Europe Intelligence Wire articles from August 2006

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from August 2006

CBS says it's replaced GM for 'Survivor'.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) DETROIT (AFX) - CBS says it has a new sponsor to replace General Motors Corp.'s advertisements on the hit reality show "Survivor." The world's largest automaker confirmed Wednesday that it would no...

CBS has new sponsor for "Survivor".
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) DETROIT (AFX) - CBS says it has a new sponsor to replace General Motors Corp.'s advertisements on the hit reality show "Survivor." The world's largest automaker on Wednesday confirmed that it would no...

Dow closes down 2, Nasdaq finishes off 2.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - Wall Street ended an aimless session barely lower Thursday after investors shrugged off comments about productivity by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and awaited the government's August...

Judge orders generic Plavix pulled.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - A federal judge blocked sales of a generic version of blood thinner Plavix Thursday while he considers the merits of a claim that a Canadian pharmaceutical company improperly entered the market....

Ford puts Aston Martin brand up for sale.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) DETROIT (AFX) - Aston Martin, the icon of luxury sports cars made famous in James Bond movies, has been put up for sale by the struggling Ford Motor Co., the company said Thursday. Ford said in a statement...

Duke to buy power from Indiana wind farm.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) PLAINFIELD, Ind., (AFX) - Duke Energy Corp. has agreed to buy up to 100 megawatts of electricity generated by a northern Indiana wind farm that's set to become the state's first large-scale wind farm when it...

Judge orders generic Plavix pulled.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - A federal judge blocked sales of a generic version of blood thinner Plavix Thursday while he considers the merits of a claim that a Canadian pharmaceutical company improperly entered the market....

Lockheed Martin wins NASA contract.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) WASHINGTON (AFX) - NASA on Thursday gave a multibillion dollar contract to build a manned lunar spaceship to Lockheed Martin Corp., the aerospace leader that usually builds unmanned rockets. The nation's...

Monster to sell TMP North America.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - Monster Worldwide Inc., parent company of jobs site Monster.com, said Thursday it agreed to sell its TMP Worldwide Advertising & Communications business in North America to private equity firm...

Judge halts sales of generic Plavix.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - A federal judge blocked sales of a generic version of blood thinner Plavix Thursday while he considers the merits of a claim that a Canadian pharmaceutical company improperly entered the market....

Judge halts sales of generic Plavix.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - A federal judge blocked sales of a generic version of blood thinner Plavix Thursday while he considers the merits of a claim that a Canadian pharmaceutical company improperly entered the market....

Hurricane debris could be fuel source.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) ORLANDO, Fla. (AFX) - Instead of throwing tree limbs and other vegetation into landfills following hurricanes, Floridians may be able to turn the debris into ethanol, state Agriculture Commissioner Charles...

Body parts scandal has patients worried.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) (AFX) - For the second time in a year, people who received tendons, cartilage and other parts from donated cadavers are being urged to get tested for hepatitis and the AIDS virus because of scandals involving...

Illinois clinics get $1.86M settlement.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AFX) - A $1.86 million settlement reached with makers of prostate cancer drug Lupron will be distributed to 19 health clinics in the state, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office...

Dow closes down 2, Nasdaq finishes off 2.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - Wall Street ended an aimless session barely lower Thursday after investors shrugged off comments about productivity by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and awaited the government's August...

Intergraph agrees to $1.3 billion buyout.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AFX) - Intergraph Corp., a maker of mapping software, on Thursday said it has agreed to be acquired by an investor group led by private equity firms Hellman & Friedman LLC and Texas Pacific...

ITC announces Samsung investigations.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) WASHINGTON (AFX) - The U.S. International Trade Commission on Thursday announced it has voted to begin an investigation of selected Samsung cellular telephone handsets and other devices based on a complaint...

Silver surges, hits 3-month high.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - Silver futures surged to their highest level in three months Thursday, as analysts cited good investment demand a day after the amount of metal held by an exchange-traded fund climbed above 100...

Money funds fall in latest week.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - Assets of the nation's retail money market mutual funds fell by $1.06 billion in the latest week to $917.70 billion, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday. Assets of taxable money...

Roche: ITC ends anemia drug investigation.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NUTLEY, N.J. (AFX) - Swiss-based pharmaceuticals and diagnostics company Roche Group said Thursday the International Trade Commission ruled in its favor in a patent dispute, deciding to end the investigation of...

Millicom acquires majority stake in Ola.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BOGOTA, Colombia (AFX) - Luxembourg's Millicom International Cellular SA purchased a majority stake in Colombian mobile phone operator Ola with a bid of US$480 million (euro370 million) at an auction Thursday....

Wendy's to distribute Tim Hortons stock.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) DUBLIN, Ohio (AFX) - Fast food chain Wendy's International Inc., which spun off its Canadian coffee, doughnuts and sandwich business Tim Hortons Inc. earlier this year, said Thursday its board approved the...

