lourdesuxmlouie-blog

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New Yorkers support anti-Wall Street protests: poll

An even wider margin, 87 percent, agreed with the protesters' right to camp out in Lower Manhattan, as long as they obeyed the law. The movement began staging rallies more than a month ago.Support for the protests was split down party lines, with 81 percent of the Democrats saying they backed them, while only 35 percent of Republicans said so.The protests have spread across the country and moved overseas over the weekend. While most rallies were relatively small, violence flared in Rome where tens of thousands of people came into the streets.The movement's focal point, however, has been New York, where protests have been largely peaceful. Still, less than half of those surveyed approved of the way police have handled the demonstrations, after several episodes in which force has been used on protesters.The largest block of voters, 37 percent, blamed former President George W. Bush's administration for the nation's economic problems, while 21 percent blamed banks. Seventy-three percent said they would support tougher government regulation.The Oct 12-16 poll of 1,068 registered voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

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New Issue-BNG adds 50 mln stg to 2017 bond

Borrower Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten (BNG)Issue Amount 50 million sterlingMaturity Date November 29, 2017Coupon 3.25 pctIssue price 104.683Spread 97 basis pointsUnderlying govt bond Over the 4.0 pct 2016 UKTPayment Date October 21, 2011Lead Manager(s) Royal Bank of ScotlandRatings Aaa (Moody's), AAA (S&P),AAA (Fitch)Listing AmsterdamFull fees UndisclosedDenoms (K) 1Parent ISIN XS0562887082Security details and RIC, when available, will beonCustomers can right-click on the code forperformance analysis of this new issueFor ratings information, double click onFor all bonds data, double click onFor Top international bonds newsFor news about this issuer, double click on the issuer RIC,where assigned, and hit the newskey (F9 on Reuters terminals)Data supplied by International Insider.

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UPDATE 3-New iPhone goes on sale, fans say tribute to Jobs

* Reviewers rave about Siri, but otherwise no revolutionBy Michael Perry and Isabel ReynoldsSYDNEY/TOKYO, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Apple Inc's latest iPhone went on sale in stores across the globe on Friday, with fans snapping up the final gadget unveiled during Steve Jobs' lifetime, many buying the phone as a tribute to the former Apple boss.Hundreds of fans queued around city blocks in Sydney and Tokyo to be the first to get their hands on the iPhone 4S, which looks similar to the previous iPhone 4 but has a better camera, faster processor and well-received voice activated software."I am a fan, a big fan. I want something to remember Steve Jobs by," said Haruko Shiraishi, waiting patiently with her yorkshire terrier Miu Miu at the very end of an eight block queue in Tokyo's smart Ginza shopping district.Australian Tom Mosca , the first to buy the new phone in Sydney, said the first thing he would do was ask his new white iPhone: "Where's Steve?" Many Apple fans believe the phone was called iPhone 4S meaning "for Steve".Apple CEO Tim Cook and his executive team hope the first device launched without the firm's former visionary leader at the helm will safeguard their global market share against a growing challenge from the likes of Samsung .The South Korean firm, Apple's arch-rival with smartphones powered by Google's Android software, expects to overtake it as the world's biggest smartphone vendor in terms of units sold in the third quarter.The iPhone 4S -- introduced to the world just a day before Jobs died -- was dubbed a disappointment because it fell short of being a revolution in design, but glowing reviews centred around its "Siri" voice-activated software have since helped it set a record pace in initial, online sales orders.Apple's Asian fans showed no disappointment with their new phones, ahead of sales in Germany, France, Britain and North America. In Tokyo, 24-year-old Ryosuke Ishinabe said: "I just wanted the newest iPhone. I want to try out iCloud."But despite all the enthusiasm at Apple stores, the launch was marred somewhat by widespread complaints on the Internet about problems downloading iOS 5 -- the latest version of Apple's mobile software.JOBS SHADOW OVER iPHONE LAUNCHThe vast majority of iPhone 4S buyers at the Sydney store appeared to be existing Apple customers, many having bought the original iPhone and upgrades each time. Only one out of 10 people surveyed by Reuters in Sydney was a new Apple customer."I have been waiting for the iPhone 5 for a long time. But since Jobs died, I wanted to make sure I had a new iPhone with some advantages over the old," said iPhone devotee Mark Du, concerned over future Apple gadgets without Jobs at the helm.Apple fans in Sydney and Tokyo made sure Jobs w as part of the iPhone 4S launch, with flower, candle and photo shrine s to the late Apple boss erected outside the store s .Apple said it did not release sales figures on launch day, so gauging the initial sales may be difficult. Apple said it had taken more than 1 million online orders in the first 24 hours after its release, exceeding the 600,000 for the iPhone 4, though that model was sold in fewer countries initially.Some analysts expect fourth-quarter iPhone shipments of as much as 30 million or more, almost double from a year ago.Apple's fifth-generation iPhone uses chips from Qualcomm Inc , Toshiba and a host of smaller semiconductor companies, according to repair firm iFixit, which cracked the device open on Thursday.APPLE SOFTWARE CRITICISMApple's iOS 5 software became available this week and is intended to upgrade older phones and enable new features such as a messages and better Twitter integration.Twitter users raged over "Error 3200", dredging up comparisons to the obscure numbered error messages supposedly prevalent in Windows software and complained of inordinately slow download times."This would be a great time for like, Samsung or something, to take out a sponsored ad," user Ryan James Kirk tweeted.The iPhone -- seen as the market's gold standard -- is Apple's highest-margin product and accounts for 40 percent of its annual revenue. It is the world's biggest selling smartphone, with a slim market-share lead over Samsung.Analysts point to several factors in Apple's favor: a $199 price that matches up well with rival devices such as Amazon.com Inc's "Fire" tablet; availability promised on more than 100 carriers by the end of 2011, far more than its predecessors; and glowing reviews.In a sign of how tough the competition is, two doors along from the Sydney Apple store, Samsung has been selling its new Galaxy SII for only A$2 to its first 10 customers each day, prompting Samsung fans to also camp out on the footpath.