Reports: Turkish police leave Istanbul square

ISTANBUL (AP) ? Turkey's state-run agency says police have begun withdrawing from a main Istanbul square and have allowed thousands of protesters in.

Private Dogan news agency said police on Saturday removed barricades placed around the square to prevent anti-government protests.

The Anadolu Agency says police were leaving Taksim square, after brief scuffles with protesters who hurled fireworks at withdrawing officers.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/reports-turkish-police-leave-istanbul-square-135154225.html

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Amazon's German workers called out for third day-long strike

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Workers at Amazon.com's German operations were set to go on strike on Monday, the third day-long walkout in as many weeks, in a dispute over pay and benefits.

The Verdi union said on Monday it has asked workers to begin the strike at Amazon.com's logistics centers in Bad Hersfeld and Leipzig from 0400 GMT and 0430 GMT, respectively.

About 600 workers at the Bad Hersfeld facility and around 300 in Leipzig went on strike on May 14 and a second day-long strike followed later that month.

Amazon employs around 9,000 people in Germany and has come under fire from Verdi for refusing to implement a collective agreement on employment conditions that matches those of other mail order and retail firms.

Verdi is also pressing for higher basic pay and bigger supplements for night shifts.

In Leipzig, the union is calling for starting pay of 10.66 euros ($13.82) per hour, compared with 9.30 euros now. In Bad Hersfeld it wants the current pay rate of 9.83 euros an hour to be increased to 12.18 euros.

Amazon has said its rates are already at the upper end of what logistics companies pay in Germany. It said that it was willing to continue talks with Verdi but did not see a common basis for negotiations for now.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/amazons-german-workers-called-third-day-long-strike-220235301.html

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Intel looks beyond Windows, will reportedly supply chips for Samsung Android tablets

It was a sight I hoped I?d never see: a writhing ball of baby snakes on my property. This wish?born of a deep, primal phobia?is one of the reasons I live in the mountains at 8,000 feet. Black bears, fine. Mountain lions, okay. But snakes, giving birth to more snakes, under a pile of boulders near my front porch? I swear I?d rather swim with a school of sharks.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/intel-looks-beyond-windows-reportedly-supply-chips-samsung-020009306.html

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'Obamacare' starts soon: Choices will increase, but will premiums?

Most of 'Obamacare' starts Jan. 1, 2014, but people without access to insurance through their jobs can start shopping a widening range of insurance choices on Oct. 1, 2013.

By Jim Kuhnhenn,?Associated Press / May 30, 2013

President Barack Obama answers questions in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. The 2010 Affordable Care Act, better known as 'Obamacare,' starts offering most of its benefits Jan. 1, but some provisions have already taken effect, while others start Oct. 1.

Charles Dharapak / AP / File

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Insurance companies are showing interest in providing coverage under "Obamacare," a development likely to increase market competition and give uninsured people more choices than they now have, the White House said Thursday. Many of the 14 million people who currently buy their own insurance plans could also benefit.

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Eager to counter Republican criticism of the law, the White House's upbeat assessment of the effect of the law comes four months before consumers can begin shopping for subsidized private insurance in new state markets. Widespread enrollment in those plans is crucial to the successful implementation of President Barack Obama's 2010 Affordable Care Act, widely known as "Obamacare."

On its website, the White House posted a memo that concluded that most of the consumers who seek insurance from federal- or state-run insurance markets will be able to choose from five or more different insurance companies. The finding is based on data provided by 19 states where the federal government will run the markets and from other state-run markets. Those states account for about 80 percent of the 7 million people that the Congressional Budget Office estimates will obtain insurance through the new markets in 2014.

Currently the insurance market in most states is dominated by one or two insurance carriers; in 45 states and the District of Columbia two insurers cover more than half of all enrollees.

The administration's findings about increased competition generally match up with private sector assessments of early indicators. The market research firm Avalere Health found strong insurer interest in participating in about a dozen states that have released details of their new insurance markets.

Whether the competition will result in lower premiums, however, remains an open question.

Administration officials point to a report by the Democratic staff of the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week that determined that in Oregon and Washington the competition is lowering premium rates even before income-based tax credits are taken into account. But two other states whose filings were examined by the committee, Rhode Island and Maryland, signaled premium rate increases.

An earlier report by the committee's Republican staff surveyed insurers who estimated that premiums would increase in most cases.

Indeed, concerns remain that people who already have insurance coverage, especially the young and healthy, could face an increase in premiums because of the new law's demands. The plans that will be offered next year are more comprehensive than many bare-bones policies currently available to individuals.

They have to cover a standard set of benefits, including prescription drugs, maternity?care, and rehabilitation services. Insurers are also limited in what they can charge older customers, and they are not allowed to turn away sick people or charge them more. The most important cost feature is that the new plans limit copayments and other out-of-pocket costs to $6,400 a year for individuals and $12,500 for families.

