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Uber wins reversal in lawsuit over price-fixing, arbitration

Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] on Thursday won a victory in its effort to keep unhappy customers from suing in court, persuading a federal appeals court to send a Connecticut passenger's price-fixing case into arbitration. Overturning a lower court ruling, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said Uber and former Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick provided the necessary "reasonably conspicuous" notice in online user agreements that disputes should be arbitrated. "The Second Circuit's powerful and commonsense opinion will serve to protect online contracting and strengthen commerce nationwide," Theodore Boutrous, a lawyer for Uber, said in a statement.

Asylum seekers to Canada from U.S. tripled in July: Canadian government

By Anna Mehler Paperny TORONTO (Reuters) - The number of asylum seekers who illegally crossed the U.S. border into Canada more than tripled last month, according to Canadian government data released on Thursday, as migrants fled in fear of U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. More than 3,100 people walked across the border illegally in July to file refugee claims and were arrested, up from 884 in June, the federal government said. Ninety-six percent of them went to Quebec, where an influx of asylum seekers, primarily Haitians, is sparking a backlash from opposition politicians and anti-immigrant groups in the primarily French-speaking province.

Mylan, U.S. finalize $465 million EpiPen settlement

Mylan NV has finalized a $465 million settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, resolving claims it overcharged the government for its EpiPen emergency allergy treatment, which became the center of a firestorm over price increases. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts revealed the accord on Thursday, 10 months after Mylan said it reached a deal resolving claims it misclassified the EpiPen as a generic rather than a branded product to avoid paying rebates owed to Medicaid.

GM creditor trust drops settlement with ignition switch plaintiffs

In a blow to people suing General Motors Co over faulty ignition switches and other alleged vehicle defects, a trust that holds many GM liabilities from before its 2009 bankruptcy has canceled a settlement that sought to force the automaker to pay $1 billion in shares to resolve millions of claims. The settlement, first disclosed at a court hearing last week, would have called for the trust to accept $10 billion in claims, triggering a provision in GM's bankruptcy plan that could have forced it to pay $1 billion in stock to the trust to pay off the plaintiffs. GM opposed the settlement.

Apple's Cook says he disagrees with Trump, vows donations to rights groups

(Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) CEO Tim Cook has joined a chorus of business leaders who have voiced their opposition to President Donald Trump after he blamed white nationalists and anti-racism activists equally for violence in Virginia over the weekend. "I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans," Cook wrote in a note late on Wednesday to employees, according to technology news website Recode.

Rare trio of stinky corpse flowers to bloom at Washington garden

A botanic garden on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol is expecting a stinky first in coming days as a trio of so-called corpse flowers is due to open and release an odor likened to the smell of rotting flesh. The event would mark the first time that three of the giant plants, also known as titan arums, have bloomed close to the same time at a North American institution, U.S. Botanic Garden spokesman Ray Mims said on Wednesday. The Botanic Garden, at the foot of Capitol Hill, will be open until 10 p.m. once the flower blooms to handle crowds.

Forest rangers, fire crews brace for eclipse watchers to descend on U.S. West

By Laura Zuckerman SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Forest rangers and fire managers across the U.S. West will be on high alert as motorists flock to Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming for next week's total solar eclipse, clogging roads and straining scarce resources at the height of summer wildfire season. "It's all hands on deck," said U.S. Forest Service ranger Kurt Nelson, who works in the Sawtooth National Forest near the affluent resort of Sun Valley in central Idaho.

Wisconsin lawmakers debate billions in incentives for Foxconn plant

Foxconn, an electronics manufacturer formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd , hopes to open a $10 billion plant in 2020 at a 1,000-acre site in southeastern Wisconsin. Foxconn is a major supplier to Apple Inc for its iPhones.

Truck driver formally indicted for 10 immigrant deaths in Texas

A truck driver accused of smuggling immigrants inside a packed and sweltering tractor-trailer through Texas, 10 of whom died, was formally indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday on charges that can carry the death penalty, prosecutors said. James Bradley Jr., 60, was given a five-count indictment that included charges of transportation of undocumented aliens resulting in death and conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death. If convicted on these charges, he could face up to life in prison or death, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said.

Violence prompts U.S. Congress review of militants

Violent extremism, including threats from domestic militants, will top the agenda at a Sept. 12 U.S. congressional hearing, following a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned deadly. The U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee chairman, Republican Michael McCaul, announced the hearing in a letter to the panel's top Democrat, Bennie Thompson. The committee once a year meets to discuss militant threats, with the focus usually on abroad, but a committee aide said the Charlottesville protests had raised interest in domestic threats.

