1 Title: Samsung Electronics' Q4 earnings fall short of expectations
Samsung Electronics has turned in a worse than expected earnings report card for the fourth quarter of last year.
The world's largest smartphone maker said on Tuesday that its operating profits reached eight-point-three trillion won which is roughly seven-point-eight billion U.S. dollars in the October to December period.
This is down over 18 percent compared to the third quarter,... and is the lowest since the third quarter of 2012.
Experts attribute the fall to slowing smartphone sales, the strengthening Korean won, and larger than expected special incentive payments given out to employees,... to mark the 20th anniversary of a new marketing strategy by Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee.
2 Title: Huge areas of U.S., Canada suffer under extreme cold
Over half a meter of snow and temperatures plunging below MINUS FIFTY degrees Celsius.
The coldest weather for almost 20 years is gripping large parts of the United States and Canada thanks to what meteorologists are calling a 'polar vortex.'
Almost 4-thousand flights were cancelled on Monday, on top of thousands grounded over the weekend when snow storms first hit.
Schools have been closed in several U.S. states to protect children from the dangerously cold weather.
Officials are also urging people to check on elderly and disabled relatives and neighbors.
Weather forecasters warn that, in weather that cold, frostbite can set in on uncovered skin in a matter of minutes.
Hypothermia can also set in quickly once the mercury dips below minus 25 degrees Celsius.
3 Title: U.S. Senate confirms Janet Yellen as new Federal Reserve chief
Janet Yellen will become the first female chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve in its 100-year history after the Senate confirmed her nomination.
The Senate approved Yellen late Monday on vote of 56 to 26.
She will take over after current chairman Ben Bernanke's terms ends on January 31st.
The biggest challenge facing Yellen is overseeing the tapering of the Fed's massive stimulus program.
The Fed's rate-setting panel said last month that it will slash its monthly purchases of mortgages and U.S. Treasury securities from 85 billion U.S. dollars a month, to 75 billion.
