The state’s Public Health Council on Wednesday unanimously approved Lahey Hospital & Medical Center’s plans to expand its emergency department in Burlington, clearing the way for the $76 million project to move forward.

The expansion, which will include a rooftop helipad and space to build a future radiation oncology center, is needed to meet growing patient demand, hospital officials said.

The department was designed in the late 1970s to treat 15,000 to 17,000 patients a year. But in 2013, Lahey logged more than 39,000 emergency room visits. By 2021, the Burlington hospital expects to see more than 45,000 patients there.

“The emergency department at Lahey is extremely crowded,” Dr. Howard Grant, the president and chief executive of the hospital, told the council. “We are accepting all transports that are referred to us.”

Under state law, hospitals must show that their planned expansions are economically justified and there is a need for the services in neighboring communities. In a process known as “determination of need,” the 14-member council must review and approve expansion proposals.

Like many emergency rooms, Lahey gets a lot of elderly patients, and heart attack sufferers. With the hospital sitting next to Interstate 95, Lahey’s emergency department also treats many patients injured in car crashes.

Patients sometimes have to lie in stretchers in the hallways because there isn’t enough space in the treatment rooms, said Dr. Malcolm Creighton, chairman of the emergency department.

“We have to be creative in using spaces in the hallway, and having patients wait in chairs outside rooms,” Creighton said. “We try to keep every patient safe by keeping them in an observed area. We try to get their care started as quickly as possible.”

Lahey also is seeing growth in emergency room visits partly because it gets more referrals from three other hospitals within the network of its parent company, Lahey Health, which is reorganizing how it delivers health services. The Lahey system is working to shift routine care to community hospitals in Gloucester and Beverly and move the sickest patients to Burlington. Lahey also is planning to acquire Winchester Hospital.

Construction of the new emergency department is expected to begin in spring 2015 — if the hospital stays on pace with fund-raising efforts — and continue for about two years. By the end of March, Lahey had raised about $29 million in cash and pledges, just over one-third of the expansion’s price tag.

Lahey’s current emergency department is about 12,000 square feet and has 22 treatment bays, including two trauma rooms. Plans call for expanding the department to 45,000 square feet with 36 treatment bays, including four trauma rooms.

The new facility also will include specially outfitted behavioral health rooms, radiology rooms, and two CT scanners. It is designed to support 52,000 annual patient visits. It will include individual patient rooms, allowing for more privacy.

“Our goal is to make sure that we enhance comfort for the patients,” Grant said.

Summary: The state’s Public Health Council on Wednesday approved Lahey Hospital and Medical Center’s plans to expand its emergency department in Burlington.


Comic and action hero fans rejoice: the long-awaited Batman and Superman feature has begun filming, and it has a name: “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

The film stars Henry Cavill, who is reprising his role as Clark Kent/Superman from last year’s Man of Steel, with Ben Affleck taking the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman for the first time, according to a Warner Bros. Pictures announcement Wednesday.

Written by Chris Terrio from a screenplay by David S. Goyer, the film showcases director Zack Snyder and stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. The film is set to hit theaters May 6, 2016 and production will take place in Detroit as well as areas around Illinois, Africa and the South Pacific.

Summary: But audiences will have to wait two years before its release


UPDATED 06/04/2014 at 01:30 PM EDT • Originally published 06/04/2014 at 08:00 AM EDT

Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood

Tammie Arroyo/AFF-USS, Steve Granitz/WireImage, Tsuni/Gamma-USA, Rick Diamond/Getty

and Luke Bryan are shaping up as the

! Both are among the final nominees for the show's top prize, video of the year, and both are also featured artists in a second nominated video.

Though videos by Hunter Hayes ("I Want Crazy"), Eric Church ("Give Me Back My Hometown"), Kacey Musgraves ("Follow Your Arrow"),

("We Were Us," with Miranda Lambert) were nominated in the category, they didn't make the final cut, which was determined by online fan voting.

So who is up for the coveted CMT Award? PEOPLE Country can announce exclusively that the final nominees vying for the CMT's top honors are:

featuring Pistol Annies and Friends – "Boys 'Round Here"

Florida Georgia Line featuring Luke Bryan – "This Is How We Roll"

Luke Bryan – "That's My Kind of Night"

with Taylor Swift and Keith Urban – "Highway Don't Care"

Want to find out who wins? The CMT Music Awards air Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on CMT. Follow PEOPLE Country for all the latest from the red carpet and backstage!

Summary: Miranda, Luke, Blake and more are up for the show's top honors Wednesday night in Nashville


Marie Lorenz 'Wolverine' and Chuck 'Velvet' Moffit standing in front of a picture of Margaret Thatcher. Photograph: Linda Nylind

I am clothed in a handmade brown felt dress, accessorised with a holey cream felt scarf and brooch modelled on a large but unidentifiable creepy-crawly, and I am tramping round the Frieze Art Fair with a dozen even more heavily costumed members of the Interlopers Hiking Club as part of one of the fair's four-day projects. I am not entirely happy.

The club is led by artist Andrea Zittel. It evolved out of the loose community of artists who work in the deserts and hills of southern California. They began dressing up on their hikes partly to entertain themselves and partly to make various points pertinent to their art or their society. Today, Guy Green - an assemblage artist and Zittel's assistant - is sporting an army-esque ensemble "to remember the marines who come through 29 Palms [a military base near Zittel's home] to do their training". Landscape designer and painter Laura Tepper is wearing a brocade bodice and knickerbockers. "It's a Victorian botanist's costume," she says. "An interest in botany was one of the first ways women in England were allowed to walk freely without having to pay social calls and could wear something non-restrictive."

They intend to hike round different parts of London every day ("This is the first time we've formalised the hiking, so we're still figuring it out") and sleep in a tent at the fair. One of the walkers, photographer and film-maker Lisa Anne Auerbach, will publish a daily report on their progress. This evening she will record that rain has ruled out the planned trip round Regent's Park, so we are walking round the fair instead. As we set off, I discover that I have misunderstood the nature of the exercise. I had thought that the hike itself was the art. "The hikes and the club aren't art," says Zittel, "but everything that happens around them is." What she means is that the Interlopers find that the experience and the opportunity to talk among themselves can inspire and inform their work.

Her aim is to find a means of "inserting art into the world organically, because so much of what artists do never slips outside the art world in a natural way that still has some cultural relevancy". The club, she says, has had more success in achieving that than some of her projects more consciously aimed at doing so.

But if the hikes are just an opportunity for a get-together, I ask, isn't it just the equivalent of a group of friends heading down the pub for a laugh? "I would totally admit it if I thought it was," says Zittel. "But I think it's more about me and my friends having a dialogue."

They're certainly not in it for the exercise. Perhaps it's different in the Mojave Desert, but we don't so much hike as amble. Zittel is wearing a pedometer so we'll know how far we've travelled, but we are concentrating chiefly on not tripping over the detritus that inevitably accompanies such events. "This is the most treacherous hike we've been on!" says sculptor Chuck Moffit (feathered chaps, to denote his Reno heritage, plumed riding helmet, and silver balls slung over his shoulder, the deeper meaning of which is never made clear). I keep my ears peeled for weighty exchanges on art and meaning, while becoming engrossed in the reactions of others to our parade of fake fox heads, admiral jackets, pantaloons and pinafores. Workmen look on with weary resignation, staff glance at us quizzically and artists call out and wave. There is a stubborn seam of people, whom I presume from their painfully tailored appearances to be gallery owners, who regard us with the kind of contempt normally reserved for puppy-killers.

But although I'm now mentally cleaving more tightly to the group, I'm still plagued by a feeling that a dozen artists hiking round London for four days should have a larger purpose than fuelling their own creative endeavours. "It's about figuring out the line between art and daily activity," says Marie Lorenz, another sculptor, when I ask what she gets out of it. It seems frustratingly insubstantial. Perhaps they will involve passers-by once the weather clears and they hit Regent's Park? "I think sometimes the demand for art to reach the broadest audience waters down the experience," says Zittel. So, as far as the hiking is concerned, it's going to remain a matter of preaching to the choir? "I think you can choose your audience, which can be your friends or not," she says. I take this to be a "yes". "The people we end up meeting are people who are really interested in what we're doing."

0.775 miles, 68 calories and 2,082 steps later, we arrive back at the tent. I've seen a lot of art, but I'm not certain I'm any closer to creating any myself. I hope they are.

Summary: Lucy Mangan joins the Interlopers, a bizarre artists' hiking club, as they amble (in fancy dress) along the corridors of the art fair.


FORTUNE — As big investment banks wrestle with tarnished reputations and accusations of conflicts of interest, the allure of Wall Street boutiques only grows. They offer advice — nothing else — and have none of the other operations, such as trading, that breed conflicts. One firm little known outside of financial circles, Centerview Partners, has become a key player. Its bankers aren’t just dealmakers; they’re counselors to giant companies such as PepsiCo PEP , Pfizer PFE , and Kraft KFT . And they’re leading changes in corporate strategy as they establish new ways of handling nettlesome activist investors and create a fresh model for how companies and Wall Street interact.

