Investment firms sue exchanges in dispute on improper fee charges

Corn options traders signal orders at the CBOT in ChcagoBy Nate Raymond (Reuters) – A group of investment firms including Citadel Securities LLC sued the Chicago Board Options Exchange Inc and four other exchanges on Wednesday for improper charges on millions of options trades over a seven-year period. The lawsuit, filed in a state court in Illinois, said the exchanges had discovered last year that a prominent firm had been mismarking orders as originating from public customers when they were not. …

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U.S. industry touts 'drone' promise as public debate flares

An X-47B pilot-less drone combat aircraft is launched for the first time off an aircraft carrier, the USS George H. W. Bush, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of VirginiaBy Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Public backlash against deadly overseas drone strikes may undermine promising uses of such technology for anything from disaster response to mail delivery, a top U.S. industry group said as it launched a lobbying effort to “demystify” unmanned planes. The Aerospace Industries Association wants to prevent misperceptions and regulatory roadblocks from cutting into a market it says could be worth $89 billion over the next decade, according to a report the trade group will release on Thursday. …

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China May HSBC flash PMI slips to 7-month low on weak demand

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s factory activity shrank for the first time in seven months in May as new orders fell, a preliminary survey of purchasing managers showed, adding to concerns that a recovery in the world’s second-largest economy is sputtering. The flash HSBC Purchasing Managers’ Index for May fell to 49.6, slipping under the 50-point level demarcating expansion from contraction for the first since October. The final HSBC PMI stood at 50.4 in April. A sub-index measuring overall new orders dropped to 49. …

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Microsoft confirms indie developers can’t self-publish games on Xbox One

Independent game developers who are excited about selling new games on the Xbox One got some bad news on Wednesday. Microsoft confirmed to ShackNews that independent developers cannot self-publish their own games on Xbox Live Arcade, and are instead required to partner with Microsoft Game Studios or a third-party publisher. The policy is completely different from those employed by Sony and Nintendo. Sony embraces independent developers and welcomes them to create and self-publish content on the PlayStation Network. Microsoft’s upcoming console matches up with Sony’s PlayStation 4 on paper, however there are still some questions that have been left unanswered, such as the ability to play used games.

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Merkel protege struggles with Germany's green revolution

File photo of German Chancellor Merkel talking with Environment Minister AltmaierBy Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel appointed him for his charm and political skill as marshal of her vision of a 'green revolution' in Europe's biggest power market. A year on, Peter Altmaier finds himself spurned by many environmentalists, disdained by industry and viewed cooly by a public wary of the costs. Now, the chancellor herself seems to be turning her back on him, an increasingly isolated figure, as September polls near. …

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