The Media

U.S. files to block AT&T deal for T-Mobile USA - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Wednesday filed to block AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of wireless rival T-Mobile USA because of anti-competitive concerns.

The Justice Department said the acquisition would "remove a significant competitive force" with AT&T and T-Mobile competing in at least 97 of the top 100 U.S. wireless markets, according to court papers obtained by Reuters.

Blocking the acquisition on antitrust grounds would deal a blow to the telecommunication giant's expansion plans.

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Judy Greer to play Ashton Kutcher's ex on "Men" sitcom - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ashton Kutcher has found his source of heartache. Or at least his "Two and a Half Men" character, Walden Schmidt, has.

Judy Greer, who starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom "Mad Love," has landed the recurring role of Bridget, Schmidt's estranged wife, on "Two and a Half Men," an individual with knowledge of the production confirms to TheWrap.

As reported earlier, Kutcher will play a heartbroken Internet billionaire on the series, which is scheduled to make its Charlie Sheen-less debut on September 19. (The same night, perhaps not so coincidentally, that Sheen's Comedy Central roast airs.)

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Wall St expected to open Monday - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. stock market will open for a normal trading session on Monday, although with lower volume expected and some delays in opening hours, despite damage from Hurricane Irene.

The New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Stock Market and the alternative BATS venue said they will start the week as usual. IntercontinentalExchange said Monday openings for some U.S. options products will be delayed by one hour.

Subway service resumed at 6 a.m. on Monday, although Metro-North commuter rail service was still closed, stranding many who normally commute in from Connecticut and New York suburbs.

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France eyes financial transaction tax deal at G20 - Yahoo! News

PARIS (Reuters) - France wants concrete results for a controversial international tax on financial transactions at November's G20 summit of leading economies, Finance Minister Francois Baroin said in remarks published on Sunday.

Francois Baroin and his German counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble met in Paris on August 23 with a view to tabling a joint proposal to their European Union partners in September.

European banks have poured scorn on the idea of a financial transaction tax, a long-standing French proposal, saying it would not stabilize markets.

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IMF sees no new recession but risks rising: Lipsky - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The IMF's updated forecasts to be released next month do not foresee a global recession but risks have risen, a senior International Monetary Fund official said on Friday.

"I can say that our base case is certainly not a recession," IMF First Deputy Managing Director John Lipsky told CNBC television. "There's no doubt however that risks have risen given the weak performance in many economic data in the last few months," he added.

Lipsky said rising risks to the global economy reflected a lack of confidence in policymakers' ability to rein in debts.

He urged both the United States and Europe to develop credible medium-term fiscal plans to boost confidence in their ability to cut their debt levels.

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Bernanke seen stopping short of pledge for QE3 - Yahoo! News

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (Reuters) - Those expecting Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to pull a rabbit from his hat at a retreat for central bankers here on Friday may be in for a letdown.

His opening remarks at 8 a.m. local time, (10 a.m. EDT) will be widely watched by financial markets hoping for some indication the U.S. central bank is prepared to step in to support an economic recovery that could be stalling.

Bernanke, however, is unlikely to announce a third round of Fed bond buying. The Fed has already bought $2.3 trillion in longer-term securities -- a policy known as quantitative easing. Its most recent program, dubbed QE2, ended in June.

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Warren Buffett to invest $5 billion in Bank of America - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK/CHARLOTTE (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway will invest $5 billion in Bank of America, stepping in to shore up the company in the same way he helped prop up Goldman Sachs during the financial crisis.

Bank of America shares rose 24 percent to $8.65 in early trading, erasing a large part of the stock's August losses.

"This helps with the credibility gap that I think has existed in the minds of some shareholders. It reiterates the point that the balance sheet is healthy. They needed an endorsement in the market and they got it," said Jon Finger, managing partner of Finger Interests in Houston.

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BofA shares decline in early trading - Yahoo! News

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp shares fell as much as 6.2 percent in morning trading Tuesday amid fears that the largest U.S. bank by assets will need to raise capital to absorb billions in mortgage losses.

"It's a death by a thousand cuts. Why would anyone want to own a stock that has a negative headline everyday?" said Paul Miller, bank analyst with FBR Capital Markets.

Bank of America shares fell as low as $6.01 before rebounding slightly. But they were still down 4.5 percent to $6.11, outpacing a drop in the KBW Bank Index <.BKX> and a slight rise in the broader S&P 500 Index <.SPX>.

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Japan signals readiness to intervene in currencies - Yahoo! News

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will take decisive action against any speculative moves in the currency market, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said, signaling Tokyo's readiness to intervene to stem further yen rises after its spike to a record high last week.

Noda said he saw recent yen rises as even more one-sided than before and that Tokyo would exchange information closely with other countries regarding currencies, suggesting it would stay in frequent contact with its Group of Seven partners.

"We will watch markets even more closely than before to see whether there is any speculative activity. We won't rule out any measures and will take decisive action when necessary," Noda told reporters on Monday.

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Dinosaurs, the human mind on Disney's Pixar slate - Yahoo! News

ANAHEIM, California (Reuters) - The animators at Walt Disney Co's Pixar unit will explore dinosaurs and the inner workings of the human mind in two upcoming movies, studio executives told a gathering of fans on Saturday.

The films remain untitled and few details were unveiled. The dinosaur movie will tell a story that takes place "if the asteroid missed the Earth and dinosaurs continued to live," said director Bob Peterson, who co-directed the previous Pixar release "Up."

Peterson said he was inspired by animatronic dinosaurs he saw as a child during a visit to a world's fair. The movie is set for release in 2013.

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