Planned Colorado call center to hire 500.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) DENVER (AFX) - IAC/InterActiveCorp's PRC business unit said Thursday it will open a customer service call center in suburban Englewood with 500 employees, mostly new hires. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based PRC...

Woman takes stand in hormone lawsuit.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) LITTLE ROCK (AFX) - A Benton breast-cancer patient suing the drug maker Wyeth, claiming the company's hormone-replacement drug Prempro caused her illness, told federal jurors Thursday about her chemotherapy...

RBC Bearings OKs stock buyback plan.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) OXFORD, Conn. (AFX) - RBC Bearings Inc., which makes ball bearings for industrial and military uses, approved a stock buyback plan Thursday worth up to $7.5 million. The program is effective immediately and...

Airwaves auction passes $13.5B total.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) WASHINGTON (AFX) - T-Mobile USA, a subsidiary of German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom AG, remained the only bidder to exceed $4 billion in the federal airwaves auction that added about $500 million...

Shop around to cut grocery costs.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - It's the grocery shopper's dilemma -- where can you find the freshest lettuce and the quickest checkout line and still save money? Consumer Reports says in its latest issue that a survey of...

Northrop Grumman Wins Navy Deal.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) WASHINGTON (AFX) - The Navy said Thursday it awarded a nearly $96 million contract for destroyer design work to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp., the world's largest...

Lockheed Martin wins NASA contract.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX UK (Focus)) WASHINGTON (AFX) - NASA on Thursday gave a multibillion-dollar contract to build a manned lunar spaceship to Lockheed Martin Corp., the aerospace leader that usually builds unmanned rockets. The nation's space...

HIGHLIGHTS - "Solidarnosc" Anniversary Fails to Reconcile.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The people of "Solidarnosc" were unable to reconcile during the anniversary of the historical events taking place in Stocznia Gdanska in 1980. 26 years ago an agreement with the governing authorities was...

INBRIEF.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Although officially the vetting trial of the former Deputy PM and Finance Minister Zyta Gilowska was finished yesterday, the court will issue its verdict on Wednesday. It admitted that the case "is very...

Leaders Snub Each Other at Solidarnosc Celebration.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The 26th anniversary of the historical events in Stocznia Gdanska turned out to not be a good opportunity for President Lech Kaczynski and Poland's former top authority Lech Walesa to shake hands. They...

Rokita: PiS Offered Me PM's Post Many Times.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) One of the Civic Platform (PO) leaders Jan Rokita said that Law and Justice (PiS) politicians offered him the PM's post many times. He said that he never considered them as "serious political proposals". He...

Polish PM and Russian Ambassador Discuss Ban of Food Products.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Following a meeting held on 31 August with Russian Ambassador in Poland Vladimir Grinin, PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski stressed that there are no objective reasons for the chill in relations between Warsaw and Kremlin....

Raw Material Companies Discontent, Indexes Fluctuate.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) After a promising beginning to the WSE session, which was tied to the optimistic data concerning economic and investment growth published by the Central Statistical Office (GUS), investors decided to realise...

PM Kaczynski Wants to Change EU Rules.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski would like to change the EU rules regarding public funding. The proposal would involve a redrafting of the treaty and could be harmful for Poland. "I am in favour of a system in which...

Balcerowicz: Inflation to Rise above 2.5 Percent in 2007.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The President of the National Bank (NBP) Leszek Balcerowicz warned that the inflation rate might exceed the inflationary target set at 2.5 percent in 2007, unless the Monetary Policy Council (RPP) decides to...

Subsidies for Entrepreneurs Uncertain.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture (ARiMR) accepted applications for subsidies for companies, although it does not have the funds to honour them. The Economy Ministry has the funds,...

Number of Exporters Falls Despite High Exports Profitability.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The first two quarters of 2006 haves brought changes to Poland's GDP growth structure, which has become increasingly dependent on consumption and investment projects. Additionally, the data published by the...

Abolishing Long-Term Contracts Problematic.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) BOT energy giant is of the opinion that abolishing long-term contracts (KDT) would result in up to ZL4bn in losses without any compensation. The KDT were signed in the 1990's between power stations and PSE...

Finance Ministry Disregards Selection Process.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The finance minister already replaced 12 out of 16 tax chamber directors and 104 out of 381 revenue office directors without following the necessary selection procedures. According to a new law, tax chamber...

Labour Minister: Unemployment Keeps Falling.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The rate of unemployment continues its several-month-long downward trend and it will fall below 15.7 percent in August, forecasts labour minister Anna Kalata. She adds that at the end of the year unemployment...

Strategy Adopted in Haste to Calm Brussels Anger.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) On 31 August the government used special procedures to accelerate the adoption of its strategy for the shipbuilding sector. The document was to be sent to Brussels by midnight. The strategy foresees...

