COMPANIES

As a decision looms over GM's controversial plan to sell its Hummer unit to a little-known Chinese firm, the two Chinese regulators in charge of approving the deal seem to be on opposite sides of the road.

Steven Rattner will leave as head of the U.S. autos task force, which oversaw bankruptcies at General Motors Corp and Chrysler Group, at a time when a probe into how the private equity firm he co-founded gained New York pension business has intensified.

British Airways said on Tuesday the timing was not right to raise funds in a rights issue, but it was looking at other options to improve its battered balance sheet.

McGraw-Hill Co. owned BusinessWeek is up for sale after the publication's advertising revenue plummeted nearly 30 percent.

Germany's Software AG said it will bid 15 euros in cash per share for IT consultancy group IDS Scheer and has agreed to buy out the two biggest shareholders that control nearly half the company.

General Motors Co, which plans to wind down the Pontiac brand, is considering bringing the Pontiac G8 full-size sedan into the Chevrolet brand, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said on Monday.

Steven Rattner will depart as head of the U.S. autos task force that oversaw unprecedented bankruptcies at General Motors Corp and Chrysler Group, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Monday.

After helping steer General Motors and Chrysler out of bankruptcy, the head of President Obama's Auto Task force is stepping down, with an existing administrator taking over.

Aerospace companies are likely to post mixed quarterly results as weak airline traffic, pressure on aircraft orders and the latest delay of Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner weigh on parts suppliers.

Fans of HBO shows such as the 'Sopranos' and 'The Wire' can now watch them online if they are Comcast Corp subscribers, in the latest move by the cable TV industry to make TV programs available on the Web.

Ricardo Lacerda, Citigroup's top investment banker for Brazil and Latin America, will leave his post within the next three months, a local newspaper reported on Monday.

Blackstone will not raise its stake in India's Nagarjuna Construction Co through warrants after the plan failed to get regulatory approval, the second time the private equity firm has hit a regulatory hurdle in the country.

McGraw-Hill Cos Inc is trying to sell BusinessWeek magazine, a source told Reuters on Monday, at a time when magazine advertising sales are slumping and would-be buyers for newspapers and magazines are scarce.

Hainan Jiaxin Investment Management Co (Jiaxin), Hainan Airlines' fourth largest shareholder, has cut its stake in the carrier by 2.25% to 1.61%, which is a signal of the Grand China Air's listing, local newspaper reported on Monday citing an insider with Hainan Airlines.

RHJ International (RHJI.BR) declared its interest in Opel on Monday and Qatar looked to be moving closer to a 7 billion euro bailout of Porsche (PSHG_p.DE), raising the stakes in the battles for control of both German carmakers.

The European Union plans to finalise a $100 billion trade pact with South Korea by the end of the year, the prime minister of EU president Sweden said on Monday.

Philips Electronics, Europe's biggest consumer electronics maker, said some of its key markets are primed for an upturn in sales, though any growth this year would likely be driven by government spending programs.

Ford Motor (F.N) launched a new $500 million passenger car plant in southeast Thailand on Monday, a move aimed at raising its share of a lucrative small car segment in Asia dominated by Japanese firms.

Workers at collapsed French car parts maker New Fabris threatened on Sunday to blow up their factory if they did not receive payouts by July 31 from auto groups Renault and Peugeot to compensate for their lost jobs.

In the century since Henry Ford rolled out his first Model T -- the world's first mass-produced, affordable car -- in 1908, America has been the world's No. 1 auto market.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge gave General Motors Corp permission on Monday to buy several assets of bankrupt auto parts supplier Delphi Corp as part of a deal with a private equity firm that could take Delphi out of bankruptcy.

The Chicago Cubs baseball team may file for Chapter 11 in order to speed its sale by bankrupt media company Tribune Co , two sources familiar with the process said on Monday.

Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments has purchased 40 percent of Daimler AG's stake in electric-car start-up Tesla Motors Inc, with the aim of launching a joint venture, Aabar said on Monday.

Canadian copper miner Quadra Mining Ltd said quarterly production at its Nevada-based Robinson mine and Arizona-based Carlota mine was below expectations, and cut its full-year production outlook for both mines.

Barclays has hired mergers and acquisitions banker Mark Todd from Citigroup, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday, the latest in a string of hires as the British bank beefs up in European M&A.

Valero Energy Corp said Monday a gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit at its 287,000 barrel-per-day Port Arthur, Texas refinery was back at planned rates following a Friday malfunction.

Aberdeen Asset Management said on Monday it had agreed to sell former Credit Suisse funds with 858 million pounds ($1.38 billion) in assets to Premier Asset Management.

Roche Holding AG's Tarceva cancer drug improved the survival of patients with advanced lung cancer when used immediately after initial chemotherapy, the Swiss group said on Monday.

British Airways has not ruled out a major rights issue to help shore up its balance sheet but analysts see such a move as an absolute last resort and one that could destroy management credibility.