Column: No suspense for Bonds, Clemens in HOF vote

f a baseball game against the Chicago …more RELATED CONTENT  View PhotoFILE - In this July 23, 2007, file …View PhotoFILE - In this Aug. 4, 2004, file …Barry Bonds can go for a bike ride. Roger Clemens might want to head to the gym for one of those famous workouts that used to make him pitch like he was 22 when he was 42.If the polls are right — and my guess is they're pretty spot on — there's...

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Soccer-41 players get life bans for South Korea match-fixing

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Forty one South Korean players have been handed worldwide lifetime bans following a match-fixing scandal in the country's K-League, world governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.The 41, charged after a domestic match-fixing investigation dating back to 2011, received lifetime bans from all football activity by the K-League and the Korea Football Association's disciplinary committee...

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Judgment day for Bonds, Clemens, Sosa at Hall

NEW YORK (AP) — Judgment day has arrived for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa to find out their Hall of Fame fates.With the cloud of steroids shrouding many candidacies, baseball writers may fail for only the second time in more than four decades to elect anyone to the Hall.About 600 people are eligible to vote in the BBWAA election, all members of the organization for 10 consecutive years...

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Rio slums: From no-go to must-buy

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Five years ago, Rio de Janeiro's "favela" hillside slums had such a bad rap that they were virtual no-go zones, where drug lords laid down the law and outsiders set foot at their peril.But since 2011, police have seized control of dozens of favelas from drug gangs, and things have changed so dramatically that some of the slums are now seen as hot real estate investments — so...

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Allies lead pro-Chavez rallies across Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Venezuela's absent, cancer-stricken president held rallies across the nation on Sunday to defend Hugo Chavez's populist "revolution," with a top ally alleging that far-right factions were seeking violent instability.The opposition says the government's indefinite postponement of Chavez's inauguration, which was to have occurred on Thursday, is...

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Venezuela: Chavez is responding to treatment

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of supporters of Venezuela's cancer-stricken president held rallies across the nation Sunday, hours before the government announced that Hugo Chavez is responding favorably to treatment for a respiratory infection.The rallies came amid complaints by the opposition that it was unconstitutional for the government to indefinitely postpone the socialist leader's inauguration,...

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Steelers Rainey arrested in Fla. on battery charge

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Steeler rookie running back Chris Rainey has been arrested in Florida, accused of slapping his girlfriend.Gainesville police officers charged Rainey Thursday morning with a single count of misdemeanor simple battery. He was taken to jail for booking.Police say in a news release that Rainey was arguing with his girlfriend over his cellphone. His girlfriend got into...

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NFL star Junior Seau suffered from brain disease

Junior Seau, one of the NFL's best and fiercest players for two decades, suffered from a degenerative brain disease often associated with repeated blows to the head when he committed suicide last May, the National Institutes of Health said in a study released Thursday.The NIH, based in Bethesda, Md., said Seau's brain revealed abnormalities consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE....

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Researchers: NFL's Seau had from brain disease

When he ended his life last year by shooting himself in the chest, Junior Seau had a degenerative brain disease often linked with repeated blows to the head.Researchers from the National Institutes of Health said Thursday the former NFL star's abnormalities are consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.The hard-hitting linebacker played for 20 NFL seasons with San Diego, Miami and...

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RIM to launch six new BlackBerry 10 devices in 2013

Research In Motion (RIMM) has wisely decided not to put all its eggs in the high-end basket and will be releasing a wide range of smartphones selling at different price points this year, FierceWireless reports. At the Consumer Electronics Show this week, RIM CMO Frank Boulben said that his company plans to release six different BlackBerry 10 devices in 2013 that will include phones in the high, medium...

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Samsung sets sights on RIM’s corporate users

Now that Samsung (005930) has bested Apple in the consumer smartphone market, at least where shipment volume is concerned, the company is setting its sights on Research in Motion’s (RIMM) corporate user base. The company is investing heavily in enterprise devices that incorporate a higher level of security and reliability than consumers require. Various government agencies and corporations aren’t...

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Three top U.S. wireless carriers to embrace BlackBerry 10

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Three of the top U.S. cellphone carriers signaled this week that they would support Research In Motion's BlackBerry 10 products, the first of which are due to be unveiled Jan 30, offering a hopeful sign for RIM's comeback effort.Executives at Verizon Communications , AT&T Inc and T-Mobile USA all said they are looking forward to the devices, which will be crucial for RIM's...

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Asian shares rise as earnings eyed

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on Wednesday as investors resumed buying after taking profits from a sharp rally at the start of the year while warily bracing for corporate earnings season to kick off in full force.European shares were seen following Asia's lead with a modest rise, with financial spreadbetters predicting London's FTSE 100, Paris's CAC-40 and Frankfurt's DAX would open as much...

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UK stocks stage recovery on positive U.S. earnings

* FTSE 100 up 0.4 percent* Miners gain after Alcoa says sees brighter 2013* Lloyds Banking shines after UBS upgrade* J Sainsbury drops after trading updateLONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Britain's top shares rose onWednesday, boosted by banking stocks and miners as a reassuringstart to the U.S. earnings season boosted investors' appetitefor riskier assets.The FTSE 100 was up 24.33 points, or 0.4 percent,...

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Global shares buoyed by Alcoa earnings, dollar gains on yen

012. REUTERS/Issei KatoRELATED CONTENT   Enlarge PhotoTraders work in front of a trading …Enlarge PhotoTraders are pictured at their desks …LONDON (Reuters) - World shares staged a modest recovery from two days of losses on Wednesday after aluminum giant Alcoa opened the U.S. earnings season with an optimistic outlook for world demand.However, with European and British central banks due...

