COMPANIES

British Airways cabin crew have decided not to strike over the Easter holiday period, even if staff do decide to walk out, a Unite spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday.

A storied UK confectioner could be getting new owners soon if shareholders agree to a deal recommended by its board of directors today.

Spanish demand for power will likely take three to four years to recover to pre-crisis levels, but that will allow investment to switch from generation to distribution, an industry spokesman said on Tuesday.

Chrysler Group LLC will recall 24,177 vehicles due to a potential defect in a brake system that could result in sudden brake failure, the automaker said in a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Japan's Trade Ministry changed the terms of its car scrappage incentive scheme on Tuesday to include vehicles imported from the United States, after complaints from Washington that U.S. vehicles were being excluded.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer, said on Monday it would resume talks with trade unions on Tuesday to end a blockade at its Belgian breweries, aiming to resolve a dispute over job cuts.

Canadian precious metals exploration company Exeter Resource Corp said on Tuesday its board has approved a plan to spin out its Cerro Moro gold-silver project in Argentina into a new company.

Molina Healthcare Inc said it agreed to buy the health information management business of Unisys Corp for about $135 million in cash, to expand Molina's services and product offerings beyond managed care.

Kraft Foods agrees a deal to buy Cadbury on Tuesday for around 11.9 billion pounds ($19.55 billion) by increasing its overall bid and offering more cash in an offer that was recommended by Cadbury's board.

Investment firm Genii Capital said liquidators had yet to start removing vital assets from Swedish carmaker Saab's facilities, and said it remained upbeat about its chances of buying the loss-making firm from General Motors.

Japan Airlines Corp filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, owing more than $25 billion, and vowed to slash 15,700 jobs and unprofitable routes as it tries to survive volatile fuel costs and fickle flyers.

Japan Airlines Corp filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday owing more than $25 billion, and vowed to slash 15,700 jobs in an effort to survive in an industry hit by volatile fuel costs and fickle flyers.

As Japan Airlines nears a likely bankruptcy, two of the largest global airline alliances could see a shift of JAL from the OneWorld Alliance, which includes American Airlines, to the SkyTeam alliance, which is headed by Delta Airlines and Air France-KLM Group.

Toyota Motor Corp aims to double its global output of gas-electric hybrid cars to 1 million units in 2011, as it fights to stay in the lead in the growing market for low-emission cars, the Nikkei business reported on Monday.

Dutch luxury car maker Spyker Cars said on Monday it was still in talks to buy Swedish auto brand Saab from General Motors, but gave no indication of when a deal might be clinched.

Opel management called on staff to abandon any false illusions that parent General Motors was the root cause of the ailing European carmaker's problems and accept its own shortcomings.

Volkswagen's light commercial vehicles (LCV) unit warned the industry has not yet escaped last year's violent market downturn, the maker of the all new Amarok pickup said on Monday.

The world's southernmost wind farm has been opened in Antarctica, the first in what could be a number of renewable energy projects aimed to lower the frozen continent's reliance on diesel for power.

Alberta's new energy minister would face more flak from the very oil industry he is trying to mend fences with if he tried to regulate the pace of development in the Canadian province's vast oil sands, analysts said on Friday.

UK-based carbon offset aggregator Camco International Ltd grew its cash balance to 28 million euros ($40.3 million), the firm said in a trading update on Monday, but faces a steep climb to reach its 2012 offset inventory goal.

The Unite union will open a strike ballot for BA cabin crew on January 25 after talks with the airline failed to secure a deal on changes to working conditions, potentially prolonging the winter of travel chaos.

Cadbury shares edged upwards on Monday in anticipation of a higher bid from Kraft Foods, while one major shareholder, Standard Life, said Kraft needed to bid over 900 pence to get its support.

President Nicolas Sarkozy grilled top managers of carmaker Renault on Saturday but failed to win pledges from them to center production of their new small car at a factory in France rather than in Turkey.

The British government still hopes to make a profit from its multi-billion-pound rescue of major British banks during the financial crisis, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Saturday.

Germany's biodiesel industry sees rising demand in 2010 from oil companies for blending with fossil fuels, the head of Germany's bioethanol industry association said on Friday.

General Motors Co disclosed on Friday that director Stephen Girsky is receiving compensation worth $900,000 per year plus expenses to act as a special adviser to Chairman and Chief Executive Ed Whitacre.

Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson paid millions of dollars in kickback payments, including disguised pay-offs, to nursing home pharmacy company Omnicare Inc to prescribe its drugs to patients, U.S. federal attorneys alleged on Friday.

Tata Consultancy Services glided past street estimates with a 33 percent rise in quarterly profit as demand for outsourcing surged and prices stabilised, fuelling hopes of recovery in the showpiece sector.

General Motors' German unit Opel appointed a new management team on Friday led by Nick Reilly as chief executive and a close ally, Mark James, as finance chief.