Launched in 2006, Centerview is led by a roster of Wall Street veterans who left managerial roles at top banks. Founding partners include Robert Pruzan, who was president of Wasserstein Perella (and a protégé of the late Bruce Wasserstein); Blair Effron, former vice chairman of UBS UBS ; and Stephen Crawford, who was co-president of Morgan Stanley MS . Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin (his eminence only slightly scuffed by a decade at Citigroup C ) signed on as a counselor in 2010.

MORE: Goldman and other big banks are not out of the woods

Centerview’s partners are a seasoned group, mostly between the ages of 45 and 55, and their experience is proving a major advantage. Not only are the partners delighted to be working with clients again, but the clients are stunned, pleasantly so, to see bankers with 25 years of experience rolling up their sleeves and getting involved in the nitty-gritty.

For a small firm — its 22 senior bankers wouldn’t even fill a department at Goldman Sachs GS — Centerview has worked on a remarkable number of trophy deals. It’s currently advising News Corp. NWSA on its plan to split into publishing and entertainment businesses, and it has helped shepherd more than 30 transactions with a total value of more than $60 billion over the past 18 months. Centerview ranked ninth in U.S. M&A through mid-August, according to Bloomberg. (Its private equity team, led by former Gillette CEO James Kilts, was spun out into an independent entity in late 2010.)

But it ain’t just about the deal. “Our goal is to spend about 30% of our time with a company executing mergers and acquisitions, and 70% counseling them on a host of issues,” says Pruzan. Consider its client Ventas VTR , which owns senior-living facilities and hospitals. According to Ventas CEO Debra Cafaro, Centerview’s Alan Hartman “is available 24/7 to talk about anything. It could be about a reorganization or how to build a board. When you’re advising a CEO on those sensitive matters, it also makes you much better at M&A because you understand a company’s strategy and ambitions.”

Centerview looks to bring a second layer to its analysis. “They’re good at both helping with our strategic thinking and anticipating how it looks through the lenses of investors,” says Matthew Shattock, CEO of whiskey maker Jim Beam.

These days, with investors often recoiling at even a hint of risk, the firm frequently warns against big leverage, both because it can be bad business and because investors often despise it. Forget about an LBO, Effron recently told a client. “It’s not about borrowing at 6.5% vs. 7%,” he says. “It was about whether it was a good move. Investors wouldn’t like it because of the leverage. This is a different world than 2008.” Similarly, Effron says he advised a major European corporation to do no deals for up to two years and instead prove it can deliver on its operating plan.

Centerview has carved out a specialty helping clients deal with activist investors. Where CEOs historically called in the lawyers and girded for battle when a Carl Icahn swaggered into view, they’ve discovered that shareholders now often welcome the activists. Centerview helps them take a more subtle, diplomatic tack. It often recommends that clients make their own moves — say, spinning off a business or buying back stock — before an activist turns up and demands them.

MORE: The death of Bob Diamond’s dream for Barclays

When a Nelson Peltz does call, Centerview serves as adviser and ambassador for the company. It has dealt not only with Peltz, when he first took on Heinz HNZ , but also Icahn, when he had a stake in Motorola, and Bill Ackman, with Fortune Brands FBHS and J.C. Penney JCP . These figures present a Rubik’s Cube of complexity and compromise, says Hartman: “It’s not something you can hand off to the junior people. You’re making judgments every day.”

One of Centerview’s biggest wins was helping defuse the conflict at Motorola. The famously combative Icahn was demanding the company’s breakup. Under pressure the board capitulated. But how should the company be split? Debate was fierce among top executives and powerful directors, not to mention Icahn’s board representative, Keith Meister.

With Centerview pushing the directors to compromise, the board agreed to spin off the mobile-phone and cable-TV-box businesses together as Motorola Mobility. The original Motorola MSI kept the units that make bar-code scanners and wireless gear for law enforcement and firefighters. “They were the proverbial honest broker,” Meister says. “Before they arrived, it wasn’t getting done. No one got everything they wanted, but Centerview ultimately built consensus.” And when Google GOOG bought Motorola Mobility this year for $12.5 billion, needless to say, Centerview got the deal.

This story is from the September 3, 2012 issue of Fortune.

Summary: Why this boutique investment bank matters on Wall Street -- and beyond.


It’s a timeless question for the business elite: How does a person reach optimal performance? For those struggling to transcend mediocrity at work, what’s the trick to snap out of it? Is there an exercise regimen that unlocks peak cognition? Maybe a book of business wisdom that can help? How much meditation does it take?

Some execs think there’s a simpler answer: Find a different gig.

Bridgette Heller, a Merck EVP and president of the company’s consumer care segment, was an executive at Johnson & Johnson when she got the unshakeable sense that the job just wasn’t clicking. In moments of honesty and clarity, she says, “I always found myself coming up against the same sort of nightmare scenario: a voice that said, ‘You need to make a change.’”

Heller spoke on Monday at the Finding Your Genius panel at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel, California. She joined a group of other high-wattage female executives speaking about how to tap into your inner genius.

There were plenty of reasons for Heller to stay at Johnson & Johnson. “I’ve got to feed my family, and I’m making a lot of money,” she recalls thinking. “You’ve got all these excuses about why you don’t want to go there. But at the end of the day you come to realize that unless I get there, I can’t be fully expressed or fully happy.”

So she left, and is now a senior executive at Merck. Heller says the switch made all the difference. In the right job, she found, “driving the growth, and really hitting it as a team, it felt like soaring.” Not having that, she says, “It felt horrible.”

A key component of reaching peak performance is being in the right environment, but getting there can be hard and risky work.

Tamara Lundgren, now CEO of $2.6 billion Schnitzer Steel Industries and chairman of the board at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, says she knew it was time to move on when she found herself getting bored. A prolific career hopper, she loved lawyering and banking until she didn’t. “Each time I changed careers it’s been that type of situation,” she says. “I’d been itching for something new.”

When the call came from other industries, she answered. “People got me on a slow day,” she recalls. “And I said, ‘Why not!’”

There are a few characteristics that often accompany a fertile environments for success: Big goals, a healthy amount of pressure, and working for a cause bigger than oneself. “A lot of research shows that when people [find their] genius, it’s not about them,” says Pontish Yeramyan, founder and CEO of consulting firm Gap International. “It’s not about them making it, it’s not about their success. It’s about a bigger thing.”

It’s helpful to aim high, Yeramyan says. There’s a big difference between aiming to make a difference, and just trying to survive the day. Research shows that often people who are focusing on just not failing, are less likely to actually succeed. “Getting through something is a very different state of thinking than making your mark,” she says.

In thinking about whether to make a career leap, it can be helpful to keep in mind that often, failing is survivable. “I want to change the world,” says Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College and Microsoft board member. “So I fail all the time.”

Summary: Executives sound off on how to access your inner genius.


Anwell Tsai is an accomplished violin soloist who has performed with many regional symphonies, so he knows a thing or two about classical music. Tsai, founder of Lexington based Playful Tunes, wants to change the way people think about early childhood music programs by using real instruments, technology, and social awareness.

“A lot of times, the way kids are taught music is very technical so the fact that music can tell a story is lost to them,” said Tsai, who has gotten more than 1,500 preschoolers to try the violin. His goal: making “happy musical moments” for 100,000 kids.

Kids sitting on or throwing a violin — isn’t that a bit sacrilegious?

We’re trying to make instruments approachable. We call it an Instrument Zoo, a hands-on, experiential learning time. Instead of worrying about breaking the violin, we create an atmosphere of freedom. Kids discover by touching, listening, moving.

How do you use your background as a professional violinist to reach a new generation of potential musicians?

My background was entirely geared toward classical music performances until I was asked to create the first mandatory string program for a middle school in Louisville, Ky. This was the start of sharing my love of music – and this group of kids really responded. My biggest reward came when the school’s lacrosse team took out their violins and played after winning a league championship.

How do you use technology?

We use interactive white boards, projectors, recording software, motion detecting software, and old-fashioned lighted keyboards. We’ll tell kids they’re going to create the story of a car coming home through a rainstorm. The kids have to make all the sounds — an engine revving, tires going through gravel, wheels spinning on smooth roads, thunder and lightning.

Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skills. Is there an aspect to the benefits of music that you’re helping to develop in preschoolers?

For kids up to age 6, the most critical part of their development is emotional recognition or empathy. Our core lesson is sound becomes music whenever it helps tell a story. We then apply this to, ‘How can music show or change emotions?’ Take ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ – what if you changed this to ‘Johnny Had a Dog’ and the dog got lost? What does sadness sound like? How does Johnny feel?

Do you still practice the violin?

Not much, because if it would require a complete focus on just the violin. It would take just too much commitment.

Summary: Anwell Tsai, an accomplished violin soloist, is founder of Lexington based Playful Tunes. He wants to change the way people think about early childhood music programs.


Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart, a legal heavyweight from Washington called in to defend the antitrust ruling that went so badly for Apple two years ago, tried several times Monday to compare Apple to a driver who carries a narcotics dealer to a drug pickup.

The point of his analogy, made before a three-judge panel in a Manhattan courtroom, was that if Apple knew that book publishers were engaged in an unlawful conspiracy to fix the price of e-books and was prepared to facilitate that conspiracy, it was as guilty as they were.

Judge Dennis Jacobs would have none it. Narcotics trafficking, he pointed out, was one of the very few “industries in which the law does not look with favor on new entrants.”

The packed courtroom erupted in laughter.

