BNP Paribas Profit Lifted By Klepierre Stake Sale 

France's largest bank by market value posts a 10% rise in 1Q net profit to €2.87 billion, aided by a capital gain from the sale of its shares in real-estate firm Klepierre.

 
Argentine Congress Approves YPF Takeover Bill 

Argentine lawmakers approve a bill giving President Cristina Kirchner the green light to seize a 51% stake in the country's largest oil and gas producer, YPF, from Spain's Repsol.

 
RBS Posts Wider Net Loss As It Shrinks Balance Sheet 

RBS posts a wider net loss of £1.52 billion in the 1Q, as the bank is hit by an accounting charge and continues to wrestle with losses in Ireland.

 
Hutchison Whampoa's €2B Eircom Bid Rejected 

Hutchison Whampoa's €2 billion bid for Irish telecommunications company Eircom, which is in supervised credit protection, is rejected by a court-appointed examiner, Bloomberg News reports.

 
Swiss Re Swings To A Higher-Than-Expected Net 

Swiss Re reports much better-than-expected earnings for the 1Q, driven by an increase in premiums and a good result from investments, marking a strong turn around from the year-earlier period.

 
CLP Says IPO, Sale Among TRUenergy Options 

Power generator CLP Holdings weighs a full sale of its TRUenergy unit in Australia among other options, including an IPO, which is seen valued at $3.1 billion.

 
Facebook Targets $96B Value 

Facebook sets an IPO price range of $28 to $35 a share, valuing the company at up to $96 billion, in what would be a record technology debut.

 
SK Hynix Drops Elpida Bid 

South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix won't proceed with a bid for ailing Japanese chipmaker Elpida Memory, which it saw as too costly.

 
Goldman Sachs Takes Steps To Protect Bond Turf 

Goldman Sachs prepares to roll out a bond-trading platform on which it will charge lower fees than on typical bond trades, people familiar with the matter tell The Wall Street Journal.

 
Qantas Cuts FY13 Capex, Delays A380 Deliveries 

Qantas cuts its capital expenditure budget for the next financial year after delaying the delivery of two Airbus A380 superjumbos.

 
Hong Kong Tycoon Walter Kwok Arrested By Antigraft Agency 

Hong Kong's Sun Hung Kai Properties says Walter Kwok, its former chairman and the eldest son of the company's founding family, was arrested by the city's antigraft agency in connection with a bribery probe.

 
Yahoo Admits Error On CEO Resume 

Yahoo admits Chief Executive Scott Thompson doesn't have the academic credentials that the company said he did, a statement that came after the company's chief critic questioned his credibility and character.

 
AIG's Profit More Than Doubles 

American International Group's 1Q profit grows to $3.21 billion, driven by improved results at its core insurance operations and changes in the value of two major holdings.

 
LinkedIn To Buy SlideShare; Profit Surges 

Professional-networking site unveils plans to buy presentation service SlideShare through a cash-and-stock deal valued around $118.8 million, after 1Q profit soars to $5 million, or 4c a share.

 
Kraft Profit Rises But Margins Weaken 

Packaged-food giant's 1Q earnings rise to $813 million, or 46c a share, as higher prices help boost revenue, though increased input costs continue to weigh on margins.

 
Samsung Unveils Galaxy S III To Challenge iPhone 

Samsung Electronics unveils a faster, larger version of its flagship smartphone, aimed at sustaining its strong growth in advanced cellphones and avoiding an escalation of a global patent dispute with Apple.