New York Times editor testifies in Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit

James Bennet testified at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in a Manhattan federal court that he meant to link Palin to an "overall climate" of incitement to political violence, but not to say she caused the shooting. Palin, the former Alaska governor who was Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate in an unsuccessful 2008 campaign, is seeking in excess of $75,000 for compensatory, special and punitive damages.

U.S. court rules Arkansas can block Planned Parenthood funding

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reversed a ruling that prevented Arkansas from cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood following the release of controversial videos secretly recorded by an anti-abortion group. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reversed a ruling forbidding Arkansas from carrying through with Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson's directive to suspend Medicaid reimbursements to a Planned Parenthood affiliate.

U.S. ends program for Central American minors fleeing violence

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security terminated a program on Wednesday that allowed minors fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to settle in the United States, ending travel hopes for more than 2,700 children awaiting approval. In a notice published in the Federal Register that goes into effect Aug. 16, the government said it was ending the practice of granting parole under the Central American Minors (CAM) Program, which was offered to children even if they had been denied refugee status. The program started at the end of 2014 under the administration of former President Barack Obama as a response to tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors and families from Central America who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking entry into the United States.

Seven charged in U.S. insider trading ring

U.S. authorities on Wednesday announced insider trading charges accusing seven people of generating more than $5 million of profit based on tips from a Bank of America Corp employee about dozens of pending corporate transactions. Daniel Rivas, who was the alleged tipper and later worked at Royal Bank of Canada , and James Moodhe, the father of Rivas' girlfriend, both pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.

Baltimore removes four Confederate statues after Virginia rally

The statues, including one of General Robert E. Lee and another of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, were taken off their bases in Wyman Park Dell, beside the Baltimore Museum of Art, and carried away on a flatbed truck. City Councilman Brandon Scott had called for immediate action following the "domestic terrorism" carried out on Saturday by white supremacists in Charlottesville. In Los Angeles on Wednesday, the United Daughters of the Confederacy asked the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to remove a monument that since 1925 honored Confederate veterans.

Carmakers win brief reprieve from lawsuits over faulty Takata air bags

The decision gives the Japanese auto supplier breathing room to work through its bankruptcy reorganization. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brendan Shannon in Wilmington, Delaware, granted a 90-day halt on lawsuits brought by Hawaii, New Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as individuals. Takata argued for a six-month freeze on hundreds of lawsuits so management could complete a $1.6 billion sale of its viable operations, crucial to its reorganization, and replace air bag inflators that are subject to the biggest recall in automotive history.

Black banker sues Goldman Sachs for racial discrimination

Rebecca Allen in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan said Goldman's virtually all-white senior leadership team favors white bankers for promotions and lucrative accounts, so they earn more than black coworkers. "Simply put, Goldman Sachs does virtually nothing to hire, promote or develop black talent, instead focusing its efforts on retaining and promoting white employees to positions of leadership," Allen said in the complaint. Goldman in a statement said the claims were meritless.

Virginia rally victim's message 'magnified,' mother tells memorial

With tears and defiant tributes, hundreds of purple-clad people packed an historic Charlottesville theater to remember the 32-year-old woman killed when a suspected white nationalist crashed his car into anti-racist demonstrators. Heather Heyer, a paralegal whom colleagues said was devoted to social justice, was killed after clashes on Saturday between white nationalists attending a "Unite the Right" gathering and counter-protesters. You just magnified her," Heyer's mother Susan Bro said to long and loud applause from those gathered at the city's 1930s era Paramount Theater.

U.N. experts condemn racist violence in U.S., urge investigations

United Nations human rights experts called on U.S. political leaders "at all levels" on Wednesday to combat rising racist violence and xenophobia and urged prosecution of perpetrators of hate crimes. U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that both left- and right-wing extremists had become violent during a weekend rally by white nationalists in Virginia, reigniting a political firestorm over race relations in the United States and his own leadership of a national crisis. "We are outraged by the violence in Charlottesville and the racial hatred displayed by right-wing extremists, white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups," the independent U.N. experts said in a joint statement issued in Geneva.