It was not a good moment for the deputy attorney general — or, by extension, for Denise Cote, the district court judge whose antitrust ruling against Apple Stewart was laboring to defend. In contrast, the morning seemed to go more smoothly for Apple’s counsel, Theodore Boutrous, Jr., of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.

My colleague Roger Parloff, who has seen more than his share of appellate hearings, was surprised how well it went for Apple.

The key legal question, he writes, “was whether the Apple’s conduct as a new entrant in the e-book market should have been viewed as “per se illegal”—in which case it could be simply presumed to be anticompetitive—or whether it should have been judged under a more demanding “rule of reason” analysis, in which case the fact-finder (which here was Judge Cote) had to undertake a much more searching investigation of all the circumstances in order to decide whether the conduct was pro-competitive (i.e., benefitted consumers) or anticompetitive.

“Judges Jacobs and Lohier seemed quite concerned that Judge Cote had used the wrong standard, but Jacobs’s qualms clearly went much further—seeming to question the government’s judgment in ever having brought the case. His problem was that Apple was a new entrant that was bringing competition to a market that had been, until then, dominated by a “monopolist,” Amazon. Judge Jacobs also repeatedly referred to Amazon’s $9.99 pricing policy, whereby it sold books at below the wholesale acquisition cost, as “predatory pricing,” and seemed to suggest that Amazon was obviously using it as a means of maintaining its monopoly dominance.”

At times Judge Jacobs came close to suggesting that the government had prosecuted the wrong defendant. He likened the collusive conduct that the publishers had been accused of—they settled before trial without admitting wrongdoing—to “mice getting together to go put a bell on the cat.”

More laughter. More trouble for the government’s cause.

The third judge, Debra Ann Livingstone, said less, and what she did say seemed more in line with the district court’s perspective.

If Judge Cote’s ruling is ultimately upheld on appeal (notwithstanding Judge Jacobs’ courtroom colloquy) Apple will pays $400 million to consumers and $50 million in attorneys fees. If the court vacates the liability finding against Apple but sends the case back to either Judge Cote or another judge for a further look under the “rule of reason” standard, Apple will pay $50 million to consumers and $20 million in attorneys fees. If the court overturns the case outright, Apple pays nothing.

At the end of the 80-minute hearing, the justices reserved their decision, which could take as long as six months.

Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter at @philiped. Read his Apple AAPL coverage at fortune.com/ped or subscribe via his RSS feed.

Summary: Two of three appellate judges seemed inclined to see things Apple's way.


The Federal Reserve adjusted language about when it will consider raising interest rates, although the central bankers said it didn’t signal any change in policy.

The Federal Open Markets Committee said Wednesday that it will be “patient” in deciding when to adjust monetary policy, switching from its previous language that the group would maintain low rates for a “considerable time.”

“This doesn’t represent a change in our policy intentions,” said Chairman Janet Yellen in a press conference following the FOMC’s final two-day meeting of the year. “The committee decided some modification to our guidance is appropriate at this time.”

The minor adjustment in language is bound to give pause to economists and investors about the Fed’s plans. Many of them expect the Fed to increase rates in 2015 as the U.S. economy improves.

The wording change is in line with what the Fed committee said in the run-up to raising rates in 2004 following a period of low interest rates. John Canally, chief economic strategist for LPL Financial, said the language may continue to be used in coming months “as transition words” until “it becomes clear to FOMC members that the overall economy, the labor market, and inflation are well on their way toward hitting the FOMC’s targets.”

The Fed signaled that it will continue to rely on economic indicators in determining when to raise rates from their current near-zero level. Low rates have been in place since December 2008 during the economic crisis as a way to help stimulate the economy.

Overall, the committee pointed to an improving U.S. economy while remaining silent about financial turmoil abroad. Russia’s currency in crisis while the Eurozone continues to struggle.

Instead, the FOMC focused on the improving labor market while brushing off concerns about slowing inflation. The Fed aims for a 2% inflation target. Rising prices would indicate that the U.S. economy is starting to heat up, but that hasn’t happened recently, primarily due to plummeting oil prices. Prices fell 0.3% in November, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

“On balance, a range of labor market indicators suggests that underutilization of labor resources continues to diminish,” the Fed said in its statement. “The Committee expects inflation to rise gradually toward 2% as the labor market improves further and the transitory effects of lower energy prices and other factors dissipate.”

The Fed concluded its third round of the stimulative bond-buying program, known as quantitative easing, in October and has been reinvesting principal payments back into its own holdings. The policy, which will maintain in place, helps keep its longer-term holdings at sizable levels and “should help maintain accommodative financial conditions.”

The FOMC’s next meeting will be the end of January.

Summary: The Federal Reserve adjusted the language about when it will raise interest rates from a "considerable time."


Amedy Coulibaly and Hayat Boumeddiene in 2010. (Le Monde)

The mother and sisters of slain jihadist Amedy Coulibaly have condemned his attacks in France, offering their "sincere condolences" to the families of the victims, according to a statement.

"We condemn these acts. We absolutely do not share these extreme ideas. We hope there will not be any confusion between these odious acts and the Muslim religion," they wrote.

Coulibaly was killed by police on Friday after seizing a kosher supermarket in Paris where he shot four hostages dead.

A day earlier he killed a policewoman in Montrouge, south of the capital.

Do you have any news photos or videos?

Summary: A statement from the family of slain terror suspect Amedy Coulibaly has condemned his attacks in France, offering condolences to his victims.


Super Bowl Sunday is a boon for the makers of beer, chicken wings, and pizza. And if the Patriots pull off a victory this weekend, it’s likely that both the caloric intake and the blood alcohol levels of many fans will be inordinately high.

Although no one has created a way to distract you from piping-hot seven-layer dip and the sweet, spicy smell of boneless buffalo wings, technology does have some solutions if you drink beyond your ability to drive home safely on Sunday.

Uber, for one, is running a campaign with Mothers Against Drunk Driving on Sunday. The ride-hailing company has pledged to donate $1 to MADD for every trip taken on Sunday when users enter the code THINKANDRIDE. (Try typing that twice after a beer or three.)

But there’s another company that has that offer beat. BeMyDD (DD is short for designated driver) lets you reserve a driver for an evening and will be giving new customers $20 off their first reservation.

The company has one service that will fetch you and your car, and then drive both back to your home. A second, tailored for parties and other events, is what the company calls its Piece of Mind plan: BeMyDD will drive home every inebriated guest, and their cars, for an hourly fee.

In Boston, the pickup option costs $25, with an additional $3.45 per mile. (There is a $45 minimum.) The Piece of Mind service costs $52 per hour to drive as many people as possible during the time hired.

The company was founded in Cleveland five years ago and has expanded to 76 US cities. It was the brainchild of founders Arthur Simanovsky and Alexa Milkovich, who came up with the idea in order to allow people to have a good time without getting behind the wheel.

BeMyDD’s drivers are professionals and most have commercial licenses, said Michael Donner, chief marketing officer. Additionally, passengers and their cars are covered by the company’s own insurance policy for up to $2 million. Donner said the company will have 100 drivers in the Boston area ready to get you home safely.

Summary: Uber and a Cleveland startup BeMyDD will be offering special for SuperBowl Sunday. BeMyDD even takes your car home.


There’s no lack of events in the run up to the Super Bowl — media day, celebrity-packed pre-parties, hours of speculation about which team will win. But the most luxurious of all of these might be the gifting suite put on by Talent Resources Sports, an entertainment and sports marketing agency based in New York. This year, the company took over the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts and filled it with installations from brands seeking the attention of the athletes, celebrities, and “influencers” — people with large social media followings — who descend on the Super Bowl each year.

“From a sponsorship standpoint, it’s a great way for these brands who are either already spending the money doing a television spot—which costs between $4 and 8 million for the airtime alone— to bring what they’re doing to life, to augment what they’re doing on TV but have it in more of an influencer base and targeted, where somebody can walk away with a memory and physically engage with the products,” says David Spencer, the founder of Talent Resources Sports.

Over the weekend, dozens of athletes and notables, including Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, MMA fighter Chuck Liddell, and actor Tom Arnold, swung through the suite, picking up complimentary bags of Popchips, Otterbox iPhone cases, and Zirh cleansing products. Wine and beer flowed from an open bar; platters of Sabra hummus and pita chips provided something to nosh on. Top notch talent enjoyed perks outside of the suite, too —Kia, which parked a 2016 Sorento in the center of the suite, brought in a fleet of cars to usher Aaron Paul, AnnaLynne McCord, and other celebrities around Phoenix for the weekend.

“They’re coming to hang out, they know they’re not going to be bothered, they know they’re not going to have branded stuff shoved in their face,” says Spencer, kicking back on a gray couch for a rare calm moment. “We develop these relationships so that they feel comfortable.”

Spencer put together Talent Resources’ first Super Bowl suite in 2011, and since then, social media has changed the scope of the event. For brands that might not be able to afford a Super Bowl spot, or who want to see how an Instagram from a celebrity might impact their bottom line, this kind of integrated marketing experience is invaluable.

“It’s a way for these brands on a social media platform to test their waters with an athlete and gauge their engagement, how they interact with their fans,” says Spencer, who encourages athletes to post about the products they receive. “These athletes have gained so many followers who are outside of the sports realm because of social media and that makes a huge difference for brands. They’re walking networks.”

