Apple CEO says EU tax ruling ‘total political crap’: Irish Independent

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Apple CEO says EU tax ruling ‘total political crap’: Irish Independent
DUBLIN (Reuters) – The European Union’s imposition of a 13 billion euro ($14.5 billion) back tax bill on Apple is “total political crap”, Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a newspaper interview on Thursday, and anti-U.S. bias may have played a role.

UAW asks Volkswagen to accept NLRB order on Tennessee plant row
(Reuters) – The United Auto Workers (UAW) urged Volkswagen to accept the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) latest order that requires the carmaker to collectively bargain with UAW local union as the representative of a portion of workers at its Tennessee plant.

Wal-Mart plans early layaways to catch ‘Star Wars’ boost
CHICAGO (Reuters) – For the second year in a row, Wal-Mart Stores Inc will begin its holiday layaway program two weeks early, hoping for a head start to the year-end shopping season and a repeat of last year’s strong toy sales driven by “Star Wars” products.

Oil prices rebound on weaker dollar despite bigger-than-expected U.S. stock build
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Thursday, rebounding on a weaker U.S. dollar after falling around 3 percent or more in the previous session following a surprisingly large build in U.S. crude and distillate stocks last week.

Australia sues Volkswagen over alleged emissions fraud
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Australian consumer watchdog on Thursday said it sued the Australian arm of world No. 2 carmaker Volkswagen AG for intentionally selling more than 57,000 vehicles with software which lied about levels of toxic emissions.

Samsung shares hit over Galaxy Note delays, battery explosion claims
SEOUL (Reuters) – Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd touched two-week lows on Thursday on concerns for mobile earnings after it delayed shipments of its premium Galaxy Note 7 smartphone amid reports of exploding batteries.

SolarCity advisor Lazard made mistake in deal with Tesla
(Reuters) – Lazard Ltd , the investment bank that advised SolarCity Corp on its $2.6 billion sale to Tesla Motors Inc , made an error in its analysis that discounted the value of the U.S. solar energy company by $400 million, a regulatory filing by Tesla showed on Wednesday.

Asia shares slip, crude steadies as China PMIs, U.S. jobs in focus
TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian shares dipped on Thursday after lower crude oil prices dented Wall Street, as markets waited to see if U.S. employment data could put the Federal Reserve on track to hike interest rates.

U.S. sees more room for fiscal boost globally
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury believes there is more room for governments to use fiscal policy to boost growth, and will take that message to next week’s Group of 20 meeting in China, Under Secretary for International Affairs Nathan Sheets said on Wednesday.

Monsanto’s Climate Corp seen profitable by 2020: CTO Fraley
BOONE, Iowa (Reuters) – Monsanto Co’s digital agriculture platform should begin generating revenue for the seed and chemical company by 2020 as paid subscriptions for data-driven farm management and planting advice services expand, a top executive told Reuters.

Wells Fargo, Amazon end deal to offer discounted student loans
(Reuters) – Wells Fargo & Co and Amazon.com Inc said they had ended a partnership to offer discounted student loans to the online retailer’s “Prime Student” customers, about six weeks after announcing the deal.

Salesforce third-quarter revenue forecast misses, shares fall
(Reuters) – Cloud software maker Salesforce.com Inc forecast third-quarter revenue below estimates as it saw some softness, primarily in the United States, sending the company’s shares down by 7.7 percent in extended trading.

McDonald’s names new head of U.S. unit
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – McDonald’s Corp on Wednesday said Michael Andres will retire as president of McDonald’s USA at the end of the year as the fast-food chain fights to maintain the momentum of its turnaround plan amid intense competition from industry rivals and low grocery prices.

U.S. tax code may allow dramatic retaliation in EU Apple case
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. tax law gives the Obama administration power to double tax rates for European companies should it choose to dramatically escalate a dispute with the European Union over Apple’s tax bill.

After Apple, EU may focus on companies closer to home
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Multinational companies can expect the European Commission to press on with a crack down on sweetheart tax deals after handing Apple a breathtaking demand for 13 billion euros, officials and experts said on Wednesday.

Japanese airline ANA to replace 100 Rolls engines on 787s
SEATTLE (Reuters) – ANA Holdings Inc , Japan’s largest airline, said on Wednesday it will replace all 100 Rolls-Royce engines on its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners following three engine failures this year caused by corrosion and cracking of turbine blades.

