COMPANIES

Italy's total capacity of the photovoltaic (PV) installations that turn sunlight into power has risen to 795.6 megawatts from 700 MW at the end of November, the state energy management agency GSE's data showed on Tuesday.

Bid-target Cadbury Plc stressed on Tuesday it had good support from its shareholders in repelling the hostile bid from Kraft Foods and should be able to deliver on its financial targets for 2010.

Sino-Forest Corp on Tuesday said it acquired Homix Ltd, a Chinese company engaged in research and development and manufacturing of wood products, for about $7.1 million, sending the forest operator's shares to a two-year high.

GM Europe's GM.UL Vauxhall and Opel car sales may fall as much as 5 percent in 2010, as tentative signs of economic recovery are offset by the end of scrapping incentive schemes, its CEO said on Tuesday.

Royal Bank of Scotland said investors were concerned a clampdown on bonuses would hamper its ability to retain staff and warned parliamentarians the rescued bank could find itself prisoner to market rates.

New home prices rose 0.4 percent in November for the fifth consecutive monthly gain, Statistics Canada said on Tuesday, adding to growing evidence that the housing market is leading Canada's economic recovery.

European carbon emissions futures dipped on Tuesday as investors sold permits to entice industrial companies into selling to drive prices lower, traders said.

The European Union should not impose border tariffs on goods from countries that fail to cut back their climate-damaging emissions, the EU's trade commissioner-designate said Tuesday.

Spain's capacity to generate hydropower and irrigate crops rather than having to import gas and grain has soared to well above average levels, according to the latest official data on Tuesday.

Fewer U.S. home sellers cut listing prices on their homes for a second straight month in December as home sellersrush to beat rising interest rates and an expiring tax credit, real estate website Trulia.com said on Tuesday.

Corus Entertainment Inc, Shaw Communications Inc, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd and Jim Pattison Group are considering investing in debt-laden media company Canwest Global Communications Corp, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported late on Monday.

American Airlines and its partners in the Oneworld alliance sweetened their offer to Japan Airlines to $1.4 billion to keep the struggling national carrier from joining hands with rival Delta Air Lines .

Ford remains opens to talks with potential bidders for its Volvo cars unit despite a commercial agreement on a sale with China's Zhejiang Geely, a Swedish business daily reported on Tuesday.

Cadbury Plc's union, Unite, will warn members of Britain's Parliament on Tuesday that a potential bidding war for the UK chocolatier will further undermine worker rights.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has called for enhanced inspections of more than 130 older Boeing 737 planes, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a safety directive that is likely to be issued on Tuesday.

Bank of America Corp is in talks with New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo's office to settle a probe on bonuses paid to Merrill Lynch executives, the New York Times reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

Toyota Motor Corp expects industrywide sales of 11.5 million light vehicles in the United States this year, said Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales, at the North American International Auto Show on Monday.

Top automotive industry executives gathered at the media preview for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, starting on Sunday.

U.S. automakers and officials at the Detroit auto show struck an optimistic yet cautious tone on Monday as they sought to put a toxic year of slumping sales and massive government aid behind.

China's auto market, which overtook the United States as the world's largest earlier this year thanks to a raft of policy incentives, has been a major bright spot amid a global industry downturn.

Ford Motor Co's (F.N) chief executive on Monday called the company's outlook for U.S. auto industry sales conservative, and said the automaker believes an upswing in December bodes well for its forecasts.

General Motors Co sent its clearest signal yet on Monday that none of the bidders for Saab had submitted an offer that would prompt the automaker to reverse a decision to shut down the Swedish luxury brand.

Britain's first commercial wind farm will be repowered, replacing its aging turbines with more efficient ones under an 11.8 million pound ($19.1 million) deal announced by Good Energy Group plc on Monday.

Chinese photovoltaic (PV) cell maker Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd said its unit, Jiangsu Linyang Solarfun Co Ltd, has received three contracts to supply 12.65 megawatt (MW) PV modules to projects in China.

TransAlta Corp said on Monday it is planning a C$100 million ($97.1 million) expansion to its New Brunswick wind farm after winning a 25-year power supply contract in the Atlantic Canadian province.

General Motors Co could post a profit in 2010 if the U.S. industry stages modest recovery but remains subject to the risk that the improving trend in the U.S. economy is reversed, the automaker's vice chairman, Bob Lutz, said on Monday.

General Motors Co will build a Cadillac version of its highly anticipated battery-powered Chevy Volt sometime in 2013 or later.

South Korea's LG Chem Co Ltd will sell rechargeable batteries for hybrid cars to Ford Motor Co from 2012, with the annual sales estimated to reach 500 billion won ($447 million), local media said on Monday.

The Obama administration plans on Monday to announce the selection of nine projects totaling $187 million aimed at improving the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks.