Defiant Greek leftist refuses to back austerity

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:47:54 -0400

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's surging leftist leader predicted on Thursday his party would sweep next month's election and refused to stop demanding an end to "barbaric" austerity policies he said were bankrupting the nation.

Berkshire Hathaway to buy Media General newspapers

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:47:03 -0400

(Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc is making another bet on the newspaper industry, with a deal to buy the majority of Media General Inc's papers for $142 million in cash.

Analysis: Facebook can't take Asian growth for granted

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:46:02 -0400

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Even as Facebook fever grips investors ahead of the social networking giant's potential $100 billion-plus initial public offering, its breakneck growth in Asia may be slowing as it moves beyond desktop users to those who access the Internet largely or solely from a mobile phone.

Spain beset by bank crisis, recession, bond pressure

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:43:53 -0400

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's borrowing costs shot up at a bond auction on Thursday, after economic data confirmed the country is back in recession and reports of an outflow of deposits from nationalized Bankia hammered its share price.

Horrors of Srebrenica set out at Mladic trial

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:41:17 -0400

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Prosecutors in the genocide trial of Serb general Ratko Mladic on Thursday described five days of terror in the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica in July 1995, when troops under his command massacred more than 7,000 unarmed Muslim boys and men.

Wal-Mart posts strong profit as U.S. sales jump

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:13:14 -0400

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday as more people shopped its established U.S. discount stores and spent more money.

Jobless claims steady, labor worries persist

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:04:58 -0400

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New claims for unemployment benefits were unchanged last week, according to government data on Thursday that will do little to ease concerns about a recent slowdown in jobs growth.

HSBC doubles turnaround target to $2 billion

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:32:20 -0400

HONG KONG/LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC doubled the annual revenue boost expected from its turnaround plan to $2 billion, as Europe's biggest bank picks 22 markets to drive its growth and eyes more cost cutting to cope with new regulations in the wake of the financial crisis.

Syria's Assad: Nations that sow chaos will suffer

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:05:13 -0400

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that countries trying to "sow chaos" in Syria could be infected with it themselves, an apparent warning to Arab Gulf nations that back the insurgency aimed at forcing him from power.

Plans to strike Iran "ready," says U.S. Israel envoy

Thu, 17 May 2012 06:51:53 -0400

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. plans for a possible military strike on Iran are ready and the option is "fully available", the U.S. ambassador to Israel said, days before Tehran resumes talks with world powers which suspect it of seeking to develop nuclear arms.