Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen attends a news conference after chairing the second day of a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee to set interest rates in Washington, DC, U.S. on June 17, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. The case for raising U.S. interest rates has strengthened in recent months because of improvements in the labor market and expectations for moderate economic growth, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Friday.
Yellen did not indicate when the U.S. central bank might raise rates, but her comments reinforced the view that such a move could come later this year. The Fed has policy meetings scheduled in September, November and December.
Speaking at a three-day international gathering of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Yellen said the "U.S. economy was nearing the Federal Reserve's statutory goals of maximum employment and price stability."
"In light of the continued solid performance of the labor market and our outlook for economic activity and inflation, I believe the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months," Yellen said in prepared remarks.
She added that the Fed still thinks future rate increases should be "gradual."
The Fed raised rates in December, its first hike in nearly a decade, but it has held off further increases so far this year due to a global growth slowdown, financial market volatility and generally tepid U.S. inflation data.
Investors currently see an 18 percent probability the Fed will raise rates at its September policy meeting and a 53 percent chance of an increase in December, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool.
Yellen's comments, by failing to lay out a clear roadmap for what the Fed needs to see to raise rates, will likely not convince some investors that a rate increase is imminent, in part because Fed policymakers are seen as sharply divided over whether to increase rates soon or take a more cautious approach.
Yellen was speaking on Friday at a Fed conference on designing new monetary policy frameworks, with central bankers eager to find new ways to stimulate economies even after they have cut rates to near zero and flooded banks with money.
She devoted much of her speech to outlining how the Fed may deal with future recessions now that many economists and Fed officials believe that an aging population and other dynamics appear to be slowing U.S. economic growth over the long term.
Because slower growth means future U.S. interest rates will likely also need to be lower on average, some analysts have suggested that the Fed will have less room to fight future recessions because there will be less room to cut rates.
Such a view is "exaggerated," Yellen said, because the Fed will be able to use bond purchases and forward guidance to ease conditions. It may also want to explore other options, including broadening the range of assets it can purchase, raising the inflation target, or targeting nominal GDP, she said.
(Reporting by Jason Lange and Ann Saphir; Additional reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir in Washington; Editing by Paul Simao)

Fed's Yellen says case for interest rate hike has strengthened


The case for raising U.S. interest rates has strengthened in recent months because of improvements in the labor market and expectations for moderate economic growth, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Friday.


U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) speaks before Republican nominee Donald Trump arrives at 'Joni's Roast and Ride' in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., August 27, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo AllegriU.
WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley opened the door to holding a hearing on President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland if a majority of senators wish to do so after the Nov. 8 election, in comments posted online Tuesday.
Grassley, an Iowa Republican, vowed months ago that the Senate Judiciary Committee he chairs would not act this year to consider Garland's nomination, saying the Republican-majority Senate should not act on a Court nominee until after the new president takes office early next year.
But in a town hall meeting Monday in Cherokee, Iowa, Grassley indicated he could be persuaded by a large number of senators to take action in a "lame duck" session between the Nov. 8 election and the inauguration of the new president in January.
"If we have the election, and there was a majority of the Senate changed their mind about doing it in the lame duck, as opposed to January 20, I don't feel that I could stand in the way of that. But I don't think I can promote that idea," he said in a video of his remarks posted online by the American Bridge 21st Century website, which says it is committed to "holding Republicans accountable."
Grassley made a similar point at the Sioux City Iowa Rotary Club, Iowa's Globe Gazette reported.
Garland, a federal appeals court judge, was nominated by Obama, a Democrat, on March 16 to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the Feb. 13 death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.
Republicans insist that the next president should fill the vacancy, hoping a Republican will win the White House and choose a conservative rather than the centrist Garland. But such an outcome is not assured, with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton currently leading Republican candidate Donald Trump in public opinion polls.
A spokeswoman for Grassley, Beth Levine, denied he was shifting his position. She said that in Sioux City Grassley reiterated his stance "that a Supreme Court nominee wouldn’t be considered until after the next president is sworn in so the American people have an opportunity to weigh in on this important issue."
Senate Republican leaders have vowed not to hold confirmation hearings or an up-or-down vote on any Supreme Court nominee put forward by Obama. "The Leader has been clear: the next president will make this nomination," Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said in an email Tuesday.
(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Julia Edwards and Andrew Hay)

Senator Grassley could be persuaded to hold hearing on Garland


U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley opened the door to holding a hearing on President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland if a majority of senators wish to do so after the Nov. 8 election, in comments posted online Tuesday.


U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about transportation infrastructure during a visit to the Port of Wilmington in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. on July 17, 2014. TO MOVE WITH SPECIAL REPORT USA-DELAWARE/BULLOCK REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
WASHINGTON U.S. President Barack Obama will dramatically expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii on Friday, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 582,500 sq miles (1.5 million sq km) of the Pacific Ocean.
Obama will visit the protected area on Sept. 1 to draw attention to the threat that climate change poses to oceans, traveling to Midway Atoll - a remote coral reef that was the site of a pivotal World War Two battle and is now known for its sea turtles, monk seals, and millions of seabirds.
Obama, who was born in Hawaii and spent most of his childhood there, made curbing climate change a central part of his time in the White House, which draws to a close on Jan. 20.
Some of his efforts have been blocked by Congress or held up in court challenges. But preserving public space from development has been something Obama can do using his own power, and he had moved to permanently protect more than 265 million acres of land and water even before the expansion in Hawaii.
Obama has also sought to use the star power of his office to raise public concern about climate issues. Trailed by camera crews, he has hiked on an Alaska glacier and walked through the Florida Everglades.
His journey to Midway Atoll, a former naval base that is now a rarely visited refuge, is aimed at sending a hopeful message.
"The best science shows that the ocean can recover, if you allow it to," said Senator Brian Schatz, who worked with scientists, environmental groups and native Hawaiians to urge Obama to expand the monument.
"As daunting as the problem of climate change is, and as troubling as the situation is with respect to our oceans, they show remarkable resilience, if you give them a chance," Schatz told Reuters.
The monument was first established 10 years ago by former Republican President George W. Bush, who created the world's largest marine reserve at the time, protecting close to 140,000 sq miles of ocean around the Hawaiian archipelago and inspiring a series of similar projects around the world.
The four-fold boost in territory will cover an area with more than 7,000 marine species, including a coral that is the world's oldest-known living organism at 4,265 years old.
"We think of Papahānaumokuākea's original designation as a catalyst, and we're hoping it will be again," said Seth Horstmeyer, a director with Pew's Global Ocean Legacy project. Only about 3 percent of the world's oceans have similar protections, according to Pew.
Obama is set on Wednesday to address leaders of Pacific islands and a global conference of conservation officials and environmental groups in Honolulu.
"We would like the other nations to follow suit," said Sol Kaho'ohalahala, a seventh-generation native Hawaiian. In an interview, Kaho'ohalahala explained that Papahānaumokuākea, considered a sacred place, figures large in the creation myths of his people.
"We are part of this place, we're not the beginning of this place," he said. "Our responsibility is really as a people now how to care for this place."
Some Hawaiians had argued against the expansion. Longline commercial fishermen, who have been praised for sustainable fishing, have counted on the area for an estimated 3 to 13 percent of their annual catch of tuna, which is limited under quotas and governed by extensive conservation measures.
"Excluding American citizens from American waters and forcing in this case fishermen onto the high seas to do their business - something just doesn’t quite sit right," said Sean Martin, president of the Hawaii Longline Association, explaining the expansion could raise his costs.
But Hawaiian Senator Schatz, who worked on a compromise plan to accommodate certain types of fishing and more Native Hawaiian involvement in managing the preserve, said there would be plenty of fish left for longline fishermen in other areas.
"They will have very little difficulty fishing up to the limit under the tuna treaty, even with the new boundaries," Schatz said.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler and Richard Pullin)

Obama expands Hawaii marine reserve in final push on climate


U.S. President Barack Obama will dramatically expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii on Friday, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 582,500 sq miles (1.5 million sq km) of the Pacific Ocean.


UPDATE 2-S.African rand weakens as U.S. rate hike expectations strengthen
JOHANNESBURG, Aug 29 South Africa's rand weakened against the dollar on Monday as the greenback rose on expectations that U.S. interest rates would rise soon, adding pressure on the currency which has been knocked by concerns over the finance minister's future.

