Maintenance deals drive Micro Focus earnings beat

LONDON (Reuters) - Information technology company Micro Focus International  posted better-than-expected first-half core earnings after it moved towards more lucrative maintenance contracts, with fewer low-margin consultancy deals.The British mainframe software specialist posted a 3 percent rise in adjusted core earnings of $92.2 million on Thursday, ahead of analysts' average forecasts of about...

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Rona says looking to sell non-core assets

(Reuters) - Canadian home-improvement retailer Rona Inc , the target of a C$1.8 billion takeover proposal by U.S.-based Lowe's Cos Inc  earlier this year, said it expects to dispose of non-core assets and redeploy capital to leverage core assets.The company wants to improve its retail EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) margin in line with industry standards...

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Exclusive: U.S. likely to extend Iran sanction waivers-sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is likely to exempt India, South Korea, Turkey and others from Iranian financial sanctions for another six months on Friday as a reward for reducing crude purchases from the Islamic republic, two U.S. government sources said. Oil shipments by Iran have more than halved in 2012 in the face of U.S. and European Union sanctions aimed at cutting...

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Aetna reaches $120 million settlement over reimbursements

(Reuters) - Aetna Inc , the third-largest U.S. health insurer, has agreed to pay as much as $120 million to settle nationwide litigation over how it reimburses members for out-of-network medical services. The accord calls for Aetna to pay $60 million into a general settlement fund, plus as much as $60 million more, depending on how many people submit claims. Aetna...

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Scotiabank profit rises 31 percent on wholesale banking

(Reuters) - Bank of Nova Scotia  capped off the fourth-quarter earnings season for Canadian banks with a slightly stronger than expected 31 percent profit gain on Friday, as strong wholesale banking income made up for more sluggish international growth.Following the trend of most of its peers this quarter, profit gains were driven by trading and investment banking income, while domestic loan...

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