Electronic Arts to buy stake in The9: report

(Reuters) - A representative from The9 was not immediately available for comment.

Shanghai-based The9 also obtained the exclusive right to run EA's casual game FIFA Online in China at the end of March, the newspaper added.


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Writer quits MarketWatch after investment conflict

(Reuters) - Bambi Francisco, a veteran reporter covering the Silicon Valley Internet scene since the late 1990s, has resigned from the online financial news service, effective immediately, a Dow Jones spokeswoman said.

The followed reports this week that she wrote about several companies involved with a start-up called Vator.tv, a company that she has a stake in.


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Exxon releases plan to compensate Chad villagers

(Reuters) - Exxon's affiliate, Esso Chad, commissioned the report following concerns expressed by the World Bank's private-sector lender, the International Finance Corp , which helped finance a pipeline that carries oil from Doba to the Atlantic Ocean through neighboring Cameroon.

The IFC said families would be worse off in the long term if their livelihoods were not restored.


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UPDATE 1-Sourcefire sees 1st qtr revs below Wall St view

(Reuters) - The company said it sees first-quarter revenue in the range of $10.1 million to $10.5 million, up from last year's first-quarter total of $8.5 million, but below the $11.47 million average view of analysts, according to Reuters Estimates.

Sourcefire said it sees its first-quarter net loss, according to generally accepted accounting principles, to be $2.2 million to $2.6 million, with about 8.6 million weighted average shares outstanding.


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IT services firm Virtusa files for $92 mln IPO

(Reuters) - The company is seeking a Nasdaq listing under the symbol "VRTU."




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Vonage says appeals court grants temporary stay

(Reuters) - "We just learned, just now, from our legal counsel that we secured a temporary stay until can hear our request for a permanent stay of that order," said Vonage spokeswoman Brooke Schulz.




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AOL launches search ad service with Google

(Reuters) - As part of the deal, sponsored links from Google's AdWords technology appeared on AOL Search pages. AOL Search Marketplace, a customized version of AdWords, now lets advertisers reach AOL Search customers more effectively, AOL said.

The service will help AOL capture advertising dollars from ads linked to search terms in text, in addition to the money it makes from display ads, such as banners. AOL's search service drew 311 million queries in February, according to tracking firm comScore Media Metrix.


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Sprint will not protest loss of U.S. govt contract

(Reuters) - Instead the General Services Administration chose AT&T Inc. , Qwest Communications International and Verizon Communications to partake in the Networx Universal contract.

The contract, which can be worth as much as $48 billion, is aimed at overhauling the federal government's communications services. The winning companies still need to compete for individual contracts within government agencies.


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Collagenex files $100 mln mixed shelf offering

(Reuters) - Under a shelf registration filed with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, a company may sell securities in one or more separate offerings with the size, price and terms to be determined at the time of sale.




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Russia to seal YUKOS's demise with Samara auction

(Reuters) - YUKOS's receiver Eduard Rebgun told Reuters on Friday the committee of creditors had decided to auction the production unit and refineries in a single lot.

The decision will reinforce market participants' expectations that state-controlled oil firm Rosneft will buy the group of assets.


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UPDATE 2-Wyeth says US extends cancer drug review into July

(Reuters) - Wyeth recently submitted additional information on tumor evaluation to the Food and Drug Administration, and the agency extended the review time by three months "to complete a full review of these analyses," the company said. An FDA decision originally had been expected by April 5.

The FDA had requested more information "regarding our analyses on whether the drug was able to show benefit in stopping tumors from spreading to other parts of the body," Wyeth spokeswoman Candace Steele said in an e-mail.


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UPDATE 1-Investors 'strongly disagree' with TXU-letter

(Reuters) - "TXU is not permitted to unilaterally shut down power plants," the investors said. "There is no intention among the investor group to shut down plants, especially those needed to ensure reliability. We intend to file a letter with the PUC confirming these commitments."

The two private equity firms, who have agreed to acquire TXU through a venture holding company called Texas Pacific Texas Energy Future Holdings LP, strongly urged TXU straighten out matters pertaining to balancing energy offers to ensure that affordable and reliable power.