BRIEF-Northern Vertex appoints Christopher Park as new CFO


BRIEF-Poet expects revenue in second half of FY to exceed $2 million
* Poet Technologies reports second quarter financial results and provides outlook for second half 2016

BRIEF-Aurvista Gold appoints Chief Operating Officer


The logo of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is seen at the company's Sagamihara plant in Sagamihara, Japan, July 4, 2016. REUTERS/Maki Shiraki
A Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Type 10 armoured tank fires during an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji training field in Gotemba, west of Tokyo, Japan August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
Members of a tank unit of Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) riding on Type-10 armoured tanks take part in a military review during the annual troop review ceremony at Asaka Base in Asaka, near Tokyo October 27, 2013. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
TOKYO Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) (7011.T) is in talks with an unidentified U.S. company over a possible partnership to develop an armored vehicle that for the first time could see a Japanese firm build arms for a foreign customer, a senior executive said.
MHI is moving forward in the talks in the wake of its failure, as part of a Japanese government bid, to win a $40 billion contract to sell submarines to Australia.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration had hoped that the contract would be Japan's first major export deal after ending a decades-old ban on foreign arms sales in April 2014.
A partnership with a U.S. firm may prove an easier route into overseas markets for the globally inexperienced company.
"The U.S. is the easiest overseas market for us to do business in," Hisakazu Mizutani, the head of MHI's Defense and Space Systems business told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.
Better known as the maker of the World War Two-era Zero fighter, Japan's leading defense contractor has hitherto developed kit exclusively for the nation's Self Defense Forces (SDF), which controls the rights to that technology.
Building arms for foreign customers could give MHI more control of the intellectual property and make it easier for the firm to get approval to sell its products overseas.
Mizutani said MHI was keeping the Japanese government informed of its discussions with the U.S. company. The results of those talks may be known by the year end, he added.
"We are in talks with a U.S. company are also discussing it with Japan's Ministry of Defense," Mizutani said.
"We were approached by the U.S. company," he added.
Since Japan's defeat in 1945 and the start of its close security alliance with the U.S., MHI has built partnerships with big American defense contractors including Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), Boeing Co (BA.N) and Raytheon Co (RTN.N).
They have partnered on projects for the SDF such as its F-2 fighter, and agreed on licensed production of equipment including Patriot missile batteries, Chinook helicopters and other aircraft.
A partnership in armored vehicles would provide new avenues for MHI, the maker of Japan's main battle tank, to sell its defense technology in overseas markets.
Potential foreign partners could be attracted by MHI's armored vehicle technology, notably its heavy-duty tank engines, its gear technology and water jet propulsion systems that could be used to drive amphibious vehicles.
In its latest budget request on Wednesday, Japan's defense ministry said it will begin research on a new amphibious assault vehicle to replace the AAV7 built by the U.S. unit of BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L). The U.S. Marine Corp is also mulling a replacement for the 40 year old vehicle.
(Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

Mitsubishi Heavy discusses U.S. armored vehicle tie up after losing sub deal


Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) (7011.T) is in talks with an unidentified U.S. company over a possible partnership to develop an armored vehicle that for the first time could see a Japanese firm build arms for a foreign customer, a senior executive said.


WASHINGTON The United States scrambled on Monday to get its feuding allies, Turkey and Kurdish YPG militia, to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel America's war strategy in Syria.
Turkey, which has long viewed Kurdish militants as its top security threat, upended U.S. assumptions about the conflict by launching a major push last week into northern Syria that has included areas controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes experienced Kurdish YPG fighters.
In turn, Turkey has blamed a rocket attack from a YPG-controlled area for the death of one of its soldiers on Saturday. Turkey said it killed 25 Kurdish militants on Sunday.
"We've called on both sides to not fight with one another, to continue to focus the fight on ISIL," U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told a Pentagon news conference, using an acronym for Islamic State.
White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said further Turkish targeting of the SDF, which also includes Arab fighters, would undermine efforts to forge a "united front" against Islamic State.
But experts say the Turkish offensive has again exposed the vastly different, often competing objectives of America's allies in the five-year-old conflict in Syria, where the Islamic State is only one of many actors.
It has also raised questions over whether Turkey will attempt to thwart any more major advances by the SDF, just weeks after the Pentagon hailed the group's victory against Islamic State in the town of Manbij, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Turkey's border.
Carter signaled no change in U.S. strategy on Monday, stressing that both the SDF and Turkey were critical allies in Syria. The Pentagon hopes U.S.-backed forces can eventually retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State.
"We do understand that they (Turkey and Kurdish fighters) have historical differences with one another but American interests are quite clear," Carter said. "We, like they, want to combat ISIL and we are calling on them now: 'Let’s keep our priorities clear here.'"
TENSIONS WITH TURKEY
Experts say the best-case scenario for defusing tensions would be for Turkey to accept U.S. assurances that the YPG is withdrawing east of the Euphrates river. Turkey, which wants to stop Kurdish forces from further extending their control near its border, has demanded such a withdrawal.
Carter on Monday described the river as a natural barrier that would separate Turkey and the YPG.
"What we can do and are doing with them is to clarify where the YPG elements of the SDF are and are not," he said, adding YPG fighters were indeed withdrawing.
In a nod to Turkey, Carter also praised Turkish military advances against Islamic State in the past week, notably its seizure of the town of Jarablus.
Blaise Misztal, director of national security at the Bipartisan Policy Center think-tank, said the United States was witnessing the consequences of a strategy that heavily depended on Kurdish fighters to defeat Islamic State, despite explicit Turkish objections.
Turkey is battling a Kurdish insurgency on its soil.
"The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy," Misztal said.
Experts warned that it was far from clear whether Ankara would back down, given that the United States was unlikely to side with Kurdish militia over NATO ally Turkey.
Turkey is host to important U.S. and NATO military facilities. They include Incirlik Air Base, from which U.S. fighters and drones hit Islamic State in neighboring Syria, U.S. listening posts and an early warning radar for NATO’s European missile defense system.
"When it comes down to: Do we alienate the Turks, or do we alienate the Syrian Kurds, there's no doubt who's going to be the loser," said Bruce Riedel, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution and a former CIA analyst.
The United States is already walking on eggshells after accusations from Turkey that Washington was too slow to condemn last month's failed coup there.
In a sign of the sensitivities, the top U.S. military officer, General Joseph Dunford, called his Turkish counterpart on Sunday and Carter told the briefing he would see Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik next week.
President Barack Obama will meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Sept. 4, the White House said.
(Additional reporting by Idrees Ali, Yeganeh Torbati and Ruthy Munoz in Washington and Nick Tattersal in Istanbul; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

U.S. tries to stop feuding allies from unraveling Syria strategy


The United States scrambled on Monday to get its feuding allies, Turkey and Kurdish YPG militia, to focus their firepower on Islamic State instead of each other after clashes that have threatened to unravel America's war strategy in Syria.


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a revised guidance on Friday recommending universal testing of donated blood for Zika virus in the U.S. and its territories.
The FDA recommended that all states and U.S. territories screen individual units blood with a screening test authorized for use by the FDA. (bit.ly/2bUxvjC)
The agency had recommended in February that blood should no longer be collected from regions where the Zika virus is circulating, and that blood needed for transfusions be obtained from areas of the country without active transmission.
The FDA has authorized the emergency use of several investigational Zika screening tests, including products made by Hologic Inc (HOLX.O) and Roche Holding AG (ROG.S).
Zika was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.
(Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

FDA advises Zika testing for all donated blood in the U.S.


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a revised guidance on Friday recommending universal testing of donated blood for Zika virus in the U.S. and its territories.


Fridman's LetterOne invests in mobile challenger FreedomPop
FRANKFURT, Aug 30 FreedomPop, a U.S. startup challenging the mobile industry by offering free voice and data plans, has received a $50 million investment to fund international expansion from LetterOne, the investment vehicle owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman.

BRIEF-MNC Media reports net profit of $2.7 million


Actor Nate Parker poses at the premiere of his new film ''Non-Stop'' in Los Angeles, California, U.S. February 24, 2014. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/File Photo
LOS ANGELES Actor-director Nate Parker says he never gave another thought to his trial and acquittal on rape charges in 2001 until forced to confront the issue again as the promotion for his film "Birth of a Nation" was gaining steam this month.
In an interview with Ebony magazine published on Saturday, his first since learning in recent weeks that the women who accused him of rape in 1999 had committed suicide, Parker also acknowledged his previous comments to the media about the case were "insensitive."
"When I was first met with the news that this part of my past had come up, my knee-jerk reaction was selfish," he told the magazine. "My only thought was I'm innocent and everyone needs to know."
Parker, 36, whose film about an 1831 Virginia slave revolt is set for commercial release in October, said he was only now coming to terms with issues of "toxic masculinity" and "male privilege" that influenced his "disrespectful" behavior toward women as a younger man.
Parker, who was little known before "Birth of a Nation" made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival in January, has been at the center of a controversy since the 17-year-old rape case involving him came to wide public attention earlier this month.
A debate over whether the artist can be separated from the art has gripped Hollywood, the black community and women's groups, while some civil rights leaders have suggested the media was dredging up the rape case to discredit a powerful story about slave resistance.
An 18-year-old fellow Penn State University student accused Parker, then 19, and his friend, Jean Celestin, of raping her while she was unconscious from heavy drinking.
A jury acquitted Parker in 2001. Celestin, now credited as a co-writer on "Birth of a Nation," was found guilty of sexual assault, but the verdict was overturned on appeal.
Initially addressing the case two weeks ago in interviews with Hollywood publications Variety and Deadline, Parker told Variety, that the case was litigated and, "I was cleared of it. That's that. Seventeen years later, I'm a filmmaker."
His remarks struck many as callous, especially when it surfaced days later that the woman had taken her own life in 2012 at age 30.
Parker wrote in a subsequent Facebook post that he was devastated by news of her death, while reasserting that their encounter had been "unambiguously consensual."
(Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

'Birth of a Nation' filmmaker reflects on his 2001 rape trial, acquittal


Actor-director Nate Parker says he never gave another thought to his trial and acquittal on rape charges in 2001 until forced to confront the issue again as the promotion for his film "Birth of a Nation" was gaining steam this month.