Take the skincare line Zirh: it got hashtagged hundreds of times on Instagram because of the lounge, and while that may not receive as much publicity as a Clydesdale-driven beer commercial, it could be reaching the brand’s target customer in a smarter way.

“It’s a lot more strategic and a lot more targeted and you get to stretch your marketing dollars a lot further,” Spencer says.

Summary: It's a marketing bonanza at the big game, and celebrities and brands are clamoring to take part.


FORTUNE — Leslie Pfrang is leaving Deutsche Bank in order to join IPO advisory boutique Class V Group, Fortune has learned.

Pfrang has been with Deutsche Bank DB for eight years, most recently as a managing director and head of technology sector sales within the firm’s North American equities business. She also is a former managing director with Credit Suisse CS , where she worked with Class V founder Lise Buyer.

Buyer says that Pfrang will open a New York City office for Silicon Valley-based Class V, which works with companies that are considering IPOs. She will work with companies in the Boston-to-DC corridor, and reflects a growing number of promising private companies based on the East Coast.

It’s been a very weak year for IPOs, particularly the VC-backed tech companies with whom Class V typically works. Buyer — who is credited with designing Google’s goog IPO strategy — says that there were a number of potential issuers planning Q4 2012 offerings, but that they held back due to concerns over how the public markets would react to both the presidential election and fiscal cliff negotiations — worries reflected in a late December volatility index spike.

“Most of those companies still plan to go out, so there’s an awful lot in the pipeline for Q2,” Buyer adds.

Sign up for my daily email newsletter on deals and deal-makers: GetTermSheet.com

Summary: Leslie Pfrang to open New York office for Class V Group.


Kleiner Perkins venture capitalist Randy Komisar had a benign explanation for giving a book of erotic poetry to former colleague Ellen Pao, who is suing the firm for gender discrimination.

“My wife purchased the book,” he said in court Tuesday as Kleiner’s attorney showed the jury his wife’s shopping history from online retailer Amazon.

The Valentines Day gift, Leonard Cohen’s “The Book of Longing,” is one of the key pieces of evidence in the trial that is shedding a harsh light on one of Silicon Valley’s best known investment firms. Pao has cited the book, which contains erotic illustrations, as an example of the inappropriate behavior at the firm. But in explaining all its alleged misdeeds, Kleiner Perkins has presented an entirely different story that boils down to Pao twisting the facts and blowing innocuous events out of proportion.

Komisar, a senior partner at the firm, explained that the book piqued his interest because, like himself, the author had an affinity for Buddhism. Komisar’s wife eventually suggested the book as a gift to Pao, and he trusted her taste. It seemed especially appropriate because Pao had previously given him a Buddhism-inspired gift.

Lynne Hermle, Kleiner Perkins attorney, played on that theme by asking Komisar whether Pao had seemed offended by the book when he gave it to her and whether she distanced herself from him afterward. His reply was resolute.

“Not at all,” Komisar said about any negative reaction by Pao. “She would come in and talk to me about her ex-boyfriend, her ex-husband… cowboy boots.”

In addition to the book incident, Pao has alleged that Komisar acted inappropriately with her when he invited her to dinner while his wife was out of town. Komisar denied he ever invited her for dinner at that time.

Speaking confidently and earnestly from the stand in San Francisco Superior Court, Komisar also addressed a dispute over the choice of board members at one of the firm’s portfolio companies, RPX. Both he and Pao worked closely with the company. But when it came to choosing a board member, Kleiner pushed for Komisar. Pao, who alleges that she was passed over because of her gender, said that the board wasn’t happy with his performance and wanted to replace him.

“Ellen Pao walked into my office one day and basically said they hated me, and she was wondering whether I should remain on the board,” Komisar said.

Their relationship soured, Komisar said, because he felt betrayed by what he described as her attempt to remove him from the board. “Up until that point, I was working very hard with Ellen to try to help her succeed,” Komisar said.

Pao, who is suing Kleiner Perkins for $16 million, has said she was repeatedly passed over for promotions at the firm and subjected to inappropriate behavior. She says the firm failed to prevent the incidents or address her complaints.

Throughout the trial, Kleiner has countered that Pao lacked the interpersonal skills necessary in venture capital investing and accused her of merely seeking a big payout.

“Your interpersonal skills were key to your success,” Komisar said about what was required of employees at Kleiner Perkins and what Pao, in the firm’s view, lacked.

Summary: Venture capitalist Randy Komisar denied allegations by former colleague Ellen Pao that the gift was inappropriate.


(Canada's Grammy equivalent) for her latest album,

, electro artist Lights is taking the U.S. by storm with her glowing synths.

The Toronto-born singer is furiously

and will perform at the desert-set

festival in Indio, California, on April 11 and 18.

PEOPLE hopped on the phone with the artist, née Valerie Anne Poxleitner, in between tour dates. Five things you should know about the Canadian synthpop star:

Lights, 27, married metalcore rocker Beau Bokan of the band Blessthefall in 2012, and the couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Rocket Wild, in February 2014. And the singer is predicting her daughter will find a career in music as well.

"She really likes anything with a beat – she starts rocking out, head-banging to literally everything that has a beat," says Lights, adding with a laugh: "It makes me think she's going to be a drummer. She loves drums and making noise. It doesn't sound great yet, but maybe someday it will!"

Both have busy touring schedules, and their little one's along for the ride as well.

"It's just a lot more choreography, but it does remind me a lot more often than I ever have been reminded to just enjoy the moment that you're in," she says.

"On our last tour, we were driving through Utah. We were sitting in the back lounge where we have this bed, and we were watching this beautiful scenery go by. I had my family next to me and just thought, 'I'm never going to forget this moment.' "

Once Lights and Bokan named their daughter, they spared no time to secure her place on social media.

"It started out as just squatting on all the things that had her name attached to it, all the social media turf," says Lights. That includes her

Instagram handle, which currently boasts a modest 87,100 followers.

"We were just so proud of her that it was like, 'Let's post a picture. Let's just post one. Here's another cute one!' It became our collection of favorite photos of her that we're sharing with the world," says Lights. "It turned out to be something really special."

The daughter of two missionaries, Lights spent much of her childhood bouncing around the globe, from the Philippines to Jamaica. Touring is second nature to her, but things have changed a bit now that she's a mom.

"I can't really do the type of touring where you go out and party and get your face wasted off every night," says Lights. "It's just more fun for some reason. It's a different kind of touring, but it's one kind that I love very much."

The new mom says she's gotten used to the changed routine.

"I finish the show, get off the stage, come into the bus, sit there with my little girl and watch a movie, go to sleep and do it all the next day."

"Literally, I was doing vocals, and then, 'Okay, I'm going into labor.' "

The singer was in the thick of writing

, her third full-length album, when she learned she was expecting.

"My general perspective on life started to change," she says. "By the time I was in the studio, I was full-term pregnant. I had all these emotions being poured into it and had the baby while we were recording. I went back into the studio three days later with the baby and new ideas and kept forging this piece that would be such a crazy reminder of that time of my life."

Summary: "My general perspective on life started to change," says Lights of how having a baby affected her music


Representatives of Mayor Koch and Governor Carey struggled last night to work out a final agreement that would clear the way for construction of the long-delayed and much-debated Westway highway project.

The major sticking point remained the ability to enforce an agreement in years to come. The Mayor's office was holding out for assurances by the legislative leaders that the state would pay for unanticipated costs; so far it has received assurance only from the Governor. Mr. Carey's aides said they would present Mr. Koch's demands to the Albany leadership and try to complete negotiations tomorrow.

The proposed agreement, written in the form of a ''memorandum of understanding,'' specifies the state's financial obligations and establishes a committee of state and city officials to coordinate construction of the sunken roadway and associated parklands.

Once the Mayor and the Governor sign the agreement, ''the Westway plan shall become the officially recognized plan for the replacement of the West Side highway between the Battery and 42d Street in Manhattan and the policy of the State and City of New York,'' the memorandum says.

Construction of the road could begin as early as 1982. It is expected to take 10 years and to cost $1.7 billion. Even if an agreement is reached, opponents of the project hope to prevent construction of the highway through several court challenges. Several members of the Board of Estimate, including Council President Carol Bellamy and Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin, contending that the board has jurisdiction over the highway, have promised to go to court to block the project. Present court challenges have not succeeded in scuttling the project.

The Westway - a six-lane 4.2-mile highway, would run through 93 acres of landfill-created parks and 139 acres of land for industrial development. At $6,400 an inch, it would be the most expensive highway ever built in the United States.

For nearly a decade, plans to build the project have engendered frequently sharp debate between the project's enthusiasts and its critics. The latter have called for the city to trade in Federal aid for the highway and use the money for the city's ailing mass transit system.

A senior Koch administration official close to the negotiations said yesterday: ''The overwhelming problem is enforcability. This is our basic concern. How can the Governor ensure the state's continuing commitment to the project over the next 10 years?'' Four Negotiators Involved

Representing Mayor Koch in the talks at City Hall were Deputy Mayor Robert F. Wagner and Ronay Menschel, Mr. Koch's chief transportation aide. Michael J. DelGiudice, a top aide to Mr. Carey and William C. Hennessy, the state's Transportation Commissioner, represented the Governor.

