AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The European Commission has blocked a recapitalization plan of Dutch bank and insurance group SNS Reaal SR.AS, probably leaving only the state to inject capital, a Dutch newspaper reported on Wednesday. SNS Reaal, which is struggling with... More »
BRUSSELS/VIENNA (Reuters) – Hutchison 3G (0013.HK ) won European Union approval for its 1.3 billion euro ($1.7 billion) takeover of Orange Austria (FTE.PA ) on condition it helped new players enter the market. The European Commission said it had been worried t... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Commodity trader Glencore’s $32 billion takeover of Swiss miner Xstrata looked set to go ahead after winning the backing of Qatar Holdings, the bid target’s second-largest shareholder. Qatar, an unexpected kingmaker in Glencore’s bid for Xst... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co agreed to buy filmmaker George Lucas’s Lucasfilm Ltd and its “Star Wars” franchise for $4.05 billion in cash and stock, a blockbuster deal that includes the surprise promise of a new film in the series in 2015. The deal u... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co’s $4 billion deal to buy George Lucas’s Lucasfilm Ltd, Disney’s third major entertainment acquisition in seven years, started taking shape in May 2011, when the “Star Wars” creator had to show Disney CEO Bob Iger how to u... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German publisher Burda has bid to take over professional social network Xing AG as it further reduces its dependence on traditional printed media. Privately held Burda said it had raised its stake in Xing to 38.89 percent, exceeding a leg... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Trader Glencore (GLEN.L ) has formally notified the European Commission of its $33 billion plan to take over miner Xstrata XTA.L, sources familiar with the matter said, after months of preliminary talks designed to pave the way for a swift a... More »
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austria has launched the sale of nationalized bank Kommunalkredit Austria AG, a deal it hopes to wrap up by mid-2013 in line with European Union rules on state aid. An advertisement published in the official gazette on Thursday said U.S. inv... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – United Parcel Service, Inc (UPS.N ) and its Dutch merger partner TNT Express NV (TNTE.AS ) said on Friday they would take a couple of weeks to reply to European Commission objections to their 5.2 billion euro ($6.8 billion) deal. UPS and T... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Some European banks are ordering their brokers to rein in and even quit trading some derivatives with U.S.-based peers in a protest against tough new American rules. The Dodd-Frank regulations, which come into force in early 2013, will subje... More »
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – U.S. network equipment maker Cisco (CSCO.O ) won unconditional EU regulatory approval on Tuesday for its $5 billion takeover of TV software developer NDS, its largest ever, which will reinforce its presence in the video communications mark... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Apple Inc began talks earlier this year to stream films owned by EPIX, which is backed by three major movie studios, on devices including a long-anticipated TV, according to two people with knowledge of the negotiations. Apple, which no... More »