A new report by Center Forward, a centrist research group that has its roots with the moderate Blue Dog wing of the Democratic Party, concluded that differences in current state regulations will determine the effect on premiums. Of six states it examined, the report determined that five would see sharp premium increases of up to 50 or 60 percent. One state, New Jersey, could see a drop in premiums of up to 25 percent.

Meanwhile Congress' watchdog, the Government Accountability Office, examined the preparations in six states and the District of Columbia and concluded that despite challenges the seven governments have taken steps to create their insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, that they expect will be ready to begin enrolling customers by the Oct 1 startup date.

The GAO, in the report released Thursday, said six of the seven governments also described difficulties with the complexity of the information technology systems they need to put in place to assist consumers in making their insurance choices.

The governments were picked on the basis of their varying uninsured populations, among other criteria. In addition to the District of Columbia, the GAO looked at preparations underway in Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Iowa.

People without access to coverage through their jobs can start shopping on Oct. 1 for subsidized private insurance in new state markets. The actual benefits begin Jan. 1. But because of continuing opposition to the law from many Republican governors and state legislators, the federal government will be running the insurance markets in more than half the states.

Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/YS5VUvK9T7A/Obamacare-starts-soon-Choices-will-increase-but-will-premiums

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Wall Street ends up on optimism, Fed stimulus to remain

By Angela Moon

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Thursday, rebounding from the previous session's losses, as tepid economic data eased concerns the Federal Reserve would begin to gradually scale back its policy of stimulating growth.

The day's gain put the S&P 500 on track to end the month about 3.6 percent higher, while the Dow was up 3.3 percent for the month so far. The Nasdaq was up 4.9 percent.

Stocks have been volatile recently and closely tied to alternating views of the future of the Fed's loose monetary policy. Shares tumbled on Wednesday on concern the Fed would curb its bond-buying because of signs the economy was strengthening. U.S. Treasury bond yields rose to the highest in 13 months the same day, also influenced by concern about possible Fed tapering.

"It won't be until around September before we really hear about possible changes in Fed (policy), but the market is volatile because at these levels, profit-taking is part of a hedging method to protect against possible downsides," said Randy Frederick, director of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas.

"After the profit-taking, the market moves right back up because it's a great buying opportunity, like today."

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 21.73 points, or 0.14 percent, at 15,324.53. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was up 6.05 points, or 0.37 percent, at 1,654.41. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was up 23.78 points, or 0.69 percent, at 3,491.30.

Data showed first-time claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose in the latest week while the government's latest reading on first-quarter gross domestic product came in slightly below forecasts.

Loose monetary policies by central banks around the world have helped drive both the Dow and the S&P 500 to record highs. The S&P 500 is up more than 16 percent this year so far.

Even if U.S. economic data signals strength, "the stock market has yet to fully embrace the notion that the economy has reached take-off velocity and is ready to contend with a removal of stimulus," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist Miller Tabak & Co in New York.

Pending home sales rose 0.3 percent in April to the highest since April 2010, but analysts had expected a 1.1 percent rise.

In company news, Costco Wholesale Corp , the largest U.S. warehouse club chain, reported third-quarter earnings that beat expectations by a penny, though sales were below forecasts. Shares fell 0.9 percent to $111.88.

Semiconductors were higher after chipmaker Avago Technologies forecast current-quarter revenue largely above expectations. Avago shares jumped 9.8 percent to $37.82 while the PHLX semiconductor index <.sox> climbed 1.5 percent.

NV Energy Inc surged 22.5 percent to $23.62 after a unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc

agreed to buy the electric utility for $5.6 billion. Berkshire class B shares rose 1.6 percent to $114.84.

Shares of EMC Corp , the data storage equipment makers, rose 5.4 percent to $24.93 after instituting a quarterly dividend and increasing its stock buyback program to $6 billion from $1 billion.

Volume was roughly 6.5 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the NYSE MKT, slightly above the average daily closing volume of about 6.4 billion this year.

Advancers outpaced decliners on the NYSE 1,756 to 1,208. On the Nasdaq, advancers beat decliners 1,728 to 772.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-ends-optimism-fed-stimulus-remain-025520978.html

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'Got Talent' boss Cowell: a talent for relevance

NEW YORK (AP) ? So what's new on TV?

The new season of "America's Got Talent" starts Tuesday at 9 p.m. EDT. New judges include former Spice Girl Mel B. and supermodel/personality Heidi Klum, who are joining forces with Howie Mandel and Howard Stern. New York's Radio City Music Hall is the spectacular new venue.

Even so, the roots of this NBC variety competition are steeped in TV antiquity, reaching back to the medium's infancy.