Online Pharmacies Under Attack.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The regional pharmaceutical inspector in Bialystok Jan Chlabicz has been sending out letters to the owners of online pharmacies informing them that selling drugs via mail order is forbidden in Poland. Despite...

INBRIEF.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) International rating agency Fitch estimates that Poland will not adopt the euro before 2012. It justified its assumptions with the difficulties concerning the lowering of the public deficit and the presence of...

Sikorsky to Invest in Mielec.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Negotiations between Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and PZL Mielec aircraft manufacturer have reached a decisive stage. The largest American helicopter manufacturer wants to create its industrial base in Poland,...

PZU Chairman Under Scrutiny of Prosecuter's Office.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Jan Monkiewicz, head of the Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisory Commission (KNUiFE) wants the National Prosecutor's Office to verify whether there are any investigations concerning the PZU chairman Jaromir...

TPSA Criticises UKE for "Faulty" Decisions.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) TPSA representative Karolina Mathea stated that the decision of Office for Electronic Communications (UKE) regarding the proposed subscription fees and tariff plans is deliberately detrimental to the telecom...

PGNiG to Increase Expenditure on Investment.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Polish gas monopoly PGNiG Deputy CEO Stanislaw Niedbalec announced that in 2006 the company's expenditure on investment is to amount to ZL1.5bn, of which 50 percent is to be spent on searching for and...

Mazeikiu without Russian Oil for at Least Six Months.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Worrying news regarding PKN Orlen's acquisition target - the Lithuanian Mazeikiu refinery - keeps on arriving. The spokesman of Russia's environmental protection agency RosPrirodNadzor said that before the...

Two Candidates for PHF CEO.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The decision regarding the appointment of the new CEO of the Polish pharmaceutical holding PHF is to be made on 1 or 2 September. The post has remained unoccupied for three months following the dismissal of...

Dom Development to Become Listed.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) This may be the largest public offer this year. Dom Development (DD) developing company wants to acquire a few hundred million zloty and make its debut at the stock exchange in the autumn. One of the largest...

Optimus: Stock Exchange or Bankruptcy.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The IT company Optimus claims that withdrawing it from the stock exchange is unfair. "If the Polish Securities and Exchange Commission does not change its decision to take our company off the Polish market,...

Impasse in Dispute over Petrobaltic.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) In February 2005 Grupa Lotos bought a 69 percent stake in Petrobaltic from Nafta Polska for ZL243m. The company's employees expected they would get 15 percent of shares, in accordance with the act on...

Elektromontaz-Export's Secret Weapon.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The owner of one of the largest arms dealers on the Polish market wants to become a strategic investor in Elektromontaz-Export (EE). He has announced an issue of EE shares and help in winning contracts. A few...

Tele2 On The Offensive.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) From the middle of September Tele2 is introducing an offer allowing fixed-line phone owners to pay their subscription fee directly to Tele2. Thanks to this move the telecom plans to secure 80-90 percent of its...

Changes at Stalexport.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOSiGW) has demanded the resignation of Stalexport's managing board. The resignation of the company's supervisory board head has derailed...

SkyEurope Happy with Results Despite Loss.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) In Q2, Slovakian budget airlines SkyEurope generated a loss of EUR16.5m, as compared to EUR10m in the respective period of 2005. Despite recording considerably poorer results, the WSE-listed company maintains...

Agora Personnel Stops Gossip - Stock Price Surges.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Agora stock price increased yesterday, after the news of lay-offs and a possible price increase for the Dziennik daily. According to press publications Agora is to lay off 250 people. The stock price increased...

ECONOMIC REVIEW HEADLINES.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Below is an overview of articles that will appear in the forthcoming issue of the PNB Economic Review: Economy Doing Fine: Soaring Capital Spending Guarantees Steady Growth Will Be Maintained War...

Agricultural and Foods Sector Consolidation Takes Shape.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) According to Deputy Treasury Minister Pawel Piotrowski, in early October the treasury can be expected to present its project to establish a Polish Spirits Group to the government. In the first stage of...

MGP Ingredients declares dividend.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) ATCHISON, Kan. (AFX) - Wheat processor MGP Ingredients Inc. said late Thursday its board of directors declared a dividend of 20 cents per share. The dividend is payable Oct. 4 to shareholders on record Sept....

Treasury bond prices rise.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - U.S. Treasury bond prices rose Thursday, as investors sought government bonds to balance their portfolios and downplayed sturdy economic data. At 5 p.m. EDT, the 10-year Treasury note was up...

Mannatech to buy back $20M in stock.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) COPPELL, Texas (AFX) - Mannatech Inc., which sells nutritional supplements, said Thursday its board authorized the repurchase of up to $20 million in stock on the open market. The company said about 224,985...

