SWEDEN

The Canadian government repeatedly refused to help Nortel Networks over the past year as the telecom equipment maker fought to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection, a senior Nortel executive told a parliamentary committee on Friday.

Eyeing a better price, U.S. auto maker Ford Motor Co is slowing down the bidding process for its Volvo car unit, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a person close to the company.

Canada will not make a decision on whether to review Nortel Networks' $1.13 billion sale of wireless assets to Sweden's Ericsson until after a 21-day appeal period is complete, Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement said on Wednesday.

Microsoft Corp has started accepting submission of mobile phone software applications from registered developers.

Sweden's Ericsson has won an auction for the wireless assets of bankrupt Nortel Networks Corp, paying $1.13 billion for the crown jewels of the one-time Canadian telecom star.

Rich countries should immediately mobilize billions of dollars in development aid to the poorest nations to win their trust in the run-up to global climate talks in Copenhagen, a draft EU report says.

Sweden's Ericsson has won an auction for the wireless assets of bankrupt Nortel Networks Corp, paying $1.13 billion for the crown jewels of the one-time Canadian telecom star.

Nortel Networks Corp and bidders for its wireless division were sequestered on Friday in a New York law office as the company, once a symbol of Canada's technological prowess, moved to complete the first stage of its own dismantling.

Nortel Networks Corp, a former Canadian tech icon with roots going back to World War One, started selling key assets on Friday in an auction process that has already polarized opinion and sometimes reads like a soap opera.

Germany called a French idea to slap carbon tariffs on products from countries that are not trying to cut greenhouse gases a form of eco-imperialism and a direct violation of WTO rules.

Canadian officials have begun researching whether and what kind of foreign purchases of Nortel Networks assets might be subject to government restrictions, Industry Minister Tony Clement said on Thursday.

A senior member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party on Tuesday urged Israel not to build more settlements, warning it risked political suicide if it continued to do so.

The United States and India said on Monday they had agreed on a defense pact that takes a major step toward allowing the sale of sophisticated U.S. arms to the South Asian nation as it modernizes its military.

European Union officials visiting Azerbaijan protested on Monday at the arrest of two opposition bloggers, a case seized on by rights groups concerned over shrinking freedoms in the oil-producing state.

Stellar earnings from U.S. banks have raised expectations that European rivals will follow suit in the next month, although rising bad debts have the potential to douse that optimism.

The European Parliament elected ex-Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek as its president on Tuesday, making him the first leader from a former Soviet bloc country to hold one of the top European Union posts.

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.

Sprint Nextel Corp said it would pay Ericsson $4.5 billion to $5 billion to manage its network under a 7-year deal in which 6,000 Sprint workers will move to Ericsson. Sprint shares rose 4 percent.

Sony Corp has no plans to buy out Ericsson's stake in their loss-making mobile joint venture Sony Ericsson, said Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer on Thursday.

The first day of the meeting will group the leaders of the Group of Eight -- United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, Canada and Japan -- plus European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and current EU president Sweden.

The leaders of the Group of Eight -- United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, Canada and Japan -- plus European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and current EU president Sweden gathered in Italy to discuss the end of recession, financial regulation, Doha trade round.