Alere lawsuit accuses Abbott of ‘buyer’s remorse’ in proposed merger
(Reuters) – Alere Inc alleges Abbott Laboratories is trying to stymie its planned $5.8 billion takeover of the diagnostics company by purposefully delaying key submissions to anti-trust regulators, according to a lawsuit made public on Tuesday.

Tesla will release Autopilot update ‘in weeks’: Musk
(Reuters) – Tesla Motors Inc plans to release an update of its partly automated self-driving system “in a few weeks,” Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday.

Cooperman on CNBC says U.S. equities ‘fairly but fully valued’
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Hedge fund investor Leon Cooperman, the chief executive of Omega Advisors, said Wednesday on CNBC that equity markets are “fairly but fully valued.”

U.S. sues to stop Deere from buying Precision Planting
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Wednesday aimed at stopping Deere & Co from buying Monsanto Co’s Precision Planting farm equipment business.

U.S. private payrolls rise solidly; pending home sales jump
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. private employers maintained a steady pace of hiring in August and contracts to buy previously owned homes surged in July, suggesting the economy was regaining sufficient momentum for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year.

Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank held talks about tie-up
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Top executives of Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank held talks on a potential combination of Germany’s two biggest banks earlier this month, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Takata parts shipped properly in truck explosion, NTSB says
(Reuters) – Initial checks with parties involved in an Aug. 22 fatal truck explosion in Texas involving Takata Corp air bag parts indicate that the material was being shipped properly, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said on Wednesday.

Faced with crunch, Tesla plans to raise additional cash this year
(Reuters) – Facing a severe cash crunch, Tesla Motors Inc plans to raise additional money this year to help fund development and production of its new Model 3 sedan and build out a giant battery factory, the company said on Wednesday.

Bill Gross steps up criticism of Fed, central banks for zero rates
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bond investor Bill Gross ramped up his criticism of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, characterizing chair Janet Yellen and her predecessors and contemporaries at other central banks of mastering “the art of market manipulation.”

U.S. to urge G20 to boost economies, heed citizen anger
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama will urge leaders of the world’s major economies to use fiscal policy and other tools to boost growth while paying more attention to angry citizens who feel left behind, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Wednesday.

U.S. Treasury says EU Apple ruling not good for European economy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The European Commission’s order that Apple pay back taxes to Ireland could hurt Europe’s economic outlook, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Wednesday.

U.S. housing market turnover to improve over coming year: Reuters poll
(Reuters) – Turnover in the U.S. residential property market is set to rise over the coming year, according to a strong majority of analysts polled by Reuters who also forecast the pace of house price gains to remain relatively steady this year and next.

U.S. private sector adds 177,000 jobs in August: ADP
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. private employers added 177,000 jobs in August, above economists’ expectations, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

Dubliners divided over Apple windfall dilemma
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Faced with a $14.5 billion windfall after an EU ruling on Apple’s tax affairs, carer Louise O’Reilly knew exactly what the Irish government should do with the money: spend it on pensioners who are struggling to get by.

U.S. pending home sales jump in July
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes surged in July after two straight months of declines as demand rose almost across the board, suggesting the housing market remains on solid ground despite last month’s drop in home resales.

Wall St opens lower as oil prices drop
(Reuters) – U.S. stocks opened slightly lower on Wednesday as oil prices dropped more than 1 percent on the back of a stronger dollar.

Irish cabinet may need more time to decide on Apple appeal: minister
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland’s cabinet may be given more time to decide on whether to back the finance minister’s recommendation that Dublin appeal the European Commission’s ruling against its tax dealings with Apple , another minister said on Wednesday.

Mitsubishi Heavy discusses U.S. armored vehicle tie up after losing sub deal
TOKYO (Reuters) – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) 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.

G20 watchdog says bank rules working well, digs deeper into markets
LONDON (Reuters) – The financial system’s ability to cope with Britain’s vote to leave the European Union and with doubts over growth prospects show the benefits of rules introduced since the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers bank, a global watchdog said on Wednesday.

VW could agree U.S. large-car diesel emissions settlement by October – Audi exec
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Volkswagen AG could reach a “final” settlement with U.S. authorities as early as October over its large-engine diesel cars found to have cheated emissions tests in a global scandal, the sales chief of its premium Audi brand said.

Fed’s Evans, citing slow growth, says low U.S. rates are here to stay
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans on Wednesday said he is increasingly convinced that U.S. economic growth has slowed permanently, a situation that will keep U.S. interest rates low for a long time ahead.

South Korea Hanjin Shipping decides to file for court receivership: Yonhap
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd has decided to file for court receivership, wire service Yonhap reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified shipping industry sources.

Oil prices dip on stronger dollar; rise in U.S. crude stocks data
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Crude oil futures fell in early trade on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar held around three-week highs and industry stocks data indicated a build in U.S. crude inventories.

Exclusive: SWIFT discloses more cyber thefts, pressures banks on security
(Reuters) – SWIFT, the global financial messaging system, on Tuesday disclosed new hacking attacks on its member banks as it pressured them to comply with security procedures instituted after February’s high-profile $81 million heist at Bangladesh Bank.

Asian shares ease, taking cue from Wall Street, oil slips
TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian shares eased on Wednesday following modest losses on Wall Street, but were still on track for a monthly rise as investors waited to see if upcoming job data could prod the Federal Reserve into raising interest rates as soon as September.

Gap reports fire at Fishkill distribution center, employees safe
(Reuters) – Apparel retailer Gap Inc said there was a “serious” fire at its distribution center in Fishkill, New York, on Monday.

AstraZeneca to pay $5.52 million to resolve SEC foreign bribery case
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. regulators said on Tuesday that AstraZeneca Plc will pay $5.52 million to resolve a foreign bribery probe into improper payments by its sales and marketing staff to officials at state-controlled health care providers in China and Russia.

Canada regulator suspends TransCanada pipeline approval hearing
CALGARY (Reuters) – Canada’s National Energy Board on Tuesday suspended Montreal hearings on TransCanada Corp’s proposed Energy East pipeline for the rest of the week after protests disrupted the first day on Monday.

EU-U.S. trade deal in doubt as France urges end to talks
PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – France cast serious doubt on Tuesday on the prospects of an EU free trade deal with the United States, adding to opposition within Germany and growing scepticism among Americans.

Airbus on course for record deliveries in August: executive
PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus delivered more aircraft in August than for the same period in any previous year, its top planemaking executive said on Tuesday, in a breakthrough that improves its chances of meeting 2016 targets after earlier delays in receiving parts.

Caesars wins lawsuit shield to pursue ‘uphill’ appeal
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A federal judge on Tuesday gave Caesars Entertainment Corp a five-week shield from $13 billion in lawsuits, capping a week of frantic court hearings as the casino group struggles to salvage a high-stakes debt-cutting plan for its bankrupt subsidiary.

SEC awards $22 million to Monsanto whistleblower
(Reuters) – A former Monsanto Co executive who tipped the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to accounting improprieties involving the company’s top-selling Roundup product has been awarded more than $22 million from the agency’s whistleblower program, the executive’s lawyer said on Tuesday.

Potash Corp, Agrium talk merger as fertilizer sector struggles
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – Canada’s Agrium Inc and Potash Corp of Saskatchewan Inc said on Tuesday they are in talks to merge, a tie-up that would create a global fertilizer and farm retailing giant as the agriculture sector struggles with soft crop prices.

Chevron wins dismissal of claims of poor savings plan oversight
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Chevron Corp workers who said the oil company breached its fiduciary duties by putting costly and poorly performing investment options in a $19 billion employee savings plan.

Google cloud unit close to winning PayPal business: CNBC
(Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google is close to winning PayPal Holdings Inc as a client for its cloud business, potentially beating out Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp, CNBC reported on Tuesday.

Shell’s U.S deal to unlock global oil asset disposals
LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell’s first oil field sale after its $54 billion BG Group acquisition bodes well for its disposal talks in the North Sea, Gabon and New Zealand, according to sources, signaling buyers will meet its expectations on value.

Twitter to share ad revenue on videos by U.S. individual users
(Reuters) – Twitter Inc said it would share some of the advertising revenue on videos created by its individual users in the United States as part of an expanded video advertising program.

Washington warns of strain on EU economic relationship after Apple ruling
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A European Commission order requiring Apple Inc to pay $13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in taxes on Tuesday drew swift and angry rebukes from the Obama administration and lawmakers in Congress, while re-igniting calls for international tax reform.

EpiPen maker Mylan hires banks for debut euro bond
LONDON (IFR) – Mylan has hired banks for a euro-denominated multi-tranche debut euro bond, a day after the under-fire drugmaker announced it would launch a generic version of its EpiPen allergy injection at half the price.

China’s big banks set for hard slog as margins shrink
SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) – Four of China’s so-called ‘Big Five’ state-owned banks have warned that profits will continue to be pressured in the second half of the year, as slowing growth in the world’s second-biggest economy hits borrowers and saps lenders’ margins.

