France boosts say on GE bid for Alstom with takeover law
PARIS (Reuters) – The French government has issued a decree allowing it to block foreign takeovers of French firms in “strategic” sectors, throwing up a potential roadblock to General Electric’s $16.9 billion bid for Alstom’s energy assets.
Good cancer drug data helps AstraZeneca in Pfizer fight
(Reuters) – New data showing an experimental AstraZeneca lung cancer drug shrank tumors in more than half of patients gives the British group fresh ammunition to argue that Pfizer’s takeover offer undervalues it substantially.
Stocks inch higher; euro falls on ECB easing bets
LONDON (Reuters) – European stocks followed Asia higher on Thursday while the euro fell as investors bet central banks in developed markets would continue their monetary support, with the European Central Bank poised to cut interest rates next month.
New York Times unexpectedly replaces top editor Abramson
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York Times Co on Wednesday abruptly ousted the newspaper’s top editor, Jill Abramson, after less than three years in the job and named managing editor Dean Baquet to replace her.
Suntory sees sales doubling to $40 billion by 2020 with Beam addition
TOKYO (Reuters) – Suntory Holdings Ltd will aim for group sales of 4 trillion yen ($39 billion) by 2020 – about double what it achieved last year – of which a quarter will come from Beam Suntory, President Nobutada Saji said.
Japan first-quarter growth hits over two-year high
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s economy clocked its fastest pace of growth in more than two years in the first quarter as consumer spending jumped and business investment turned surprisingly strong in a sign of confidence in the prospects for future growth.
Sony vows deeper restructuring, warns of another loss this year
TOKYO (Reuters) – Sony Corp said it would step up a broad restructuring this year to tackle bloated costs and exit some unprofitable businesses, hoping to put behind it years of persistent losses.
AT&T turns to Lazard for advice on DirecTV deal -sources
NEW YORK (Reuters) – AT&T Inc is working with investment bank Lazard Ltd as it negotiates a potential takeover of DirecTV , the country’s top satellite TV operator, according to people familiar with the matter.
U.S. telecom regulators divided on Sprint, T-Mobile deal: WSJ
(Reuters) – Democratic members of the Federal Communications Commission may be divided over how they view the possible Sprint Corp merger with T-Mobile US Inc , the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Hyundai Motor union demands higher wages, shorter hours
SEOUL (Reuters) – Hyundai Motor Co’s South Korean labor union has demanded higher pay and bonuses and more cuts to working hours, as the automaker heads into annual wage talks in June under the threat of industrial action.
