BLACKSTONE ACQUIRES CONTROL OF GLOBAL TOWER
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Blackstone Group, investment firm founded by Peter G Peterson and Stephen A Schwarzman, acquires control of Global Tower Partners for total of about $225 million; purchases 93 percent stake in company from Great Hill Partners (S)
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NUCOR TO BUY MARION STEEL FOR $113 MILLION
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Nucor Corp, steel producer, acquires assets of Marion Steel Co for about $113 million (S)
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HEAD OF OUTLET DIVISION IS NAMED GAP PRESIDENT
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Gap Inc promotes Cynthia Harriss, president of its outlet division, to president of its namesake brand (S)
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Texas Instruments Posts Increase of 12% in First-Quarter Income
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Texas Instruments reports 12 percent rise in first-quarter net income, to $411 million; reports 1.2 percent rise in sales, to $2.97 billion (S)
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NEWS SUMMARY
Date: 18 April 2005
INTERNATIONAL A3-13 North Korean ReactorUnder Close Scrutiny The suspected shutdown of a nuclear reactor at North Korea's main nuclear weapons complex has raised concern at the White House that the country could be preparing to make good on its recent threat to harvest a new load of nuclear fuel, potentially increasing the size of its nuclear arsenal. A4 Ugandan Civil War Justice In Uganda, the International Criminal Court and traditional reconciliation ceremonies are clashing in their response to one of Africa's most bizarre and brutal guerrilla wars, an often overlooked conflict that has raged for 18 years in the rugged terrain along Uganda's border with Sudan. A1 Iraq Hostage Tale Fuels Crisis Iraqi Army officials reported that a hostage crisis south of Baghdad -- which had been narrated in a stream of breathless television reports and news bulletins -- appeared to be nothing but rumor and politically motivated accusations. The resulting hysteria was one vivid illustration of the way Iraq's daily violence and sectarian tensions can be easily twisted into fantasy. A1 Marla Ruzicka, a fiercely energetic 28-year-old from California who ran a one-woman aid mission in Iraq, was killed by a suicide bomber, U.S. embassy officials in Baghdad said. A4 Papal Conclave Begins Today The conclave to elect a new pope marries the highest Catholic Church solemnity with one of history's longest-lived electoral experiences. The event -- which has not occurred in more than 26 years but dates back nearly a millennium -- is a unique mix of pageantry and practicality. A1 No Apology From China China's top diplomat said that he saw no need to apologize for a wave of violent protests against Japan, as a dispute over history and territory between Asia's two leading powers showed few signs of easing. A6 India and Pakistan Diplomacy There were signs of a reconciliation between the nuclear-armed rivals of South Asia as talk of trade, peace and a gas pipeline dominated the meeting between Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, and his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. A6 Tory Candidate's Campaign Michael Howard, the opposition Conservative leader who is challenging Prime Minister Tony Blair in Britain's election campaign, is trying to project an image that has eluded him for years -- that of a regular, if political, guy. A3 Judicial Crisis in Ecuador A day after President Lucio Gutiérrez revoked a state of emergency, Ecuador's Congress convened in a special session to discuss a judicial crisis that has led to dogged anti-government protests and repeated calls for the president's resignation. A12 NATIONAL A14-17 For Anxious Investors,Sharp Eye on Earnings Wall Street and unusually nervous individual investors are looking to the flood of earnings reports this week to see how optimistic corporate America is in its outlook for the economy. Last week, America's three main stock gauges fell more than 3 percent, putting each at a new low for the year. A1 Nasdaq Nears Deal for Instinet Nasdaq Stock Market Inc., the largest electronic market place, and a consortium of private investors were near a deal late last night to buy Instinet, the institutional brokerage and electronic trading network controlled by the Reuters Group, for about $1.8 billion, executives involved in the talks said. A17 Reed's Ties Are a Target As Ralph Reed completes his journey from Christian advocate to professional politician as a candidate for lieutenant governor of Georgia, his ties to embattled Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Indian casino money have become inviting targets for critics and rivals. A1 A Week of Rememberance Oklahoma City has prepared a week of ceremonies to mark the 10th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, including periods of silence, lectures and other events each day this week. A14 House Ethics Panel Paralyzed The escalating partisan clash over the legalistic details of the ethics process has paralyzed the panel at a moment of intense scrutiny of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, and has highlighted anew the historical difficulty of politicians judging other politicians. A16 Acela Service Remains Limited At least one Acela Express train will be ready to run after mechanics scavenged axles with good brakes from other Acela trains. Amtrak said it was also planning to use conventional lower-speed equipment to make some of the trips normally made by the express trains. A15 Confession in Florida Child Case A registered sex offender has confessed to killing Sarah Lunde, a 13-year-old girl who disappeared a week ago in Florida, the police said. The man was charged with first-degree murder after investigators found the girl's body in an abandoned fish pond. A15 NEW YORK/REGION B1-6 Mayor's School Initiatives Show Mixed Results From the moment he won control of New York City's schools, Mayor Bloomberg has urged voters to judge him on education. But with his reelection campaign under way, a look at some of his biggest changes shows mixed academic