Then White House senior adviser David Plouffe walks to the Marine One helicopter to depart with U.S. President Barack Obama for a day trip to Ohio and New York, from the White House in Washington, June 14, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
WASHINGTON A former top adviser to President Barack Obama on Sunday labeled Donald Trump a "psychopath", saying the Republican presidential nominee met the clinical definition of the personality disorder.
With a little more than two months to go before the Nov. 8 U.S. election, the comments by David Plouffe, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama and manager of his 2008 presidential campaign, mark another escalation in a series of blows exchanged between Trump's camp and that of his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton.
"Basically, you have a psychopath running for president. I mean, he meets the clinical definition," Plouffe said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press".
When challenged, Plouffe acknowledged he had no degree in psychology but rattled off what he said were the New York businessman's symptoms: "grandiose notion of self-worth; pathological lying; lack of empathy and remorse."
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, Clinton accused Trump of fueling America's "radical fringe" with racist rhetoric, while Trump said Clinton was letting down black Americans with failed policies and called her a "bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings."
Obama has also lambasted Trump, saying of him: "Somebody who makes those kinds of statements doesn't have the judgment, the temperament, the understanding to occupy the most powerful position in the world."
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

Former Obama aide calls Trump a 'psychopath'


A former top adviser to President Barack Obama on Sunday labeled Donald Trump a "psychopath", saying the Republican presidential nominee met the clinical definition of the personality disorder.


Men work at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station site near Bridgwater in Britain, August 4, 2016. REUTERS/Darren Staples/File Photo
LONDON The head of EDF Energy has urged the British government to approve the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project, an explicit appeal by the French energy giant ahead of a decision due within weeks.
Prime Minister Theresa May intervened last month to delay the 18 billion pound ($24 billion) project, just hours after it was approved by EDF's board, former cabinet colleague Vince Cable said.
The government says it will make a final decision in the early autumn. Cable said May was concerned about China's involvement, particularly in terms of national security.
The state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) is EDF's partner in building the two new reactors at Hinkley Point, southwest England, which would provide about 7 percent of Britain's electricity.
EDF Energy Chief Executive Vincent de Rivaz said the Chinese, who will provide 6 billion pounds of funding, were a trusted partner with whom the French had worked building two nuclear reactors in China.
"(The Hinckley Point project) brings the benefits of a 30-year partnership between EDF and CGN in nuclear construction in China, a country with the largest civil nuclear program in the world," he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.
"We know and trust our Chinese partners."
Addressing security concerns, he said all staff on nuclear projects were rigorously vetted and the control systems at Hinkley Point would be isolated from IT systems and the internet.
EDF and its partners have agreed to fund the new stations, and in return Britain has committed to paying a minimum price for the power generated for 35 years. Critics say the price, around double current market levels, is too high.
But de Rivaz said it was fair.
"Hinkley Point C is competitive with all other future energy options, even including fossil fuels like gas when the cost of carbon is taken into account," he said.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

EDF chief urges Britain to give go-ahead to nuclear plant


The head of EDF Energy has urged the British government to approve the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project, an explicit appeal by the French energy giant ahead of a decision due within weeks.


EpiPen auto-injection epinephrine pens manufactured by Mylan NV pharmaceutical company for use by severe allergy sufferers are seen in Washington, U.S. August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Jim Bourg/File Photo
Mylan NV (MYL.O) said it would launch the first generic version of its allergy auto-injector EpiPen at half the price of the branded product, the drugmaker's second step in less than a week to counter a wave of criticism over the product's high price.
The company reduced the out-of-pocket costs of EpiPen for some patients last week, but kept the list price at about $600, a move that lawmakers said was not enough. EpiPen cost about $100 in 2008.
Mylan said on Monday it expected to launch the generic product "in several weeks" at a list price of $300, an highly unusual move considering the branded product is still under patent protection and rival treatments have failed to get regulatory clearances.
Chief Executive Heather Bresch has defended EpiPen's high price, saying Mylan had spent hundreds of millions of dollars improving the product, including making the needle invisible, since acquiring it from Germany's Merck KGaA (MRCG.DE).
The company has said that it recoups less than half of EpiPen's list price because pharmacy benefit managers, which often require discounted prices or rebates from drugmakers, are involved, along with insurers and others.
"Our decision to launch a generic alternative to EpiPen is an extraordinary commercial response," Bresch said on Monday. "We determined that bypassing the brand system in this case and offering an additional alternative was the best option."
Netherlands-based Mylan said it also intends to continue to market and distribute branded EpiPen.
EpiPen is a preloaded injection of epinephrine (adrenaline) used in case of a dangerous allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis that could cause death if untreated.
Anaphylaxis can occur in as little as a couple of minutes of exposure to the allergen, which can come in the form of food such as peanuts or insects such as bees.
U.S. health regulators rejected Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corp's (ADMP.O) rival treatment to EpiPen in June. Sanofi (SASY.PA) has pulled its device from the market and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA) was forced to delay the launch of its version.
Mylan is the latest company to be caught up in the growing outrage, including from Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, at apparently egregious drug price increases.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (VRX.TO) and privately held Turing Pharmaceuticals have both been publicly excoriated for similar price increases.
Mylan's shares were up about 2 percent at $43.90 in premarket trading. The stock had fallen 12 percent last week.
(Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

Mylan to launch generic EpiPen at half the price of original


Mylan NV (MYL.O) said it would launch the first generic version of its allergy auto-injector EpiPen at half the price of the branded product, the drugmaker's second step in less than a week to counter a wave of criticism over the product's high price.


A Novartis logo is pictured on its headquarters building in Mumbai April 1, 2013. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Novartis AG's biosimilar version of Amgen Inc's arthritis drug Enbrel.
The FDA approved the drug, Erelzi, known also as etanercept-szzs, for multiple inflammatory conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis, a skin condition.
The agency approved the drug as a biosimilar, meaning there is no clinically meaningful differences between Erelzi and Enbrel. However, the two drugs are not considered interchangeable and are therefore not called generics.
Enbrel is a biologic drug made from living cells. Biologics are more difficult to imitate with precision.
The FDA's ruling followed a unanimous vote by the agency's advisory panel in July in favor of approval.
(Reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington; Editing by Alan Crosby)

U.S. FDA approves Novartis biosimilar to Amgen's Enbrel


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Novartis AG's biosimilar version of Amgen Inc's arthritis drug Enbrel.


Headquarters of Finnish telecommunication network company Nokia are pictured in Espoo, Finland August 4, 2016. Lehtikuva/Irene Stachon/via REUTERS
HELSINKI Telecoms network maker Nokia said on Wednesday the president of its Nokia Technologies unit, Ramzi Haidamus, is leaving the company.
Haidamus was in charge of the firm's patent business and the recent licensing deal with Finnish company HMD Global, which aims to bring Nokia branded mobile devices back to the market.
Nokia said it has started a search for Haidamus' successor. Brad Rodrigues, currently head of strategy and business development in Nokia Technologies, will assume the role of acting president.
(Reporting by Tuomas Forsell, editing by Terje Solsvik)

Head of Technologies unit to leave Nokia


Telecoms network maker Nokia said on Wednesday the president of its Nokia Technologies unit, Ramzi Haidamus, is leaving the company.


SEOUL Loyalty has been a driving force in the success of South Korea's family-run "chaebol" conglomerates, but it can also shield the failings of its corporate culture and on Friday was linked to tragedy at the Lotte Group, the subject of a sweeping criminal probe.
Hours before group vice chairman Lee In-won was to be questioned by prosecutors, he was found dead in an apparent suicide, leaving a note hailing his boss as a "great man" and denying the company operated a slush fund, reportedly one of a list of prosecutors' suspicions that includes embezzlement, tax evasion and breach of trust.
A prosecution spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday, and Lotte Group declined to comment except to say it was cooperating with prosecutors.
Prosecutors have since June been investigating about a dozen units at the retail-to-chemicals conglomerate, South Korea's fifth-largest, but it would not be the first time that Lotte and similar groups have fallen short of governance standards in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
Many of the family conglomerates that dominate the economy have been penalized over the years for conduct that is symptomatic of opaque interlocking ownership structures that can mask improper behavior, and the fierce loyalty that can allow lapses to go unchecked.
"Under a corporate culture where loyalty towards a boss and an organization is the most important criteria for evaluation, a sound corporate governance structure cannot survive," said Kim Sang-jo, a professor of economics at Hansung University.
The attachment of staff and executives to the chaebol is legendary, typically embodied in a career-long service of grueling hours.
It could explain why the penultimate act of the 69-year-old Lee was to defend his chairman Shin Dong-bin and the company he served for 43 years.
And why, at the start of the probe, investigators discovered that Lotte employees had, apparently on their own initiative, begun deleting computer files, several people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
CULTURAL LEGACY
While many chaebol have taken steps to improve governance, South Korea has a long way to go to reform a corporate system that is a legacy of the country's decades of breakneck economic growth after the 1950-53 Korean war, investors and analysts say.
The complex cross-shareholdings they developed are a big part of the problem and were evident in an earlier run-in Lotte had with authorities four years ago, when one of the same units now being probed was fined for "unfair support" of an affiliate.
Lotte Group has since slashed the number of cross-shareholdings from a staggering 95,033 in April 2014 to 67 at the end of 2015, but that is still more than any other chaebol, according to South Korea's Fair Trade Commission.
Lee Kyung-mook, a professor at Seoul National University who with the deceased Lee co-headed a Lotte committee set up last year to improve its culture, said Lotte, like most chaebol, was hierarchical and less efficient than it could be.
"Lotte Group, which is more focused on domestic business than Samsung, has been a little bit late to transforming its corporate culture and bringing it to the global level," said Lee, who has written a book on the Samsung Group, the country's biggest conglomerate.
Shares in Korean chaebol still trade more cheaply than similar companies in the developed world on concerns about opaque ownership structures and weak governance, investors say.
But changing the culture is much harder than changing formal structures, especially in a country where transgressions have been both common and sometimes treated relatively lightly.
Over the years, the heads of the Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK and Hanwha chaebol have been convicted of crimes but received suspended sentences and, later, presidential pardons.
As recently as this month, the ailing chairman of the CJ Group, the country's 15th-largest chaebol, was granted a presidential pardon after being sentenced last year to two and a half years in jail for tax evasion and embezzlement.
(Editing by Tony Munroe and Will Waterman)

Loyal to a fault: Lotte probe exposes flaws of Korea Inc


Loyalty has been a driving force in the success of South Korea's family-run "chaebol" conglomerates, but it can also shield the failings of its corporate culture and on Friday was linked to tragedy at the Lotte Group, the subject of a sweeping criminal probe.


