GERMANY

Malaysian loss-making car-maker Proton Holdings expects to reverse a long and painful slide in its domestic market share with the launch of a new model from January.

European shares fell on Wednesday with financial stocks lower on renewed concern about the extent of the credit crisis. This offset gains in oil stocks while investors turned cautious ahead of U.S. economic data.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has made an official request for help to Germany's Justice Ministry in its investigation into suspected bribery and corruption at Siemens, a newspaper said.

Bayer Schering Pharma, the drug business of Germany's Bayer AG, expects its revenues in Asia to rise by around 17 percent to more than 1.9 billion euros.

Deutsche Boerse declined to comment when asked on Tuesday whether the group was interested in U.S. Nasdaq Stock Market Inc's stake in London Stock Exchange.

Companies showed signs of shrugging off the caution that has enveloped the world economy since a credit crisis broke, as investors looked on Tuesday to U.S. data to gauge the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate cut.

Germany's IKB said on Monday it would return to its small-company lending roots, and expects to lose nearly $1 billion this year after its U.S. subprime investments turned sour.

China said on Monday none of its massive foreign exchange stockpile was invested in the teetering U.S. subprime mortgage sector, while a top EU official predicted the crisis would not choke off economic recovery.

Asian stock markets took a breather on Monday with Tokyo's Nikkei slipping on fresh concerns about the economy, and the yen traded in a small range in a session likely to be dulled by the U.S. Labor Day holiday.

Gaz de France and Suez on Monday cleared the way to create the world's third-largest electricity and gas company after their boards approved the revised terms of a politically charged merger.

Manufacturers of satellite navigation devices are loading up their gadgets with features from audio sightseeing guides to three-dimensional city views as they seek to differentiate themselves in a crowded market.

German drug maker Merck KGaA's Merck Serono unit won European Commission approval to market a new formulation of its Rebif drug to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis, the company said on Thursday.

One week into the Federal Reserve's effort to grease the rusty wheels of the U.S. credit system, Wall Street is wondering just who needs the money because there's no line at the window.

A Microsoft document format that may be adopted as an international standard this weekend is a ploy to lock in customers, who could lose control over their own data in a worst-case scenario, critics say.

Video-sharing Web site YouTube has met with harsh criticism in Germany for hosting clips that incite racial hatred, according to a news report due to be broadcast on German public TV late on Monday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged European Union nations on Monday to accept a greater share of defense spending to cope with escalating global threats.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged China on Monday to do more to halt climate change, prompting the response that the developed West has been polluting the skies for much longer than the newly developing Chinese.

India's Dr Reddy's Laboratories and Ranbaxy Laboratories said on Monday they are seeking acquisitions, and analysts said both drug makers could target U.S.-based Bradley Pharmaceuticals.

Three Asian banks' heavy exposure to the limping U.S. home loan sector reinforced global credit wobbles on Friday but Germany, France and Italy saw no signs of new problems.

The owners of stricken state lender SachsenLB aim to sell the German bank quickly after its near collapse under heavy losses from U.S. subprime mortgages and other risky debt, sources familiar with the matter said.

Three Asian banks' heavy exposure to the limping U.S. home loan sector reinforced global credit wobbles on Friday but Germany, France and Italy saw no signs of new problems.