The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog is reporting that Judge Emmet Sullivan appears to be uncomfortable with the settlements reached by the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with two telecom mergers, SBC-AT&T and Verizon-MCI. According to the post, Federal Judge Questions Two Telecom Mega-Mergers, Judge Sullivan issued an order observing that the two mergers "appear to be against public interest given the apparent loss in competition." Whether he will believes that the proposed settlements adequately address that loss remains to be seen.
According to Reuters, the FTC has announced that National Grid Plc may close its acquisition of KeySpan Corp. The article appears here. Reuters also reports that Kimco Realty Corp., which buys, develops, and operates shopping centers, intends to acquire Pan Pacific Retail Properties Inc. for $2.9 billion.
Mittal Steel Co. will not acquire "the outstanding minority stakes of Arcelor's two Brazilian subsidiaries" when it takes over Arcelor, according to this AP story. Lastly, OnWafer® Technologies announced today it has acquired the Plasma Management Division from Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.
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