German politicians accuse Trump of trivializing Nazi violence

By Michael Nienaber and Andrea Shalal BERLIN (Reuters) - Senior German politicians on Wednesday accused U.S. President Donald Trump of trivializing violence by white supremacists in Virginia and called for a clear rejection of their ideology. Governments could only win the fight against hatred, racism and anti-Semitism by rejecting such ideology and the willingness to use violence, said Martin Schulz, the center-left candidate for chancellor, adding that this applies to Germany and the United States. "The trivialization of Nazi violence by the confused utterances of Donald Trump is highly dangerous," said Schulz, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD).

Army helicopter with five aboard crashes off Hawaii: U.S. Coast Guard

(Reuters) - Rescue teams searched for a downed Army Black Hawk helicopter with five crew members aboard that was last reported off the west coast of Hawaii, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday. Coast Guard Hercules and Army Black Hawk aircrews spotted debris near Kaena Point, Oahu at 11:28 p.m. local time after staff at Wheeler Army Airfield said they had lost contact with one of their UH-60 Black Hawk aircrews, the Coast Guard said. Rescue crews searched for five missing people who were training between Kaena Point and Dillingham Airfield, also on Oahu, when communications were lost. ...

Trump blames 'both sides' for Virginia violence as many Republicans balk

By Amanda Becker and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump inflamed tension after a deadly rally by white nationalists in Virginia by insisting that counter protesters were also to blame, drawing condemnation from some Republican leaders and praise from white supremacists. In a combative news conference, Trump backed off from his Monday statements explicitly denouncing the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists for the violence that erupted at a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, and reverted to his weekend contention that "many sides" were to blame. "You had a group on one side that was bad," Trump said on Tuesday.

Lincoln Memorial in Washington defaced with expletive

(Editor's note: Please be advised that paragraph 2 contains language that some readers may find offensive) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Lincoln Memorial in the U.S. capital was spray painted with expletive graffiti that was discovered on Tuesday, days after violence broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia, over an American Civil War-era monument. The graffiti appeared to read "fuck law" spray painted in red on a column of the memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the American president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the United States. The National Park Service said in a statement that it was removing the graffiti from the monument and a Smithsonian Institution directional sign blocks away that was also vandalized with spray paint.

Texas 'bathroom bill' dies in special legislative session

Texas measures criticized as being discriminatory for limiting transgender people's access to bathrooms in schools and public buildings died on Tuesday, as the House adjourned and ended its special legislative session. The measures were blocked by moderate House Republicans. Adoption by Texas, the most populous Republican-dominated state, could have fed momentum in other socially conservative states on the issue, a flashpoint in the U.S. culture wars.

Trump casts blame on both sides for deadly violence in Virginia

By Jeff Mason NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump unabashedly insisted on Tuesday that both left- and right-wing extremists resorted to violence during a weekend rally by white nationalists in Virginia, and that some present were peacefully protesting plans to remove a Confederate monument when the upheaval began. Trump, taking questions from reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, reverted to his initial comments blaming "many sides" for Saturday's violence in Charlottesville, a day after bowing to pressure to explicitly condemn the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups.

Neo-Nazi group moves to 'Dark Web' after website goes down

Neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer, which helped organize a gathering in Virginia on Saturday that turned violent, moved to the so-called Dark Web on Tuesday because its registration to use the open internet was revoked. GoDaddy Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google canceled Daily Stormer's Internet registration on Monday, saying the group had violated terms of service, which prohibit clients from using their sites to incite violence. Andrew Anglin, the founder of Daily Stormer, did not respond to requests for comment.

AIG shops $2 billion death benefits portfolio: sources

AIG, the largest commercial insurer in the United States and Canada, is working with investment bankers at Goldman Sachs Group Inc to unload the assets, said the sources, who were not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly. Apollo Global Management LLC is looking at buying at least some of the policies, one of the sources said. Parties including Blackstone Group LP have purchased similar life settlements, or "death benefits" from AIG in previous transactions, the people said.

Accused bomber fails to keep notebook mentioning bin Laden out of NY trial

A man accused of setting off bombs in New York City and New Jersey last September has failed to persuade a federal judge to keep a notebook that refers to bombs and former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden out of his upcoming trial. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan ruled at a hearing on Tuesday that the notebook belonging to Ahmad Rahimi, dubbed the "Chelsea Bomber," could be used as evidence of his motive at his scheduled Oct. 2 trial. Berman also allowed prosecutors to introduce records of Rahimi's internet activity and videos of his movements, but barred evidence about a shootout with New Jersey police before his capture, saying it was not relevant to the New York case.