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Dominion Homes contracts down by more than half

(Reuters) - The company closed on the sales of 165 homes during the quarter compared to 315 homes delivered for the same period 2006.




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American Home Mortgage sees lower Q1 profit

(Reuters) - Analysts, on average, had expected first-quarter earnings of $1.01 per share, and 2007 earnings of $4.73 per share, according to Reuters Estimates.

During March, the company saw fewer buyers offering materially lower prices for loan pools and mortgage securities, Chief Executive Michael Strauss said in a statement. The company is scheduled to report first-quarter results on April 30.


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Judge blocks Vonage from adding new customers

(Reuters) - Vonage plans to appeal U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton's order that allows Vonage to only provide service to existing customers. Vonage is also required to post a $66 million bond.

Hilton said Vonage could be irreparably injured if he completely barred its use of Verizon technology. "Some question whether they could stay in business," he said.


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Southern sees higher cost from Orlando project

(Reuters) - The total estimated cost of the gasifier portion of the project for Southern Power has increased to $212 million, the company said, reflecting higher commodity costs and demand for workers. It had estimated the total cost at $121 million, according to a 2006 regulatory filing.

The $569 million plant is due to come on line in 2010.


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Treasury's Swagel says U.S. economy healthy

(Reuters) - "Today's data indicates the U.S. economy remains fundamentally healthy. The unemployment rate is low, job creation is strong and steady and wages are rising," Swagel told a media briefing.




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WALL ST WEEK AHEAD-Optimism on payrolls, earnings to lift stocks

(Reuters) - The next question is whether U.S. equities can then take the step and recapture the record levels from two months ago. That will hinge on the corporate profits picture, which begins taking shape next week as the first of the market's bellwethers deliver first-quarter earnings reports.

"Unless we see a more significant drop in profit margins than the market might be expecting, the trend will probably be higher," said Brandon Thomas, chief investment officer at Envestnet Asset Management in Chicago.


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Judge blocks Vonage from serving new customers

(Reuters) - Vonage plans to appeal U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton's order that allows Vonage only to service existing customers and requires the company to post a $66 million bond.

Roger Warin, a lawyer for Vonage, told the court the choice between a partial stay and a total prohibition on using the Verizon technology amounted to "cutting off oxygen or a bullet to the head" for Vonage.


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UPDATE 1-US judge blocks Vonage from serving new customers

(Reuters) - ALEXANDRIA, Va, April 6 - Vonage Holdings Corp. cannot service new customers while it appeals a finding that it infringed Verizon Communications Inc. patents for making phone calls over the Internet, a federal judge ruled on Friday.

Vonage plans to appeal U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton's order that allows Vonage only to service existing customers and requires the company to post a $66 million bond.


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TREASURIES-Bonds fall sharply on strong March payrolls data

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, April 6 - U.S. government bond prices plunged on Friday in an abbreviated session, pushing benchmark yields to their highest levels in over seven weeks, after a stronger-than-expected reading on March non-farm payrolls.

The strong payrolls number suggested to investors that economic growth may not be slowing as much as originally thought, and pushed back expectations the Federal Reserve will move to cut official interest rates any time soon.


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Barr unit challenges Sanofi-Aventis patent on insomnia drug

(Reuters) - On April 5, Sanofi-Aventis filed suit in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey to prevent Barr from proceeding with the commercialization of its product, Barr said in a statement.




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UPDATE 1-Russia to seal YUKOS's demise with Samara auction

(Reuters) - MOSCOW, April 6 - Russia will bang the last nail into the coffin of YUKOS , once its top oil producer, by selling the bankrupt firm's Samara production unit and three nearby refineries in May with a starting price of $6 billion.

YUKOS's receiver Eduard Rebgun told Reuters on Friday the committee of creditors had decided to auction the production unit and refineries in a single lot.


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Wyser-Pratte sells Valeo stake, sees LBO deal

(Reuters) - "I would have liked to have helped them restructure but it seems clear to me now that Morin and the board are going to accept an LBO deal on Tuesday," he said, adding that he did not expect an LBO offer to be above some 44 euros, or roughly the current share price.

