COMPANIES

The battle to take over Canada's biggest telephone company, BCE Inc., may not be over yet, with other suitors saying they are considering their options, The Globe and Mail reported on Monday.

Wesfarmers Ltd., which owns Australia's largest hardware chain, has agreed to buy retailer Coles Group Ltd. for A$20.7 billion ($17.7 billion) in cash and stock, in the country's biggest takeover.

Austrian biotech firm Intercell won a deal to sell shares and rights to its vaccine technology to drugmaker Novartis for 270 million euros ($363 million), pushing its stock to all-time highs on Monday.

McDonald's Corp will convert its British delivery fleet to run on biodiesel made from its own recycled cooking oil, the firm said on Monday in a statement.

Morgan Stanley has applied to buy up to 10 percent of Chinatrust, Taiwan's largest credit card issuer, local media reported on Monday.

General Motors Corp. said on Monday its 2 billion yuan ($263 million) engine plant in south China will begin production in August.

Bear Stearns Cos. may take until July 16 to tally losses at two struggling hedge funds that invested in risky mortgage-related securities, The Wall Street Journal Online reported on Monday.

Universal Music Group, the world's largest music company, has declined to sign a long-term deal with Apple Inc.'s iTunes music store, leaving open the possibility for exclusive deals with other services, an industry source said on Sunday.

Honda Motor Co. is keen for its share of rapidly-growing markets like India and China to increase, its chairman said on Sunday, but Japan's second biggest auto maker is not in a hurry to enter the new battleground for very cheap small cars in India.

The LU biscuits division of French food group Danone is due to meet trade union representatives on Tuesday to discuss possible changes at LU, a trade union source said, amid rumors the unit might be sold.

Even if a U.S. jury deliberating the fate of Conrad Black decides to acquit him, the toppled media mogul is likely to spend a lot more time in court.

Trading in the shares of Australian retailer Coles Group Ltd. and conglomerate Wesfarmers Ltd. was halted on Monday for talks on a bid by Wesfarmers for Coles that could be worth up to A$20.7 billion ($17.7 billion).

The Cathedral of Commerce once again is living up to its nickname.

Struggles will come despite long-term growth in demand due to a glut of capacity.

British cable operator Virgin Media has appointed Goldman Sachs to seek a possible buyer after it received approaches from various private equity firms, people familiar with the situation said on Sunday.

Airline unions, still nursing wounds after a bruising six-year clash with cash-strapped carriers, are getting ready to reclaim lost wages and benefits for workers, as well as some lost clout for themselves.

Walt Disney Co.'s animated movie 'Ratatouille' opens on Friday against strong competition from better-known franchise films, drawing early industry skepticism that it can match its predecessors' success and posing a challenge for Disney.

Bain Capital will buy UK-based food service company Brakes from private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, the companies said on Friday.

BCE Inc., Canada's largest telecommunications group, has agreed to a C$51.7 billion ($48.5 billion) offer from a group including the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, in what the purchasers said was the largest buyout in Canadian corporate history.

The earnings prospects of Chinese commercial banks are clouded by their excessive reliance on interest income and sub-standard internal controls, top domestic and overseas bankers said on Saturday.

Kuwaiti logistics provider Agility said on Saturday it was part of a group with U.S. firm Dyncorp International which won a $50 billion deal from the U.S. military.

A protracted bidding war for Australian retailer Coles Group Ltd. closed on Saturday, with conglomerate Wesfarmers Ltd. presenting a bid that could be worth up to A$19.7 billion ($16.7 billion) for the whole company.

Boeing Co. has been awarded an 11-year, $2.02 billion contract for 242 wing sets for the Air Force's A-10 fleet designed to support ground troops, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The fast-food chain is experimenting - profitably - to create a more restaurant-like, eating experience.

Advances in media and technology give teenagers and kids an advantage in making better ads.

U.S. securities regulators on Friday sued a partnership and one of its founders, alleging they made bogus offers to buy such well-known entities as Sony Corp. and Playboy Enterprises Inc. in an effort to manipulate their stock prices.

U.S. telecommunications company AT&T Inc. said on Friday it will buy rural wireless carrier Dobson Communications Corp. for $2.8 billion in cash to expand its reach in rural and suburban markets.

KBR Inc. and its former corporate parent Halliburton Co. have been sued by four women claiming they suffered sexual harassment and, in two cases rape, by co-workers while working for KBR in Iraq, the Houston Chronicle reported on its website Friday.

United Auto Workers union members have approved a deal that gives Delphi Corp. concessions on wages, benefits and plant closings that the auto parts maker has said it must have to exit bankruptcy.