NBA-Late rally helps Magic snap Clippers' record streak

Jan 12 (Reuters) - The high-flying Los Angeles Clippers came down to earth with an unexpected late bump in a 104-101 loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday, their first defeat at home after a franchise record 13-game win streak.With Blake Griffin recording 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, the Clippers never trailed until bench player J.J. Redick finally put the Magic ahead on a three-pointer...

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Late rally helps Magic snap Clippers' record streak

(Reuters) - The high-flying Los Angeles Clippers came down to earth with an unexpected late bump in a 104-101 loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday, their first defeat at home after a franchise record 13-game win streak.With Blake Griffin recording 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, the Clippers never trailed until bench player J.J. Redick finally put the Magic ahead on a three-pointer...

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WRAPUP 1-Basketball-Maccabi hail journeyman Roth after big win

BELGRADE, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Maccabi Tel Aviv playmaker Moran Roth emerged from obscurity on Friday to help the winners of four Euroleague titles to a 91-73 victory over Fenerbahce Istanbul to rekindle their hopes of reaching the playoffs.Spaniards Caja Laboral, who were on the brink of an early exit in the preliminary group stage, continued their impressive comeback with a 77-51 rout of Besiktas...

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Egypt's Mubarak questioned over alleged gifts

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian prosecutor placed a new detention order on Hosni Mubarak on Saturday after the ousted ex-president was questioned over valuable gifts he allegedly received from the country's top newspaper as a show of loyalty while he was in power, a security official said.The public funds prosecutor ordered Mubarak to be held for 15 days pending investigation, the official said. The former...

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Israel PM blocks roads to Palestinian tent site

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian protesters who pitched tents at a strategic West Bank site to protest plans to build a Jewish housing project there were evicted early Sunday, police said.Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police evicted about a hundred protesters from the site after a court decision authorizing their removal. He said no arrests were made during the half hour operation.Israeli Prime Minister...

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Palestinian protesters evicted from West Bank site

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian protesters who pitched tents at a strategic West Bank site to protest plans to build a Jewish housing project there were evicted early Sunday, police said.Palestinian activists erected tents in the area known as E-1 on Friday saying they wanted to "establish facts on the ground" to stop Israeli construction in the West Bank. The Palestinian activists were borrowing a...

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Former Yankees manager Joe Torre wants focus on child abuse

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A government commission co-led by former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre said on Wednesday that the U.S. federal and local governments are not doing enough to identify and treat child victims of abuse and violence.At a meeting with representatives from major federal departments, the commission of academics, law enforcement officials and others, issued 56 recommendations...

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Korean closer Lim heading to Chicago Cubs

semifinal game at the World Baseball Classic in Los Angeles, California March 21, 2009. …more (Reuters) - South Korean closer Lim Chang-yong is set to sign a deal with Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, though the sidearm pitcher is unlikely to be able to take the mound again until late next season.The 36-year-old righthander, who had elbow surgery earlier this year, told reporters at Incheon...

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Angels land slugger Hamilton in $125 million deal

(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Angels grabbed Major League Baseball's prized free agent for a second consecutive year on Thursday by signing slugger Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125 million contract.Hamilton, a five-time All-Star who overcame drug and alcohol addictions to become one of Major League Baseball's most feared hitters, powered the Texas Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances in...

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Monti, in Twitter Q&A, says new voting law priority for Italy

ROME (Reuters) - Outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Saturday if he wins February's parliamentary election one of his first acts would be to overhaul the voting law to improve democracy and government stability.Monti, 69, who last week confirmed he would lead a centrist coalition in the February 24-25 vote, called himself a "bit of a pioneer" in politics during nearly 2 hours of #MontiLive...

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Ohio sheriff confronts protesters in football rape case

handled a high school rape investigation …more RELATED CONTENTView PhotoProtesters gathered in front of …STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (Reuters) - A county sheriff under fire for how he has handled a high school rape investigation faced down a raucous crowd of protesters on Saturday and said no further suspects would be charged in a case that has rattled Ohio football country.Ma'lik Richmond and Trenton Mays,...

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Canada meets key aboriginal demand amid blockades

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's prime minister will meet with native leaders next week to discuss social and economic issues, an olive branch to an angry aboriginal movement that has blockaded rail lines and threatened to close Canada's borders with the United States.Stephen Harper made no mention of the aboriginal protests in a statement on Friday announcing the January 11 meeting.But the meeting is...

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Kuwaiti gets two years for insulting emir on Twitter

Kuwaiti gets two years for insulting emir on TwitterKUWAIT (Reuters) - A Kuwaiti court sentenced a man to two years in prison for insulting the country's ruler on Twitter, a lawyer following the case said, as the Gulf Arab state cracks down on criticism of the authorities on social media.According to the verdict on Sunday, published by online newspaper Alaan, a tweet written by Rashid Saleh al-Anzi...

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Samsung sees record-high 4Q profit

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest technology company by revenue, expects record earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012 as shoppers continued to snap up its smartphones and tablets.The company said Tuesday its operating profit for the October-December quarter would be about 8.8 trillion won ($8.3 billion), up 89 percent from a year earlier and higher than expectations....

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World stocks down ahead of US corporate earnings

BANGKOK (AP) — World 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 unofficially launch the reporting season for the fourth quarter of 2012 on Tuesday after U.S. markets close.Events during the quarter such as...

