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Phoenix to buy Swiss Re's ReAssure unit for $4.1 billion

Phoenix Group, Europe's largest owner of life assurance funds closed to new customers, said the acquisition of ReAssure is expected to bring in additional cash flows of about 7 billion pounds over time. Swiss Re said it would get a cash payment of 1.2 billion pounds and a stake in Phoenix of 13% to 17%. ReAssure's minority shareholder, MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc , will receive shares in Phoenix representing an 11% to 15% stake.

Italy's Atlantia interested in relaunch not rescue of Alitalia: paper

Italy's Atlantia is still interested in supporting the relaunch, and not the rescue, of ailing carrier Alitalia [CAITLA.UL], the chairman of the infrastructure group said in an interview on Friday. "The government asked to draw up an actual relaunch plan and not one to rescue Alitalia, and that is what we are interested in.. With Delta not available to manage the airline it was unthinkable to launch a true industrial plan," Fabio Cerchiai told daily Il Messaggero. Alitalia, which has been run by administrators since May 2017 is expected to run out of money at the end of this year.

Indonesia fines Garuda after CEO fired over smuggled Harley Davidson

Indonesia will fine flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia for violating aviation rules after its chief executive was accused of smuggling a Harley Davidson motorbike onboard a new plane, state news agency Antara cited the transport minister as saying. A day earlier, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir said CEO Ari Askhara would be dismissed over the allegations. "We have send a letter to fine Garuda because it carried items without including them in the cargo list," Transportation Minister Budi Karya was quoted as saying on Friday.

A UPS driver, an innocent bystander killed. Did the South Florida chase have to end this way? | Editorial

A hostage and an innocent bystander killed. Did a police chase have to end this way?

SoftBank's Son cleaves to guts-led investing in chat with Alibaba's Ma

Weeks after his billion-dollar bailout of WeWork, SoftBank Group Corp's founder and CEO Masayoshi Son reiterated his belief in an instinct-led investing style, in a discussion with Alibaba Group Holding Inc's co-founder Jack Ma. SoftBank owns 26% of China's Alibaba with its origin in a $5 million investment in 2000, and the stake is now worth more than the Japanese firm's market capitalization. Son on Friday said the decision to invest in Alibaba was driven by gut feeling.

China to waive tariffs for some U.S. soybeans, pork

China will waive import tariffs for some soybeans and pork shipments from the United States, China's finance ministry said on Friday, citing a decision by the country's cabinet. The tariff waivers were based on applications by individual firms for U.S. soybeans and pork imports, the ministry said in a statement.

Board considers plan on moving Ole Miss Confederate monument

State officials are considering the University of Mississippi's proposal to move a Confederate soldier monument from a central spot on the Oxford campus to a Confederate cemetery that's still on campus but in a less prominent location. Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History are meeting Friday, and the proposal is on the agenda. The move would still need to be approved by the board that governs Mississippi’s eight public universities.

Returning General Motors workers seen boosting U.S. November payrolls

U.S. job growth likely accelerated in November as former striking workers returned to General Motors' payrolls, which would confirm that the economy remained on a moderate expansion path despite a prolonged manufacturing slump. The Labor Department's closely watched monthly employment report on Friday is also expected to show steady wage gains and the unemployment rate holding near a 50-year low.

Asian shares advance after meager gains on Wall Street

Investors are hoping that the world’s two biggest economies will reach a trade deal before new U.S. tariffs go into effect Dec. 15 on some popular products made in China, including smartphones. “Whether or not U.S.-China can cut a deal remains the obsession; arguably the only game in town heading into ahead of the 15-Dec deadline for the next round of tariffs fall due,” Mizuho Bank said in a commentary. Chinese officials said Thursday that hinges on whether the U.S. will agree to roll back some of the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump after he began his effort to win trade concessions from Beijing in mid-2018.

Singer Camila Cabello says 'Romance' album is all about falling in love

Camila Cabello is making up for lost time. The 22 year-old singer has been on a roll since joining girl band Fifth Harmony six years ago, going solo, and scoring hit records like "Havana" and duet "Senorita" with boyfriend Shawn Mendes. "I didn't really get to have the normal upbringing of hanging out with friends and going on dates and being in school," said Cabello, who dropped out of high school to pursue her career.

