Biz Buzz

LONG ISLAND

Misonix lands overseas deals

Misonix Inc., the Farmingdale ultrasonic surgery tool maker, has new overseas agreements to distribute its products in Algeria and Thailand, the company said. Misonix tools are used for neurosurgery, as well as cosmetic, spinal and laparoscopic surgery. The Algerian agreement is for a two-year period giving distribution rights to Sarl Excellence Sante, of Algiers, for the SonaStar Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator and the BoneScalpel Ultrasonic Bone Cutter. The Thailand agreement is for three years, giving exclusive BoneScalpel distribution rights to JPL Medical Co. Ltd. of Bangkok. Misonix shares rose 10 cents to $2 Wednesday. -- Joseph Mallia

Fed grants for LI group homes

Two Long Island groups will receive a total of $4.9 million to buy and renovate properties into homes for people with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Wednesday. Almost $3.2 million has been allocated to Options for Community Living, a Smithtown-based nonprofit that helps people with special needs. The money will go to buying and fixing five group homes that will each serve three low-income residents with chronic mental illness, according to the group's proposal to HUD. The funds will also pay for support services for the residents. The other agency, Brookville-based AHRC Nassau, is slated to get more than $1.7 million. The nonprofit will buy two properties and turn them into group homes for disabled people who have reached 21, aging out of their current residences before they can live independently. Each home will accommodate six people and a live-in staff manager.

-- Ellen Yan

FiOS plans to air MSG in HD

Manhattan-based Verizon Communications said Wednesday it planned to begin making high-definition versions of MSG and MSG+ sports channels available to its FiOS customers by mid-December. The announcement comes after the Federal Communications Commission last week upheld an earlier ruling ordering Madison Square Garden to sell high-definition versions of its MSG and MSG+ regional sports channels to Verizon. A federal appeals court also denied MSG's request to stay the ruling last week. The decision also allows AT&T access to the programming. The rulings stem from a complaint Verizon and AT&T filed against MSG and Bethpage-based Cablevision. Cablevision owns Newsday. Cablevision and MSG plan to petition the court again for a stay. "A forced sharing of offerings only deters companies from investing and innovating," Cablevision said yesterday in a statement. Verizon spokesman John Bonomo said it would be "astonishing" if a Long Island company continued to deny Long Islanders the MSG programming. -- Carrie Mason-Draffen

NATION

Citigroup may cut 3,000 jobs

Citigroup Inc. is the latest bank seeking to trim costs with a smaller workforce. The Manhattan-based bank is considering cutting 3,000 or more workers, which would amount to about 1 percent of its workforce worldwide. A person with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday a decision on the timing and number of cuts hasn't been finalized, but the reductions could exceed 3,000 in the next year or so. About 900 of the cuts would be in the company's securities and banking division, which serves institutional clients. The rest would be spread throughout various departments. The person familiar with the situation said some employees have already been notified of the cuts. The person did not know how many of the potential cuts would in the United States. In September, Bank of America said it would cut 30,000 jobs, representing 10 percent of the Charlotte, N.C. bank's workforce. -- AP