Valeo shares have surged nearly 80 percent over the past eight months, standing at peaks last seen nearly five years ago.


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Cambrex to pay special dividend of $14 a share

(Reuters) - The special dividend, totaling about $400 million, will be financed by about $300 million of cash in hand and through a new borrowing. The special dividend is payable on May 3 to shareholders of record April 20, the company said in a statement.




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US firms look to fix key Congo rail link

(Reuters) - U.S. firms hope to renovate a railway linking Congo's capital Brazzaville to the Atlantic, the U.S. envoy said on Friday, days after Korean firms agreed to run a new line to the oil-producing state's interior.

Brazzaville depends heavily on its rail line to the Atlantic oil port of Pointe-Noire, but the 515 km (322-mile) Congo Ocean Railway, known by its French acronym CFCO, has had little serious maintenance since it entered service in 1934.


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UPDATE 1-Embarcadero agrees to be taken private in $200 mln deal

(Reuters) - Stockholders of Embarcadero will get $7.20 a share, which represents a premium of more than 4 percent over the stock's Thursday closing price of $6.88.

In a separate statement, Chapman Capital LLC, an investment advisor to two investment funds that together own 9.3 percent of Embarcadero, said it supported the deal.


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Gauge of U.S. economy eases in latest week - ECRI

(Reuters) - Its annualized growth rate also eased to 3.9 percent from the previous week's revised 4.0 percent.




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Wyser-Pratte sold Valeo stake,sees LBO deal Tuesday

(Reuters) - Valeo closed Thursday at 44.79 euros, after a 42 percent rise this year. The Paris market was closed on Friday.

Wyser-Pratte said he and his partners had bought Valeo stock at around 27 euros and sold "very recently".


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Embarcadero Technologies to be taken private in $200 mln deal

(Reuters) - The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter, the company, whose software manages data for large firms, said in a statement.




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March job growth strong, jobless rate falls

(Reuters) - The intently awaited March employment report, issued by the Labor Department on Friday, painted a brighter picture of the U.S. job market than anticipated and included a surprising decline in the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent in February.

It was the lowest monthly unemployment rate since last October, when it also was at 4.4 percent.


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Bonds fall on stronger March non-farm payrolls

(Reuters) - The benchmark 10-year note was 14/32 lower in price for a yield of 4.74 percent from 4.68 late on Thursday, while the two-year note was 5/32 lower in price for a yield of 4.72 percent from 4.63 percent.

Fed fund futures also fell after the payrolls number, with the implied chances of a June rate cut from the Federal Reserve easing to 12 percent from 20 percent before the release of the data.


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PPR in talks to buy Puma stake - reports

(Reuters) - French furniture-to-catwalk fashion retailer PPR is in advanced talks to buy out a leading shareholder of German sportswear company Puma and bid for the firm, newspapers reported on Friday.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people close to the matter, said two Herz family members, Gunther and Daniela, who control nearly 30 percent of Puma, were near a deal to agree to sell their stake to PPR.


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March job growth unexpectedly strong

(Reuters) - It was the lowest monthly unemployment rate since last October, when it also was at 4.4 percent.

Wall Street analysts had forecast that a more modest 120,000 jobs would be created last month and that the unemployment rate would tick upward to 4.6 percent rather than decline.


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Traders see U.S. March payrolls up 138,300 in auction

(Reuters) - The U.S. Labor Department will issue the March non-farm payroll report on Friday at 8:30 a.m. .

Investors use the auctions to hedge against surprises in the report. Traders also use the auctions to speculate on the outcome.


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Sainsbury family reportedly rejects bid

(Reuters) - The Times said a private equity consortium of CVC Capital , Texas Pacific and Blackstone had put forward a bid of between 550 pence and 555 pence a share.

"He cannot see any reason why the board would even consider opening the books at less than 600p-share," the Daily Telegraph quoted an unidentified source close to David Sainsbury as saying.


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Alcatel-Lucent wins 3G contract from France's SFR

(Reuters) - Alcatel-Lucent did not disclose the financial details of the deal.




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