A customer enters the new Apple store, which is the world's largest, on its opening day at Covent Garden in London August 7, 2010. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/File Photo
DUBLIN The European Commission will rule against Ireland's tax dealings with Apple (AAPL.O) on Tuesday, two source familiar with the decision told Reuters, one of whom said Dublin would be told to recoup over 1 billion euros in back taxes.
The Commission declined to comment on Monday.
The European Commission accused Ireland in 2014 of dodging international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars from tax collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Apple and Ireland rejected the accusation; both have said they will appeal any adverse ruling.
The source said the Commission will recommend a figure in back taxes that it expects to be collected, but it will be up to Irish authorities to calculate exactly what is owed.
A bill in excess of 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) would be far more than the 30 million euros each the European Commission previously ordered Dutch authorities to recover from U.S. coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX.O) and Luxembourg from Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI) for their tax deals.
Both companies and countries have appealed those decisions.
When it opened the Apple investigation in 2014, the Commission told the Irish government that tax rulings it agreed in 1991 and 2007 with the iPhone maker amounted to state aid and might have broken EU laws.
The Commission said the rulings were "reverse engineered" to ensure that Apple had a minimal Irish bill and that minutes of meetings between Apple representatives and Irish tax officials showed the company's tax treatment had been "motivated by employment considerations."
Apple employs 5,500 workers, or about a quarter of its European-based staff in the Irish city of Cork, where it is the largest private sector employer. It has said it paid Ireland's 12.5 percent rate on all the income that it generates in the country.
Ireland's low corporate tax rate has been a cornerstone of economic policy for 20 years, drawing investors from major multinational companies whose staff account for almost one in 10 workers in Ireland.
Some opposition Irish lawmakers have urged Dublin to collect whatever tax the Commission orders it to. But the main opposition party Fianna Fail, whose support the minority administration relies on to pass laws, said it would support an appeal based on the reassurances it had been given by the government to date.
The U.S. Treasury Department published a white paper last week that said the EU executive's tax investigations departed from international taxation norms and would have an outsized impact on U.S. companies. The Commission said it treated all companies equally.
($1 = 0.8938 euros)
(Additional reporting by Robin Emmott in Brussels; editing by Ralph Boulton, Larry King)

EU to hand Apple Irish tax bill of over 1 billion euro, source says


The European Commission will rule against Ireland's tax dealings with Apple (AAPL.O) on Tuesday, two source familiar with the decision told Reuters, one of whom said Dublin would be told to recoup over 1 billion euros in back taxes.


An Herbalife logo is shown on a poster at a clinic in the Mission District in San Francisco, California April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo
BOSTON After U.S. multi-level marketing company Herbalife (HLF.N) settled a probe of its sales practices with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission last month, top executives assured investors that the company would be able to thrive under the new rules.
The consumer protection agency had questioned the company's sales methods.
Billionaire investor William Ackman in 2012 claimed the company was running a pyramid scheme, recruiting members with a promise of payment for enrolling others in distribution, rather than depending on the actual sale of its nutritional supplements and weight management products.
In its July 15 settlement Herbalife agreed to restructure its U.S. business so distributors are rewarded for sales rather than for recruitment of sales agents and it agreed to pay a $200 million fine.
But Herbalife's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission painted a much less optimistic picture than its presentation to analysts and investors, according to a private investor who flagged the differences to the SEC this month.
Matthew Handley, an investor based in Lakewood Ranch, Florida alleged Herbalife made "purposefully deceptive statements" in its Aug. 3 quarterly earnings conference call and regulatory filings.
Handley, who is betting Herbalife's stock price will fall, told Reuters about his outreach to the SEC and provided a copy of his letter to its whistleblower office.
"The transcript of the conference call, when compared directly against the actual language the company issued in their 10Q, depict a clear pattern of purposeful intent to deceive investors and the market," Handley wrote in the Aug. 16 letter.
"The things you say on the call and write in the filing have to match up, and I thought they just didn't," he later said in an interview with Reuters.
Because Herbalife's conference call transcript and its SEC filings are publicly available, securities law experts said the company probably did not violate the SEC's disclosure rules such as Regulation FD.
Corporate filings are often more legalistic and technical than what executives say during presentations to analysts and investors, when they may sound optimistic about the company's outlook, law professors and private lawyers noted.
But such presentations are usually highly scripted, with companies trying to ensure oral statements are not inconsistent with their filings, and the difference in tone and substance in Herbalife's case is noteworthy, securities lawyers said.
"Securities laws say that you cannot lie," said Yale law professor Jonathan Macey. "Reading these two documents (the filing and transcript of the conference call), would suggest they've changed their point of view," he added.
Herbalife spokesman Alan Hoffman declined repeated requests from Reuters for comment. Brian Lane, a partner at law firm Gibson Dunn, which vets Herbalife's disclosures, did not respond to a call or email seeking comment. Herbalife has disclosed inquiries from the SEC and other government authorities in the past.
SEC spokesman John Nester also declined to comment.
COMPLYING WITH THE FTC
Herbalife hailed the FTC settlement as a victory for its business model as the FTC said the company may have deceived hundreds of thousands of people but stopped short of calling it a pyramid scheme.
In August executives assured analysts and investors on a conference call that Herbalife would suffer little financial damage from the settlement.
Chief Executive Michael Johnson said, "We have the greatest confidence in our ability to comply with the agreement and continue to grow our business in the U.S. and around the world."
Chief Financial Officer John DeSimone saw "minimal disruption to the business" and President Desmond Walsh also struck an optimistic tone, saying, "The most important thing is that we don't see any long-term impact in our business."
Herbalife's SEC filing was more circumspect though, saying the company does not currently expect the settlement to have a "long-term and materially adverse impact."
However, the filing also noted "there is no guarantee that we will be able to fully comply with the consent order" and that "the company's business and its member base, particularly in the United States, may be negatively impacted."
If Herbalife cannot comply with the consent order, "this could result in a material and adverse impact to the company's results of operations and financial condition," the filing said.
Herbalife also noted the settlement's effect "could be significant."
BILLIONAIRES' TARGET
Herbalife has until next year to comply with the July 15 order from the Federal Trade Commission to restructure its U.S. business.
It is not clear whether other short sellers and investors will respond to Handley's accusations on inconsistency between the company's verbal optimism and its more cautious SEC filings, some experts said.
"If you invest in this company, you will want to know what the odds are of this FTC ruling screwing up their business," Yale Law School professor Macey added.
Herbalife's stock price has gone on a wild ride over the last four years when two billionaires began squaring off over its future. After seeing a high around $81.00 in January 2014, the stock fell to a low around $30.26 in January 2015 before recovering to close at $60.50 on Friday.
Hedge fund manager William Ackman, who called Herbalife a pyramid scheme, placed a $1 billion short bet but so far has suffered some losses as the stock climbed.
On Friday in a letter to investors, Ackman also noted differences between presentations to investors by Herbalife executives and the company's official quarterly filing. In his letter, Ackman wrote "management's latest commentary is a continuation of prior misrepresentations."
Ackman and Handley, who registered his complaints about Herbalife's communications with the SEC, both said they have never spoken to each other and reached their conclusions independently.
By contrast, in 2013 billionaire Carl Icahn expressed confidence in Herbalife, becoming its biggest shareholder and named directors to the board.
This week, Ackman and Icahn tangled anew when Ackman said an investment bank approached him to try and sell some of Icahn's shares, but on Friday, Icahn said he was buying shares, not selling.
A key institutional owner, Fidelity, sold some of Herbalife's shares in August, it said in a filing. Fidelity declined to make the fund manager available for an interview.
(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra, Nick Zieminski and Clive McKeef.)

Herbalife may have misled investors, SEC on impact of FTC deal, one short-seller says


Mark Johnson, HSBC's global head of foreign exchange cash trading in London, exits the Brooklyn federal court in New York July 20, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
NEW YORK A senior HSBC Holdings Plc executive pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges that he participated in a fraudulent scheme to front-run a $3.5 billion currency transaction by one of the bank's clients.
The plea on wire fraud and conspiracy charges by Mark Johnson, a British citizen who at the time of his arrest last month was HSBC's global head of foreign exchange cash trading, was entered by his lawyer in the federal court in Brooklyn.
"He pleaded not guilty because he is not guilty," the lawyer, Frank Wohl, told reporters after the hearing. "He's done nothing wrong."
Johnson and Stuart Scott, HSBC's former head of cash trading for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, are believed to be the first people to face U.S. criminal charges arising from a probe of foreign-exchange rigging at banks.
The probe led to four banks last year pleading guilty to conspiring to manipulate currency prices. HSBC was not among those banks, but in 2014 agreed to pay $618 million to resolve related probes by U.S. and British regulators.
The U.S. Justice Department has continued to investigate, and HSBC has set aside $1.2 billion to cover various forex-related probes. The bank has said it is cooperating.
Prosecutors said Johnson and Scott in 2011 misused information provided by a client that hired HSBC to convert $3.5 billion to British pounds in connection with a planned sale of the client's foreign subsidiaries.
The defendants then used their insider knowledge to trade ahead of the transaction, causing a spike in the price of the currency that hurt HSBC's client, prosecutors said.
The client was not named in court papers, but another source has said it was British oil firm Cairn Energy.
In total, HSBC earned $3 million from trades its currency traders placed, and $5 million from executing the transaction, according to the charging papers.
Johnson is free on bail. Scott remains in the United Kingdom. His lawyer, Gerallt Owen, has said he "strongly denies the allegations."
The case is U.S. v. Johnson et al, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 16-cr-00457.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)

HSBC executive pleads not guilty in U.S. over forex scheme


A senior HSBC Holdings Plc executive pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges that he participated in a fraudulent scheme to front-run a $3.5 billion currency transaction by one of the bank's clients.


JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. Schooled in economic thinking that confines monetary policy to the short run, central bankers gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, are grappling with a singular change: whether they can take over as guardians of long-term growth with programs that may stay in place and influence markets for decades to come.
The debate, being carried out in technical research and policy forums like the annual meeting here, could herald a break with decades of central bank orthodoxy which has relied on short-term interest rates as the main policy lever in favor of a host of unconventional tools - from outright targeting a certain level of growth, to the permanent use of negative interest rates or massive cash infusions to stimulate inflation.
The discussion has already seen some Fed policymakers radically shift their view of monetary policy, and will be more broadly joined on Friday when Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen delivers the opening address to the Fed's annual policy conference here.
Though watched for clues to whether the Fed is likely to raise rates in the near future, the announced subject of Yellen's speech is the Fed's policy "toolkit," and may give insight into how deeply she feels policy should be overhauled in light of what has been learned since the 2007-2009 financial crisis and recession.
Policies put in place then have largely remained intact, much to the surprise -- and chagrin -- of officials including Yellen, who have expected the United States and world economies to return to a pre-crisis "normal" once various "headwinds" diminished.
Instead, the emerging vision is of a changed world where expected growth is lower, deflation remains more of a risk than rising prices, businesses hesitate to invest and individuals' views of the future are so fully "anchored" it becomes hard to nudge them toward, for example, higher inflation.
With the impact of monetary policy muted in its short-run effect on growth, and governments globally leaving a vacuum on longer-term issues like better fiscal and productivity policies, central bankers are struggling over whether and how to step into a different, long-term role.
"When I left the Fed at the beginning of 2009 we talked about having interest rates at extraordinarily low levels for some time. I don't think anyone thought 'for some time' was going to bring us six, seven, eight years later," said Randy Kroszner, a former Fed governor and now an economics professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
"If central banks are being asked to do some longer-run kinds of things, what is the right framework...what is the balance sheet, what are your targets, what are the tools?"
It is a revolutionary question. Disagree as they might, central bankers have a rough consensus on one thing: that monetary policy works in the short run, and does not have an impact on long-term growth and productivity dynamics.
NOT JUST LOWER FOR LONGER, NEGATIVE FOR LONGER?
Negative interest rates have become part of crisis policy in Europe and Japan, but mainstream economists are beginning to pave the way for them to become permanent policy options.
Some $8 trillion of sovereign debt has negative yields and central banks across the globe own $25 trillion of financial assets - a sum larger than the economic output of Japan and the United States combined - according to Bank of America research.
Discussion has even turned to whether central banks should drastically scale back the amount of physical cash in circulation so mattress-stuffing and massive withdrawals can't be used as a way to blunt the effectiveness of negative rates as a tool to stimulate investment or spending.
It's uncertain how far the debate will go in terms of influencing policy. Fed and European officials have urged fiscal policymakers to do more precisely because they feel monetary policy is of limited long-run impact.
And Fed officials generally argue that they can even respond to another recession by relying on the same combination of quantitative easing and forward guidance they used last time.
But there's also a sense that the good old days -- when short-term interest rates were all that mattered and central bankers felt they knew what to do with them -- may not come back.
Fathom Consulting deemed it "the end of monetary policy," while Goldman Sachs analysts David Mericle and Daan Struyven said that as it stands the Fed may be painted into a corner.
Quantitative easing may not work in any future crisis, and if markets have lost faith in the Fed, forward guidance won't either.
"These concerns might well be a key theme both at Jackson Hole and in Fed commentary in the coming year," they wrote.
(Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Schooled in the short run, central banks struggle with a long-term role


Schooled in economic thinking that confines monetary policy to the short run, central bankers gathering in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, are grappling with a singular change: whether they can take over as guardians of long-term growth with programs that may stay in place and influence markets for decades to come.


A dinghy overcrowded by African migrants is seen drifting off the Libyan coast in Mediterranean Sea August 20, 2016. REUTERS/Giorgos Moutafis
ROME Some 3000 migrants were saved in the Strait of Sicily in 30 separate rescue missions on Tuesday, the Italian coastguard said, bringing the total to almost 10,000 in two days and marking a sharp acceleration in refugee arrivals in Italy.
The migrants were packed on board dozens of boats, many of them rubber dinghies that become dangerously unstable in high seas. No details were immediately available on their nationalities.
Data from the International Organization for Migration released on Friday said around 105,000 migrants had reached Italy by boat in 2016, many of them setting sail from Libya. An estimated 2,726 men, women and children have died over the same period trying to make the journey.
Favorable weather conditions this week have seen an increase in boats setting sail. Some 1,100 migrants were picked up on Sunday and 6,500 on Monday, in one of the largest influxes of refugees in a single day so far this year.
Italy has been on the front line of Europe's migrant crisis for three years, and more than 400,000 have successfully made the voyage to Italy from North Africa since the beginning of 2014, fleeing violence and poverty.
(Reporting by Gavin Jones; Editing by Alison Williams)

Italy rescues 3,000 migrants from Mediterranean as arrivals surge


Some 3000 migrants were saved in the Strait of Sicily in 30 separate rescue missions on Tuesday, the Italian coastguard said, bringing the total to almost 10,000 in two days and marking a sharp acceleration in refugee arrivals in Italy.


BRIEF-Mondelez International no longer pursuing combination with Hershey
* Mondelez International Inc says it has ended discussions with Hershey Company regarding a possible combination of two companies

BRIEF-UGI Corporation elects G.Gary Garcia as treasurer


An endangered gray wolf is pictured in this undated handout photo from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Handout via Reuters
Wildlife agents authorized to eradicate a group of 11 wolves for repeated attacks on cattle in Washington state have hunted down and killed six animals from the condemned pack and are searching for the rest, a state game official said on Monday.
State biologists fatally shot two members of the so-called Profanity Peak wolf pack from a helicopter on Aug. 5 after confirming five fatal wolf attacks on livestock in that area. Further lethal-control efforts were later called off.
But eradication orders were renewed, and expanded to the entire pack, on Aug. 19 when the state Fish and Wildlife Department determined the same group of wolves was behind additional attacks that left two calves dead and a third injured.
Aerial kill teams have since destroyed four more wolves, including a pup, and wildlife agents are looking for the remaining five members of the targeted pack, said Craig Bartlett, a spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Department.
"We've never taken out an entire pack before," Bartlett said, adding officials could still decide at some point to suspend the hunt and spare some of the remaining wolves if livestock attacks appear to have been halted.
In the meantime, he said, the number of cattle killed or injured by wolves in the area had grown to 12.
The Profanity Peak wolves make up one of 19 wolf packs known to inhabit Washington, 15 of them in the eastern third of the state where federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves were lifted in 2011.
Wolves are still listed as endangered under state law, which allows officials to remove wolves found to be repeatedly preying on livestock. But the population has grown steadily since 2008, when the first pack documented in Washington in many decades was confirmed, and they now number about 90 animals statewide, Bartlett said.
The current effort targeting the Profanity Peak pack marks the third time state officials have used lethal means against wolves. The two previous efforts, in 2012 and 2014, resulted in the deaths of 10 wolves, but some members of those packs ended up being spared, Bartlett said.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Washington state begins killing wolf pack for preying on livestock


Wildlife agents authorized to eradicate a group of 11 wolves for repeated attacks on cattle in Washington state have hunted down and killed six animals from the condemned pack and are searching for the rest, a state game official said on Monday.


