Yankees sign former rival Youkilis to one-year deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Red Sox rival Kevin Youkilis officially joined the New York Yankees on Friday when he signed a one-year contract to fill a void left by the absence of Alex Rodriguez, the American League team said.The three-time All-Star, 33, will serve as the starting third baseman with slugger Rodriguez expected to be sidelined until midseason after having surgery on his left hip.The...

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Pitcher Adams agrees to two-year deal with Phillies

(Reuters) - The Philadelphia Phillies and relief pitcher Mike Adams have agreed to a two-year, $12 million contract, Major League Baseball's website said on Saturday.The deal is pending a physical.Adams, 34, posted a 5-3 record with a 3.27 earned run average in 61 appearances with the Texas Rangers last season.Regarded as one of the major league's top setup men, Adams underwent surgery in October...

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Hamilton to give Angels everything on and off field

during a news conference at the ESPNZone in Downtown Disneyland in Anaheim, California …more (Reuters) - Josh Hamilton was introduced as a member of the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday and the slugger immediately promised to give everything he has to the team on and off the field.A five-time All-Star who overcame drug and alcohol addictions to become one of Major League Baseball's most feared hitters,...

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How BuzzFeed Is Betting on Hollywood, Long-Form Writing to Grow

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Last January, BuzzFeed, then an aggregator of memes and cat videos, secured a $15.5 million round of venture capital to beef up a craft that most traditional media was downsizing: journalism.It hired dozens of reporters and editors, opened bureaus in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles and became a must-read for political junkies during the 2012 presidential election.On...

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Cricket-Herath alive and bowling despite death rumours

SYDNEY, Jan 5 (Reuters) - As Mark Twain might have said, rumours of the death of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath which spread like wildfire across social media late on Friday proved to be greatly exaggerated.Far from lying in a Sydney morgue alongside former test bowler Chaminda Vaas after perishing in a car crash as the reports had suggested, Herath was very much alive when he pitched up for work...

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Cricketer Herath alive and bowling despite death rumors

SYDNEY (Reuters) - As Mark Twain might have said, rumors of the death of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath which spread like wildfire across social media late on Friday proved to be greatly exaggerated.Far from lying in a Sydney morgue alongside former test bowler Chaminda Vaas after perishing in a car crash as the reports had suggested, Herath was very much alive when he pitched up for work at the...

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Stocks mostly lower on Wall Street; Yum plunges

Stocks are opening mostly lower on Wall Street as investors get ready for the beginning of corporate earnings season.Aluminum maker Alcoa reports earnings after the closing bell. The stock was flat in early trading.The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 20 points to 13,362 early Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell a point to 1,460. The Nasdaq rose three to 3,101.Yum Brands, the parent...

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US stocks mixed ahead of earnings season kickoff

U.S. stocks opened mostly lower Tuesday as traders awaited the start of U.S. corporate earnings season.In the first half-hour of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 26 points to 13,358. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost two to 1,459. The Nasdaq composite index rose a point to 3,100.Aluminum maker Alcoa reports its fourth-quarter financial results after the market closes, marking...

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S.African stocks dip as worries rise of labour friction

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African stocks closed slightly lower on Monday with mining stocks including Harmony Gold pulling the market back from a record high set early in the session on concerns of fresh labour strife hurting the sector's earnings.The All-share index, the broadest measure of Johannesburg stock performance, closed 0.28 percent lower at 40,162.56 and the blue chip Top-40 index...

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Jaguars hire Falcons' Caldwell as general manager

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Atlanta director of player personnel David Caldwell as general manager, charging him with turning around one of the league's worst teams. His first move will be deciding the fate of coach Mike Mularkey. Owner Shad Khan tabbed the 38-year-old Caldwell on Tuesday, a day after a third interview....

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Dustin Johnson wins PGA Tour opener at Kapalua

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Dustin Johnson disappeared into a small valley of bushes and high grass as he searched for another errant tee shot, this one costing him a double bogey and making the final round of the Tournament of Champions far more exciting than he needed it to be.Undaunted by his mistakes or the thought of blowing a big lead, he blasted driver on the next hole despite the potential for...

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Bucks coach Scott Skiles out, Boylan to fill in

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Once again, an NBA team has parted ways with head coach Scott Skiles. Once again, veteran assistant Jim Boylan is being asked to pick up the pieces.One day after Milwaukee and Skiles agreed it was time for a change, the Bucks said Tuesday that Boylan will coach the team for the rest of the season. General manager John Hammond downplayed the notion that Skiles had lost control of...

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Walgreen fiscal 1Q profit sinks nearly 26 pct

Walgreen's fiscal first-quarter earnings sank nearly 26 percent as costs tied to a couple big deals and Superstorm Sandy helped put a bigger-than-expected dent in the drugstore chain's performance.CEO Greg Wasson told analysts he saw the quarter as a "turning point" for the Deerfield, Ill., company, which has been working to recapture customers it lost during a contract dispute with Express Scripts...

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Nigeria's Dangote Cement expects 38 pct rise in Q1 profit

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's biggest listed company, Dangote Cement, expects pretax profit to rise 38.9 percent year-on-year to 42.09 billion naira in the first three months of next year, it said in a filing with the Nigerian Stock Exchange.Dangote Cement, Nigeria's biggest cement producer, said it expected turnover of around 81.6 billion naira in the first quarter, compared with 64.1 billion naira...

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Piano maker Steinway takes down "for sale" sign

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Steinway Musical Instruments Inc, the famous manufacturer of pianos, saxophones and trumpets, said on Wednesday it had decided not to sell itself following a 17-month-long exploration of strategic alternatives.An American icon synonymous with handmade grand pianos, Steinway has struggled to keep its production margins competitive amid stagnant sales, and has seen its shares plunge...

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Christian Orthodox believers celebrate Epiphany

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Thousands of young men leapt into icy rivers and lakes across eastern Europe on Sunday to retrieve crucifixes cast by priests in ceremonies commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ.By tradition, a wooden cross is cast into the water and it is believed that the person who retrieves it will be freed from evil spirits.In the central Bulgarian city of Kalofer, 350 men in traditional...

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Spain's 'El Nino' lottery hands out $1.1 billion

A lottery showered €840 million ($1.1 billion) on ticket holders in five regions of Spain on Sunday, in the midst of a deep recession and high unemployment.The "El Nino" (The Child) lottery is held each Feast of the Epiphany — Jan. 6 — and the top prize tickets were sold in Alicante, Leon, Madrid, Murcia and Tenerife. The lottery's name refers to the baby Jesus, who according to tradition was visited...

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Northern Irish militants seen hijacking flag protests

BELFAST (Reuters) - Pro-British militant groups are instigating riots that have rocked the Northern Irish capital Belfast in the past month, a police officers' representative said on Sunday as officers came under attack again.The violence stems from protests over the removal of the British flag over Belfast City Hall. It has been among the province's worst since a 1998 peace accord ended 30 years...

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