Abercrombie & Fitch no longer expects results to improve this year
(Reuters) – Teen apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co posted a bigger-than-expected loss for the second quarter as efforts to win back shoppers through store remodeling and other measures failed to boost sales and are not expected to do so for the rest of the year.

Increase in U.S. home prices slightly less than forecast
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. single-family home prices rose slightly less than expected on an annual basis in June, and were down from the prior month, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Fed’s Fischer says U.S. job market ‘very close’ to full strength
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. job market is nearly at full strength and the pace of interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve will depend on how well the economy is doing, Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said on Tuesday.

Wall Street flat as investors look for clues on rates
(Reuters) – Wall Street was little changed on Tuesday morning as investors looked for catalysts to drive the markets while keeping one eye on clues for the timing of the next interest rate hike.

Japan’s ANA says 787 engine repairs could take 3 years
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese carrier ANA Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it could take as long as three years to replace faulty turbine blades in the Rolls-Royce engines powering its Boeing 787s.

Japan government finds Mitsubishi overstated mileage for eight more models
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s transport ministry on Tuesday ordered Mitsubishi Motors Corp to stop domestic sales of eight vehicle models after an investigation found the automaker overstated their fuel economy, the second such order in a matter of months.

Buyout firms’ hushed deals with top investors risk SECs’ ire
NEW YORK(Reuters) – Some U.S. private equity firms are courting their biggest and savviest investors with privileged access to special fee-saving deals without telling other investors, according to people involved in buyout firms’ fundraising.

Chevron LNG supply deal with China’s ENN may boost spot market growth
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Chevron Corp’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deal with China’s ENN LNG Trading Co may boost the formation of a spot market for the fuel in Asia.

VW reviews its procurement strategy in wake of supplier dispute
HAMBURG (Reuters) – Volkswagen is reviewing its supplier and procurement strategy to avoid another crippling dispute like the one that caused production slowdowns and even stoppages at six plants this month, Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said.

Volkswagen decides not to sue South Korea over sales ban
SEOUL (Reuters) – Volkswagen decided against suing South Korea which last month suspended sales of most of its models and slapped a fine of 17.8 billion won ($15.93 million) on the German carmaker.

Mitsubishi Motors overstated fuel economy on eight more models: Nikkei
TOKYO (Reuters) – Mitsubishi Motors Corp overstated the fuel economy on eight of its vehicle models, in addition to four others the embattled Japanese automaker admitted to earlier this year, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Oil prices rise as dollar retreats from two-week high
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil futures edged up on Tuesday as the U.S. dollar erased earlier gains, but doubts that producers would be able to agree to an output freeze continued to drag on prices.

Asia stocks bounce, dollar dips on Fed hike doubts
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian shares bounced on Tuesday as doubts the Federal Reserve really would hike rates as soon as September undermined the dollar, while investors continued to count on more policy stimulus elsewhere in the world.

United Airlines hires No. 2 at American to be its president
(Reuters) – United Continental Holdings Inc has hired the No. 2 executive at rival American Airlines Group Inc , Scott Kirby, to be its president, the companies said on Monday.

Boeing keeps jetliner prices steady amid slowing sales
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Boeing Co said on Monday it will refrain from increasing jetliner prices for the first time since 2009 as the industry grapples with a slowdown in new plane sales.

Sycamore Partners confirms bid for bankrupt Aeropostale
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Sycamore Partners on Monday confirmed it submitted a bid for Aeropostale Inc after a judge issued an opinion rejecting the teen-focused retailer’s attempt to block an offer and blame its bankruptcy on the private equity firm.

Mondelez abandons pursuit for U.S. chocolate maker Hershey
(Reuters) – Mondelez International Inc , the maker of Oreo cookies and Cadbury chocolates, said it was no longer pursuing the acquisition of Hershey Co , two months after the U.S. chocolate company turned down its $23 billion cash-and-stock bid.

U.S. appeals court dismisses AT&T data throttling lawsuit
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – 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.

Facebook CEO says group will not become a media company
ROME (Reuters) – Facebook Inc. will not become a media company, its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday, telling students the firm would remain a technology platform.

White House says it sees a path to approval of Pacific trade deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House said on Monday it could still win congressional approval of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact before President Barack Obama leaves office, and warned that failing to do so would undermine U.S. leadership in the region.

Valeant is sued over Philidor ties, alleged racketeering
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc was sued on Monday by buyers of its drugs, who accused the Canadian company of racketeering by forcing them to pay exorbitant prices.

EU to hand Apple Irish tax bill of over 1 billion euro, source says
DUBLIN (Reuters) – The European Commission will rule against Ireland’s tax dealings with Apple 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.

