More U.S. pressure on India sought over patent issue
REUTERS - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Friday called on the government to ratchet up pressure on India over intellectual property rights, in a move that could help prevent Indian companies from producing cheap generic versions of medicines still under patent protection.
Rajaratnam's brother seeks dismissal of insider trading charges
NEW YORK - Rengan Rajaratnam, the younger brother of imprisoned hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, urged a U.S. judge on Friday to dismiss insider trading charges leveled against him last year.
Suspected hijacker seized on plane in Turkey
Turkish security forces on Friday seized a Ukrainian man who officials said made a bomb threat and tried to hijack a passenger plane, demanding to go to the Winter Olympics venue of Sochi just as the opening ceremony was taking place. Full Article
Govt cuts growth forecast to less than 5 percent
India on Friday cut its estimate of annual growth for the fiscal year to 4.9 percent from 5 percent because of a contraction in the manufacturing and mining sectors. The revision down will do little to help the Congress party-led ruling alliance, which faces an uphill battle in a general election due by May amid allegations of economic mismanagement, corruption scams and high inflation. Full Article
Markets this week: BHEL, TCS top losers
The BSE Sensex ended down 0.7 percent in what was a slow week for Indian shares. The week began with the benchmark index sliding 1.5 percent on Monday as FIIs continued to sell as part of a slump in emerging markets. The remaining four sessions saw the Sensex ending marginally in the green. Full Article
Italian marines will not face death penalty: govt
Two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen will not face the death penalty, Attorney General Goolam E. Vahanvati said on Friday, the latest twist in a case that has tested relations between the two countries. Vahanvati told Reuters the men would be tried under the law but the Home Ministry had withdrawn the death penalty as a possible sentence. Full Article
Eastwood saves golf event head from choking
Clint Eastwood delivered an unexpected star turn when he saved the tournament director of the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am from choking during a dinner on the eve of the golf event. Full Article
Latest Headlines
Russian Winter Games open amid security scares, arrests
Russia's Winter Olympics got underway on Friday with a grandiose opening ceremony watched by President Vladimir Putin, who will be keen to calm fears of militant attacks and move on from a row over gay rights that has marred the buildup to the Games. Full Article
Interest rates likely to remain high
The very low probability of interest rate cuts in the near future and a very flat yield curve make us bullish on low duration and accrual strategies. The era of cheap and easy money for emerging markets to fund their fiscal profligacy is almost over. Interest rates are thus likely to remain high, longer than any of us was expecting. Full Article
Twitter a victim of its own measure for success
Twitter may be a victim of its own measure for success. The social network is growing and mining lots of user dollars, but not enough to justify a whopping value of 30 times sales. The lofty figure rests on a rise in the company’s highly touted home brew of “timeline views.” That number’s falling, suggesting tweeters are losing interest. Full Article
Health start-ups tap India’s growing home care sector
India’s home healthcare industry, which consists of home-based medical devices and home services, is worth $2 billion and growing at 20 pct annually, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. Health start-ups providing at-home services ranging from geriatric and post-surgery care to physiotherapy and general doctor visits say the sector will soon take off. Full Article
Arvind Kejriwal Speaks
Levels of corruption have gone down drastically in Delhi - Kejriwal (part 3)
Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s new chief minister, spoke to Reuters in a wide-ranging interview a month after getting the top job, from the same modest apartment he’s lived in for the past 15 years. Full Article
South Indian masala remakes no longer a sureshot Bollywood hit
Once considered a permanent fixture on the yearly slate of most production houses, the masala film, a hodgepodge of romance, action and comedy that revolves around a flawless hero, is slowly losing its sheen among Bollywood audiences. Box-office figures for such films during the last six months suggest that they have missed expectations. Full Article
'Hasee Toh Phasee' is a fun ride
Director Vinil Mathew manages to combine the trappings of a conventional Hindi romantic comedy into an unusual film that sparkles with humour and witty repartee, and despite a few bumps along the way, makes for a fun ride, writes Shilpa Jamkhandikar. Full Article | More from Bollywood
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