From the city's perspective, either a commitment by the legislative leaders or the creation of a public authority with the ability to issue revenue bonds would ''lock in'' the state's future obligations, an official close to the negotiations said. Mr. Koch proposed the idea of an authority on Monday, but yesterday the focus was on winning approval from the state's legislative leaders.

Both sides are working toward a deadline tomorrow, by which time the state must begin the application process to the Federal Government if the project is to start next year.

The memorandum states that ''the city will not be responsible for the sharing in the direct costs of constructing Westway,'' a affirmation long sought by the Mayor.

Discussion of the proposed agreement includes the following terms:

- If construction of the Westway is stopped at any point for any reason, the state would complete sections of the project already under way.

- A joint city-state Westway Policy Committee would be formed, and it would be responsible for the overall coordination between the city and the state during the building of the highway.

- Development of the 110 acres of landfill not used for parkland or the highway itself would be the city's responsibility.

- As part of the state's highway program in New York City, the state would begin planning immediately for the repair or reconstruction of the West Side highway north of 42d Street.

- The 93 acres of parks to be created on landfill would be owned and operated by the state at no cost to the city and would be developed by a committee of city and state park officials.

- The Mayor would establish a committee of city officials to insure the cooperation of relevant city agencies during the construction of the highway.

The Westway project dates to 1969, when the state requested the Federal Government to include the then West Side highway in the Interstate Highway System.

In 1974 the Westway project was presented, and it immediately drew the support of Mayor Abraham D. Beame and the newly elected Governor, Mr. Carey. Running for Mayor in 1977, Representative Edward I. Koch was among the most strenuous opponents of the roadway.

Soon after he was elected, Mr. Koch and Governor Carey, who also had opposed the project before being elected, agreed that the Westway should be built. Mr. Carey promised at this time to preserve a 50-cent fare on the city's mass transit system until 1982.

On July 1, 1980 the Metropolitan Transportation Authority raised subway and bus fares to 60 cents, and the Mayor announced that he no longer supported the Westway. He said he was considering a trade-in of Federal funds earmarked for interstate highways to help rehabilitate the mass-transit system.


The way things are and the way things were blend no more beautifully than in an updated holiday meal attended by three generations of family and friends.

One of the new ways to manage a large crowd is to dispense with the serving and allow each person to help themselves at a buffet, then sit down to the traditional table festively set. The buffet here was suggested by James Flaherty and Robert Skibsted, a former restuarateur; they are the owners of the stone 28-room Tudor-style country home, Troutbeck, which doubles as a weekend inn. The some 400-acre estate lies in the Berkshire foothills in Amenia, N.Y.

From the house's English-born chef, Lorna Connolly, comes the tenderb oneless ribs of beef with Yorkshire pudding and the rich c hocolateorange cake.

While beef has lost some ground, Skibsted says, "In this age of lightness - fish, veal, poultry - people hate to admit that they like our all-American meat. Through our business, however, we've found that people still love it."

When Flaherty and Skibsted help cook for family buffets, they add their own modern touches, such as pink peppercorns in the beef's horseradish and cream sauce.

The buffet, right, is set in the elegantly appointed foyer with its curving staircase and English and American antiques, with guest sitting down to dine at one big table in the adjoining dining room. In cool weather, a house pate is served first in the living room by a cozy fireplace.

With the exception of the Yorkshire pudding, which is a last-minute dish, most of the foods for the buffet can be prepared in advance.

Just as the owners of Troutbeck have tempered the British aura of their with American modernity, so they have brought that gift of merging past and present to their holiday cooking and dining.

Illustrations: photo of people at the Troutbeck Inn photo of ribs of beef photo of chocolate-orange cake photo of dinner buffet


nlike some seasons in which experts have recommended a single, particular beauty style for women seeking the newest fashion look, this fall there are a proliferation of looks that are equally current. For women who would like to update their use of makeup, leading stylists who conceive and execute the looks shown on fashion models on the runways and in magazines suggest ways of using different colors and applications to achieve similar effects.

Francois Ilnseher, a top makeup artist who works with models in fashion photography, is one who suggests using warm, soft colors - pinks and tawny tones - over the entire eyelid, with makeup blending upward and outward from the outer corner. He outlines eyes with a strong or dark color along the upper lashes and with a softer color - brown or gray - along the lower lashes. Francois feels the face should also be soft, with pinks and reddish tones in clear, natural shades on cheeks. He treats the mouth with shiny pink tones, applying a slightly darker color on the lips and blending to a lighter tone at the outline.

Rick Gillette, also a top makeup artist, suggests similar eye makeup for an even more subtle look. ''Especially for me, the darker eye is out,'' he says. ''The eye has so much more of a natural, poetic expression before you start curling the lashes and putting on mascara.'' Mr. Gillette recommends omitting mascara altogether. He shades the eyelid with a soft brown eye shadow to the brow and from the outward corner upward to the hairline, using a sienna-colored pencil to outline the eye and brushing a matching powder over the line to soften the edges. To highlight the eye, Mr. Gillette smudges a touch of soft apricot on the eyebone just above the center of the eye. He generally favors a trend toward minimal, matte makeup for the skin and a balanced face, using colors of equal intensity on the eyes and mouth. He contours the cheekbones with a pink or peach blusher just a few shades deeper than a woman's natural skin tone rather than creating hollowing with heavy color. He suggests staining lips lightly with a deep peach or terra-cotta shade.

The makeup artist Joey Mills presents yet another version of a soft, natural face. ''My whole accent is on the eyes,'' he says. ''Everything else on the face is simply an accessory.'' Mr. Mills suggests applying a light shade of camel-colored eye shadow from the center toward the nose on the upper eyelid to the crease. He then brushes a smoky teal color from the center of the eye outward and upward to the crease to enlarge the eye, and smudges the same color as an outline on the upper eyelid and beneath the lower eyelashes. He brushes the camel color from the crease to the brow, then highlights the center of the eye bone beneath the brow with lemon-colored shadow. As an underline between the lower lashes and the eye itself, he uses a soft, colored - as opposed to black or brown -kohl-type pencil.

Bonnie Maller, a well-known makeup artist, takes an opposing tack. ''I see very dark lips, darker than we've seen recently, and eyes in smoky grays and earthen colors,'' she says. But, like the others, she opts for a healthy-looking face with natural cheek coloring. nthony Clavet has gone even further, choosing hot colors -such as turquoise, electric green, toasted orange, persimmon - for his autumn looks. For eyes, Mr. Clavet brushes a copper or spice color, such as nutmeg or ginger, in the corner of the lid nearest the nose, placing a grapeor amethyst-colored eye shadow upward and outward from the outer corner to the brow. Across the whole eyelid, he paints a silvery cream shadow. Underneath the lower lashes, he applies turquoise or sapphire-colored shadow on the outer edge and fluorescent green under the center. These shades, which he feels work well on most women regardless of hair and eye coloring, are blended into each other. He adds a touch of persimmon on the bone above the brow or near the hairline for highlight, and a touch of pink on the ear lobes and on the side of the neck behind the ears. On cheeks and under the chin, Mr. Clavet shades with the copper or spice color used on the inner portion of the eyelid. On lips, he smudges persimmon or ambercolored lipstick. osmetics companies offer a wide range of products to use in this season of variety. Elizabeth Arden, for instance, has makeups in rich, warm colors and earth tones, many sprinkled with gold. At Estee Lauder there are rustic, country colors and loose face powders, including one in metallic bronze. Charles of the Ritz also provides earthen tones such as deep blues and roses. The Alexandra de Markoff collection, also by Charles of the Ritz, has khakis, golds, roses and mauves.

At L'Oreal, there are blush and spice-colored makeups for a monochromatic face, while Lancome has vibrant, clear colors for lips and eyes. At the Revlon companies, there are warm, earthen colors (Charlie); earthen shades, brilliant tones and metallics (Revlon); bold ruby, gold and amethyst colors (Ultima II); opulent-looking plum, violet and gold hues (Borghese); and, for black women, a monochromatic look in brick tones with a touch of indigo teal on the eyes (The Polished Ambers).

One of the newest, most elegant and yet extreme looks this season is from Chanel, where the color scheme combines deep colors shaded with black and lacquerlike polishes for lips and nails. For a sultry look, the company offers deep, dusty eye-shadow colors -khaki, dusty blues and even black - and cheek colors in shades of persimmon, magenta and aubergine.

So, whether a woman chooses makeups for dark, dramatic looks or paler, more natural shades for a soft appearance, she will fit in with the new styles for autumn. Photograph by Rico Puhlmann; hair and makeup, Francois; model: Nancy Decker.

Illustrations: illustrations of makeup techniques photo of a model for Francois Ilnseher


Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at EnergyAspects told CNBC that one of the biggest problems for landlocked Alberta has been a lack of pipelines. Pipeline development has met fierce opposition from environmental activists, and a spill like Nexen's just provides ammunition, Sen explained.

"It just makes it even harder to gain regulatory approval," she said.

"This leak is...a good reminder that Alberta has a long way to go to address its pipeline problems and that communities have good reasons to fear having more built. ," Mike Hudema, a representative of Greenpeace's Climate and Energy team said in a press release.

While Albertan Premier Rachel Notley said the leak was "very troubling," she added that it didn't shake the conclusion that pipelines are the safest way to move oil, according to Reuters.

