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| Online college classes, once aimed at advanced students, target the masses Thursday, May 30, 2013 12:05 AM PDT By Stephanie Simon BOSTON (Reuters) - A leading U.S. provider of online college courses on Thursday announced plans to expand into introductory level classes such as algebra and composition, marking a shift for a fledgling industry that has until now focused on specialized material. Coursera, a popular for-profit provider of massive online open courses - known as MOOCs - will host a series of basic general education classes to be developed in partnerships with 10 state university systems across the United States. ... Full Story | Top |
| Thailand's CP Foods says considered bidding for Smithfield Wednesday, May 29, 2013 09:01 PM PDT HONG KONG (Reuters) - Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc, controlled by Thai billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont, said on Thursday it had considered bidding for Smithfield Foods Inc. On Wednesday, China's privately-owned Shuanghui International agreed to buy Smithfield Foods for $4.7 billion in cash to feed growing Chinese appetite for U.S. pork, in a deal that has already stirred concern from U.S. politicians. CP Foods declined to give more details due to a non-disclosure agreement. (Reporting by Denny Thomas and Khettiya Jittapong; Editing by Ryan Woo) Full Story | Top |
| Barbara hits southern Mexico, killing at least two Wednesday, May 29, 2013 07:10 PM PDT  By Jose Cortes SAN PEDRO TAPANATEPEC, Mexico (Reuters) - Hurricane Barbara hit Mexico's southern Pacific coast on Wednesday, flooding roads, toppling trees and killing two men before weakening to a tropical storm as it moved inland. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Barbara, which had earlier moved close to the country's biggest oil refinery, was 50 miles west of the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez in Chiapas state. Winds were blowing at up to 60 miles per hour. The hurricane was churning north-northeast at about 9 mph and should weaken rapidly overnight, the NHC said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Asteroid mining company wants to put your face in space Wednesday, May 29, 2013 06:41 PM PDT  By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A privately owned asteroid mining firm, backed in part by Google Inc's founders, launched a crowd-funding project on Wednesday to gauge public interest in a small space telescope that could serve as a backdrop for personal photographs, officials said. Planetary Resources, based in Bellevue, Washington, plans to build and operate telescopes to hunt for asteroids orbiting near Earth and robotic spacecraft to mine them for precious metals, water and other materials. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rare twin giraffes are born at Texas nature preserve Wednesday, May 29, 2013 06:19 PM PDT  By Jim Forsyth SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Rare twin giraffes were born this month at a nature preserve in Texas, marking only the second time that living twin giraffes have been born in the United States, the preserve said on Wednesday. The babies were born on May 10 at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch outside of New Braunfels, but the announcement was delayed because twins often do not survive, said Tiffany Soechting, the ranch's marketing director. The giraffes - a female named Wasswa and a male named Nakato - are the only living twin giraffes in the United States, she said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Shell under the skin, 10 years after crisis Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:31 PM PDT  By Andrew Callus LONDON (Reuters) - A decade ago, Royal Dutch/Shell's boss was fighting to close the gap between the truth about his company's oil and gas reserves and the much larger figure in its accounts. He lost the fight, and his job. Scandal engulfed one of the world's biggest companies, exposing years of neglect. Fast forward to May 2013, and the surprise news that chief executive Peter Voser will retire next year caused barely a ripple. Shell has recovered shareholder confidence. But while the risks may all be in the open now, they remain big. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. finds unapproved genetically modified wheat in Oregon Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:20 PM PDT By Charles Abbott WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A strain of genetically engineered wheat never approved for sale or consumption was found sprouting on a farm in Oregon, the U.S. government said on Wednesday, and grain traders warned the discovery could hurt export prospects for U.S. wheat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the discovery of a wheat variety developed years ago by biotechnology giant Monsanto Co to be resistant to its Roundup herbicide. It was never put into use because of worldwide opposition to genetically engineered wheat. ... Full Story | Top |