Aheda Zanetti (L), designer of the Burkini swimsuit, adjusts one of the swimsuits on model Salwa Elrashid at her fashion store in Sydney, August 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Australian muslim swimming instructor Fadila Chafic wears her full-length 'burkini' swimsuit during a swimming lesson with her children Taaleen (L) and Ibrahim at swimming pool in Sydney, August 23, 2016. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Protesters demonstrate against France's ban of the burkini, outside the French Embassy in London, Britain August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall
A Muslim woman wears a burkini, a swimsuit that leaves only the face, hands and feet exposed, on a beach in Marseille, France, August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
French lawyer Patrice Spinosi speaks to journalists outside the Conseil d'Etat after France's highest administrative court suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits that has outraged Muslims and opened divisions within the government, pending a definitive ruling, in Paris, France, August 26, 2016. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau
Journalists work outside the Conseil d'Etat after France's highest administrative court suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits that has outraged Muslims and opened divisions within the government, pending a definitive ruling, in Paris, France, August 26, 2016. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau
A man wears a placard with the message, 'Burkini = Liberty' outside the Conseil d'Etat after France's highest administrative court suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits that has outraged Muslims and opened divisions within the government, pending a definitive ruling, in Paris, France, August 26, 2016. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau
PARIS A top French court on Friday suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits that has angered Muslims, feminists and civil liberties campaigners.
The ruling by the Council of State relates to the Mediterranean resort of Villeneuve-Loubet, one of more than a dozen French towns that have imposed such bans.
The burkini ban has shone a light on secular France's long-standing difficulties integrating its Muslim population and dealing with the aftermath of a series of Islamist attacks.
The court said in a statement the decree to ban burkinis in Villeneuve-Loubet "seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom."
The lawyer representing the League of Human Rights campaign group which had challenged the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet told reporters the ruling meant all town halls would need to reverse their bans. The group argued the bans contravened civil liberties.
But one mayor in Corsica said he would not suspend his own ban, showing that the ruling will not put a quick end to the heated controversy that has already filtered into early campaigning for the 2017 presidential election.
"There's a lot of tension here and I won't withdraw my decree," Sisco mayor Ange-Pierre Vivoni told BFM TV.
The issue has also made French cultural identity a hot-button issue along with security in political debates ahead of next April's presidential election.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls robustly defended the burkini ban on Thursday while some ministers criticized it, exposing divisions within the government as campaigning begins.
Former president Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday he would impose a nationwide ban on burkinis if elected as he seeks to position himself as a strong defender of French values and tough on immigration.
"This is a slap for the prime minister and a kick up the backside for Sarkozy," Abdallah Zekri, secretary general of the French Muslim Council (CFCM) said of the ruling. "We're satisfied with this."
Socialist Party spokesman Razzy Hammadi told BFM TV he hoped the ruling "will put an end to this nasty controversy".
(Additional reporting by Gerard Bon and Bate Felix; Writing by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Richard Lough and Giles Elgood)


A top French court on Friday suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits that has angered Muslims, feminists and civil liberties campaigners.


File photo of the S-300 air defence system launching a missile during the International Army Games 2016 at the Ashuluk military polygon outside Astrakhan, Russia, August 7, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
ANKARA Iran has deployed the Russian-supplied S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system around its Fordow underground uranium enrichment facility, Iranian state media reported on Monday.
Iranian state TV on Sunday aired footage of deployment of the recently delivered missile system to the nuclear site in the central Iran.
"Our main priority is to protect Iran's nuclear facilities under any circumstances," Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) air defense force told state TV.
Iran and the six major powers reached a landmark nuclear deal in 2015 aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for lifting nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Tehran over its disputed nuclear work.
Enrichment of uranium at the Fordow facility, around 100 km (60 miles) south of Tehran, has stopped since the implementation of the nuclear deal in January.
Russia, under pressure from the West, in 2010 canceled a contract to deliver S-300s to Iran. But Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted that self-imposed ban in April 2015, after an interim deal was reached between Iran and the six powers.
In August, Iran said that Russia had delivered main parts of the system to the country, adding that the missile system would be completely delivered by the end of 2016.
The IRGC's Esmaili did not say whether the system was operational, but added: "Today, Iran's sky is one of the most secure in the Middle East".
Iran's top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that the country's military power was for defensive purposes.
"The S-300 system is a defence system not an assault one, but the Americans did their utmost to prevent Iran from getting it," Khamenei said in a speech broadcast live on state TV.
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Iran deploys Russian-made S-300 missiles at its Fordow nuclear site: TV


Iran has deployed the Russian-supplied S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system around its Fordow underground uranium enrichment facility, Iranian state media reported on Monday.


Wall St Weekahead-Jobs data to be a big deal for record-high stocks
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 26 Wall Street will fixate on a wave of U.S. economic data next week, crested by payrolls data on Friday that could sway expectations about the timing of future interest rate hikes and spark volatility in record-high stock prices.

BRIEF-Energous Corp sold upto $57.2 mln in equity and other financing


First U.S.-Cuba scheduled flight in decades set to depart
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. The first regularly scheduled commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than half a century is set to depart on Wednesday, starting a new chapter in the Obama administration's bid to open trade and travel with the former Cold War foe.

Earthquake measuring 6.8 magnitude strikes off Rabaul in Papua New Guinea: USGS


A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck off the town of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.


Millennium Award recipient Britney Spears performs a medley of songs at the 2016 Billboard Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., May 22, 2016. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
NEW YORK Britney Spears is hitting up pop culture one more time, releasing a new album, singing retro karaoke hits and about to take the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) stage for the first time since 2007.
Spears, 34, who became a teen pop phenomenon with breathy, sexually-charged hits like "Toxic" and "Oops!.. I Did it Again," released new album "Glory" on Friday ahead of a much anticipated return to the VMA show on Sunday in New York.
She also became the latest superstar to ride, sing and chat with U.S. talk show host James Corden for his viral "Carpool Karaoke" segment, where both donned the schoolgirl uniforms that shot her to fame as a 16-year old in the 1998 music video for "... Baby One More Time."
Spears dominated pop music before undergoing a personal and career meltdown in 2006-2007 that included shaving her signature blonde locks, losing custody of her two children and being placed under a court-ordered conservatorship.
She made a comeback in late 2008 and for the past three years has been performing a nightly show in Las Vegas. But the new album and the anticipation surrounding her VMA performance have thrust her back in the national spotlight.
Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield said "Glory" was "another fantastic comeback" for Spears, in which she "goes back to the fizzy electro-stomp mode she does best."
"Glory" was top of the iTunes charts in more than 40 nations on Friday, including Saudi Arabia, Chile and Russia.
Billboard's Jennifer Keishin Armstrong said that with the single and music video for "Make Me", Spear had "reclaimed her standout talent, a distinctive dance style that combines cheerleader precision with slinky bits of burlesque."
Spears will perform "Make Me," with rapper G-Eazy, at the live VMA show, her first appearance there since her halting performance of "Gimme More" in 2007 when her career hit a low.
"She has had such a huge impact on this show throughout her career, so for us to have her back is a no-brainer," said Garrett English, executive producer of the VMA show.
"She embodies what the VMAs is to a large extent and she has had some of the biggest moments on this stage, and I think Sunday night will be the same," English added.
Spears is also to be the subject of a 2017 TV biopic for the Lifetime cable channel that will chart her rise to fame along with her stumbles, and her romances with Justin Timberlake and ex-husbands Jason Alexander and Kevin Federline.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Alistair Bell)

Oops! Britney Spears does it again in latest pop culture comeback


Britney Spears is hitting up pop culture one more time, releasing a new album, singing retro karaoke hits and about to take the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) stage for the first time since 2007.


In this still image from video Olympic gold medallist swimmer Ryan Lochte of the U.S. gives an interview to Globo TV at their studios in New York City, August 20, 2016. Courtesy Globo TV via REUTERS
NEW YORK Disgraced Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is joining the "Dancing With the Stars" cast, ABC television announced on Tuesday, as the gold medalist said he thought reaction to his tale about being held up at a Rio de Janeiro gas station had been blown out of proportion.
Lochte, 32, was dropped by four of his major sponsors after admitting he "overexaggerated" a tale about being robbed and held at gunpoint with three other swimmers after a party during the Rio Olympics. Brazilian authorities say the group destroyed a bathroom and urinated in public, and have recommended that Lochte be charged with falsely reporting a crime.
The swimmer, who was also vilified in the media over the incident, did not say whether he planned to return to Brazil to face the charges.
"I think it’s everyone blowing this way out of proportion. I think that’s what happened," Lochte told ABC television's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, when asked whether he had embarrassed the United States with his actions.
"Like I said, I did lie about that one part," said Lochte, referring to his claim that a gun was held to his head. "I take full responsibility. I’m human. I made a mistake. A very big mistake."
"Everyone has got to be sick and tired about hearing about this. I just want to move forward," added Lochte, his silver-dyed hair now returned to a more natural brown.
The 12-time Olympic medalist said his appearance on the 23rd season of "Dancing With the Stars," was under discussion before he went to the Rio games. After the London Olympics in 2012 he was given his own, short-lived, TV reality show "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?"
Other "Dancing With the Stars" contestants in the season starting on Sept. 12 will include 16 year-old U.S. Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, former Texas governor Rick Perry, and rapper Vanilla Ice.
"Dancing With the Stars," in which celebrities are paired with professional ballroom dancers and voted off by the public, has been a popular venue for those seeking a comeback or trying to change their public image. Past contestants have included Bristol Palin, daughter of the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, singer Donny Osmond, and retired Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Ryan Lochte to dance with stars, says Rio scandal overblown


Disgraced Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is joining the "Dancing With the Stars" cast, ABC television announced on Tuesday, as the gold medalist said he thought reaction to his tale about being held up at a Rio de Janeiro gas station had been blown out of proportion.


