IN BRIEF (Page 16)
Halliburton pulls out
US oil services giant Halliburton said on Monday it had wrapped up its work commitments in Iran and was no longer conducting any projects in the country.
Halliburton announced in January 2005 that it was shutting down its Iran operations, but would honor existing "contractual commitments" until they were fulfilled.
'Firm sentiment'
Bank of Japan Governor Toshihiko Fukui said yesterday that the bank's Tankan business sentiment survey released in early April showed firm corporate sentiment despite falls in stock prices worldwide in February and March.
"Even though the survey was carried out from late February to mid-March when share prices were falling worldwide, companies' business sentiment was fairly good," he said.
No new funding
A private equity group bidding for Qantas Airways Ltd has yet to agree a new funding deal with its banks for the planned A$11 billion ($9 billion) takeover, a source familiar with the deal said yesterday.
Local media reported that the bidding consortium had agreed to lower the minimum acceptance level required for the takeover to 75 percent from 90 percent, to help the consortium overcome resistance from some institutional shareholders.
Indian partnership
US buyout company Carlyle and entrepreneur Ramesh Vangal have teamed up to bid $170 million to buy a 42-percent stake in Cambridge Solutions, a business outsourcing firm, the Economic Times reported yesterday.
Vangal has an 18-percent stake in Cambridge Solutions, and together he and Carlyle will control 60 percent of the company valued at about $250 million, the paper said.
Agencies
(China Daily 04/11/2007 page16)