After guilty plea, Republican barred from casting House votes

Under House ethics rules, representatives can't cast votes while convicted of a crime. Hunter pleaded guilty this week to conspiring to steal campaign funds.

Police kill suspects held over rape and murder of Indian vet after they 'attacked officers and tried to escape'

Police in India have shot dead four men who were being held as suspects over the rape and murder of a vet in Hyderabad last week. The charred remains of the victim, 27, were found a day after she disappeared and the case caused widespread anger in India over the police's handling of rape and violence against women. The suspects were taken back to the scene of the crime but were shot after they attempted to escape and steal guns from officers, according to Hyderabad's police. "They tried to snatch weapons from the guards but were shot dead," Prakash Reddy, the deputy commissioner of police in Shamshabad, near Hyderabad, said. "They were killed in crossfire." "We called an ambulance but they died before any medical help could reach them." Mr Reddy confirmed that two police officers were injured in the incident. Her family welcomed the news of the killings of the alleged perpetrators. "It has been 10 days to the day my daughter died," the victim's father told ANI news agency. "I express my gratitude towards the police and government for this. My daughter’s soul must be at peace now."  The four men were arrested on charges of raping, murdering and burning the body of the veterinary doctor, who had parked her scooter on a busy highway on November 27. Protesters burned effigies of "rapists" in Shiv Sena on Thursday Credit: NARINDER NANU/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Police said the men deflated her scooter tyre and lured her to a truck yard with the promise of fixing the machine. They allegedly then raped and murdered her before setting her body on fire under an isolated bridge, where her remains were found by a milkman last Thursday morning. High-profile cases of violence against women have provoked fury in India. Thousands of people took to the streets across the country on Monday to protest the brutal attack in Hyderabad. Activists have called for rape cases to be fast-tracked through the courts and for tougher sentences.  Three officers were suspended last week after the family of the victim accused the police of inaction after some officers told the family that she may have eloped. She had left home on her scooter on Wednesday evening for a doctor's appointment but had later called her family when she had a flat tyre. On Thursday, a 23-year-old woman was left in a critical condition after being set on fire by a group of men, including two of her alleged rapists, as she made her way to court for the case in Unnao, in the northern district of Uttar Pradesh. According to government statistics, nearly 100 women are raped in India every day.

4 killed in shootout following theft of UPS truck in Florida: Police

Two suspects and two civilians died in Florida on Thursday after an attempted robbery led to the theft of a UPS truck and a shootout with police. The incident began at a jewelry store in Coral Gables, police said. JUST IN: Authorities say two “innocent civilians” killed in shootout after jewelry heist suspects carjack UPS truck in South Florida.

JPMorgan banker testifying for cartel prosecutors says there was no agreement

A prosecution witness in an Australian criminal cartel case against Citigroup Inc and Deutsche Bank AG said on Friday that the banks never colluded, but that he helped a regulator build its case to get immunity. The testimony from former JPMorgan Chase & Co markets head Jeff Herbert-Smith in court is a blow to the prosecution, which is relying on JPMorgan to support a case that the three global investment banks engaged in criminal cartel behaviour in a A$2.5 billion share issue for Australia and New Zealand Banking Group in 2015. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which brought the charges, accuses Citi and Deutsche and their client, Australia's fourth-largest bank, of withholding details of the sale to support the stock's price.

Man who poured bleach on food in California also struck stores in Arizona, AG says

A man facing charges for dumping bleach on food and drinks at retail stores across California is in even more legal trouble — in another state.

Worker who felt ‘unappreciated’ stole $640,000 to spend on women, trips, NM cops say

Lonsinger told detectives he used the money on girlfriends and trips, and gave some to his friends.

California asks Trump administration to release money to fight homelessness

In the latest skirmish over California's homeless crisis, the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, asked President Donald Trump on Thursday to stop withholding federal housing vouchers that could benefit 50,000 homeless people. Newsom told Trump he could "immediately order" the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to issue federal housing vouchers, a program to assist low-income families, the elderly and the disabled find affordable homes in the private market.

4 people died in a shootout following a police chase with a carjacked UPS truck in Florida

Both suspected robbers were shot and killed, along with the UPS driver and a fourth victim, when shots rang out at a crowded intersection in Miramar.