Twin Butte Energy debenture holders reject proposed takeover deal
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug 29 Twin Butte Energy Ltd debenture holders voted to reject a takeover bid by Hong Kong's privately held Reignwood Resources Holding Pte Ltd on Monday, throwing the cash-strapped Canadian oil and gas producer's financial future into uncertainty.

BRIEF-Hemostemix voids strategic alliance agreement with Hemostemix Asia Inc


NEW YORK A Turkish gold trader accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran on Tuesday asked a federal judge to recuse himself, citing remarks he made about a series of earlier Turkish prosecutions targeting him and others.
Lawyers for Reza Zarrab, 33, filed the motion a week before the judge they want recused, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan, was set to hear arguments over whether to dismiss the indictment against Zarrab, a wealthy businessman.
Berman's chambers declined comment. Spokesmen for Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, whose office is prosecuting the case, did not respond to requests for comment.
U.S. authorities arrested Zarrab in March and accused him and two others of engaging in hundreds of millions of dollars of transactions on behalf of Iran's government and Iranian entities from 2010 to 2015 in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions.
Iranian-born Zarrab, who has pleaded not guilty, is being held without bail, after Berman in June rejected his request to be released on a $50 million bond and be detained at a Manhattan apartment.
Tuesday's motion focused on comments Berman made in 2014 at an Istanbul conference and in Turkish media following the collapse of a high-profile investigation in Turkey involving government officials and Zarrab.
In that case, Turkish prosecutors charged Zarrab in December 2013, along with several others, and accused him of paying cabinet-level governmental officials and bank officers bribes to facilitate transactions benefiting Iran.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who was then prime minister and who U.S. prosecutors said has "close ties" to Zarrab, at the time cast the case as a coup attempt orchestrated by his political enemies.
Several prosecutors were removed from the case, police investigators reassigned, and the investigation was dropped.
In his 2014 remarks, Berman commented on the Turkish probe, calling it "inappropriate to change the rules of the game while the game is taking place," Zarrab's lawyers said. Berman also said "rule of law is under attack in Turkey," the lawyers added.
Zarrab's lawyers said "reasonable observers could conclude that the court already formulated opinions, prior to this case, bearing on Mr. Zarrab's purported criminality and his relationship with officials of the Turkish government."
Zarrab's lawyers added the conference was sponsored by a law firm where several lawyers were charged after July's coup attempt in Turkey, which has led to purges of the military, civil service, judiciary and academia.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Alan Crosby)

Turkish gold trader seeks U.S. judge's recusal in Iran sanctions case


A Turkish gold trader accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran on Tuesday asked a federal judge to recuse himself, citing remarks he made about a series of earlier Turkish prosecutions targeting him and others.


UPDATE 2-U.S. appeals court dismisses AT&T data throttling lawsuit
WASHINGTON, Aug 29 A federal appeals court in California on Monday dismissed a U.S. government lawsuit that accused AT&T Inc of deception for reducing internet speeds for customers with unlimited mobile data plans once their use exceeded certain levels.

BRIEF-Moody's rates Coca-Cola's new notes at AA3


Huma Abedin, longtime aide to Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, attends a Clinton campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S., July 5, 2016. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner and his wife Huma Abedin attend a news conference in New York, July 23, 2013. REUTERS/Eric Thayer/File Photo
WASHINGTON Huma Abedin, one of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's top aides, said on Monday that she was separating from her husband, Anthony Weiner, after a sex scandal similar to an earlier incident that led him to resign from the U.S. Congress.
"After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband," Huma Abedin said in a statement.
"Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy," Abedin added.
Abedin’s announcement follows a New York Post report late Sunday that Weiner recently sent photos of his boxer-brief-clad genitals – one while he was in bed with their toddler son – via Twitter to another woman.
The photos were part of a months-long exchange between Weiner and the woman and many of the messages were sexual in nature, according to the Post report.
Weiner resigned in June 2011 from Congress, where he represented New York, followed a sexting scandal in which he accidentally posted an explicit photo of himself on his public Twitter timeline instead of via a direct message to a woman, as he had intended.
When Weiner made a second unsuccessful run for New York City mayor, explicit photos surfaced in July 2013 that he had recently sent under the pseudonym "Carlos Danger" to a young woman in Indiana.
Weiner said he had undergone therapy after the first sexting scandal, according to media reports. In recent months, he has taken care of the couple's toddler son. Abedin often travels with the Clinton campaign.
Abedin is the vice chair of Clinton's presidential campaign and served as her deputy chief of staff at the U.S. State Department. Weiner served in the U.S. Congress, representing his district in New York City from 1999 to 2011. His first unsuccessful run for New York City mayor was in 2005.
(Reporting by Amanda Becker; Editing by Caren Bohan and Jonathan Oatis)

Clinton aide Abedin leaves husband Weiner after sexting report


Huma Abedin, one of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's top aides, said on Monday that she was separating from her husband, Anthony Weiner, after a sex scandal similar to an earlier incident that led him to resign from the U.S. Congress.


EVERETT, Washington/WASHINGTON Republican Donald Trump, who has made his criticism of a pending Pacific trade agreement central to his campaign, on Tuesday was to visit a Seattle suburb that is home to a large Boeing Co plane manufacturing facility that depends heavily on sales to Asian markets.
Trump's campaign has booked the Xfinity Arena, which seats thousands of people, in anticipation of a large crowd. The Republican presidential candidate, who has courted manufacturing workers with vows to tear up trade agreements, is due to speak at 7 p.m. Pacific Time (10 p.m. EDT).
The rally is likely to attract workers from Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company. Supporters of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) point to Boeing's aircraft sales to Asia to tout the benefits of the agreement. Secretary of State John Kerry visited a nearby plant earlier this year to rally support for the pact.
Trump presents a conundrum for the unions who represent those workers. The unions agree with Trump on his opposition to TPP and the export of jobs overseas, but officials said they find his track record unconvincing.
"The fact is that Trump has had the opportunity to bring jobs to American, and he's chosen to outsource them," said Larry Brown, legislative and political director for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751, which represents about 32,000 workers in the state, mostly at Boeing.
Boeing produces some of its largest planes only miles from where Trump will be speaking. As they are assembled, the painted tails of the planes show the airlines that ordered them, and many are Asian. Major components of each plane come from overseas: South Korea, China and Europe.
Over the next 20 years, Boeing projects that Asian customers will account for 40 percent of the total global jetliner's market, the company said in a recent report.
"Trade is a huge part of the success of manufacturing in Washington," said Linda Dempsey, vice president of international economic affairs for the National Association of Manufacturers, which Boeing belongs to. "They are exporting $73 billion in manufactured goods."
But Trump offers a more dire outlook, arguing that only he can keep Boeing from moving those high-paying manufacturing jobs from Washington to China.
"They'll start taking your business away, and you won't have much of Boeing," Trump told Seattle's KIRO radio on Monday.
RALLYING WORKERS
Trump has broken with the Republican Party's traditional embrace of free trade. He has vowed to rip up the TPP and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, an existing deal with Canada and Mexico which he blames for the loss of U.S. jobs.
The Republican Party's support for free trade has put it in sync with large business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.
Tony Fratto, a former official in the administration of Republican George W. Bush, criticized Trump as out of step with the party.
"Trump's policies in this area are really dumb generally, but are particularly dumb for a major exporting company," said Fratto, who worked on behalf of a coalition of large companies, including Boeing, that were pushing for renewal of the Export-Import Bank.
Visiting Washington state is also unlikely to get Trump much closer to victory on Nov. 8. Clinton leads by large margins in the state, according to opinion polls.
But voters there remain divided. Corey McNally, 40, of Whidbey Island, Washington, has not decided whom he will vote for.
"The union members love Hillary just because they're supposed to because she's a liberal," said McNally. And Trump, whom he called "just kind of a big show," may be too late to change anything.
"This company's been outsourcing jobs for years," he said of Boeing.
(Writing by Ginger Gibson; Reporting by Emily Stephenson in Everett, Washington; Alwyn Scott in Seattle and Ginger Gibson in Washington; Editing by Caren Bohan and Jonathan Oatis)

Trade critic Trump visits Boeing Co's backyard


Republican Donald Trump, who has made his criticism of a pending Pacific trade agreement central to his campaign, on Tuesday was to visit a Seattle suburb that is home to a large Boeing Co plane manufacturing facility that depends heavily on sales to Asian markets.


German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel arrives for a television interview in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, August 7, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
Protesters wear masks of U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they demonstrate against Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade agreement before the opening ceremony of the Hannover Messe in Hanover, Germany April 24, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Protesters depicting Statue of Liberty (L) and Europa on the bull take part in a demonstration against Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade agreement ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit in Hannover, Germany April 23, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
BERLIN Germany's Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a free trade deal being negotiated by the United States and the European Union, had essentially failed.
"The negotiations with the USA have de facto failed because we Europeans did not want to subject ourselves to American demands," he said, according to a written transcript from German broadcaster ZDF of an interview due to be broadcast on Sunday.
"Things are not moving on that front," said Gabriel, who is also Germany's vice chancellor.
The U.S. and the EU have been negotiating the TTIP for three years and both sides had sought to conclude talks in 2016 but they have differences over various issues, including agriculture.
(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Germany's economy minister: U.S.-EU free trade talks have failed


Germany's Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a free trade deal being negotiated by the United States and the European Union, had essentially failed.


