Marketplace

Time to play 'What's private equity buying now?'

Canada's largest phone company, for one. This weekend, a couple U.S. firms teamed up with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan to buy phone company BCE for almost $52 billion. It's the biggest buyout in Canadian history.

And private equity has its eye on Britain's biggest cable operator, Virgin Media. Times of London telecom editor Elizabeth Judge says there's a potential bid brewing worth at least $10 billion.

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As if traveling wasn't expensive enough

The new U.S. passport laws have been a headache for many Americans hoping to travel to Mexico or Canada. Now, a congressional inquiry reveals all those shiny new passports may have been sprinkled with a little price gouging. Americans may have been overcharged by as much as $100 million a year. Each passport may have cost $14 more than it costs to produce. And now a couple of senators are calling for the government to account for those charges.

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A loonie Lego price dispute

In Canada, Wal-Mart stores are ending their relationship with toymaker Lego. The Wall Street Journal reports on a disagreement over pricing, thanks to a stronger Canadian dollar -- affectionately called the loonie. The Canadian government asked retailers to drop prices as the loonie appreciated -- that meant retailers had to ask their suppliers to cut wholesale prices. But Lego apparently wouldn't... let go.

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Upcoming layoffs lead to strike talk at Thompson-Reuters

Reporters for the one of the world's biggest news wire services are talking about a walkout.
The Thomson-Reuters news staff are considering a strike in response to an upcoming round of job cuts. The downsizing has been expected since the London-based Reuters merged with Canada's Thomson Corporation last year. Management is expected to announce which positions will be axed within the next couple of weeks.

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