| High doses of common painkillers increase heart attack risks Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:03 PM PDT By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Long-term high-dose use of painkillers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac is "equally hazardous" in terms of heart attack risk as use of the drug Vioxx, which was withdrawn due to its potential dangers, researchers said on Thursday. Presenting the results of a large international study into a class of painkillers called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the researchers said high doses of them increase the risk of a major vascular event - a heart attack, stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease - by around a third. ... Full Story | Top |
| NICE backs Astra, Bristol diabetes drug in some cases Wednesday, May 29, 2013 04:03 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's healthcare cost watchdog NICE is recommending a new diabetes drug from Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca in some circumstances, marking a change of tack following an earlier blanket rejection. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said on Thursday that Forxiga, or dapagliflozin, was a cost-effective option for type 2 diabetes when used in combination with the older medicine metformin. ... Full Story | Top |
| Legal heat rises for Total's 'Big Moustache' in Iran bribery case Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:52 PM PDT  By Michel Rose and Muriel Boselli PARIS (Reuters) - Total SA's Christophe de Margerie, who faces a possible trial over alleged bribes in Iran, has been dogged by legal investigations and market skepticism during his six years at the top of Europe's third-largest oil group. The 61-year-old, whose mandate expires in 2015, has so far failed to convince that he can deliver on a riskier exploration strategy. Currently trading at 39.4 euros, Total's stock is valued at 7. ... Full Story | Top |
| Total settles U.S. bribe probe for $398 million; CEO may be tried Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:40 PM PDT  By Muriel Boselli and Jonathan Stempel PARIS/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Total SA agreed to pay $398.2 million to settle U.S. criminal and civil allegations that it paid bribes to win oil and gas contracts in Iran, and a French prosecutor has recommended that the company and its chief executive be brought to trial in its home country. France's largest oil producer on Wednesday agreed with the U.S. Department of Justice to enter a deferred prosecution agreement and pay a $245.2 million fine to resolve three charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. ... Full Story | Top |
| Wall Street falls as bond yields hit high dividend stocks Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:34 PM PDT  By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Wednesday as high-yielding dividend stocks lost some of their luster after recent gains in U.S. Treasury bond yields. Benchmark Treasury yields overnight hit 2.235 percent - the highest in more than a year - and have risen since last week when Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke raised fears that the Fed would curb its bond-buying program sooner than most people expected. ... Full Story | Top |
| China's appetite for pork spurs $4.7 billion Smithfield deal Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:21 PM PDT  By Denny Thomas and Olivia Oran HONG KONG/NEW YORK (Reuters) - China's Shuanghui International plans to buy Smithfield Foods Inc for $4.7 billion to feed a growing Chinese appetite for U.S. pork, but the proposed takeover of the world's No. 1 producer has stirred concern in the United States. The transaction, announced on Wednesday, would rank as the largest Chinese takeover of a U.S. company, with an enterprise value of $7.1 billion, including debt assumption. As it stands. the deal is the biggest Chinese play for a U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Buffett picks up Las Vegas-based NV Energy for $5.6 billion Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:17 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway Inc's power production unit MidAmerican Energy will pay $5.6 billion for NV Energy Inc , the electric utility that serves Las Vegas and its power-hungry casinos. MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co will purchase NV Energy's common stock for $23.75 per share, a 23 percent premium to NV's Wednesday closing price. "This is a great fit for Berkshire Hathaway, and we are pleased to make a long-term investment in Nevada's economy," Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett said in a statement. Las Vegas-based NV Energy, which serves about 2. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chevron, Exxon investors sustain calls for fracking disclosure Wednesday, May 29, 2013 02:15 PM PDT  SAN RAMON, Calif./DALLAS (Reuters) - About 30 percent of shareholders of both Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp on Wednesday backed calls for more disclosure surrounding their use of hydraulic fracturing, the top two U.S. oil companies said. The votes, which had about the same support last year, reflect sustained concern among a large portion of investors and the general population about the practice, which has unlocked a huge amount of oil and gas resources across North America but led to environmentalist worries about water contamination. ... Full Story | Top |
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