COMPANIES

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Franco-American telecoms gear maker Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA) sees no negative surprises in the coming months and has no plans for further hard belt-tightening, Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper quoted the company's chief executive as saying.

LONDON (Reuters) - The synthetic hormone Livial, designed as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy, makes it significantly more likely a woman's breast cancer will come back, Dutch researchers said on Tuesday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian electronics company IPTE (IPTE.BR) reported a sharp drop in fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday and said it would continue restructuring in readiness for a difficult 2009.

ANTANANARIVO, (Reuters) - Madagascar's armed forces said on Tuesday they were ready to fulfil their duties if a bitter power struggle that has killed about 125 people is not resolved quickly.

STUTTGART/WASHINGTON - Daimler swung to a hefty loss, hit by exposure to Chrysler, and Opel and Saab braced for news of General Motors' survival plan, as European carmakers saw their fates tied closely to their U.S. peers. As GM and Chrysler put the finishing touches to blueprints showing how they will pay back billions of dollars of government loans, Chrysler's German ex-owner Daimler said it...

TORONTO, (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Tuesday he is not concerned about the possibility of General Motors Corp (GM.N) moving out of Canada as the Detroit-based company restructures its operations.

Vodafone, the world's largest mobile phone group by revenue, believes competition will continue to increase in Spain but is not concerned and believes it is on the right track.

SAO PAULO - Brazil's stocks and currency sank on Tuesday, dragged down by fresh concerns that the recession in the United States is worsening and that Washington's efforts to shore up the economy may not be enough.

LONDON - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) posted a 14.3 percent drop in fourth-quarter operating income at its international businesses, hit by the stronger dollar, but said underlying growth was solid, led by the UK, China and Brazil.

Daimler swung to a hefty loss, hit by exposure to Chrysler, and Opel and Saab braced for news of General Motors' survival plan, as European carmakers saw their fates tied closely to their U.S. peers.

On Tuesday two oil flowstations operated by Royal Dutch Shell Nigeria's Niger Delta were attacked by gunmen three security sources said, Reuters reported.

PHILADELPHIA - Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc, Donald Trump's casino group, is expected to file Tuesday for bankruptcy, The Wall Street Journal reported. The company's board was scheduled to meet late Monday night to decide whether to authorize the filing, the newspaper reported in its online edition. Otherwise, the casino operator would be forced into bankruptcy involuntarily by creditors, t...

Negotiators for General Motors Corp and the United Auto Workers union, staring down a Tuesday deadline for the struggling automaker to submit a plan for its survival to the U.S. government, were making progress in high-stakes talks aimed at cutting GM's costs and debt, a person familiar with the matter said.

On Monday US fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken said in a bid to boost the deep recession affecting Britain and Ireland it would create 9,000 jobs by 2014

Before the first biker ever tattooed a Harley-Davidson logo on his arm, before Apple ever inspired the first MacHead to swear she would never -- ever -- marry a Windows user, Deere & Co was creating one of the enduring corporate cults.

As cash-strapped U.S. consumers think twice before buying a coffee or a newspaper, and banks fight for survival, Visa Inc and MasterCard Inc are cutting costs to sustain earnings.

Merrill Lynch is shifting a majority of its contracts from troubled Indian software firm Satyam Computer Services Ltd to rival Tata Consultancy Services, the Economic Times reported on Monday.

With the hot toy of 2009 likely being anything that carries a modest price tag, the two biggest U.S. toy companies, Mattel Inc and Hasbro Inc, are reassessing their lineups.

On Friday, ThyssenKrupp AG, Germany's largest steelmaker, reported a hefty loss of 63 percent in the fiscal first quarter.

On Friday Part-nationalized Lloyds Banking Group said its HBOS unit made heavy losses last year due to a bigger-than-expected rise in unpaid loans, wiping a third off its value and raising fears more state help will be needed.

Chrysler LLC is making progress in talks with creditors and the United Auto Workers union on a restructuring plan required under a federal bailout, a senior Chrysler executive told Reuters on Friday.

On Thursday Coca-Cola Co. announced a 18 percent drop in its fourth-quarter due to the impact of the stronger dollar.

The pessimism on the efficiency of the $789 billion stimulus package in short term led to a fall in oil prices the lowest in years.

Viacom Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit fell 69%, hurt by weakness in advertising sales at MTV and other cable channels, and the company said ad revenues are likely to get worse in 2009 before they get better.

Starbucks Corp is implementing is cost cutting plans by closing underperforming stores and laying off staff.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc shares rose 10 percent following a higher-than-expected quarterly profit report paving a positive outlook for 2009.

On Wednesday Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc beat expectations by reporting a quarterly profit after excluding items.

On Tuesday the co-head of UK corporate broking firm, Merrill Lynch, announced his resignation with effect from end of April.

Oil prices approach $42 as investors eyed an $800 billion-plus U.S. stimulus package aimed at increasing oil demand.