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Germany's Angela Merkel stressed the importance of Europe striking a free trade deal with the United States on Saturday, but added she would not allow the import of chlorine-washed chicken - a sticking point in negotiations. _0"> The United States and European Union are making headway on a free trade pact, but remain at odds over U.S. exports of beef and chicken that fail to meet tough EU safety standards. The European Union is closed to U.S. beef from cattle raised with growth hormones and to chlorine-washed chicken, which consumers fear make the food unsafe.   true       The United States sees EU food safety rules as veiled protectionism for European farmers and insists any restrictions be based on scientific evidence. "There will be no import of chlorine-washed chicken from the United States. I have prevented it for years and will continue to do so. There is no question about that," Merkel said during a European election rally speech in Worms in southern

Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding ( id="symbol_ROG.VX_0"> ROG.VX ) expects sales from its diagnostic division to grow faster in the United States than the market trend and it will not reduce prices despite reimbursement cuts in the U.S. health programme, an executive said. In April, the U.S. released final reimbursement rates for 2015 Medicare Advantage plans, which insurers and Wall Street analysts say represents a cut of about 3 percent. That comes after a year in which the government cut payments by about 6 percent. "Reimbursement will continue to come under pressure as all healthcare funding comes under pressure," Roland Diggelmann, chief operating officer of Roche Diagnostics Global, told Reuters in Dubai. "There are reimbursement reductions, but we also see an increase in testing volumes."   true       Roche's diagnostics class="mandelbrot_refrag"> business had sales worth 10.5 billion Swiss francs ($11.72 billion) last year, a

Investors this week will be watching the results of elections that could deal a blow to political parties that are key to reform efforts in the European Union and could also fan instability in class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Ukraine . The class="mandelbrot_refrag"> bonds of some struggling class="mandelbrot_refrag"> euro zone governments sold off last week as investors worried about expected gains for anti-EU parties in European Parliament votes in class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Greece and class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Italy . In class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Greece , a strong showing by parties opposed to the terms of its EU-led bailout may hurt the fragile coalition government, potentially paving the way for a new national vote.   true       In class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Italy , a poor result for Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's party could undermine his drive for swift reforms, which he promi

The world's largest hotelier, class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) ( id="symbol_IHG.L_0"> IHG.L ), has rejected a 6 billion pound ($10.1 billion) takeover offer from a U.S. bidder, Sky News reported, citing unidentified sources. _0"> Sky said IHG's board met a few weeks ago to consider the offer, but turned it down on the grounds it was too low. A spokeswoman for IHG, which runs 4,700 class="mandelbrot_refrag"> hotels with brands such as Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Intercontinental, declined to comment on the report.   true       Sky said the identity of the bidder was unclear, but cited analysts as saying it might have been Starwood class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Hotels & Resorts ( id="symbol_HOT.N_1"> HOT.N ) or a specialist investment fund such as Starwood Capital. Sky said IHG was braced for the bidder to return with a new offer, or for a rival suitor to come for

class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Chevron Corp ( id="symbol_CVX.N_0"> CVX.N ) is making the oil-rich Permian shale formation a top investment priority, aiming to turn its West Texas acreage into one of its top five assets by 2020, Vice Chairman George Kirkland said in an interview. The move is a return home of sorts for the second-largest U.S. oil company, which has operated in the Permian since the 1920s. But until now, it has been slow to follow rivals in West Texas who over the last five years have deployed new techniques to recover previously unreachable oil. "We have such a good acreage position and we're looking for a high production over a long period of time, Kirkland said. "In 2020, we'll be looking at (the Permian) as one of our top five assets in the whole company."   true       As part of a choreographed plan to show Wall Street it's serious about the Permian, Chevron is taking the rare step of holding its 2014 shareholde

Far be it from us to offer tips to class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Warren Buffett , the most celebrated stock picker of his age, but here goes: The Oracle of Omaha has suggested he will hunt for his next "elephant" - his favorite word for big acquisitions -- among energy companies. That could dovetail with the bet he made in 2009 when he bought Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, which has turned into an indirect play on the U.S. oil production renaissance: BNSF moves about a third of oil-by-rail, a surging segment of freight rail. So, we have some ideas. Reuters screened for U.S. and Canadian companies with relatively low debt and market capitalizations above $5 billion, among other criteria.   true       First, because Buffett's class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Berkshire Hathaway ( id="symbol_BRKa.N_0"> BRKa.N ) has about $49 billion to spend, he's said he's looking at capital intensive companies, which offer plenty of chan