April 15 (Reuters) – The following are the top stories in
the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories
and does not vouch for their accuracy.
* Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc was nearing a deal
Sunday to take over fellow laboratory-equipment maker Life
Technologies Corp for as much as $13 billion, in a move
that could enable the company to slash costs and reap gains from
next-generation genetic-sequencing machines. ()
* China’s economic growth slowed unexpectedly in the first
quarter, raising concerns that a recovery that started in the
second half of last year is already losing steam. ()
* Energy Future Holdings Corp, the troubled
Texas power company formerly known as TXU Corp that is at the
center of a record private equity buyout, plans to pay roughly
$270 million in interest due on its bonds in May, which could
let it stave off a bankruptcy filing for as long as another 18
months, according to people close to the situation. ()
* Federal aviation regulators on Monday will order special
inspections and, if needed, replacement of improperly
manufactured parts on more than 1,000 Boeing Co 737 jets
that could cause pilots to lose control. ()
* Mark Zandi, a prominent economist, has emerged as a
leading candidate to head the regulator of mortgage-finance
companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac amid
signs that he would likely attract support from Senate
Republicans, according to people familiar with the matter. ()
* In a settlement proposal to European Union antitrust
lawyers, Google Inc for the first time has agreed to
submit to a legally binding commitment to make minor changes to
the look of its web-search engine in order to allay concerns
that it is hurting competitors, according to a person familiar
with the matter. ()
* Nissan Motor Co Ltd is considering a new plant in
North America to produce at least 100,000 of its premium
Infiniti vehicles a year, likely starting in 2017 as the
automaker fans out production globally from Japan. ()
* General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co have
teamed up to produce a nine-speed and a 10-speed automatic
transmission for use in their portfolios of cars, crossovers,
sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks as they look to keep in
step with their rivals both foreign and closer to home. ()
* The first patent on OxyContin expires Tuesday, a milestone
in the history of one of the most powerful and abused
painkillers on the market. But it could be quite some time
before generic versions of the drug are available. ()
* Hedge fund Barington Capital Group is pressuring Jones
Group Inc to sell parts of its portfolio, according to a
person familiar with the matter, as the apparel manufacturer
pursues a turnaround. ()
