menagerie of exotic animals on a billionaire's private island, political and business leaders gathered Friday to back an initiative aimed at expanding protection for the Caribbean's imperiled coasts and waters. Read More » GM stock rises above $33 for first time in 2 years DETROIT (AP) — Shares of General Motors reached an important milestone on Friday, closing above their initial public offering price of $33 for the first time in more than two years. Read More » A year after IPO, Facebook aims to be ad colossus NEW YORK (AP) — It was supposed to be our IPO, the people's public offering. Read More » Photos: Frank Lloyd Wright Homes For Sale Frank Lloyd Wright may have died in 1959, but his architecture is alive and well. A recent story in the Wall Street Journal revealed the cost to upkeep some of his historic homes may be more than buyers bargain for, but others clamor to invest in history.         Read More » SAC Capital won't fully cooperate with government: letter By Emily Flitter and Katya Wachtel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Steven A. Cohen's hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors told investors on Friday it would no longer cooperate "unconditionally" with the U.S. government's insider trading investigation. In a brief letter to investors, the $15 billion hedge fund did not elaborate but said it believes the next few months will be critical in the investigation. The firm said that "over the coming months there will be more clarity about the outcome of these matters. ... Read More » Unemployment falls in 40 US states, rises in 3 WASHINGTON (AP) — Solid hiring helped lower unemployment rates in 40 U.S. states last month, the most since November. The declines show the job market is improving throughout most of the country. Read More » Gauge of US economy's future health up in April WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of the U.S. economy's future health rose solidly in April, buoyed by a sharp rise in applications to build homes and a better job market. Read More » Martha Stewart Case Judge Ruling Favors JCP The judge presiding over the lawsuit against Martha Stewart and J.C. Penney ruled on Friday allowing the sale of Martha Stewart merchandise in J.C. Penney stores.         Read More » Couple Finds $100,000 in Safe Deposit Box An elderly couple in Brooklyn, N.Y., found a huge pile of cash–what they reckon was $100,000–in cash in a bank's safe deposit box. Joe Valinoti, 82, and his companion, Kathleen Ricigliano, 81, said they opened a safe deposit box account with Sovereign Bank in February....         Read More » 3 Indicted for Millions of Fake Marlboros Three men were indicted this week for shipping millions of packs of untaxed contraband Marlboro cigarettes that were part of a sting conducted by the FBI. Jia Yongming, Yazhou Wu, and Ricky Le were indicted by the U.S. Attorney's Office on Monday in a U.S....         Read More » Holy Grail of Books Could Fetch $30M A rare psalm book from 1640 could fetch between $15 million to $30 million at a Sotheby's auction on Nov. 26 in New York. "It's going to be far and away the most expensive book ever sold," David Redden, vice chairman of Sotheby's auction house,...         Read More » McDonald's Apologizes for Sad Big Mac Ad McDonald's has apologized for a Big Mac ad that enflamed the fast food giant in a whopper-sized controversy. The ad, a poster placed on Boston mass transit, featured a photo of a seemingly despondent woman with her head buried in her hands next to the...         Read More » Retail Sales Fall, Sending Stocks Down Retail sales fell by 0.4 percent in March, according to the Commerce Department, the biggest drop in nine months. The major stock market indexes slid on the news. Taxes went up at the beginning of the year for everyone who gets a paycheck and that...         Read More » Photos: Rock Icon's Former Home on Sale A former home of rock legend Stevie Nicks and silent-movie star Vilma Banky is on sale for $1.625 million. The 4-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills has a guest apartment, sunset views and spans 3,538-square feet. Nicks purchased the property in the late '70s and recorded numerous demos there, according to Curbed. Banky reportedly lived there after it was built in the late '20s. The home was last purchased in December 2000 for $1.15 million.         Read More » A New Way to Buy Powerball Tickets Those Californians who missed out on the state's first Powerball drawing on Wednesday, which did not yield a winner, will have another chance at the estimated $60 million jackpot during the second drawing on Saturday. Homebound residents or anybody else who doesn't feel like visiting...         Read More » Investment Scam Hits NFL, NBA Stars Morning Business Memo… Dozens of current and former NFL and NBA players may have been the victims of an investment scam. FINRA – the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority – filed a cease-and-desist order against Success Trade Securities, alleging the online investment firm ripped off 58...         Read More » Tiger Woods Boosts Masters Prices With round one of the Masters Golf Tournament underway, tickets for the famous game in Augusta, Ga., are still being sold online today. Though ABC News' Darren Rovell reports prices on web sites like StubHub have dropped to $3,000 to $4,000 today, some badges were...         Read More » Microsoft Falls on PC Shipment Decline Microsoft Corp. shares took a beating today after Goldman Sachs issued a sell recommendation amid news that PC shipments dropped 14 percent in the first quarter, in part because Windows 8 hasn't caught on. Microsoft fell 5.1 percent to $28.75 at 2:35 p.m. Until today, it had been slightly...         Read More »