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Egypt pushes for high voter turnout http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27570653 Egypt pushes for high voter turnout May 27, 2014 3:05 PM The BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo: "This election feels like a formality, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi looks guaranteed an easy win" Polling in Egypt's presidential election has been extended, in an effort to effort to encourage a high turnout on the final day of voting. A public holiday has been declared, and voters have been warned they will be fined if they do not cast a ballot. The scale of turnout is seen as key to legitimising the winner. Former military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is the clear frontrunner. He is standing against only one other candidate, left-winger Hamdeen Sabahi. Unofficial results are expected hours after polls close at 22:00 (19:00 GMT). It is the second presidential election since the 2011 revolution which toppled Hosni Mubarak. The previous elected President, Islamist Mohammed Morsi, was deposed b...

IMF warns banking reform is too slow http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27588394 IMF warns banking reform is too slow May 27, 2014 11:50 AM Christine Lagarde said financial firms still prize profit over prudence Banking reforms aimed at preventing another financial crisis have failed to make enough progress, the boss of the International Monetary Fund has warned. IMF managing director Christine Lagarde blamed a combination of the complexity involved, industry lobbying and "fatigue" for the delay. "The industry still prizes short-term profit over long-term prudence," Ms Lagarde said at a conference on the future of capitalism. She called for tougher global rules. Ms Lagarde said some of the biggest problems were with the so-called "too-big-to-fail firms", banks whose collapse would cause such a big knock-on effect on the wider economy that governments were still expected to rescue them. She said a recent IMF study indicated that such banks were sti...

Led Zeppelin face copyright fight http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27497950 A legal dispute faces the band Led Zeppelin over the song Stairway to Heaven, widely seen as one of the greatest rock compositions of all time. The copyright infringement action is being taken on behalf of late guitarist Randy California, who played on the same bill as Led Zeppelin in the 1960s. His lawyers say that he should be given a writing credit on the 1971 track.

Credit Suisse helped 'tax cheats' May 20, 2014 2:17 AM Credit Suisse pleads guilty - a rarity in big bank settlements in the US The Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse has pleaded guilty to helping some US clients avoid paying taxes to the US government and agreed to pay a $2.6bn (£1.5bn) fine. It is the biggest bank to plead guilty to criminal charges in the US in more than 20 years. US attorney general Eric Holder said the bank helped US "tax cheats dodge US taxes". Credit Suisse said in a statement it deeply regretted the past misconduct. The bank said the settlement would reduce its second-quarter net profit by 1.6bn Swiss Francs ($1.8bn; £1bn). However, as part of the agreement with US regulators, the bank will not lose its banking license in the US. The bank's chief executive, Brady Dougan, said: "Having this matter fully resolved is an important step forward for us. We have seen no material impact on our business resulting from the heightened pu...