Bloomberg:- US Treasury note yields are no longer the “conundrum” Fed Chairman Greenspan said they were in February, given signs of slowing global economic growth, according to Paul McCulley, a managing director at PIMCO.
- Abu al-Faraj, a Libyan national and one of the most senior leaders in the global al-Qaeda terrorist network, has been captured in northern Pakistan.
- The European Central Bank kept interest rates at a six-decade low as the outlook for economic growth in the 12 nations sharing the euro deteriorates.
- Investor Kirk Kerkorian offered to buy as many as 28 million shares of GM for $31 each.
- The US Treasury said it is considering whether to resume selling 30-year bonds, a security it eliminated four years ago.
Wall Street Journal:- Coca-Cola, Unilever Plc and McDonald’s are phasing out hydrofluorocarbons, a chemical cooler that is believed to contribute to global warming.
- Sanofi-Pasteur, the biggest US supplier of flu vaccines, and Chiron already have sold almost all their available stockpiles of flu vaccines six months before the flu season normally starts.
- Symantec has obtained a broad patent for virus-scanning technology that may help defend against competition from rivals including Microsoft.
- American Tower may announce today an agreement to acquire SpectraSite for about $3 billion in stock, to become the US’s largest communications tower operation.
- Japanese wig maker Aderans is trying to clone hair cells resistant to a particular hormone that causes hair loss.
NY Times:- US airlines added 134 non-stop routes in the past year as larger carriers such as Delta Air compete with so-called low fare airlines such as Southwest for customers.
- Microsoft plans to expand its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, by 2.2 million square feet as it begins constructing two office buildings this year.
- Wal-Mart is under pressure from community groups and lawmakers to raise wages.
Chicago Tribune:- Nike Inc. will stop selling shoes to Sears Holding in a decision that it said was part of the normal process of reviewing accounts.
- Baxter Intl. will increase spending on research and development this year at a rate faster than sales growth.
USA Today:- The US federal government plans to start collecting full names and birth dates of domestic air travelers this summer to screen passengers for possible ties to terrorism.
