Business Today: Stock futures rise after report on fiscal talks

		Click to View in Browser 11/16/2012 Stock futures rise after report on fiscal talks NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures cut their losses to turn positive on Friday after the Wall Street Journal reported that White House officials were in advanced internal discussions that could indicate increased flexibility to negotiate on the "fiscal cliff." Growth, U.S. fiscal worries hurt shares, but Nikkei gains LONDON (Reuters) - World shares were headed for a second consecutive weekly loss on Friday as uncertainty over U.S. budget talks, a weak economic outlook and violence in the Middle East weighed on investors. Banks may shrink for good as layoffs near 160,000 LONDON (Reuters) - Major banks have announced some 160,000 job cuts since early last year and with more layoffs to come as the industry restructures, many will leave the shrinking sector for good as redundancies outpace new hires by roughly two-to-one. BP agrees to record criminal penalties for U.S. oil spill NEW ORLEANS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BP Plc will pay $4.5 billion in penalties and plead guilty to criminal misconduct in the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which caused the worst U.S. offshore oil spill ever. Reckitt trumps Bayer with $1.4 billion bid for Schiff NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc has trumped Bayer AG's agreed deal to buy Schiff Nutrition International Inc with a higher offer of $1.4 billion for the U.S. vitamin maker. Exclusive: Philippine payments give U.S. casino regulators new focus in Wynn-Okada feud TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. gaming regulators are investigating millions of dollars paid by affiliates of Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada's Universal Entertainment Corp to a former consultant for the Philippine gaming authority around the time the company was lobbying to win concessions for a $2 billion Manila casino. Twinkies maker Hostess plans to go out of business (Reuters) - Hostess Brands Inc, the bankrupt maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, said it had sought court permission to go out of business after failing to get wage and benefit cuts from thousands of its striking bakery workers. TNT Express sells airlines operations ahead of UPS takeover AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch delivery group TNT Express , which has agreed to be bought by U.S. rival United Parcel Service (UPS) , has conditionally sold its airlines operations to ASL Aviation Group. India investigates Wal-Mart over stake in local unit NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian authorities are investigating claims that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. violated foreign exchange rules when it invested $100 million in a domestic unit owned by its wholesale joint-venture partner, a law enforcement official said. Greek journalist to be tried again over Swiss bank list ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek journalist who published the names of more than 2,000 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts will stand trial again after a prosecutor appealed a decision to acquit him of breaking data privacy laws, court officials said on Friday. Related Video Market Pulse: Banks beaten, DAX retreatin' U.S. Morning Call: FedEx, UPS eyed in illegal drug probe Economic News On eve of "fiscal cliff" talks, positions harden Superstorm boosts jobless claims, hits factories A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today   » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend