S.Africa's rand, bonds edge up ahead of data

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand firmed marginally on Tuesday ahead of a slew of domestic economic data but stayed within its recent trading range, awaiting further direction from global markets.The rand was trading at 8.6700 against the dollar at 0640 GMT from Tuesday's close of 8.6725."The data today will not have much impact on the rand. We will continue to look at international factors,"...

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Mexican president confident of key reforms in 2013

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Monday he is confident that reforms to shake up state oil giant Pemex and the country's tax regime, key planks of his drive to accelerate economic growth, will be approved in 2013.The youthful Pena Nieto took office on December 1 pledging to fire up the economy after years of underperformance, during which it fell behind its big...

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Italy's Berlusconi attacks "Germano-centric" Monti

ROME (Reuters) - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi accused the technocrat government of Mario Monti on Tuesday of pursuing economic policies dictated by Germany that had dragged Italy into recession.In remarks that point to a bitter election campaign fought over European issues, Berlusconi said Germany had taken advantage of the financial crisis to lower its own borrowing costs at the...

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Wal-Mart under fire in India, government signals probe

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's government said on Tuesday it was prepared to launch an inquiry into lobbying by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , buckling under an opposition campaign to discredit a flagship economic policy that allows foreign supermarkets to trade in Asia's third largest economy.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has pressed ahead with the policy despite fierce political opposition, arguing that...

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World stocks wane as US budget talks drag on

BANGKOK (AP) — World stock markets lost some steam Tuesday as efforts by U.S. leaders to reach a budget deal before the year's end appeared deadlocked and fears lingered that a leadership change in Italy could derail Europe's efforts to tackle its financial crisis.Markets in Asia appeared to take in stride news that HSBC, the British banking giant, will pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering...

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Pfizer/Bristol drug cuts recurrence of blood clots - study

(Reuters) - A new blood clot preventer from Pfizer Inc and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co reduced the risk of recurrence of clots in veins and lungs and death by 80 percent with no increase in major bleeding in a study testing extended use of the drug.In the year-long trial of 2,486 patients who had been previously treated for the condition known as venous thromboembolism (VTE) the drug, apixaban, met the...

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Civilian Trauma May Contribute To Combat PTSD

War is hell. And for many soldiers, the experience leaves lasting scars. And not just physical ones. A subset of veterans develop posttraumatic stress disorder  or PTSD. But it might not be only the horrors of battle that make them susceptible. According to a study in the journal Psychological Science [link to come] echoes of  childhood abuse may contribute.Psychologists assessed the mental...

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USDA to allow more meat, grains in school lunches

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Agriculture Department is responding to criticism over new school lunch rules by allowing more grains and meat in kids' meals.Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told members of Congress in a letter Friday that the department will do away with daily and weekly limits of meats and grains. Several lawmakers wrote the department after the new rules went into effect in September saying...

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Venezuela's Chavez says cancer back, operation in days

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's Hugo Chavez said on Saturday that his cancer  had returned and he would undergo another operation in the coming days, and for the first time the president named a successor if anything happened to him.The news was a big blow for supporters of the 58-year-old socialist leader, who elected him in October to a new six-year term in office. Twice since mid-2011 Chavez...

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Study could spur wider use of prenatal gene tests

A new study sets the stage for wider use of gene testing in early pregnancy. Scanning the genes of a fetus reveals far more about potential health risks than current prenatal testing does, say researchers who compared both methods in thousands of pregnancies nationwide. A surprisingly high number — 6 percent — of certain fetuses declared normal by conventional testing were found to have genetic...

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