It was on June 20, 1948, that "The Ed Sullivan Show" (then known as "The Toast of the Town") began its 24 seasons of jugglers, opera singers, comedians, animal acts and (of course) Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

It was also 65 years ago that "The Original Amateur Hour" moved to television after a successful run on radio (its final CBS telecast was in 1970).

The variety show was pronounced dead decades ago. And after "The Gong Show" in the 1970s and '80s, and "Star Search," which folded in 1995, talent competitions also seemed kaput.

But Simon Cowell has done his part to resurrect both genres.

He was, of course, the tart-tongued judge when "American Idol" began its epoch-changing run on Fox in 2002.

With his Syco Entertainment, he now serves as a creator, producer and judge on Fox's "The X Factor," which come fall starts its third season.

And off-camera, he is the driving force of "America's Got Talent," now starting its eighth season.

In a recent phone interview from his native London, the 53-year-old mega-impresario recalled enjoying talent shows like "Opportunity Knocks" and "New Faces" as a child.

And he described how a few years ago, amid the boom of singing competitions, he hatched the idea for the broader-based talent show "America's Got Talent" emerged as. He was watching a singing show in Britain when a contestant warbled a too-familiar song, and very badly, "and I remember thinking: 'I'd actually rather watch a dancing dog than listen to her.'

"Then I said to myself, 'I used to LOVE that kind of show! Why don't we bring back that type of show again?'"

So he did. "America's Got Talent" (the first in Cowell's global "Got Talent" franchise, with original versions of the format now produced in 56 territories) premiered in 2006. And last year (fittingly) a dog act, Olate Dogs, won the $1 million prize.

Cowell is expectedly bullish about the season ahead.

"The new panel has jelled very well. There's really good chemistry with the judges and the host (Nick Cannon)," he said. He also sang the praises of the series' new producer, Sam Donnelly. "She's totally revitalized the American show. It's by far the best we've done."

Of course, "AGT" is hardly Cowell's only project, even in the U.S.

Come fall, "The X Factor" returns on Fox after two seasons of conspicuously falling short of what the audience was led to expect.

Will its third be the charm?

"If you'd asked me that question even a month ago," Cowell replied, "I would have said I honestly don't know." But recent auditions in Charleston, S.C., were "by far the best two days we've shot" since the series began, he declared.

"It suddenly just clicked. And there's one audition in particular that's probably one of my favorites that I've ever been involved in ? a one-in-10-million audition. I can't stop thinking about it.

"I think we may have got it right," he summed up.

The talent-show derby has been dominated in recent months by the hearty performance of NBC's "The Voice" (whose producers include reality mogul Mark Burnett) and the ratings erosion of "American Idol," whose judging panel Cowell exited three years ago.

"Not my problem anymore," he chuckled when asked to diagnose what is plaguing "Idol."

"It's so much in my past now," he said. "I deliberately this year didn't watch a single second of the show."

Maybe publicized clashes between its judges (only one of whom ? maybe ? will be back next season) upstaged the performers. Maybe the show is getting old in the tooth. Or maybe, with all the rival talent shows (including ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" and even AMC's new docureality series, "Showville"), the genre is glutted.

"There is no question about it, there are too many," Cowell said. "But funnily enough, that doesn't bother me. It makes you more focused."

Asked the most important thing he focuses on, Cowell didn't pause before replying, "relevancy. Somebody once said to me, 'Disco died in the '70s.' Those words haunt me. You have to stay relevant in EACH decade."

But how? "I listen. I listen to people who've had more experience than me. And I listen to 16- and 17-year-olds. I'm not threatened by someone who knows more than me. I just want them to TELL me!

"I love learning new things," said the man world-famous for his on-the-air outspokenness. "I'd rather listen than talk."

___

Online:

http://www.nbc.com

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore(at)ap.org and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/got-talent-boss-cowell-talent-relevance-133228798.html

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Facebook shares jump as brokers say usage concerns overblown

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Facebook Inc jumped 5.6 percent on Thursday after two investment brokerages upgraded their recommendations, arguing that concerns over the waning engagement of younger users were overblown.

Still, the share price of the world's largest social network is at a six-month low, partly due to fears that young users were beginning to cool their activities on Facebook, in favor of newer services like Twitter and the increasingly popular photo messaging application, SnapChat.

In midday trading, shares were up at $24.63.

Jefferies & Co and BMO Capital upgraded the stock to buy and outperform, respectively. Their analysts argued that user growth may have leveled off as Facebook gained scale, but it remained the most popular social media service and upcoming products - such as higher-margin video ads - may accelerate revenue growth.

"While MAU's (monthly active users) have somewhat plateaued due to the law of large numbers, we think there is room for financial upside as we expect marketers will find Facebook's 1B+ users irresistible despite any incremental changes in teen usage habits," Jefferies analyst Brian Pitz wrote in a research note.

(Reporting by Edwin Chan; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-shares-jump-brokers-usage-concerns-overblown-161503749.html

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