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EU antitrust body OKs Liberty Global’s Dutch deal

By WTOP Staff

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s antitrust authority has granted conditional approval to Liberty Global PLC’s proposed 10 billion-euro ($13 billion) deal to fully take over Dutch cable operator Ziggo NV.

The EU Commission said Friday the acquisition may go ahead provided Liberty sells one pay TV channel and changes its broadcaster contracts to ensure it won’t abuse its market position to undermine competition.

Liberty — the cable firm chaired by American tycoon John Malone — announced its plan to buy the 71.5 percent of Ziggo it doesn’t already own in January to merge it with another major Dutch cable provider it owns, UPC.

The Commission says selling premium pay TV channel Film1 and allowing broadcasters to offer their services over the Internet will ensure sufficient competition in the Dutch market.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Emergency guide: What you should do to prepare for emergencies

By WTOP Staff
WASHINGTON — Do you know what you'd do if an emergency hits? What if you're at work, your spouse is stuck in traffic and your children are in school? There's no way to plan for every emergency, but you can make sure you're prepared for different scenarios, including making a plan for your family and building a kit of emergency supplies.
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