TYSON COMPLETES TENDER OFFER FOR HILLSHIRE

Tyson Foods has completed its tender offer for Hillshire Brands, paving way for the completion of the meat industry's biggest-ever deal later today, the companies said.

VIVENDI FAVORS TELEFÓNICA FOR GVT UNIT

Vivendi said it had entered exclusive talks with Telefonica to sell its Brazilian unit GVT, after the Spanish telecom giant sweetened its bid to EUR7.45 billion in cash and shares, besting for now a rival proposal from Telecom Italia.

DOLLAR GENERAL REAFFIRMS FAMILY DOLLAR BID

Dollar General reaffirmed its bid to buy Family Dollar Stores, maintaining the antitrust feasibility of its proposal. It also reported its sales for the quarter ended Aug. 1 climbed less than expected, while its bottom line matched projections.

GERMANWINGS PILOTS SET TO STRIKE

Deutsche Lufthansa said a strike by pilots of its budget subsidiary Germanwings, set for tomorrow, appeared inevitable after talks with the pilots' trade union over retirement benefits failed to achieve a compromise.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES REPORTS WIDER LOSS

The parent of Malaysia Airlines reported a wider net loss in the second quarter as revenue was hurt by the disappearance of Flight 370 in March.

CSR REJECTS TAKEOVER APPROACH

U.K. semiconductor company CSR said it had rejected a takeover approach from larger U.S. rival Microchip Technology, in the latest move by firms in the industry to seeking greater heft through deal-making.

ABERCROMBIE SALES DISAPPOINT THOUGH EXPENSES DROP

Abercrombie & Fitch's fiscal 2Q sales declined more than expected, but the teen-apparel retailer indicated it has posted a modest improvement since displaying its back-to-school line. Shares fell 4%.

CHINA'S CITIC SECURITIES NET PROFIT NEARLY DOUBLES

China's Citic Securities said that first-half net profit rose 93% from a year earlier, because of a consolidation of two companies, higher revenue from securities brokering and investment gains.

KPMG FACES CRITICISM FOR ESPIRITO SANTO AUDIT WORK

In KPMG's Lisbon office, few clients provided as much audit work as the Espirito Santo Group. The collapse of the family-owned empire is now raising questions about whether KPMG should have detected problems earlier.

DEUTSCHE BANK FINED BY U.K.'S FCA

Deutsche Bank's London branch was fined $7.8 million by the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority for putting the wrong buy and sell markers on millions of transactions in regulatory reports.

ICBC FIRST-HALF NET PROFIT UP 7%

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, the country's largest lender by assets, reported its slowest first-half net profit growth since 2009 as soured loans continued to pile up on its books.

QANTAS POSTS RECORD $2.65 BILLION LOSS

Qantas Airways laid the groundwork for a deep-pocketed foreign investor to take a stake in its international business after booking the biggest loss in its history.

CHINA HUARONG ATTRACTS STRATEGIC INVESTORS AHEAD OF IPO

Goldman Sachs, Warburg Pincus and six other investors will pay 14.54 billion yuan or $2.35 billion for a combined 21% stake in China's largest bad-debt manager, at a time when slowing economic growth provides more soured Chinese loans to pick from.