Sen said she was optimistic about the outlook for the oil sands into 2016, when seven projects will be coming online. Canada's will be one of the few countries with an oil sector will see year-on-year growth in 2016, Sen said.

The real pain from project deferrals , she explained, will start to be felt in 2017.

Summary: An oil spill in the heart of Canada’s oil sand region has sparked renewed criticism of the country’s industry.


07/30/2015 AT 09:55 PM EDT

, learned how to apply makeup and has a whole new wardrobe of

, but there's something that

hasnât quite perfected – her voice.

In a new clip from

on Thursday, the former Olympian is talking to stepdaughter

and family friend Malika Haqq about calling room service in hotels before her transition and trying out her "best feminine voice."

Kardashian West wants to hear how it sounds and asks Jenner to "try it."

Jenner, 65, makes a valiant attempt, but Kardashian West laughs and says, "You sound no different!"

"See, that's the problem," Jenner replies with a smile.

"Women cannot relate to the whole voice thing," Jenner says. "They don't see it as being that important when it is that important, not only for you just to speak and order and do all that kind of stuff but very important for your soul that you're feeling good about that."

after receiving an ESPY award that her masculine voice "bothers" her a little bit, but added, "I hope that people don't listen to the pitch of my voice but listen to what I have to say. That's important to me."

That might not be the only trophy Jenner wins this year. The reality star has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award for Social Media Queen, Tweeted about the nod on Thursday,

, "And to think I wouldn't have qualified for this nom a few months agoâ¦ What an honor!"

airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on E!

Summary: "You sound no different!" Kardashian West laughed


The leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram has denied he's been killed or ousted as chief of the jihadist group in an audio recording attributed to him by security experts.

In the eight-minute Hausa-language message released on Sunday, Abubakar Shekau rebuffed claims by Chadian leader Idriss Deby that he had been replaced and called the president a "hypocrite" and a "tyrant".

"It is indeed all over the global media of infidels that I am dead or that I am sick and incapacitated and have lost influence in the affairs of religion," he said in the recording released on social media.

"It should be understood that this is false. This is indeed a lie. If it were true, my voice wouldn't have been heard, now that I am speaking."

Deby declared on August 12 that efforts to combat neighbouring Nigeria's Boko Haram jihadists had succeeded in "decapitating" the group and would be wrapped up "by the end of the year".

Deby told reporters in the capital N'Djamena that Boko Haram was no longer led by the fearsome Shekau and that his successor, whom he named as Mahamat Daoud, was open to talks.

"Gratitude be to Allah and with his help, I have not disappeared. I am still alive and I am not dead. And I will not die until my time appointed by Allah is up," Shekau said in the message.

The SITE Intelligence Group verified the authenticity of the message, and an AFP correspondent with extensive experience of reporting Boko Haram said it exactly resembled Shekau's voice in previous recordings.

Shekau's absence from Boko Haram videos in recent months has fuelled speculation that he might have been killed or wounded.

He has not spoken publicly since he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group in an audio recording released on March 7.

The jihadist commander refers to himself in the new recording for the first time as "leader of the west Africa wing" of IS and pays homage to its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, referring to him as the "Caliph of Muslims".

Boko Haram has been waging a six-year uprising against the Nigerian state, which has claimed more than 15,000 lives.

The jihadists have repeatedly extended their northeastern insurgency into border areas of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

The four countries, plus Benin, have pledged troops towards a regional 8,700-strong force aimed at ending the insurgency and due to deploy within days.

Do you have any news photos or videos?

Summary: An audio recording has been released in which the leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram denies being killed or ousted as chief of the jihadist group.


The listing agent is Ryan Serhant, of Nestseekers International and one of the stars of Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing New York." (Like CNBC, Bravo is owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal unit.) Serhant declined to give any information about the seller.

Read MoreSaudi king to give the masses $32B in bonuses

While not among the most expensive or largest apartments listed in New York, it's got some unusual features. There are three bulletproof panic rooms, a billiards room with a saltwater aquarium, a hair salon, a ventilated cigar room and a six-person Jacuzzi overlooking the Hudson River.

It's also got a special "sushi island" in the kitchen. It's unclear how that differs from a regular kitchen island, except, perhaps, that it was more expensive.

Summary: If you want to live like a prince in Manhattan, here's your chance: A 10,500-square-foot triplex apartment, once owned by a prince, is up for sale for $48.5 million.


Sri Lanka's Investment Promotion Minister Kabeer Hashim said the Board of Investment (BOI) had last month asked the Chinese firm to halt the project until the investigation was completed.

However, the port city construction had actually been accelerated since the new government came in.

"Rightfully, they should stop," Hashim told Reuters. "The ministry of ports will take necessary action to halt the work until this inquiry is done."

If it was not stopped, he said, "Then legal action will be instituted against them to not proceed any further."

Read MoreChina tips 2015 GDP growth target of around 7%

An official in CCCC's investor relations department said the firm was not aware of the minister's latest remarks.

"The government has made some suggestions during its review but there has been no mention of cancelling the project," said the Beijing-based official, who declined to be identified, citing company policy.

China has said the port city and another port under development in southern Sri Lanka were good for the country and that tens of thousands of jobs would be created and millions of dollars of foreign direct investment would come.

China has emerged as a major investor in the Indian Ocean island state, building ports and highways in a diplomatic push that has drawn concern in neighboring India, which has uneasy relations with Beijing.

Summary: Sri Lanka will take legal action against a Chinese firm for not halting work on a $1.5-billion luxury real estate project, a government minister said.


The dollar fell for a second straight day against major currencies on Tuesday, pressured yet again by unexpectedly weak U.S. economic data as the Federal Reserve started a two-day policy meeting.

The dollar index was on pace for its largest two-day loss since mid-February.

Investors do not expect any change to the Fed's benchmark interest rate, which has been pinned between zero and 0.25 percent for six years. But they do anticipate the Fed dropping the word "patient" from its statement to describe its approach to raising rates later this year.

However, the mixed batch of U.S. economic data in the first quarter and the dollar's strength could delay an interest rate increase many see happening in June.

"U.S. data can be best described as patchy. There is the potential here for disappointment from the Fed," said London-based Trevor Charsley, FX trading specialist at AFEX, a global payments solution provider.

In late trading, the dollar index was slightly down at 99.547. It has fallen 0.8 percent the last two days, on track for its steepest two-day fall in about a month.

The dollar fell after U.S. housing starts plunged to their lowest in a year. Groundbreaking tumbled 17 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 897,000 units, the lowest since January 2014.

Summary: The dollar fell for a second straight day against major currencies, pressured by weak US economic data as the Fed started a two-day policy meeting.


Fears of a Chinese slowdown may still be roiling markets, but the global equity selloff is presenting opportunities for investors as U.S. stock valuations begin to look a little less rich, Aureus Asset Management CEO Karen Firestone said Tuesday.

Stock prices were pointing up before the opening bell Wednesday, a day after major U.S. averages fell sharply following disappointing Chinese manufacturing data. The Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 closed Tuesday nearly 3 percent to post their worst start to September in 13 years.

Read MoreThe US stocks with a very real China problem

However, just five weeks ago, U.S. stocks were trading at roughly 17 times next year's earnings estimates, Firestone told CNBC's "Squawk Box." But they've since fallen to just under 15 times 2016 projections.

"The market gets scared with the higher valuations. We've come down to a level that we think has many attractive stocks that are down over 20 percent with earnings growth that's very strong," she said.

Aureus is focusing on U.S.-centric companies with a preference for consumer names and health care, Firestone said, noting that U.S. GDP grew 3.7 percent in the second quarter and consumer spending rose in July.

Among Firestone's top picks is TJX Companies, which is seeing strong earnings growth in the low teens, trading at 18 times earnings and benefiting from household formation.

Retailers like TJ Maxx and Home Goods are getting shoppers through the door and boosting same-store sales growth by limiting their online inventory and rapidly changing selections in stores, she said.

Read More Out with luxury retail, in with off-price: Analyst

Firestone also likes Delta, which she said is benefiting from low crude-oil costs more than most airlines because it has not hedged its fuel prices, so it is capturing more savings. In addition, a dividend increase is likely, she said.

The airline is also poised to capitalize on the spending habits of young consumers, she added.

"When you think about the way millennials spend their money, they don't spend it on as much stuff. They spend it on experiences, and so the airline industry, we think over the next several years, will benefit from that trend," she said.

In health care, Firestone sees Anthem as a beneficiary of higher premiums, a growing subscriber base and industry consolidation. While its stock price is down 19 percent from its peak, it is trading at 12 times forward earnings, she said.

Medical device maker Boston Scientific, trading at 16 times 2016 earnings, also looks attractive due to double-digit growth, an improved balance sheet and a pipeline of new products in intervention and implantable devices for cardiac and vascular use, Firestone told CNBC.

—CNBC's Klaire Odumody contributed reporting to this story.

Disclosure: Firestone and her family own all the stocks listed here as clients of Aureus Asset Management. The firm does not hold more than a 1 percent share of the stocks and does not provide investment banking services to the companies.

Summary: Aureus Asset Management CEO Karen Firestone says there's value in U.S.-centric consumer and health-care stocks.


