UPDATE 1-Pearson H1 profit up, raises education sales forecast

(Reuters) - LONDON, July 30 - Book and newspaper publisher
Pearson reported a sharp rise in first half profits on
Monday and raised its full-year sales forecast for its core
professional education business to growth of 5-7 percent.




The company, which also owns the Financial Times, had
previously forecast flat sales for the professional education
business.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

UPDATE 1-Vodafone mulls $160 bln bid for Verizon - report

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 16 - Wireless telecommunications company Vodafone Group Plc has been considering a $160 billion takeover bid for Verizon Communications Inc. , the Financial Times reported on Monday on its Alphaville Web site.



The report triggered a 12.5 percent jump in Verizon's share price in pre-market trade.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

UPDATE2-Dow Jones rival bid plan may include family-reports

(Reuters) - One option for GE and Pearson would be to allow the
Bancroft family to keep a 20 percent stake in the company,
reported the Financial Times, which is published by Pearson.




Selling Dow Jones, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, to
GE and Pearson, would be a better journalistic fit than News
Corp., but there is "no rush" to examine the plan, an
unidentified Bancroft family member told the Financial Times.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News