David Rubenstein

Led Zeppelin, Dustin Hoffman and David Letterman were among seven performers honored for their lifetime contribution to US culture at a glittering awards ceremony late Sunday that is the climax of Washington's social calendar.

Actor Dustin Hoffman and rock band Led Zeppelin are among those to be honored by Washington's Kennedy Center later this year, the prestigious performance hall said Wednesday.

Sharp Corp. shares jumped on Friday after a frenzy of reports said the troubled Japanese consumer electronics giant would sell key operations -- and court new investment -- as it struggles to survive.

Ellen DeGeneres has been named the 2012 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Ellen DeGeneres has been named the 2012 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The 54-year-old DeGeneres is the host of the daytime talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She will be presented with the 15th annual award at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on October 22. The ceremony will be taped for a later broadcast, TheWrap.com reported. ?The Kennedy Center is happy to recognize Ellen DeGeneres' unique contributions to the world of comedy,? said David M. Rubenstein, chairman of the Kennedy Center. ?Through her television programs, stand-up appearances, movies, and even commercials, her special brand of humor has allowed us to find hilarity in the mundane and has kept us laughing for years.? Responding to the news, DeGeneres said: ?It's such an honor to receive the Mark Twain Prize. To get the same award that has been given to people like Bill Cosby, Tina Fey an

Sony has little chance of winning back its reputation as an innovator or vaulting ahead of stronger rivals with the "ordinary" turnaround plan its new chief unveiled last week, analysts said.

Berlin (Reuters) - They may have had Bob Geldof as headline speaker, but as private equity executives headed home after their annual industry gathering in Berlin, many acknowledged they still had much to do to repair their image as unscrupulous corporate raiders.

Berlin (Reuters) - They may have had Bob Geldof as headline speaker, but as private equity executives headed home after their annual industry gathering in Berlin, many acknowledged they still had much to do to repair their image as unscrupulous corporate raiders.

(Reuters) - Blackstone Group LP <BX.N> co-founder Stephen Schwarzman got about $213.5 million in salary, share of profits and cash distributions from his holdings in the world's largest private equity firm in 2011, up 33 percent from the previous year.

Shares in Japanese microchip maker Elpida Memory plunged over 20 percent Wednesday after the firm said there were concerns over whether it remained a "going concern" amid fierce competition in the sector.

A copy of the Magna Carta, the English royal manuscript setting out the rights of man, is to be displayed at the US National Archives in Washington from February 17, after a year of restoration work.

A copy of the Magna Carta, the English royal manuscript setting out the rights of man, is to be displayed at the US National Archives in Washington from February 17, after a year of restoration work.

Chastened leaders of the global business elite admitted Wednesday that the Western free-market model has come up short and faces being shoved aside by emerging power state capitalism.

Leaders of the global business elite were confronted on Wednesday with the fear that the Western model of capitalism has failed and is about to be shoved aside by emerging powers.

(Reuters) - The billionaire co-founder of Carlyle Group private equity company is donating $7.5 million to restore the Washington Monument, which has been closed since it was damaged by an earthquake in August.

(Reuters) - The billionaire co-founder of Carlyle Group private equity company is donating $7.5 million to restore the Washington Monument, which has been closed since it was damaged by an earthquake in August.

The National Zoo in Washington announced Monday it had received a $4.5 million donation from a rich US benefactor which will fund a five-year study into preservation of the giant panda.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Zoo was given $4.5 million by a philanthropist on Monday to fund its giant panda program, which faces a lack of cubs produced by its two adults, the zoo said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The heads of two of the world's most powerful private equity firms issued a dire report on the U.S. economy on Wednesday, signaling problems for political leaders and their own firms' ability to realize profit on their portfolios.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Actress Meryl Streep will add another honor to her illustrious career as one of the five artists recognized by the Kennedy Center for their contribution to culture.

NEW YORK/BANGALORE (Reuters) - Private equity company Carlyle Group filed for an IPO on Tuesday, a long-awaited move to catch up with rivals Blackstone, KKR and Apollo, but the volatility of global markets means an offering is unlikely until the first half of 2012.