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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Just days after the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, the U.S. company has won a legal battle against Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC.

HTC had lodged a patent infringement complaint against Apple last year and sought a ban on import of Apple products.

However, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Tuesday said in its verdict that the American company did not violate the rules – an announcement that prompted the fall of HTC shares to as much as 6 percent.

HTC had charged Apple violated its patents relating to data protection, contact information storage and power supply management.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Markets were closed in the U.S. Monday as the nation celebrated Labor Day. But trading in European markets and gold were not on holiday, one falling and one rising on debt concerns and global demand.

Gold pricing exceeded $1,900 an ounce Monday in London as concerns persisted about slowing economic growth worldwide. Europe’s debt worries also spurred renewed demand for the yellow metal.

Foreign markets and overseas gold reacted to the weak U.S. jobs report on Friday that showed that no jobs were added in August. Already jittery markets looked anywhere for any sign of improvement, which have been and continue to be hard to find.

Gold is enjoying an 11-year bull run. It is the precious metal’s longest running streak since the 1920′s. For the year, the yellow metal is up 33 percent, outshining global equities, commodities and U.S. Treasuries.

U.S. stock markets will open for trading as usual on Tuesday and markets anxiously await President Obama’s address on Thursday night about jobs.

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New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s announced on Monday that its president, Deven Sharma, will leave the company. He will be replaced beginning Sept. 12 by Douglas Petersen, chief operating officer of Citibank.

Sharma will leave the company amid the furor caused by S&P’s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating two weeks ago to AA+ from triple A because of the prolonged political debate over how to raise the country’s debt limit.

The downgrade caused investors to be jittery and led to declines in the global stock market. U.S. authorities criticized S&P for the credit downgrade and are investigating the rating agency.

Sharma, 55, will stay with S&P until the end of the year. He explained his decision to step down to pursue other opportunities, according to S&P’s parent company, McGraw-Hill. When Peterson takes over in mid September, Sharma will work on McGraw-Hill’s strategic review.

Sharma joined McGraw-Hill in 2002 and served as president of S&P since 2007. Last year, McGraw-Hill split the company into S&P and McGraw-Hill Financial.

S&P said despite the controversy created by Washington’s downgrade, the agency will continue to rate sovereign debts and companies. The ratings will be comparable, forward looking and transparent.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geither criticized S&P for poor judgment. He pointed out that S&P made a $2-trillion error in its initial debt forecast computations, which was partly the basis for the downgrade. S&P had admitted to the error.

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A year after European officials bailed out Greece, investors say the region’s banks haven’t raised sufficient capital or cut loans enough to withstand the contagion that may follow a default

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UBS AG, the fourth-biggest arranger of Indian share sales in 2010, said at least a quarter of its offerings scheduled for this year will be pushed to 2012 after equities slumped.

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Nippon Life Insurance Co., Japan’s biggest life insurer, plans to invest about 1 trillion yen ($12 billion) this financial year, with as much as 80 percent of the money to buy yen-denominated bonds for stable returns.

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South Korea’s unemployment rate rose to a one-year high in February as jobs in farms, hotels, restaurants, and the retail and wholesale sectors declined.

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In 2003, Leif Thomsen earned more than $10 million as his company originated more than $3 billion. This year his firm closed more than $5 billion. But with two young children and lots of travel, Thomsen has stepped back from the business.

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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – A retired Coast Guard admiral has warned that the United States is not well equipped to deal with another major oil catastrophe in Alaska just months after a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Talking to reporters, retired Adm. Thad Allen said that of the three icebreakers that the U.S. Coast Guard has, only one was operational and would be able to respond if any disaster occurs on the northern coast of Alaska, which is covered with ice much of the year.

Former Alaska Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer suggested that Washington must invest in the Coast Guard before considering drilling in the Arctic. “It’s not an option; it’s a mandatory next step for our country to take,” said Ulmer. He was a member of a presidential commission that last month called for the government to take more efforts to prevent another Gulf of Mexico disaster in the future.

The Republicans, who are eyeing drilling off oil-rich Alaska’s coast, are unlikely to spend much on expensive icebreakers following their win at the House of Representatives over their pledge to cut expenditures.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last year imposed a ban on new drilling in the Atlantic and the eastern Gulf until 2017. However, he imposed no bans on the drilling in the Arctic.

Royal Dutch Shell, which sought permission to drill off the Alaska coast, announced a delay in exploration last week in the absence of required permits. Environmental groups appreciated the delay, while Alaska politicians such as Republican Gov. Sean Parnell criticized it and blamed the federal government for killing jobs and making the U.S. more dependent on Middle East economies for oil.

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Paris, France (AHN) – French authorities on Sunday evacuated thousands of people from their residences after an unexploded RAF bomb, which was apparently dropped during the World War Two, was discovered in Boulogne-Billancourt in the outskirts of Paris.

Carmaker Renault owed the land where the 69 year old, 1000lb high explosive device was discovered.

Military experts started attempts to diffuse the weapon around 8 a.m. and managed to give an all okay only in the afternoon.

A force of some 400 policemen was deployed to help evacuate 6,000 evacuees, including men, women and children from their homes.

Many of them carried family pets, food and even suitcases with them. “People were asked to leave their homes at dawn this morning because the bomb was considered live and dangerous,” said a local police spokesman. “It was found by builders on land, which was heavily bombed during the Second World War. Homes, which fall within a four hundred meter radius of the bomb, have been evacuated,” he added.

Residents were given free cinema passes to spend their time, while many others stayed at local sports halls and other council buildings.

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