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Futures dip ahead of start to US earnings season

NEW YORK (AP) — Stock futures are heading lower as the U.S. kicks off the first earnings season of 2013.Dow Jones industrial futures are down 10 points to 13,297. The broader S&P futures have given up 1.8 points to 1,454. Nasdaq futures are down 2.25 points to 2,715.50.Alcoa posts fourth quarter earnings after the markets close Tuesday and analysts that follow the company are looking for a profit...

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Judgment day for Bonds, Clemens, Sosa at Hall

NEW YORK (AP) — There's a chance the podium under the chandeliers in the gold-and-ivory-colored Vanderbilt Room of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel will go unused.With the cloud of steroids shrouding the candidacies of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and others, baseball writers may fail for the only the second time in more than four decades to elect anyone to the Hall of Fame, rendering a news conference unnecessary.About...

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Source: RG3 to have surgery on torn knee ligament

WASHINGTON (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says Robert Griffin III will have surgery Wednesday to repair a torn ligament in his right knee.The person said Griffin has a torn lateral collateral ligament and that the surgery will also determine whether he also has damaged the ACL.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Redskins have not announced the latest details of Griffin's...

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Redskins' RG3 to have knee surgery

WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert Griffin III is having surgery Wednesday on a torn ligament in his right knee — and to see if there's a second ligament that also needs to be repaired.Baylor coach Art Briles confirmed to USA Today and The Associated Press on Tuesday night that the Washington Redskins rookie has a torn lateral collateral ligament. He said the surgery also will determine whether Griffin has...

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Discover Financial Services 4Q net income rises

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Discover Financial Services on Thursday reported higher earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter, as users of its namesake credit card stepped up purchases and the company wrote off fewer unpaid balances.Even so, the Riverwoods, Ill.-based company's results fell short of Wall Street expectations, and investors sent its shares down over 3 percent Thursday.Discover, the nation's sixth-largest...

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Oracle beats outlook, shrugs off fiscal debate

BOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Technology giant Oracle Corp said software sales growth will stay strong into the new year despite fears that there could be big tax hikes and U.S. government spending cuts that could cause a slump in spending by customers.Shares of the world's No. 3 software maker rose 1.3 percent after it reported fiscal second-quarter revenue and earnings that surpassed Wall Street...

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RIM shares fall at the open after earnings

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd fell in early trading on Friday following the BlackBerry maker's Thursday earnings announcement, when the company outlined plans to change the way it charges for services.RIM, pushing to revive its fortunes with the launch of its new BlackBerry 10 devices next month, surprised investors when it said it plans to alter its service revenue model, a move that...

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Syrian president to give speech Sunday

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad will deliver a speech on Sunday in a rare address to the nation, state media said, as rebels fighting to topple his embattled regime pressed ahead with an offensive on the capital.The official SANA news agency said in a brief statement Saturday that Assad will speak about the latest developments in Syria. The speech would be the first by the leader since...

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Iran parliament seeks full probe in blogger death

Iran parliament seeks full probe in blogger deathTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's parliament is urging the judiciary to thoroughly investigate the death of a blogger in custody and monitor police stations to prevent further abuses.A parliamentary committee statement read during a Sunday session of the legislature called for a "special" investigation into the November death of Sattar Beheshti.It is not clear...

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Israel leader appeals for right-wing votes

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed in a rare interview on Sunday to his right-wing base to cast ballots for his list, rather than hawkish alternatives, to prevent his being unseated by a potential center-left coalition.His appeal reflects developments in recent weeks that have left Netanyahu more vulnerable ahead of Jan. 22 elections: the emergence of a charismatic...

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Oracle beats outlook, shrugs off fiscal debate

BOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Technology giant Oracle Corp said software sales growth will stay strong into the new year despite fears that there could be big tax hikes and U.S. government spending cuts that could cause a slump in spending by customers.Shares of the world's No. 3 software maker rose 1.3 percent after it reported fiscal second-quarter revenue and earnings that surpassed Wall Street...

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BofA CEO: Fed wants bank to show consistent earnings

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp needs to show the U.S. Federal Reserve it can produce consistent earnings as part of the annual process to gain permission to return more capital to shareholders, CEO Brian Moynihan said in an interview.The second-largest U.S. bank is turning a profit in most of its main businesses, but it inherited costly legal problems when it acquired...

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Top UBS shareholder pins rebound hopes on private wealth

LONDON (Reuters) - UBS's wealth management business will help it bounce back from a $1.5 billion rap for rigging interest rates, one of its largest investors said, although fears of costly civil lawsuits could cast a pall over its shares for some time.Paras Anand, European equities head at Fidelity Worldwide Investment, said legal action sparked by the Libor scandal posed an unpredictable threat...

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Poll: Spike in Palestinian support for military operations against Israel

Palestinian support for military operations against Israel has registered its most significant jump in 10 years, spurred by the recent Gaza conflict, ongoing Israeli settlement expansion, and frustration over a peace process that has been essentially deadlocked for more than four years.The percentage of Palestinians supporting such operations has reached 50.9 percent, up from 29.3 percent in January...

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Fatah rally in Gaza looks toward unity with Hamas

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters rallied in the Hamas stronghold of Gaza on Friday for the first time since they were routed from power in the territory by the Islamist militants in 2007.The rally, approved by Gaza's Hamas rulers, marks a renewed attempt by the rival Palestinian factions to show unity following a fierce Hamas battle with Israel in November and Fatah's...

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Colombia firm makes armored clothes for kids

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A Colombian firm that makes bulletproof vests is now creating armored clothing for children.Factory owner Miguel Caballero said he never thought about making protective clothes for kids until requests came in following the deadly attack on Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut last month."After the tragedy in Connecticut, we started getting emails from customers asking for protected...

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