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Rex, Woody excited for Jets' new 'beginning'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Rex Ryan and Woody Johnson met the media Tuesday, wearing Jets-green ties and presenting an unusually united front for a coach and owner coming off an abysmal season that produced far more in the way of turbulence than touchdowns. The general manager is gone, along with the offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators. Ryan isn't going anywhere because Johnson really...

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Jaguars hire Falcons' Caldwell as general manager

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Atlanta director of player personnel David Caldwell as general manager, charging him with turning around one of the league's worst teams.His first move will be deciding the fate of coach Mike Mularkey.Owner Shad Khan tabbed the 38-year-old Caldwell on Tuesday, a day after a third interview. FoxSports.com first reported that the Jaguars...

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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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Stocks open lower, pushing S&P 500 down from high

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening lower on Wall Street Monday, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 index down from the five-year high it reached Friday.The Dow Jones industrial average fell 55 points to 13,379 as of 10:30 a.m. EST Monday. The S&P 500 dropped six points to 1,460. The Nasdaq composite fell eight points to 3,093.Bank of America bucked the downward trend. The stock rose after...

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U.S. stocks slip before earnings; oil dips

 U.S. stock prices fell on Monday on worries about disappointing company results while world oil prices dipped on profit-taking, but signs of improvement in the global economy capped the losses.The dollar fell against the yen after rallying to a 2-1/2- year high last week, which some traders reckoned was overdone. But it strengthened against the euro on speculation over whether the European...

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Stocks slip, pulling S&P 500 below its 5-year high

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are lower in midday trading on Wall Street, pulling the Standard & Poor's 500 index down from a five-year high it reached Friday.Nine of the 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 were lower. Only health care stocks rose.At midday Monday, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 61 points at 13,374.The S&P 500 was down six at 1,460. The Nasdaq composite was off seven...

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Venezuelan lawmakers meet to choose new leaders

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan lawmakers are meeting to select a new president of the National Assembly in a session that could give clues to the future of the country amid uncertainty about ailing President Hugo Chavez.Just five days remain until Chavez's scheduled inauguration on Thursday and officials are suggesting the swearing-in could be delayed.National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello...

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Chavez party proposes same legislative chief

Chavez party proposes same legislative chiefCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Allies of President Hugo Chavez are proposing to keep the same National Assembly president — a man who could be in line to step in as a caretaker leader in some circumstances.Saturday's session could give clues to the future of the country amid uncertainty about the health of ailing President Hugo Chavez.Just five days remain until...

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Chavez allies re-elect legislative chief

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Allies of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez on Saturday chose to keep the same National Assembly president — a man who could be in line to step in as a caretaker leader in some circumstances.The vote to retain Diosdado Cabello as legislative leader signaled the ruling party's desire to stress unity and continuity amid growing signs the government plans to postpone Chavez's...

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S&P 500 index closes at a five-year high

NEW YORK (AP) — The Standard & Poor's 500 index is closing at its highest level in five years as the stock market extends a New Year's rally.The S&P 500 closed at 1,466 Friday, the highest since Dec. 31, 2007, before the financial crisis.That's a gain of seven points on the day. The index is up 4.6 percent over the past week after lawmakers passed a last-minute budget agreement that avoided...

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S&P 500 finishes at 5-year high on economic data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 index ended at a five-year high on Friday, lifted by reports showing employers kept up a steady pace of hiring workers and the vast services sector expanded at a brisk rate.The gains on the S&P 500 pushed the index to its highest close since December 2007 and its biggest weekly gain since December 2011.Most of the gains came early in...

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Stocks gain, pushing the S&P 500 to 5-year high

The Standard & Poor's 500 closed at its highest level in five years Friday after a report showed that hiring held up in December, giving stocks an early lift.The S&P 500 finished up 7.10 points at 1,466.47, its highest close since December 2007.The index began its descent from a record close of 1,565.15 in October 2007, as the early signs of the financial crisis began to emerge. The index...

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US troops arrive in Turkey for Patriot missiles

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — U.S. troops have started to arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missiles meant to protect the NATO ally from potential Syrian warheads, the U.S. military said Friday.The United States, Germany and the Netherlands are each deploying two batteries of the U.S.-built defense system to boost ally Turkey's air defenses against any spillover from Syria's nearly 2-year civil war. The Patriot...

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Church of England ends ban on gay bishops

The Church of England has lifted a ban on gay male clergy who live with their partners from becoming bishops on condition they pledge to stay celibate, threatening to reignite an issue that splits the 80-million-strong global Anglican community.The issue of homosexuality has driven a rift between Western and African Anglicans since a Canadian diocese approved blessings for same-sex couples in 2002...

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UK police charge Nepalese man with torture

 British police said Friday they have charged a serving colonel in the Nepalese army with two counts of torture allegedly committed during the Himalayan nation's civil war. The case has touched off a diplomatic spat, with the Nepalese government summoning the U.K. ambassador in Kathmandu to protest.Kumar Lama, 46, was arrested Thursday at a residential address in the English town of St. Leonards-on-Sea,...

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UK police charge Nepali colonel accused of torture

LONDON/KATHMANDU (Reuters) - British police charged a Nepali army colonel on Friday with two counts of torture during the Himalayan nation's decade-long civil war, despite the Nepali government's demanding his immediate release.Nepal summoned the British ambassador earlier on Friday to express its "strong objection" to Kumar Lama's detention.Rights groups accuse both the security forces and former...

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Northern Irish fighting rages on as rioters branded "a disgrace"

BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Irish police came under attack by pro-British loyalists on Friday as the province's first minister branded rioters "a disgrace" and said they were playing into the hands of rival militant nationalists.Rioting began a month ago after a vote by mostly nationalist pro-Irish councillors to end the century-old tradition of flying the British flag from Belfast City Hall every...

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