Reuters

(Reuters) - Blackstone on Monday raised its offer for Hipgnosis Songs Fund by a cent to $1.31 per share, valuing the music rights owner of artists such as Shakira and Red Hot Chili Peppers at $1.58 billion.

The revised offer in part reflects "Hipgnosis incurring lower adviser fees in respect of the transaction than previously expected", the private equity fund said in a statement.

Blackstone, which won Hipgnosis's board backing for the... (continue reading...)

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Microsoft will invest 33.7 billion Swedish crowns ($3.21 billion) to expand its cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Sweden over a two-year period, the U.S. tech group said on Monday.

The investment, Microsoft's biggest to date in Sweden, includes a pledge to help train some 250,000 people with AI skills, corresponding to 2.4% of the population that will help boost the Nordic country's competitiveness, it added.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's consumer price index (CPI) in May rose 11.8% from a year earlier, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday, the lowest reading in 30 months and below the finance ministry's projections.

The lowest reading comes a week before the central bank meets to review the key rate which has remained at a historic high of 22% for seven straight policy meetings.

Pakistan has been beset by inflation... (continue reading...)

(Reuters) - Thai entertainment platform GMM Music on Monday said Tencent and Tencent Music Entertainment will acquire a 10% stake in the company, valuing it at $700 million.

(Reporting by Adwitiya Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

By John Irish

PARIS (Reuters) - European governments say Russia is spreading disinformation before the European Union holds an election to the European Parliament form June 6-9.

They say the actions of Moscow and pro-Kremlin actors are part of a wider campaign of interference designed to discredit European governments and destabilise the EU.

Moscow rejects the allegations.

WHAT DOES ALLEGED RUSSIAN... (continue reading...)