NEW YORK, August 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Equity Research Institute has initiated coverage on the following equities: KeyCorp. (NYSE: KEY), Huntington Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: HBAN), Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB), Commerce Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH), and Old National Bancorp (NASDAQ: ONB). Free research report on KeyCorp. can be accessed at https://www.EquityResearchInstitute.com/reports?keyword=KEY On Friday, August 07, 2015, the NASDAQ Composite ended at 5,043.54, down 0.26%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.27%, to finish the day at 17,373.38, and the S&P 500 closed at 2,077.57, down 0.29%. The losses were broad based as eight out of nine sectors ended the session in negative. Register for your complimentary reports at the links given below.

On Friday, shares in KeyCorp. ended the session 1.15% lower at $14.64. The stock reported a trading volume of 11.50 million shares, much above its three months average volume of 8.72 million shares. Shares of the company traded at a PE ratio of 14.21. Although, KeyCorp.'s shares have declined 1.21% in the last one month, it has advanced 0.92% in the previous three months and 6.35% on YTD basis. The company is trading 4.24% above its 200-day moving average. Moreover, shares of KeyCorp. have a Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 39.99. Sign up and read the free notes on KEY at:

Huntington Bancshares Inc.'s stock lost 1.11%, to close the day at $11.60. The stock recorded a trading volume of 9.61 million shares, above its three months average volume of 8.55 million shares. Over the last one month and over the past three months, Huntington Bancshares Inc.'s shares have gained 4.32% and 6.01%, respectively. Furthermore, the stock has surged 11.44% since the start of this year. The company's shares are trading 1.40% above their 50-day moving average and 8.52% above their 200-day moving average. Additionally, Huntington Bancshares Inc. traded at a PE ratio of 14.68 and has an RSI of 50.76. The complimentary notes on HBAN can be downloaded in PDF format at:

Fifth Third Bancorp's stock lost 0.42% , to close Friday's session at $21.14. The stock recorded a trading volume of 4.83 million shares, below its three months average volume of 6.81 million shares. Over the last one month and the previous three months, Fifth Third Bancorp's shares have advanced 2.32% and 5.24%, respectively. Additionally, the stock has gained 5.08% since the start of this year. The company is trading 0.78% and 7.44% above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, respectively. Furthermore, Fifth Third Bancorp's stock traded at a PE ratio of 13.13 and has an RSI of 50.00. Register for free on Equity Research Institute and access the latest research on FITB at:

On Friday, shares in Commerce Bancshares Inc. recorded a trading volume of 0.51 million shares, close to their three months average volume of 0.54 million shares. The stock ended the day 0.34% lower at $47.16. Shares of the company traded at a PE ratio of 17.53. Commerce Bancshares Inc.'s stock has advanced 2.41% in the last one month, 9.72% in the previous three months and 9.57% on YTD basis. The company is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages by 0.78% and 8.94%, respectively. Furthermore, shares of Commerce Bancshares Inc. have an RSI of 49.76. The complete research on CBSH is available for free at:

Old National Bancorp's stock finished Friday's session 0.37% lower at $14.65. A total of 0.44 million shares were traded, which was below its three months average volume of 0.53 million shares. Over the last one month and the previous three months, Old National Bancorp's shares have gained 2.20% and 7.60%, respectively. Additionally, the stock has advanced 0.13% since the beginning of 2015. The company's shares are trading above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages by 1.69% and 4.45%, respectively. Old National Bancorp's stock traded at a PE ratio of 16.09 and has an RSI of 54.76. Free in-depth research on ONB is available at:

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Summary: Equity Research Institute has initiated coverage on the following equities: KeyCorp., Huntington Bancshares Inc., Fifth Third Bancorp, Commerce Bancshares Inc., and Old National Bancorp. Free research report on KeyCorp. can be accessed at https://www.EquityResearchInstitute.com/reports? On Friday, shares in KeyCorp. ended the session 1.15% lower at...


They found nearly 32 percent of cancer survivors had to limit usual daily activities outside of work because of cancer and 42 percent had to make changes to their work hours and duties.

"The results of this analysis indicate that overall, cancer survivors had total annual medical expenditures estimated at $4,187 more for males and $3,293 more for females, compared with those of persons without a cancer history," they wrote.

Read MoreLooking at costs and risks, many skip health insurance

Thirty percent could not return to work at all. Others may have been forced to. "These survivors might be returning to work to maintain adequate health insurance coverage and to pay for cancer-related services not covered by insurance," the report reads.

A second, unrelated study found that childhood cancer survivors are 52 percent more likely to be hospitalized than similar children who have not had cancer.

"Our findings demonstrate that survivors of child and adolescent cancer require better strategies to prevent, manage and treat conditions before they become severe enough to require hospitalization," Anne Kirchhoff of the University of Utah and colleagues wrote in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

—By Maggie Fox, NBC News

Summary: This month, the full moon falls on Friday the 13th. Freaky? Nah, probably not.


Emmanuel College, a once-struggling Catholic school, is floating revamped plans to shoot up into the Longwood skyline with an 18- to 19-story dormitory on Brookline Avenue.

The college wants to raze the four-story dorm known as Julie Hall and build a $110 million, 205-foot-high replacement with room for 650 students, said Sister Anne Donovan, Emmanuel’s treasurer.

The high-rise concept isn’t new: The city approved a 17-story version in 2012 as part of the college’s 10-year master plan.

Donovan said Emmanuel is now in talks with the Boston Redevelopment Authority about revising that plan, which would require public hearings.

If city approvals and fund-raising go smoothly, Emmanuel would demolish Julie Hall in May and open the new dormitory in 2018, Donovan said. The building would rise next to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s East Campus.

The plans continue an upward trajectory for the liberal arts college, which was facing tough times 15 years ago before going co-ed and leasing an acre of its campus to the pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. for $50 million. Emmanuel now boasts an enrollment of 1,800 and aims for 2,200 students.

Previous college growth has created friction as student housing crept into the adjacent Mission Hill neighborhood.

“Communities are always concerned when the colleges expand,” said state Representative Jeffrey Sánchez, who represents the area.

But Donovan said that by adding a net 430 dorm beds, the plan would encourage students now living in nearby neighborhoods to move onto campus.

Donovan acknowledged people might be surprised the once-faltering school is in a position to erect one of the tallest buildings in the Longwood Medical Area.

“I’m amazed myself,” she said.

Mango chicken fever strikes the Brigham

Metabolic technician Lisa West made a batch of banana bread bars at the metabolic test kitchen inside Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The bars came about by accident after a batch of banana bread didn’t rise.

Move over, meatloaf: One of the hottest dishes in Longwood hospital cuisine is mango chicken curry — with no added salt.

The curry sauce is bubbling at the Metabolic Test Kitchen at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which churns out 7,000 meals a year for studies. A team of eight women carefully designs, cooks, and weighs the food to meet researchers’ needs; they may whip up dishes low in carbs, high in protein, or even 60 percent fat.

The mango chicken recipe goes like this: Saute onions, peppers, and mango with cumin, curry powder, cayenne pepper, and ginger. Throw it in a blender. Pour it over chicken with raisins, coconut milk, and more mango.

The sweet sauce distracts from the truth: The dish has just 50 milligrams of sodium. A restaurant version might clock in at 1,000 mg.

Dietitian Karen Yee devised the recipe in 2011 for a study looking at vascular disease in a Southeast Asian population. It soon caught on with a broad audience of research subjects, said dietitian Leigh Keating, nutrition director for the Brigham’s Center for Clinical Investigation.

Another popular low-salt food came about by accident. An intern was trying to make banana bread with salt-free baking powder. The bread never rose. But it still tasted good — so they renamed it a banana bread “bar.”

The recipes help the kitchen crew produce a tasty menu with just 230 milligrams of sodium per day. That’s a big challenge: There are 150 milligrams in a single piece of bread. Doctors wouldn’t recommend such a low-salt diet long-term. It’s designed to kick up the activity level of the hormone system that regulates blood pressure, just for research.

For the integrity of the study, people who sign up for this research are told to eat all of the prepackaged meals.

Participant Herb Thomas said that was never a problem: “I finished all my stuff.”

His typical comments: “Yum.” And: “More.”

Scott Eisen for The Boston Globe

Scott Jason got off a Plymouth & Brockton bus in Boston on Friday.

Think your trip home from the Cape was a drag? Try doing that every day — for 15 years.

That’s the life of Scott Jason, director of clinical and informational technology at Harvard’s dental school, who has earned a reputation around Longwood for having one of the craziest commutes.

Every weekday, Jason wakes up at 4:45 a.m. in Yarmouth, about halfway down the “bicep” of Cape Cod. He drives to Barnstable in time to hop on a 5:25 a.m. Plymouth & Brockton bus. He jumps off near the Arlington MBTA stop, takes the Green Line to Brigham Circle, and walks one long block to work.

On a good day, the trip takes two hours in the morning and three at night. On a bad day, it can take four hours, Jason said: “I can almost fly to Florida in that amount of time.”

In winter, Jason sometimes doesn’t make it home at all. He has learned to adapt: He bought a leather reclining chair for his office, which he uses as a bed. And he has stocked his office with emergency food, including a case of 96 Nature’s Valley Oats ‘n Honey granola bars.

Jason has slogged through this 80-mile commute for a remarkable 15 years.

“It’s starting to get a little harder,” he said. “Just wear and tear on the body, on my mind.”

Though he calls his commute “nuts,” Jason said he doesn’t want to give up the job he loves.

