Asiacell shares sold on Iraq bourse in major float

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi mobile phone service provider Asiacell began on Sunday to sell shares on the Iraq Stock Exchange in what the head of the bourse said is the biggest initial public offering in the Middle East since 2008.Asiacell offered a quarter of its shares, or 67.5 billion, as part of licensing requirements. The company is hoping to raise $ 1.3 billion, with the initial share price set at 22...

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"Great Rotation"- A Wall Street fairy tale?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street's current jubilant narrative is that a rush into stocks by small investors has sparked a "great rotation" out of bonds and into equities that will power the bull market to new heights. That sounds good, but there's a snag: The evidence for this is a few weeks of bullish fund flows that are hardly unusual for January. Late-stage bull markets...

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NFL's Goodell aims to share blame on player safety

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to share the blame."Safety," he said at his annual Super Bowl news conference, "is all of our responsibilities."Not surprisingly, given that thousands of former players are suing the league about its handling of concussions, the topics of player health and improved safety dominated Goodell's 45-minute session Friday. And he often sounded like...

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Hillary: Secretary of empowerment

Girls hug U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a 2010 tour of a shelter run for sex trafficking victims in Cambodia.STORY HIGHLIGHTSDonna Brazile: Clinton stepping down as Secretary of State. Maybe she'll run for presidentShe says as secretary she expanded foreign policy to include effect on regular people She says she was first secretary of state to focus on empowering women and girlsBrazile:...

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Former New York mayor Ed Koch moved to hospital intensive care

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch was moved to a hospital intensive care unit on Thursday, his spokesman said, in a sign that his health could be deteriorating.Koch spokesman George Arzt said the 88-year-old politician, who earned a reputation for being as outspoken as he is colorful, was being moved so his cardiologist could better monitor his condition. Koch has been treated...

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RBS must meet Libor fines – Osborne

1 February 2013 Last updated at 23:06 ETAny fines by US authorities on Royal Bank of Scotland over the Libor scandal should be met by bankers not taxpayers, Chancellor George Osborne has insisted.A ruling on the involvement of RBS in the fixing of the key industry interest rate is due imminently.It is expected to be higher than the fine of nearly £300m imposed on Barclays last year.RBS, which is majority...

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What a Tangled Web We Leave

When Alexandra Kaye’s husband died last year of a heart attack at age 57, she thought she was well prepared financially—until she started wading through the day-to-day details.Ms. Kaye and her husband Jeff, British and American journalists living in Washington, had done more end-of-life planning than many couples. Among other things, they had wills in place and had talked extensively about what they...

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"Great Rotation"- A Wall Street fairy tale?

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street's current jubilant narrative is that a rush into stocks by small investors has sparked a "great rotation" out of bonds and into equities that will power the bull market to new heights. That sounds good, but there's a snag: The evidence for this is a few weeks of bullish fund flows that are hardly unusual for January. Late-stage bull markets...

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Carville, Matalin enjoy role as Big Easy boosters

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When Mary Matalin heard a baby cry during a Super Bowl news conference this week, she paused midsentence, peered in the direction of the fussing child and asked: "Is that my husband?"Matalin, the noted Republican political pundit, isn't shy about making jokes at the expense of Democratic strategist James Carville, who went from being her professional counterpart to her partner in...

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Reality check needed on immigration?

STORY HIGHLIGHTSHoward Kurtz: The mainstream media are rooting for immigration policy changesKurtz: Is enthusiasm causing the media to overestimate the prospects for reform? He says the Republican House has been a graveyard for numerous Obama reformsKurtz: Illegal immigration still arouses visceral opposition among some Americans Editor's note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources"...

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