Today
Shares mixed ahead of Fed testimony
Japan stocks lead rally, with investors waiting for Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke’s testimony before Congress later in the day
IMF tones down UK criticism
While the IMF made several recommendations to the UK in its annual report on the economy it did not repeat its April criticism of Mr Osborne’s fiscal strategy
Banks rule out need to issue new shares
UK’s largest retail bank has not disclosed the size of the funding gap it has been asked to fill by the Prudential Regulation Authority
BoJ holds off on fresh monetary easing
Japan’s central bank decides against fresh monetary easing, judging measures already taken to stimulate growth enough to revive the economy
Deals of the day — mergers and acquisitions
May 22 (Reuters) – The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1000 GMT on Wednesday:
Ithuba hired to sell Austria’s Volksbanken Leasing Int’l
VIENNA, May 22 (Reuters) – The owners of Volksbanken Leasing International, a top three leasing company in central and eastern Europe, have hired Ithuba Capital to advise on its sale, putting…
CORRECTED-Carlyle plans to raise $2 bln for Japan investments -sources
(Corrects day of investor meetings in paragraph 4 to Thursday from Friday)
Sony board discusses sell-off proposal
Chief executive Kazuo Hirai says no timetable has been set for a response to suggestions the Japanese group is to sell off part of its film and music arm
Chaos and courage as tornado wrecks elementary schools
The massive tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., on Monday bore down hardon Plaza Towers Elementary School, where children sheltered inside from the roaring gusts, even as the building began to come apart around them.The winds and flying debris from the mile-wide tornado claimed at least two dozen lives, the Oklahoma medical examiner said on Tuesday. Nine of those victims were children. The sev…
     |
ICG profit falls on low realisations, higher provisions
May 22 (Reuters) – Intermediate Capital Group, a provider of mezzanine financing, said full-year profit fell 25 percent due to lower realisation of gains from investments and higher provisions for…
Alinta plans $1 bln term loan B debt raising in US – sources
SYDNEY, May 22 (Reuters) – Private equity-controlled power firm Alinta Energy is planning a $1 billion-plus debt issue in the U.S. term loan B (TLB)institutional market to refinance maturing debt,…
BRIEF-Intermediate Capital Group profit falls
LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) – Intermediate Capital Group PLC : * AUM up 13% to EUR12.9 bln for full year 2013 * FY adjusted pretax profit 148.3 million stg versus 198.8 million stg last
BRIEF-Nordic Capital and CVC sell 15.6 pct stake in Cloetta
STOCKHOLM, May 22 (Reuters) – Cloetta AB: * Nordic capital fund v and cvc capital partners have sold 15.6% of the shares
‘The Voice’ kicks off results show with emotional Oklahoma tribute
“The Voice” set aside its usual flashiness and kicked off with a call to action on Tuesday’s results show.Coach Blake Shelton and wife Miranda Lambert opened the program with a touching version of “Over You,” dedicated to the people of Oklahoma, Blake’s home state, which was devastated by a deadly tornado Monday. The performance stripped away all the show’s usual extravagance and replaced it with …
| |
Stockholm riots continue for third night
Rioting in Sweden’s capital spreads to as many as a dozen suburbs as a third night of unrest reopens debate about integration
Winner of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ is …
Updated at 12:24 a.m. ET: It’s over! Kellie Pickler is the winner of the 16th season of “Dancing With the Stars.” The confetti rained down on the “American Idol” alum and country-music star as she was awarded the coveted (though some might call it a little tacky) mirror-ball trophy on Tuesday night. It’s an honor she shares with her pro partner, Derek Hough, who now has the distinction of being th…
| |
Bacterial spare parts filter antibiotic residue from groundwater
Researchers at University of Cincinnati have developed and tested a solar-powered nano filter that is able to remove harmful carcinogens and antibiotics from water sources — lakes and rivers — at a significantly higher rate than the currently used filtering technology made of activated carbon.
Most expensive house ever hits market at $190M
There’s Versace’s former home, priced at $100 million, Steven Cohen’s $115 million apartment and a Manhattan penthouse listed at $125 million. But none of them hold a candle to an estate that spans 50 acres of waterfront in Greenwich, Conn. that recently hit the market at $190 million, becoming the most expensive residential listing in the U.S.While the house is impressive — public records measure…
| |
North Korea sends top military official as ‘special envoy’ to China
North Korea says that a “special envoy” for leader Kim Jong Un has left for China.The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said in a short dispatch Wednesday that the envoy was Choe Ryong Hae.There were no other details. Choe is the North Korea military’s top political officer tasked with supervising the 1.2-million-strong force.China is North Korea’s only major political and economic be…
| |
Ex-Cincy IRS official doubts agency’s explanation for Tea Party scandal
A former manager at the IRS Cincinnati office at the center of the controversy over the targeting of conservative political organizations seeking tax-exempt status tells NBC News she doesn’t think low-level employees acted on their own in flagging them for further scrutiny. But she also said that in her time at the IRS she has never known politics or partisan motivations to play any role in the o…
| |