So why not move closer?

“I’ve been on the Cape since I was 3,” said Jason, who’s now 47. He wants his two kids to grow up there, too. And he lives just a mile from the beach.

“It’s great to come home to,” he said, “when I can get there.”

Partners extends an olive branch

Massachusetts General Hospital may be working hard to poach pediatric patients from its crosstown rival, Boston Children’s Hospital. But there’s apparently room for some magnanimity, as well.

Partners HealthCare System, a network of 10 hospitals including MGH, is making a point of honoring its competitors in full-page ads in The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Boston Business Journal. The ads celebrate the latest US News & World Report rankings, which place Partners’ two flagship hospitals, Mass. General and Brigham & Women’s, in first and sixth place, respectively, in the country.

The ads also praise local hospitals outside the Partners network, including Children’s, which was rated the top pediatric hospital in the nation by the magazine.

Summary: Mango chicken fever hits the Brigham; Partners extends an olive branch to Children’s; commuter champ treks in from Cape


Hillary Clinton (left) and Kim Kardashian West

09/15/2015 AT 01:00 PM EDT

will be happy to find out that she's gotten the nod of approval from the Democratic front-runner.

In the first half of a two-part interview with

's Mario Lopez, which was released on Monday, Clinton had nothing but kind words to say about the

"I really enjoyed meeting her," said Clinton, who met the reality star at one of her fundraisers in Los Angeles in August. "I really found her to be warm and very personable. She had a nice way of introducing her husband – as if I didn't know who was he was, right? – and I enjoy seeing her with her

"I think all of us in our ways can be inspirational or aspirational for people," said Clinton, 67. "I certainly think many people see her as someone who gets up every day and tries to figure out how to make that day successful."

Clinton also touched on Kardashian West's husband

"Well, if I'm going for my second term, [I would ask him] to wait four years," joked Clinton of what advice she would give West. "If I'm not, be sure he has comfortable shoes because there's a lot of walking involved."

Clinton's daughter Chelsea, 35, also recently

that she thought the rapper's declaration was "awesome," as it could inspire young people to get involved in politics.

Summary: Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton told Extra's Mario Lopez that she "really enjoyed meeting" Kim Kardashian West


09/22/2015 AT 08:10 AM EDT

is back on set looking more gorgeous than ever.

The 28-year-old actress was photographed on the set of an upcoming Woody Allen film on Friday wearing a gorgeous silver gown with a plunging back.

The film, which is as of yet untitled, is reportedly set during the 1940s and also stars

, have been trading diaper duty and sleepless nights since James' birth, forgoing a nanny.

"I have no problem waking up five times in the middle of the night and changing diapers, and as exhausted as you get, I have this stupid grin on my face all the time," Reynolds

in the October issue of

"It's just us right now, and I love it," he adds.

Summary: The 28-year-old actress looked like the epitome of a silver screen star on the set of the film


“What better place to flood than New York?” says Douglas Gordon, whose epic water-and-music collaboration with pianist Hélène Grimaud is showing at the Park Avenue Armory.

Gordon’s flood covers 28,000 square feet of the drill hall. Sometimes he prefers to call it an inundation. Or a loch. Call it a lake and the Scottish artist will glare at you. On 10 evenings until 21 December, Grimaud plays the piano in the middle of it.

Turning the hall into a black reflecting pool is an impressive feat of engineering. As a performance, it’s thrilling at the outset and full of vertigo-inducing, reflective wonder, though by the fourth or fifth piece of Grimaud’s hour-long, water-themed recital of pieces by Debussy, Ravel, Liszt and others, some members of the audience were beginning to feel waterlogged and as marooned as the piano-player at the centre of the hall.

Gordon’s activities are mostly about the optimistic lunacy of their conception. Two years ago, he set a grand piano on fire on the border between Scotland and England. Burnt pianos, along with a video focused on Rufus Wainwright’s eye, are at a companion exhibition from Thursday evening at New York’s Gagosian gallery.

For several days leading up to the launch of the artwork, titled Tears Become … Streams Become …, Gordon could be found splashing around in the hall in what appeared to be a nightshirt. The engineers flooded and drained the floor, perfecting the sensation of water bubbling silently up through the cracks in nearly 1,000 sheets of jet-black Viroc.

Gordon, 48, announces his obsession with the pianist’s hands; with the late, self-sculpting performance artist Leigh Bowery and Scottish dancer Michael Clark; the eccentric Scottish balladeer Ivor Cutler and singer Robert Wyatt; and the band Fat White Family, who are playing this weekend in Williamsburg.

“I think Michael would understand a heterosexual Scotsman,” he says. “He’s an icon for me. If I could shag any guy it would be him.” The artist splashes out to the centre of the hall and, presently, marches back, throwing up showers of water like a small boy jumping in a huge puddle.

He returns to the subject of the flood. Creating a great barrel-vaulted reflecting chamber – a cathedral – out of the Armory is, he says, “the least a Scottish, Protestant Jehovah’s Witness could do”.

Summary: The artist has flooded New York’s Park Avenue Armory and put a pianist in the middle of the water in a dramatic new work


Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday that the company was "taken aback" by Chinese media complaints that the chain charges too much for its coffee.

The company has more than 1,000 stores in China, he said, and "the health of that business has been based on transparency and trust with the consumer and the Chinese government."

According to a report by the official China Central Television (CCTV) that aired Sunday, a medium latte at a Starbucks in Beijing costs 27 yuan ($4.43), or one-third more than at a store in Chicago.

Summary: Howard Schultz said Starbucks was "taken aback" by Chinese media complaints the chain charges too much for its coffee.


The Treasury Department auctioned $21 billion of 10-year notes at a high yield of 2.461 percent. The 10-year yield traded near 2.48 percent after earlier hitting an 8-month high of 2.495 percent. The morning rally followed gains in the German 10-year bund yield to above 1 percent for the first time since Sept. 25, 2014, as investors found signs of improvement in European economic data.

"Improved macroeconomic data globally should go hand-in-hand with selling in Treasurys and increases in yields," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities.

"Sadly this quiet move higher (in equities) is being done at pretty low volume," he said.

The bund yield pared gains to hold near 0.98 percent. Major European stock indices closed higher on hopes of resolution in Greece, with the German DAX surging 2.4 percent to recover slightly from correction territory. The ATHEX Composite fell 1 percent.

The rally in yields sent financials 1.4 percent higher as the second-best performer in the S&P 500. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and PNC Financial all hit new highs.

Information technology led sector gains, up 1.6 percent for the day. Tech stocks are down 0.75 percent year-to-date.

Gains in oil boosted energy more than 1 percent to trade among the leaders in the S&P 500. Chevron was among the blue chip leaders as all the stocks in the index advanced. Crude oil settled higher, up $1.29, or 2.14 percent, at $61.43 a barrel as the weekly inventory report indicated U.S. production is leveling off.

Phil Flynn, energy market analyst at Price Futures Group, said a close above $61 sets oil up for gains. His near-term target is $65.

"What we're seeing is signs output peaked and demand picking up," he said. "When you see the technicals and fundamentals getting there it looks bullish."

Read MoreWhy lower gas prices really haven't helped much

The euro hit a three-week high above $1.13 on Wednesday, while the dollar fell to a two-week low against the yen after Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said the real effective exchange rate showed the Japanese currency is "very weak".

Asian stocks closed mostly lower, with Chinese stocks pressured by MSCI's decision to delay the addition of Chinese A-shares to the benchmark MSCI emerging market index.

Read More MSCI's indexing decision disappoints traders

In U.S. economic news, total weekly mortgage applications, showed an 8.4 percent jump on a seasonally adjusted basis as buyers rushed to get mortgages ahead of rising rates.

"Today is a little setting up for the retail sales number (tomorrow)," said JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade. He is watching for pickup in the ex-autos and ex-gasoline figure.

"I think people are expecting a better number based on the jobs number and wage growth," he said.

A minor data release indicated the first quarter was probably not as weak as reported, Reuters said. The Commerce Department's quarterly services survey, or QSS, showed consumption, including healthcare spending, increased at a faster clip than the government had assumed in its second estimate of gross domestic product published last month.

The United States Treasury Department reported a budget deficit of $82.4 billion in May, a 37 percent drop from the same period last year, Reuters said.

"Before the Fed meeting (next Tuesday and Wednesday) there's a dearth of (market-moving) economic data," said Adam Sarhan, CEO of Sarhan Capital. "Until we get to next Wednesday I think techincals are front and center."

He's watching for the S&P 500 to hold above yesterday's low of 2,072 and close near or above its 50-day moving average.

"If (bulls) don't show up today and buy the dip, when will they?" he said. "If we open higher and close lower, that's a bad sign, no doubt about it."

The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 18,000 for the first time in the last five trading sessions. The S&P 500 closed above its 50-day moving average and held within its month-long range of 2,070 and 2,130. Both indices had their best day since May 8.

"A bounce is unfolding among global equity markets this morning in reaction to widespread short-term oversold conditions," BTIG Chief Technical Strategist Katie Stockton said in a note. "This is a bullish development, but we would like to see a strong finish to the week to confirm oversold 'buy' signals."

Summary: U.S. stocks closed up more than 1 percent amid signs of progress in the Greece debt talks and better economic growth as yields continued to rally.