Former LA Dodgers owner McCourt to buy Marseille
PARIS (Reuters) – Frank McCourt, former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, said on Monday he had entered exclusive negotiations to buy Olympique de Marseille and vowed to restore the club to their former glories.

Caesars shares plummet as it faces $11 billion in bondholder lawsuits
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Shares in Caesars Entertainment Corp shed 16 percent on Monday after a U.S. judge cleared the way for billions of dollars in bondholder lawsuits against the casino group to proceed, setting up a possible judgment as soon as Tuesday in New York.

HSBC executive pleads not guilty in U.S. over forex scheme
NEW YORK (Reuters) – 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.

Apple is sued over unresponsive iPhone 6 touchscreens
(Reuters) – Apple Inc 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.

Zhongwang USA to buy aluminum products maker Aleris
(Reuters) – Aleris Corp , a U.S.-based aluminum rolled products maker, said it would be bought by Zhongwang USA LLC, a division of Zhongwang International Group Ltd, in a $2.33 billion deal.

Cyber threat grows for bitcoin exchanges
NEW YORK (Reuters) – When hackers penetrated a secure authentication system at a bitcoin exchange called Bitfinex earlier this month, they stole about $70 million worth of the virtual currency.

European Commission says ‘ball still rolling’ on trade deal with U.S. after German comments
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union’s executive said on Monday it had a unanimous mandate from the bloc’s 28 members to finalise negotiations on a free trade deal with the United States, a day after Germany’s economy minister said the talks had “de facto failed”.

BlackRock withheld support from two key Exxon directors: filings
BOSTON (Reuters) – BlackRock Inc withheld support from two high-profile directors at Exxon Mobil Corp, securities filings show, a rare spat apparently driven by a board communications policy at the world’s largest energy company.

Mylan to launch generic EpiPen at half the price of original
(Reuters) – Mylan NV 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.

Wall Street rises as hawkish Fed boosts financial stocks
(Reuters) – Wall Street rose on Monday morning, helped by financial stocks that gained a day after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the case for an interest rate hike had strengthened.

Automobiles boost U.S. consumer spending; inflation still tame
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. consumer spending increased for a fourth straight month in July amid strong demand for automobiles, pointing to a pickup in economic growth that could pave the way for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year.

Truck carrying Takata air bag inflators causes blast in U.S., one killed
TOKYO (Reuters) – A truck transporting Takata Corp air bag inflators and propellants that are at the center of a global recall exploded in Texas earlier this month, resulting in one death and four injuries, the embattled auto parts supplier said on Monday.

Sharp wants to team up with Japan Display in OLED: Nikkei
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Sharp Corp is hoping to team up with its domestic rival Japan Display Inc in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays to catch up with South Korean manufacturers, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday.

Australia’s Woolworths says hardware JV partner Lowe’s takes it to court
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Woolworths Ltd said on Monday the U.S. company with which it had a hardware retail joint venture had started legal proceedings, five days after Australia’s No.1 grocery chain said it was exiting the business.

Roche says U.S. FDA issues Emergency Use Authorization for Zika test
ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its test for the Zika virus.

Union votes for strike mandate in Canadian auto talks
TORONTO (Reuters) – The union representing most Canadian autoworkers has voted for a strike mandate, it said on Sunday, bolstering its position in contract negotiations with the Big Three U.S. carmakers.

Oil prices fall on rising Iraq output, doubt over producer talk prospects
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices fell early on Monday as output from Iraq rose and as Iran said it would only cooperate in upcoming producer talks to freeze output if fellow exporters recognized its right to fully regain market share.

Most Asia stocks slide on Fed officials’ rate comments, dollar firms
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Most Asian share markets slipped on Monday while the U.S. dollar held firm on Monday after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen indicated an interest rate increase remains on the cards for this year.

SEC paid $3.75 million to BHP Billiton whistleblower: report
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission paid a BHP Billiton insider $3.75 million for detailed information in an investigation into alleged bribery of Asian and African officials, the Australian Financial Review reported on Monday.

Herbalife may have misled investors, SEC on impact of FTC deal, one short-seller says
BOSTON (Reuters) – After U.S. multi-level marketing company Herbalife 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.

China’s BYD forecasts up to 91 percent profit rise for first nine months
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd , backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc , on Sunday predicted an up to 91-percent profit increase in the first nine months of the year, as government policies drive green car sales.

Germany’s economy minister: U.S.-EU free trade talks have failed
BERLIN (Reuters) – 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.