Litigation Funder Considering Funding Claims Against Tesco 

Litigation funder IMF Bentham and U.S.-based investment adviser Elliott Management are considering funding claims of some shareholders in Tesco, which has come under fire for actions that led to a $413 million overstatement of its forecast fiscal-first-half profit.

 
EE Confirms Talks With BT 

U.K. mobile operator EE says it is in exploratory talks with BT Group PLC, but cautioned that it is too early to state whether any transaction may occur.

 
Samsung to Sell Stakes in Chemical, Defense Units 

Samsung Group said it will sell controlling stakes in its chemical and defense units for $1.7 billion as South Korea's largest conglomerate continues restructuring moves ahead of an expected leadership succession.

 
Justice Department Probes Possible HSBC Leak 

The U.S. Justice Department is said to be investigating allegations that an employee of HSBC Holdings leaked confidential client information to a major hedge fund.

 
Bank of America Gets Short Term Waiver on Hedge-Funds 

Bank of America can continue selling shares in hedge funds and other private offerings after U.S. securities regulators gave the bank a short-term waiver from certain restrictions triggered by a recent fraud settlement.

 
Discover Sues Visa Over Debit-Card Practices 

Discover Financial Services filed a lawsuit in federal court against Visa, accusing its card-network rival of anticompetitive practices in its debit-card business.

 
Kraken Bitcoin Operator to Help Liquidate Mt. Gox 

San Francisco-based Payward, operator of the Kraken bitcoin exchange, will help the collapsed Mt. Gox exchange investigate the loss of hundreds of thousands of bitcoins and manage the process of paying back its creditors, the companies said Wednesday.

 
China Opens Military Supplies to Private Firms 

The People's Liberation Army is allowing private companies to bid on contracts to supply a wide range of equipment and services in a move to cut costs and give private firms a bigger role.