Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:
- Chinese President Hu Jintao pronounced himself “a friend” of Microsoft(MSFT) as he toured the largest software maker’s headquarters and dined on smoked guinea fowl at Microsoft Chairman Gates’ lakeside home.
- White House spokesman Scott McClellan resigned.
- Envoys meeting in Moscow to discuss Iran’s nuclear development agreed the Islamic Republic must face international action for defying the UN by enriching uranium, said Nicholas Burns, US undersecretary of state for political affairs.

Wall Street Journal:
- News Corp.’s(NWS) Fox Interactive Media division is investing $3.5 million in the employment-listing site of Simply Hired Inc.
- Aztar Corp.(AZR) is close to agreeing to sell the business to Pinnacle Entertainment for about $1.5 billion.
- The US Veterans Administration medical center in Portland, Oregon, is allowing patients the option of remaining home to cut down on healthcare costs and free up beds.
- Apache Corp.(APA) says it will buy all of BP Plc’s oil and gas fields on the Gulf of Mexico’s continental shelf for $1.3 billion.
- The FAA has proposed new metal-fatigue inspection and maintenance standards that could force some planes to be retired faster.
- Boston’s office real estate market is beginning to show signs of a turnaround as demand rises for top floor space in skyscrapers and premium properties in nearby Waltham.
- Shares of eBay(EBAY) have fallen 10% this year and 33% since January 2005, but its earnings and growth are still strong, and the stock now looks like a bargain.

NY Times:
- McDonald’s Corp.(MCD) revenue growth has been driven by its Dollar Menu and hamburgers, not by healthier items such as salads that were more recently added to its menu.

USA Today:
- Construction of the US Embassy in Iraq is on schedule and within budget.

Hurriyet:
- Turkey’s state oil company Turkiye Petrolleri AO has found oil at three sites near the Syrian border.

Guardian:
- The number of worldwide refugees dropped to a 25-year low last year as millions returned to Afghanistan, Angola and Sierra Leone, according to a recent UN report.

No comments: