Black Country news and blogs Saturday 15 November 2014
UK company news
- DealBook: Halliburton Raises Pressure on Baker Hughes by Targeting Its Board
15 Nov 14
The threat to replace Baker Hughes’s entire board followed an impasse in merger negotiations and set up a fight for control of a major oil services company.
- DealBook: Hasbro Said to End Talks to Take Over DreamWorks Animation
15 Nov 14
The end of talks between the two would be the second demise of a potential takeover of DreamWorks Animation since the fall.
- James A. Lebenthal, Muni Bond Expert, Dies at 86
15 Nov 14
Mr. Lebenthal turned the tax-free financial instruments called munis into household words with radio and television ads.
- Appearance by Bill Cosby With David Letterman Canceled as Rape Allegations Swirl
15 Nov 14
Mr. Cosby’s booking on Mr. Letterman’s late-night show was canceled as decades-old claims of sexual assault by multiple women gained attention.
- Halliburton targets Baker Hughes board
15 Nov 14
US oil services group begins paving way for hostile takeover
- Weinstein Company Loses Dispute Over Profits to ‘Hobbit’
15 Nov 14
Bob and Harvey Weinstein had sought at least $75 million in compensation from sequels to “The Hobbit.”
- REPORT: Merger Talks Between Hasbro And DreamWorks Are Over
15 Nov 14
That was quick. Deadline reported this week thatDreamWorks Animation and Hasbro were in talks to create a combined family entertainment company that would be called DreamWorks-Hasbro, and said the deal is at least 60 days away from being finalized...
- REPORT: Halliburton Moves To Overthrow Rival's Board
15 Nov 14
Halliburton has moved to overthrow the board of their rival Baker Hughes, according to The Wall Street Journal . This comes after talks of merging between the two reportedly hit a snag. The WSJ notes that Friday was deadline day to nominate...
- DealBook: New York City Agency Subpoenas 2 Santander Auto Lenders
15 Nov 14
The New York City Department of Consumers Affairs issued the subpoenas as part of an investigation into possibly misleading subprime lending practices at dealerships that sell used cars.
- Alibaba, the I.P.O. Darling, Is Also the Star of Hedge Fund Reports
15 Nov 14
Shares of Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce website, wound up in the portfolios of many well-known money managers in the third quarter.
- Facebook Will Curtail Unpaid Ads by Brands
15 Nov 14
The company said it was responding to feedback from its users, who were complaining about too many promotional posts.
- Appeals Court Throws Out Suit by Columbia Professor
15 Nov 14
Sylvia Nasar, a journalism professor, claimed that Columbia’s journalism school had mishandled funds generated by an endowment from the Knight Foundation.
- Tip on Medicare Spurs Insider Trading Investigation
15 Nov 14
Federal regulators are looking into whether a report by Height Securities that led to stock price jumps among health insurers was based on information obtained illegally.
- Face to Face With the Fed, Workers Ask for More Help
15 Nov 14
The Federal Reserve Board met with about 30 workers and activists at its headquarters on Friday in a gesture of concern for struggling Americans.
- Some Retailers Promote Decision to Remain Closed on Thanksgiving
15 Nov 14
Last year, more retailers decided to open on Thanksgiving, but this year others are promoting their decision to remain closed on the holiday.
- Apple Pay Gives Glimpse of Mainstream Appeal for Mobile Payments
15 Nov 14
While still far from a dominant payment system, Apple’s product has provided faint signs that mobile payment use could become widespread after years of sputtering.
- FCC calls on AT&T to explain its neutrality-inspired broadband “pause”
15 Nov 14
AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson's statement earlier this week that the company would "pause" the rollout of its high-speed, fiber-to-the-home program while questions about the country's net neutrality policies are resolved has...
- Quartz Weekend Brief—The internet gift, jellyfish blooms, fun with taxes, hipster algorithms
15 Nov 14
“The internet has been one of the greatest gifts our economy—and our society—has ever known,” Barack Obama wrote this week . He was announcing his support for treating internet service like a public utility in the United States... - How Obama’s net neutrality comments undid weeks of FCC work
15 Nov 14
When President Obama told his top telecom regulator Monday to apply "the strongest possible rules" on Internet service providers so that they couldn't speed up or slow down certain Web sites over others, he galvanized Democrats around a populist...
- Business Briefing: F.D.A. Approves Avastin as Ovarian Cancer Treatment
14 Nov 14
The Swiss drug maker Roche said on Friday that the Food and Drug Administration approved its drug Avastin as a treatment for ovarian cancer.
- Listen: Google's hangar, Black Friday deals, China hack
14 Nov 14
Podcast breaks down net neutrality, explains Google's big lease and the latest hacking
- Business Briefing: Restrictions May Affect Price of Cod From Maine
14 Nov 14
New restrictions will probably make the fish more expensive for consumers, but markets and fish-and-chip shops are unlikely to run low.
- Facebook to cut promotional posts in News Feeds
14 Nov 14
Starting in January, Facebook will limit the number of promotional posts in News Feeds.
- Twitter Mistakenly Labels F.S.U. Article as Spam, for a Time
14 Nov 14
Twitter said a New York Times article reporting apparent special treatment of football players by the local police had been mistakenly flagged as spam by an outside organization.
- Wonkblog: Greece’s recession is over, but its depression will be the worst in history
14 Nov 14
It only took six years, but Greece's recession is finally over. Just don't call it a recovery just yet. Indeed, according to the latest gross domestic product numbers , Greece's economy actually stopped shrinking at the start of the year. We...
- Silicon Valley is turning prisoners into programmers at San Quentin
14 Nov 14
A six-month course, the first of its kind in the country, is teaching inmates to code.
- On Leadership: Podcast: Jim Moffatt on leadership
14 Nov 14
LISTEN: A conversation with Deloitte Consulting's Jim Moffatt http://wp-stat.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/Jim-Moffatt-final-podcast.mp3 Read full article >>
- Wonkblog: How conservatives will legally fight Obama’s immigration action — and how he’ll defend it
14 Nov 14
As President Obama prepares to issue an an executive order deferring deportations for millions of undocumented immigrants, legal experts are debating whether the measure would withstand a challenge in the courts. Read full article...
- Wonkblog: HHS doesn’t know what time HealthCare.gov will open
14 Nov 14
Tomorrow's the big day — open enrollment starts again for Obamacare health insurance plans. But maybe just don't wait up all night Friday if you're hoping to buy something. HealthCare.gov, the federal enrollment portal serving 30-plus states...
- Mark Carney: We have nearly fixed all the flaws that led to financial crisis
14 Nov 14
Bank of England governor Mark Carney tells the G20 that further work remains in order to build a fully resilient financial system