results. A1 Kerrey's Aims Questioned New York politicians, thrown off balance by former Senator Bob Kerrey's musings about whether to run for mayor, are struggling to gauge his seriousness. Aides to Mayor Bloomberg expressed bewilderment. B1 Coney Island's Rebirth Talks of a Coney Island revival have been circulating for decades, but there are signs that perhaps this time a rebirth is in the offing. Not only is a new stadium for the minorleague Brooklyn Cyclones drawing full houses, but the vacant lots there are being snapped up at double the prices of five years ago. B1 Meeting on Gay Issues Six dissident priests have agreed to meet with the Episcopal bishop of Connecticut tonight to try to settle the growing schism over the Connecticut Diocese's support for gay marriage and the elevation of a gay priest to bishop. B3 42nd Street Rail, Revived Three transportation projects proposed decades ago in New York City are already in some stage of planning. But George Haikalis, a civil engineer, wants to revive another longdiscussed plan: a crosstown lightrail line on 42nd Street that would close the street to vehicles. B1 SPORTSMONDAY D1-8 Yankees' Loss Outrages Owner Moments after the Yankees' 8-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, their principal owner George Steinbrenner issued a blistering indictment of his team. The Yankees are off to their worst start in eight years. D1 ARTS E1-8 Laocoön Called a Forgery A scholar has suggested that ''Laocoön'', a famous sculpture whose unearthing in 1506 has deeply influenced thinking about the ancient Greeks and the nature of visual arts, may well be a Renaissance forgery possibly by Michelangelo himself. E1 OBITUARIES B8 José Melis A classically trained pianist who helped pioneer a broadcasting genre as orchestra leader for the ''Tonight'' show with Jack Paar, he was 85. B8 BUSINESS DAY C1-14 Rival Banks Lure Top Talent After the departure of Morgan Stanley's two most senior investment bankers, the chief executive must now fend off a wave of attempts by archrivals to lure the firm's best investment bankers away. C1 Unsettling Time for ABC Even before the president of ABC News learned that his division's biggest star had lung cancer, he was wrestling with competitive challenges that were among the most daunting in broadcast news. C1 Authors of Moore's Law Gordon E. Moore was not the only one to observe the so-called scaling effect that has led to the exponential acceleration of computing power that is now expected to continue at least for the next decade. C1 Chinese Editor Tests Limits The most powerful business editor in China pushes an aggressive staff of 50 young journalists to investigate government corruption and lift the veil on corporate fraud in China. C1 Business Digest C1 EDITORIAL A18-19 Editorials: A leader's thoughts on NASA; race and jury selection in California; help for children with AIDS; Brent Staples on the civil rights movement and the No Child Left Behind law. Columns: Bob Herbert and Paul Krugman. Autos D8 Metro Diary B2 Bridge E4 TV Listings E8 Crossword E6 Weather B7
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World Business Briefing | Europe: Risk Of Economic Slowdown
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
European Commission says economy of euro region risks slowing down more abruptly in 2005 than 1.6 percent rate predicted two weeks ago as currency's gains erode exports and record oil prices undermine investment and consumer spending (S)
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World Business Briefing | Europe: Britain: Bookmaker In Acquisition Talks
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
British bookmaker William Hill says it might buy Stanley Leisure's betting shops for more than 500 million pounds ($946 million); graph (S)
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World Business Briefing | Europe: Eurotunnel's Sales Rise
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Eurotunnel reports 4.1 percent increase in first-quarter sales and rise in revenue to 130.8 million pounds ($247.5 million) (S)
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World Business Briefing | Asia: China: Bank Of China's Profit Rises
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Bank of China reports 36 percent rise in first-quarter pre-tax profit of 19.2 billion yen ($2.3 billion) (S)
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Technology Briefing | Deals: Caxton-Iseman Will Buy Manchester Technologies
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Caxton-Iseman Capital agrees to acquire Manchester Technologies, distributor of plasma displays and home electronics, for about $56 million in cash (S)
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FleetBoston Acquisition Lifts Bank of America's Earnings
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
The Bank of America Corp says first-quarter earnings rose 75 percent to record as corporate lending and trading and purchase of FleetBoston Financial Corp bolstered results; net income increased to $4.7 bllion from $2.68 billion year earlier; trading profit rose to $760 million from $3 million year before (M)
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Firm Is Cleared on Enron Losses
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Jury in Tallahassee, Fla, finds that Alliance Capital Management Holdings did not breach its contract in $281 million in Enron-related investment losses by Florida State Board of Administration; pension fund sued in 2002, claiming that negligence by Alliance led to its losses (S)
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GameStop to Acquire Rival Video Game Retailer
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
GameStop Corp agrees to buy rival, Electronics Boutique Holdings, for $1.44 billion; merger will give GameStop 25 percent of $11 billion video game market, compared with Wal-Mart Stores' 20 percent share (M)
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Technology Briefing | Deals: Cognizant Buys Fathom Solutions For $19 Million
Date: 19 April 2005
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp agrees to buy Fathom Solutions for $19 million in cash and stock (S)
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