GERMANY

The European Commission is to hold a hearing on September 7 for interested parties to comment on Google's deal with publishers to make millions of books available online and its impact on EU writers' rights.

Germany's economics minister ruled out any attempt by General Motors to include an option to buy back majority control of Opel as part of a deal to give up over 50 percent of its German unit in exchange for state aid.

Former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, whose authoritative delivery of news events from the John F. Kennedy assassination to the Apollo moon landing and Vietnam War, made him the most trusted man in America, died on Friday at age 92.

Porsche SE's controlling families will agree on Thursday to accept an offer by Volkswagen to buy its sports car business Porsche AG for roughly 8 billion euros ($11.28 billion), Der Spiegel reported on Saturday.

The oldest man in the world, Henry Allingham, died at the age 113 during his sleep at St. Duntstan's care home in Ovingdean, England, his care home said Saturday, according to CNN.

Porsche SE's controlling families will agree on Thursday to accept an offer by Volkswagen to buy its sports car business Porsche AG for roughly 8 billion euros ($11.28 billion), Der Spiegel reported on Saturday.

Belgium-based investor RHJ International is offering 275 million euros ($388 million) for a majority stake in General Motors' Opel business in a last-ditch bid to beat early frontrunner Magna.

Germany has a preference for Canadian auto parts group Magna's bid for General Motors unit Opel, but the process of selecting a suitor is still open, a government spokesman said on Friday.

Belgian financial investor RHJ International offered 275 million euros ($387.6 million) for a 50.1 percent stake in General Motors' Opel business in a last-ditch effort to beat out rival suitors.

Belgian financial investor RHJ International offered 275 million euros ($387.6 million) for a 50.1 percent stake in General Motors' Opel business in a last-ditch effort to beat out rival suitors.

World stocks hit a one-month high on Friday on growing optimism that the earnings season may turn out to be better than expected, while investors set their eyes on giants such as Citigroup for clearer market trend.

Belgian financial investor RHJ wants Opel to break even in 2011 on an operating basis by closing the carmaker's Antwerp plant, idling production in Eisenach and cutting 3,900 jobs in Germany, a newspaper reported.

Hong Kong saw the volume of total goods exports fall 12.6% and that of imports drop 16.2% year on year in May, the Census & Statistics Department said on Thursday, adding that the volume of goods re-exports fell 11.8% while that of domestic exports dived 35.5%.

Wind power capacity in the United States increased by 8,558 megawatts in 2008 and $16 billion were invested in wind projects during that year making it the fastest-growing wind power market in the world for the fourth consecutive year, according to the 2008 Wind technologies market report from the Department of Energy released Thursday.

General Motors GMGMQ.PK will have a hard time overcoming Germany's resistance to a financial investor if it wants to sell Opel to RHJ (RHJI.BR) in the hope that it could later buy its European carmaker back.

Porsche SE on Thursday refused to cede victory to Volkswagen in a test of wills over who will control the automotive juggernaut the German carmakers aim to forge.

Chinese carmaker Beijing Automotive (BAIC) has lost more ground to rivals Magna and RHJ in the race to acquire control of Opel, several sources familiar with the situation said on Thursday.

World stocks hovered around flat on Thursday despite strong Chinese growth data that provided reassurance on the global economy as investors braced for the spate of U.S. and European corporate results due this week.

Germany dismissed a report on Thursday that RHJ International had overtaken Magna as the front-runner to take over carmaker Opel, saying the race remained wide open.

Sanofi-Aventis said on Wednesday a group of independent experts had concluded that studies highlighting a possible link between its Lantus diabetes drug and an increased risk of cancer were flawed.

Germany sees Canadian auto parts maker Magna as the front-runner to take over carmaker Opel, but it would reassess its position if another buyer for the General Motors subsidiary emerged, a government spokesman said on Wednesday.