Summary Box: Details on rocket contract.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) (AFX) - THE WINNER: Lockheed Martin Corp. beat out a competing team made up of Northrop Grumman Corp. and Boeing Co. for a contract to design and build the next-generation crew exploration vehicle, Orion, which...

Judge orders generic Plavix stopped.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - A federal judge blocked sales of a generic version of blood thinner Plavix on Thursday, finding it unlikely that its maker, a Canadian company, could prove that the patent on the drug used by 48...

Deal or No Deal? - live!
August 31, 2006... (From Guardian Unlimited) 11.25pm "Man Utd buying Aldo Duscher would be worse than Real Madrid buying Gravesen from Everton," says Ahmed. "We'd be ridiculed for years on end, just like we would have been if we had bought Senna." No news...

U.S. Treasury bond prices climb.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - U.S. Treasury bond prices rose Thursday, as investors sought government bonds to balance their portfolios and downplayed sturdy economic data. At 5 p.m. EDT, the 10-year Treasury note was up...

Judge blocks sales of generic Plavix.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - A federal judge blocked sales of a generic version of blood thinner Plavix on Thursday, finding it unlikely that its maker, a Canadian company, could prove that the patent on the drug used by 48...

Avista applies for rate changes.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX UK (Focus)) SPOKANE, Wash. (AFX) - Utility operator Avista Corp. on Thursday filed requests with Oregon and Washington state regulators for permission to raise customer rates to cover rising costs and infrastructure upgrades....

War Between Capital and Supervision: Can Any Changes After TPSA CEO Change Be Expected?
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Below you will find an interview conducted by the Rzeczpospolita daily with the TPSA's first enemy ? head of the Office for Electronic Communications (UKE), Anna Strezynska. To get a better understanding...

Krauze's Empire: IT to Be Discarded, Prokom Seeks New Investment Opportunities.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) His friends say: Krauze wants to use oil to enter the world of global business. He no longer feels comfortable on the domestic market. He feels that it is like old clothes he has outgrown. Just after the...

Fierce Battle over Budget on Horizon.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Entrepreneurs fear that increased social spending next year will be financed from higher taxation. The government has until the end of September to send next year's draft budget to parliament. Entrepreneurs...

Mech Less Likely to Become KNF Head.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Following the adoption of the Financial Supervision Bill by parliament, the document was submitted to the Government Legislation Centre (RCL). However, as yet it has not been sent back. According to Parkiet...

Miners Criticise Gov't Strategy.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) The mining sector's Solidarnosc trade union has criticised the economy ministry's stipulations regarding the government's new strategy for the coal industry. It accuses the Deputy Economy Minister Pawel...

Fuel Industry Opposes Excise Raises.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) In the opinion of proponents of the planned rise in excise tax on heating oil, the move is to limit the possibility of operating in the grey zone. This view is not shared by representatives of the fuel...

Lotos Purchases Kuwaiti Oil.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Grupa Lotos signed an agreement with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, according to which the Kuwaiti company is to supply 1 million oil barrels to the domestic fuel enterprise. The shipment is to take place in...

FSO Cars a Hit in Ukraine.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) FSO car manufacturer want to increase production yet again this year. Its cars are the biggest hit in Ukraine. They are also becoming increasingly popular in Russia. There is a boom in Ukraine, during the...

TPV Invests in Poland.
August 31, 2006... (From Polish News Bulletin) Taiwan's TPV Technology has expanded its development plans in Poland. "We are looking for a good location for a LCD screens factory in Eastern Europe. Gorzow Wielkopolski and Zyrardow are on our list of...

Lockheed Martin wins NASA contract.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) WASHINGTON (AFX) - NASA on Thursday gave a multibillion-dollar contract to build a manned lunar spaceship to Lockheed Martin Corp., the aerospace leader that usually builds unmanned rockets. The nation's...

Aftermarket Movers: Bristol, Sanofi surge.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NEW YORK (AFX) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Sanofi-Aventis saw its shares surge in the after-hours session Thursday, after a federal judge blocked sales of a generic version of its top-selling blood thinner...

TXU plans to build nuclear plants.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) DALLAS (AFX) - Electric utility TXU Corp. said Thursday it plans to build nuclear reactors at up to three sites to meet growing electricity demand in Texas, fresh evidence of increased interest in nuclear energy...

Dynavax gets $30M financing commitment.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BERKELEY, Calif. (AFX) - Biopharmaceutical company Dynavax Technologies Corp. said Thursday it received an equity financing commitment for up to $30 million over 18 months from Azimuth Opportunity Ltd. ...

Callon Petroleum completes $175M facility.
August 31, 2006... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) NATCHEZ, Miss. (AFX) - Oil and gas explorer Callon Petroleum Co. said Thursday it completed an amended $175 million senior secured credit facility. The facility has more favorable borrowing rates and an...