IBT Staff Reporter

Shares of Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI) fell on Wednesday, a day after U.S. antitrust officials said they would seek to block the leading natural food retailer’s proposed merger with Wild Oats Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:OATS), the next closest competitor.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) is combining forces with Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), unveiling a much discussed partnership where Salesforce will resell Google's advertising tools to small and medium sized businesses.

Avaya, Inc. (NYSE: AV) can still consider other bids despite an $8.2 billion agreement to be taken private and there are interested parties, according to a Prudential analyst.

Shares of Guess?, Inc. (NYSE: GES) jumped nearly 6 percent on Wednesday, a day after the apparel and accessories maker reported a quarterly profit that beat analysts’ expectations, driven by strong growth across multiple business units.

A pair of private equity firms are the winning bidders for communications manufacturer Avaya, Inc. (NYSE: AV).

Subprime lender Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co. (NASDAQ: LEND) said Monday that it agreed to be acquired by a private equity firm for $400 million.

The world's second largest electronics contactor, Flextronics International Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLEX), will acquire smaller rival, Solectron Corp. (NYSE: SLR for $3.6 billion in a move that will help consolidate an industry plagued by manufacturing overcapacity, as it strives for the top position.

News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) chief Rupert Murdoch told reporters that he had a good meeting with Dow Jones & Co.'s controlling Bancroft family over his proposal to purchase the company for $5 billion.

Last week, Dr. Naresh Trehan, the top cardiologist at one of India’s largest corporate hospital groups, playing the role of a modern-day Moses, quit the research center he had led for the last 20 years, triggering an exodus of sorts, with about 50 doctors set to follow him to a rival hospital.

The communications ministry in Japan plans to tighten regulations for Internet-Protocol (IP) telephony, after a blackout incident affected millions of customers last month, according to a report.

The newest investor in India’s largest budget airline isn’t willing to let the business keep losing money. Prices will go up eventually, he says.

Spending by Japan's largest companies increased to a record first quarter, indicating that corporate sector strength is helping the world's second largest economy grow.

News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) is trying to persuade skeptics among the Bancroft family that it is sincere in its promise for editorial independence as part of the condition for buying Dow Jones & Co. Inc. (NYSE: DJ) according to published reports.

Private equity firm Blackstone Group L.P. agreed to buy privately held insurance brokerage Alliant Insurance Services, Inc., it said late Sunday.

Insurance Australia Group Ltd., Australia's largest auto and home insurer, ended three year talks to buy a stake in China Pacific Property Insurance Co., saying the company's parent resisted the move.

Korean Air Co. said on Monday that it would launch a low-cost carrier within three years, making it the largest Asian airline to target the budget aviation market.

Federal authorities said a plot by a suspected Muslim terrorist cell to blow up John F. Kennedy International Airport, its fuel tanks and a jet fuel artery could have caused unthinkable devastation.

Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) saw profits rise 20 percent in its fiscal first quarter, pushed by special gains, but sales declined at its major retail outlets.

Payless ShoeSource Inc.(NYSE: PSS), the largest U.S. shoe-store chain, said first-quarter profit rose 8 percent to beat analysts estimates, citing higher sales of women's footwear.

CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CNS), reported on Tuesday a 6.2 percent rise in May sales for its stores open for more than one year.

Shares of Cienea Corp. (CIEN)jumped more than 15 percent after the communications equipment maker posted profit and sales for the quarter that beat analysts’ estimates, and raised its outlook for the next quarter.

Shares of Novell Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) rose Thursday, a day after the network software maker reported a loss for its second quarter, in line with Wall Street estimates.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Japan fell to 3.8 percent from 4 percent, compared to the previous month, the government said Tuesday.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM) reported fiscal first quarter earnings that were better than analysts had expected, but the upscale cookware retailer also cut its second quarter outlook.

Clothing designer Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) posted a better than expected profit for its fiscal fourth quarter on Wednesday, citing strong sales in Europe and the United States.

Shares of online computer retailer CDW Corp. (NASDAQ: CDWC) rose on Wednesday, a day after it agreed to be acquired by private equity group Madison Dearborn Partners LLC for $7.3 billion in cash.

The Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE) said Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement that may improve its bid to acquire with CBOT Holdings, the parent company of the Chicago Board of Trade.

Biotechnology company Biogen Idec Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) said its board authorized a $3 billion buyback of about 57 million shares on Wednesday, sending shares more than 5 percent.

Shares of Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) fell more than 3 percent on Wednesday, a day after the bookseller posted another quarterly loss, seeing its deficit in the first quarter nearly doubled from the loss seen last year.