By Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Momentum is building among Republican lawmakers for legislation to prevent a credit default by the United States, suggesting they will fight hard for spending cuts when Congress debates another increase in the nation's debt limit this summer. More than 60 fiscal conservatives in the House of Representatives now support so-called "prioritization" legislation. Prioritization would direct the Treasury to pay the interest and principal on U.S. ...

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela, 94, has been discharged from hospital after a nine-day stay for treatment of pneumonia, the office of the presidency said on Saturday. "(He) has been discharged from hospital today, 6 April, following a sustained and gradual improvement in his general condition," it said. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; editing by Andrew Roche)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc made a binding offer for Life Technologies Corp on Tuesday as private equity firms raced to finalize a consortium to take the genetic testing equipment maker private, several people familiar with the matter said. Thermo Fisher met a bid deadline on Tuesday but private equity firms working on a joint bid missed it and were working late into the evening to secure the equity required to support an offer, the people said. ...