In Wednesday's Europe papers

26 December 2007 06:00  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--These were the top stories at 06:00 GMT in the following European newspapers’ online versions on Wednesday. To go to the individual websites, click the links below:

Financial Times 

Front page

Merrill gets cash injection by Temasek

Merrill Lynch sold most of its middle-market commercial finance business to General Electric and confirmed a $6.2bn (€4.2bn) investment by Temasek Holdings of Singapore.

Thai parties get down to coalition-building

Thailand’s political parties got down to hard political bargaining on Monday after allies of Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed former prime minister, emerged from weekend elections as the largest party in the new Parliament, but short of an absolute majority.

Business

Xmas Eve gains for leading shares

The handful of European equity markets open for business on Christmas Eve made modest gains in predictably thin seasonal volumes.

US data energises Asian stocks

Asian stock markets continued their recovery on Monday as an encouraging report on US consumer spending drove up exporters and manufacturers that are dependent on American demand.

International Herald Tribune

Front page

Thaksin ready to return to Thailand

With his backers claiming victory in a parliamentary election, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Tuesday that he was prepared to return to Thailand after being ousted in a coup 15 months ago.

US aid plan for tribal areas in Pakistan is threatened

Weeks before it is to begin, an ambitious American aid plan to counter militancy in Pakistan's tribal areas is threatened by important unresolved questions about who will monitor the money and whether it could fall into the wrong hands, according to American and Pakistani officials and analysts familiar with the plan.

Marketplace

Realizing the non-stick chewing gum dream

Terrence Cosgrove, a professor in this town in western England, imagined a world where chewing gum did not stick to sidewalks and shoes, theater seats or hair.

Italy considers the once-unthinkable: letting foreigners buy Alitalia

When British Airways experimented a decade ago with removing the Union Jack from the tail fins of its planes, few of the company's executives seemed to have anticipated the public outcry that would ensue.

The Moscow Times

Front page

Its not just gift giving for Ded Moroz

Ded Moroz doesn't seem to get any respect. Children and adults are demanding a lot more than gifts these days from the old bearded man and his constant companion, Snegurochka, or the Snow Maiden.

Scorpions give spies a Perestroika ballad

It is a rock ballad inseparable in the popular consciousness from the collapse of the Communist bloc.

Business

Gazprom, state top picks for '08

Every new year starts with a few good resolutions, most of which are soon lying by the wayside. But investors in Russia will be hoping that the government keeps its promises, as they bank on big infrastructure spending to fuel stocks in the year ahead.

VimpelCom, Golden in $4.3bn (€2.9bn) deal

VimpelCom, the country's second-largest mobile phone operator, announced Friday that it would acquire fixed-line and Internet firm Golden Telecom for $4.3bn, a deal that could give it a head start over its rivals in providing one-stop services.

Der Spiegel 

Front page

Battle in the corn fields

Not even three million people live in the US state of Iowa. But on January 3, voters there will determine the fate of those seeking to become America's next president.

Despite investments, Rhine Salmon face a difficult migration

It's tough times if you're a salmon trying to migrate up the Rhine. Despite recent improvements, the river is still unpassable for fish in several stretches.

Turkish Daily  

Front page

Plan of attack that never was

The intelligence community provided 'explicit warning' on Turkish military move on the island of Cyprus, but the US could take no preventive action because it faced arguably the worst political turmoil in its history, the Watergate scandal.

Christmas in a sad urban shadow

Father Dositheos Anagnostopoulos of the Patriarchate of Istanbul describes the shanty settlements around the historic Ayia Evangelistras Greek Orthodox Church in Dolapdere neighborhood as a sociological phenomenon and says, ‘inhabitants of this area are mostly from the lowest income groups.

Business and finance

UK home prices fall the most in three years

UK house prices fell the most in three years in December, and the threat of more declines may cause the property market to seize up in 2008, Hometrack said.

China mulls Rio Tinto options

China has sanctioned state-owned companies to examine three possible strategies to block BHP Billiton's proposed takeover of mining giant Rio Tinto, a report said yesterday.

Warsaw Business Journal

Front page

Poland's EU borders lifted as Schengen comes into effect

At midnight Poland joined the Schengen area, enabling the public to travel freely from Estonia to Portugal without border controls.

Skotan to build massive biofuel plant with Agrar Technik

Skotan, the listed fuels and biofuels distributor, said it has teamed up with Agrar Technik (AT) of Germany, the world's number three biodiesel engineering firm.

Business

AmCham awards three firms

The Americam Chamber of Commerce in Poland (AmCham), handed out its yearly business accolades during its fifth awards ceremony on December 10.

P&G to invest $100m

FMCG producer Procter & Gamble (P&G) will invest a total of $100m (€69m) in Poland, according to Marek Kapucinski, the company's local executive.

By: Staff Reporter
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