Planes are waiting next to Vienna's International Airport in Schwechat, Austria, March 1, 2016. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
VIENNA Data transmission problems that caused the delay or cancellation of dozens of flights on Sunday have been resolved, Vienna Airport said, with its flight schedule having returned to normal.
"Austrian air traffic control has solved the issue," the airport said on its website early on Monday. "At the moment there are no delayed or canceled flights. We advise passengers to contact their airline."
The automated transfer of flight planning data between air traffic control centers in Brussels and Vienna collapsed completely for a while on Sunday afternoon, said a spokesman for Austro Control, which monitors Austrian air space.
On Sunday afternoon, Vienna Airport said it had canceled or delayed 113 flights to or from Vienna because of problems with automated flight data transmission, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
No other airport was affected, the Austro Control spokesman has said, adding there was no indication of a hacker attack.
Airlines affected included Lufthansa, British Airways, Polish airline LOT, Finnair and Turkish Airlines.
(Reporting by Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Vienna Airport says glitch that disrupted dozens of flights resolved


Data transmission problems that caused the delay or cancellation of dozens of flights on Sunday have been resolved, Vienna Airport said, with its flight schedule having returned to normal.


An illustration picture shows the logo of car-sharing service app Uber on a smartphone next to the picture of an official German taxi sign September 15, 2014. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/Illustration/File Photo
NEW YORK A federal judge on Friday granted a request by Uber Technologies Inc and its chief executive officer to put a passenger's price-fixing lawsuit against them on hold, while they appeal his refusal to let them arbitrate the dispute.
Calling his decision a "close call," U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said the defendants had not made a "strong showing" that their appeal would likely succeed, though they would face irreparable harm if arbitration were wrongfully denied.
But he said the appeals court could clarify whether Spencer Meyer, the Connecticut plaintiff, and others like him consent to arbitration when they buy services subject to conditions in "clickwrap" and "browsewrap" agreements found online.
In his proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit, Meyer said Uber and CEO Travis Kalanick violated antitrust laws by conspiring with drivers to charge high "surge-pricing" fares during periods of heavy demand. Uber takes a share of drivers' earnings.
On July 29, Rakoff denied Uber's request for arbitration, saying Meyer never agreed to it and the San Francisco-based company did not properly notify him about its policies.
Meyer opposed delaying his case while Uber appealed that ruling.
"We look forward to defending Judge Rakoff's decision and having this matter returned to the district court," Brian Feldman, a lawyer for Meyer, said in an email.
Uber and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The company faces several lawsuits over its pricing and its treatment of drivers, and often tries to keep such disputes away from courthouses.
On Aug. 18, a federal judge in San Francisco voided Uber's $100 million settlement with drivers who claimed they were employees rather than independent contractors, and entitled to recoup costs such as gas and vehicle maintenance. The judge said that accord was not fair, reasonable or adequate.
The case is Meyer et al v. Kalanick et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-09796.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Uber wins halt to N.Y. price-fixing lawsuit during appeal


A federal judge on Friday granted a request by Uber Technologies Inc and its chief executive officer to put a passenger's price-fixing lawsuit against them on hold, while they appeal his refusal to let them arbitrate the dispute.


A man holds an iPhone 6 in a mobile phone shop in Moscow, Russia, September 26, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
Apple Inc (AAPL.O) has been sued by owners of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones who say a design defect causes the phones' touchscreens to become unresponsive, making them unusable.
According to a proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit filed on Saturday, Apple has long been aware of the defect, which often surfaces after a flickering gray bar appears atop the touchscreens, but has refused to fix it.
The plaintiffs linked the problem to Apple's decision not to use a metal "shield" or "underfill" to protect the relevant parts, as it did on versions of the iPhone 5.
"The iPhones are not fit for the purpose of use as smartphones because of the touchscreen defect," according to the complaint filed in federal court in San Jose, California.
Todd Cleary of California, Jun Bai of Delaware and Thomas Davidson of Pennsylvania are the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which accuses Apple of fraud and violating California consumer protection laws. They seek unspecified damages.
Apple did not immediately respond on Monday to a request for comment.
Problems with iPhone 6 touchscreens were described online last week by iFixit, which labeled the issue "Touch Disease."
That company sells repair parts and has previously analyzed other Apple products.
Apple, based in Cupertino, California, sold 166.4 million iPhones, generating $108.5 billion of net sales, in the first nine months of its current fiscal year.
The case is Davidson et al v. Apple Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 16-04942.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)

Apple is sued over unresponsive iPhone 6 touchscreens


Apple Inc (AAPL.O) has been sued by owners of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones who say a design defect causes the phones' touchscreens to become unresponsive, making them unusable.


JOHANNESBURG A South African judge dismissed on Friday a request by state prosecutors to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, the latest twist in a trial that has captured global headlines.
The multiple gold medal-winning Paralympian, serving six years for murdering his girlfriend on Valentine's Day 2013, was not in court on Friday when the judge ruled that the state's petition had no reasonable prospects of success on appeal.
Women's rights groups in a country beset by high levels of violent crime against women say Pistorius has received preferential treatment compared to non-whites and those without his wealth or international celebrity status.
His backers say he did not intend to kill Steenkamp.
Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced the Paralympic gold medalist to six years behind bars in July for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013, but the prosecution had said the decision was "shockingly lenient".
Pistorius' defense had earlier argued the state was prejudiced and had dragged the case on too long, adding in their court documents that "enough is enough".
"I'm not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success on appeal or that another court may find differently," Masipa said in her ruling, dismissing the state's application.
Masipa originally sentenced Pistorius in 2014 after he was found guilty of manslaughter, but that conviction was increased to murder by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in December. The subsequent six-year sentence she passed in July was also criticized by women's groups for being too lenient.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who had sought 15 years for Pistorius for the murder conviction, told Reuters he could not comment. Nel has said Pistorius had not shown any remorse and had yet to explain why he fired the fatal shots.
"His remorse and or prospects of rehabilitating could not be tested," Nel argued before Masipa's ruling, referring to Pistorius' decision not to testify at the sentencing hearings.
It was unclear whether the state would appeal Friday's ruling. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman was not available to comment.
'LIKELY TO APPEAL'
Both the Pistorius and Steenkamp families declined to comment following Masipa's ruling.
Pistorius, who had the lower part of his legs amputated when he was a baby, says he fired four shots into the toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home in the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it.
His defense has argued that his disability and mental stress that occurred in the aftermath of the killing should be considered as mitigating circumstances.
"This trial and this process has been exhausted beyond any conceivable exhaustive process," his main defense lawyer Barry Roux said in a brief rebuttal.
The track star was treated in hospital for wrist injuries earlier this month, but prison officials said Pistorius denied trying to kill himself. The incident coincided with the first day of competition in the Rio Olympic Games.
Friday's ruling raised further division, with South Africans taking opposite sides on the issue in social media.
Legal analysts were equally divided on whether prosecutors would appeal Masipa's ruling to the supreme court.
"In my experience over the years, the Supreme Court of Appeal has placed a lot of confidence in our High Courts, and I must say, I would be surprised if they had to accept the petition," said Johannesburg-based lawyer Ulrich Roux.
Criminal law attorney Zola Majavu said the state had a chance of success if they appealed to the supreme court.
"Remember it was the same SCA that overturned her conviction on culpable homicide. So if I were in Gerrie Nel's shoes I would persist so that the SCA can pronounce on the matter," he said.
(Additional reporting by Zimasa Mpemnyama; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Dominic Evans)

Judge rejects prosecutor request to appeal Pistorius sentence


A South African judge dismissed on Friday a request by state prosecutors to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, the latest twist in a trial that has captured global headlines.


CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A curious radio signal picked up by a Russian telescope is probably not a transmission from an extraterrestrial civilization, but astronomers in California are taking a second look anyway, the SETI Institute said on Tuesday.
A group of Russian astronomers last year detected what appeared to be a non-naturally occurring radio signal in the general location of a star system 94 light-years from Earth.
Their findings emerged after Italian researcher Claudio Maccone, who chairs the International Academy of Astronautics committee on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, told colleagues of a presentation he heard about the signal, said Seth Shostak, a director at the SETI Institute.
"I don't think we're taking it terribly seriously," Shostak said. "The Russians looked in this direction 39 times, and as best we can tell they found it once."
Most likely, the radio signal was caused by terrestrial interference or a satellite, a common occurrence, Shostak told Reuters.
If the Russians thought they had a serious signal from ET, he said, they also likely would have disclosed it sooner.
"They didn't say anything about it for more than year. If we had found a signal, we'd check it out and call up other astronomers to check it out as well," Shostak said.
Nevertheless, SETI astronomers have spent the last two nights using an array of radio telescopes in California to study the suspect star, HD 164595, which has one known planet in orbit.
The planet is about the size of Neptune, but circles its star far closer than Mercury orbits the sun. HD 164595 could have other planets in orbit that are more suitably positioned for water, which is believed to be necessary for life.
So far, though, astronomers have not detected any unusual signals from the star, Shostak said.
"We have to be very careful not to get cynical about false alarms," he said. "It's easy to say 'Aw man, it's just another case of interference,' but that risks not paying attention when you should."
(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Frances Kerry)

Curious radio signal stirs talk of extraterrestrials


A curious radio signal picked up by a Russian telescope is probably not a transmission from an extraterrestrial civilization, but astronomers in California are taking a second look anyway, the SETI Institute said on Tuesday.