Senate plans weekend votes on Democratic tax plans
WASHINGTON – A deal to extend expiring tax cuts for all taxpayers is starting to take shape even as Senate Democrats plan weekend votes on bills that would let the tax cuts for the wealthy die.The White House is seeking to expand the tax package to include other measures designed to boost the nation's sluggish…
Federer too good for Ferrer at World Tour Finals
LONDON (Reuters) – Roger Federer got straight down to business at the ATP World Tour Finals Sunday when the world number two trounced Spain's David Ferrer 6-1 6-4.The 29-year-old Swiss, bidding to win the year-ending showpiece for a record-equalling fifth time, produced a ruthless display to take his career record against Ferrer to 11-0.Federer blazed…
Japan's justice minister to step down over gaffe: media
TOKYO (AFP) – Japan's Justice Minister Minoru Yanagida will step down after he caused outrage by saying his job was easy, public broadcaster NHK and other media reported Monday.Yanagida visited Prime Minister Naoto Kan's office early Monday, where he was "seen to be expressing his will to resign," NHK said.After finishing talks with Kan, Yanagida…
Roche takes knife to costs, slashes 4,800 jobs
ZURICH (Reuters) – Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX) set out plans to slash costs on Wednesday, joining Big Pharma rivals with a wide-ranging restructuring program as it grapples with recent product setbacks and mounting pressure on prices.The Swiss drugmaker said it would hack 2.4 billion Swiss francs ($2.4 billion) from annual costs from 2012 onwards, with…
Gallup poll: Likely voters prefer Republicans over Democrats leading country by wide margin
Voters are heading to the polls tomorrow hoping to send President Obama a message, and a plurality want the commander-in-chief to know that theyare not happy.Thirty-eightpercent of Americans said their vote is a message of opposition to Obama while 24 percent are voting to support the president, according toa Gallup poll released Monday. Thirty-seven percent…
Penney forms new division, sets online ventures
NEW YORK (Reuters) – J.C. Penney Co is forming a unit to focus on specialty brands, expanding beyond its namesake department stores.The move comes as the retailer continues to lose share to rivals such as Macy's Inc and faces pressure to seek new avenues of growth.The Growth Brands division, aimed at boosting sourcing and marketing…
Israel's Netanyahu unveils U.S. plan for new talks
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed senior ministers a U.S. plan for resuming peace talks with Palestinians, including a 90-day settlement freeze, a diplomatic source told reporters Saturday.The plan also includes a pledge not to seek any extension to the settlement freeze after the 90-day period, a vow to veto any attempts at…
Oil-rich but candlelit Nigeria seeks power upgrade
LAGOS, Nigeria – When the sun sets in Nigeria, candle flames dance against the darkness, flashlights bob down empty streets and thousands of diesel generators cough to life.This nation has more than enough oil and natural gas to satisfy its energy needs, but its power grid is a wreck, reaching less than half the population…
Congress sets new hearing on huge J&J recalls
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. congressional committee probing massive recalls of Tylenol and other Johnson & Johnson consumer medicines said it will hold another hearing on the matter after receiving "extremely troubling" new information about circumstances surrounding the recalls.The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, during a hearing on May 27, blasted J&J…
OpinionCynthia TuckerD.C. SCHOOLS CONTROVERSY SHOWS IT'S HARD TO SHAKE THINGS UP
WASHINGTON -- Here in the nation's capital city, something remarkable has happened: Students in the public schools, long regarded as among the nation's worst, have shown dramatic improvement on standardized tests over the last few years. Here's something even more remarkable: Local voters seem indifferent, if not outright hostile, to the reforms that have produced…