Financial news from Sweden, Norway, Finland, China, Italy, Canada, The Netherlands, Jordan, Ireland, Israel, Britain, Brazil, and (yes) Colombia follow:

*Covidien plc, the Irish maker of medical equipment, will acquire Israeli capsule endoscope developer Given Imaging for $30/sh under a deal signed yesterday with IDB Holding Co. This is a 15% premium to the price on Friday of GIVN on Nasdaq. The $860 mn purchase will add to COV's gastrointestinal offerings in a $3 bn global market. GIVN's PillCam is an endoscope you can swallow. I believe a former writer for our newsletter is a shareholder in GIVN; Mazel Tov to him.

*Ratos will collect the equivalent of SEK 400 mn in Norwegian kronors from the refinancing of SB Seating, a maker of quality well-designed Scandinavian ergonomic office chairs of which it owns 85%. They sell under the HÅG, RH, and RBM marques in 30 countries. RTOBF invested in the very profitable chair-maker in 2007 and before the payout had SEK 444 mn net investment. After the refinancing it wil still have a net investment of SEK 44 mn and a lot of cash to deploy elsewhere. Thanks to our Scandinavian reporter FH for this news.

*Borzhe moy. Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI) won a contract to build a new 2 mn metric tonne/yr hydrocracker at Russia's largest oil refinery run by JSC Gazprom Neft in Omsk (Siberia). It will use a FEED process licensed from Chevron Lummus. Price was not given but is huge. CBI is up.

*Israel's Delek Group said it is too early to estimate when and how the offtake of gas from the Leviathan field (which lives up to its name, being huge) will be liquefied and sold. The Israeli government is trying to limit or control gas exports. Operator Noble Energy of Texas wants to export to the max and appears to have leaked information that if the Israelis don't allow a huge offshore floating liquefaction plant to be built, developing the site will cost $8 bn and not be done until late 2017. The DGRLY denial or the NE rumors has pulled down its stock. Delek Group noted that the partnership developing the Leviathan license has not approved a plan or a budget. I put in a buy for more.

*Brazil's Vale (VALE) says it has no information to provide to investigators from Guinea on the iron mine it bought there from Israel's richest man, Beny Steinmetz. Conakry is investigating possible kickbacks to the former government when Steinmetz negotiated the concession starting in 2005 and got it in 2008. VALE bought half the venture from Steinmetz in 2010.

*Ecopetrol (EC) and its partner Talisman reported that the Akacias oilfield they are exploring is commercial viable and will dd 35 mnh bbls of reserves to each company's total. EC's half will produce c25,000 bbls/d by end-2015 and help achieve its 1 mn bbls target. Last week EC reported on another find in the same area (Llanos), the wholly-owned Cano Sur field.

*According to Reuters, Nokia is desperately trying to do a tax settlement for euros 270 mn with New Delhi to unfreeze its Indian assets so that they can be turned over the Microsoft next week.

*Also having tax problems is Paddy Power plc (PDYPF) which is an Irish operator of on-line and storefront bookie shops. Britain where most of its on-line customers live, is cracking down on the their failure to declare gambling winnings and pay taxes on them. Storefront bookies already withhold the tax. The Exchequeur wants to impose a 15% withholding tax on British on-line winners starting in a year. The risk is that the legit bookies like PDYPF will lose business to pure offshore sites.

*Scotia brokerage downrated Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS), its parent, to hold with a target price of C$68. This is either proof that a Chinese Wall exists or some analyst committing career suicide.

*Hikma Pharamaceuticals was rated buy by Jefferies with a target price of GBP 12.5.

*A2A SpA, the Italian ute, rose in Milan on completion of its euros 300 mn 10-yr bond issue. AEMMY.

*For mysterious reasons, news that China exported more failed to produce a gain at Guangshen Railway (GSH) which runs the train line between Guangzhou (Canton) and Shenzen where exports and those working for exporters normally travel. It fell 5.6% in Hong Kong today. The only alternative for goods is barges.

*HSBC, where I have my personal bank account, is following Santander (SAN). There is talk of its spinning off its UK bank to avoid British regulatory limits on putting its own funds at risk. HSBC moved to the UK when Hong Kong became Chinese. We used to own a Yankee bond from HSBC but sold it in advance when we were offered par. SAN meanwhile has raised money selling or spinning out minority positions in its global banking empire.

*GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Theravance are trying to get their fluticason fluoride-vilatanterol squirt treatment approved for US asthma patients based on new phase III trials. It is already approved for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

*Maria Eugenia Pichardo is not to blame for the failure of Mexican Equity and Income Fund to post its current Net Asset Value last week. MXE will announce its dividend and how it was generated today. Meanwhile its NAV when last tallied came in at $18.70 vs a price of $16.25. a 13/1% discount.