BERLIN, Oct 2, 2008 (AFP) - The leading German energy group EON has reached an accord with Russian monopoly Gazprom to participate in the massive Siberian Yuzhno-Russkoye gas field, EON said on Thursday.

NEW YORK, Oct 1, 2008 (AFP) - Investment tycoon Warren Buffett agreed Wednesday to invest three billion dollars in US conglomerate General Electric, expressing confidence in the company's long-term outlook.

LONDON, Sept 30, 2008 (AFP) - The prices of aluminium, copper and nickel slumped Tuesday as investors feared the ongoing global financial crisis would sap demand for the base metals, analysts said.

On the London Metal Exchange, copper for delivery in three months fell as low as 6,229 dollars per tonne -- the lowest level since March 2007.

LONDON, Sept 28, 2008 (AFP) - At the London Metal Exchange, the last remaining 'open out-cry' market in Europe, traders shout and gesticulate as normal, but fears of recession has diminished their appetite for risk, dampening prices.

SEOUL, Sept 25, 2008 (AFP) - South Korea Thursday gave a conditional green light to Internet auction site eBay to acquire Gmarket, the country's top online auction and shopping mall.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) authorised eBay to buy a 36 percent stake in Gmarket from Interpark Corp and Interpark chairman Lee Ki-Hyung, a spokesman for the anti-trust watchdog said.

CHICAGO, Sept 25, 2008 (AFP) - General Motors announced plans Thursday to double its global production of more fuel-efficient small engines by 2011 with the help of a new engine plant in struggling Flint, Michigan.

SHANGHAI, Sept 19, 2008 (AFP) - China's cash-rich financial institutions want to extend their influence overseas but experts say the risks of investing in Wall Street giants have left them deeply wary of coming to the rescue.

MEXICO CITY, September 11, 2008 (AFP) - Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim said Thursday he had acquired a 6.4-percent stake in The New York Times Co., publisher of one of the most prestigious US dailies.

NDJAMENA, September 10, 2008 (AFP) - Chad's rebel leader and a prominent human rights lawyer blamed President Idriss Deby Itno for the World Bank's decision to stop financing an oil pipeline deal, accusing him Wednesday of stealing the money to pay for war.

BEIJING, September 10, 2008 (AFP) - Foreign direct investment into China rose 41.6 percent in the first eight months of the year compared with the same period last year, the government said Wednesday.

Foreign companies invested 67.7 billion dollars in China in the period from January to August, the commerce ministry said in a brief statement posted on its website.

WASHINGTON, September 9, 2008 (AFP) - The World Bank said Tuesday it has withdrawn financing of a Chad-Cameroon pipeline because the Chadian government failed to honor an agreement to use some oil revenues for poverty reduction.

The Chadian government 'fully' prepaid the loan as of September 5, the development lender said in a statement.

SINGAPORE, September 9, 2008 (AFP) - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuesday the United States should treat investments from sovereign wealth funds objectively and avoid a 'paranoid xenophobic' response.

BEIJING, September 5, 2008 (AFP) - China's top aluminium producer, Chinalco, has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in Tibet to explore and smelt mineral resources on the rooftop of the world.

BRATISLAVA, September 4, 2008 (AFP) - Dutch steel-maker Steel Assets Management announced it will build a 235 million euros (337 million dollars) steel plant in the eastern Slovak town of Strazske on Thursday.

FRANKFURT, September 4, 2008 (AFP) - German pharmaceutical and chemicals giant Bayer said Thursday it would invest more than three billion euros through to 2012 in research and development to tap into the global farm products boom.

FRANKFURT, August 28, 2008 (AFP) - Leading German airline Lufthansa is in 'constructive discussions' with SN Airholding of Belgium on a deal that might eventually see Lufthansa own Brussels Airlines, a statement said Thursday.

FRANKFURT, August 28, 2008 (AFP) - German conglomerate Siemens wants to attract investment from sovereign wealth funds to enlarge its long-term investor base and improve access to fast-growing markets, its chief financial officer said in comments published Thursday.

LONDON, August 27, 2008 (AFP) - British bank Barclays said on Wednesday that it had won regulatory approval for a minority investment worth 35 million dollars (24 million euros) in New China Trust Co. Ltd (NCT).

Barclays added in a statement that it expected to acquire a 19.5 percent stake in cash via its investment banking unit Barclays Capital by the end of November.

MILAN, August 26, 2008 (AFP) - A new company has been formed which will oversee the relaunch of Italy's near-bankrupt flag carrier Alitalia, the Radiocor news agency reported Tuesday, citing financial sources.

The new company will be called the Italian Air Company, Radiocor said, and will be headed by Roberto Colaninno, the boss of iconic scooter maker Piaggio.

CARACAS, August 26, 2008 (AFP) - The recent nationalizations of strategic sectors in Venezuela are frightening away foreign companies and turning the country into South America's worst destination for foreign investment, analysts say.

SINGAPORE, August 26, 2008 (AFP) - Sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings, which invested billions in investment bank Merrill Lynch, on Tuesday reported a record profit of 18.2 billion Singapore dollars (12.8 billion US).

WASHINGTON, August 22, 2008 (AFP) - Star investment manager Warren Buffett, the world's richest man, said in an interview Friday that stocks are 'more attractive' than a year ago, with a number of good values to be found.

'I see values in all arenas,' Buffett said in an interview on business channel CNBC.

Russia is to invest 600 billion rubles (24.6 billion dollars, 16.7 billion euros) in hi-tech ...

US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Tuesday welcomed China`s progress in allowing its currency ...

French electricity group EDF said on Wednesday its board had given approval for the company to ...

General Motors will invest 445 million dollars to build a new diesel engine plant and to upgrade an ...

SHANGHAI, August 5, 2008 (AFP) - China's insurance regulator has told insurers to assess risks in their investment portfolios to shield returns against turmoil in domestic and overseas markets, state media reported Tuesday.

NEW YORK, July 29, 2008 (AFP) - A majority of American investors believe the troubled US economy has fallen into a recession, according to a survey released Tuesday by asset management giant Schroders.

A total 62 percent of the poll respondents said they believed that the world's largest economy was contracting, Schroders Investment Management said.

BEIJING, July 29, 2008 (AFP) - Bank of China said Tuesday its British subsidiary had bought 30 percent in Switzerland's Heritage Fund Management (HFM) for nine million Swiss Francs (8.7 million dollars).

MADRID, July 29, 2008 (AFP) - Spain's flag carrier Iberia said Tuesday it had bought a 2.99 percent stake in British Airways earlier this year and has the option to buy another 6.99 percent of the airline.

SINGAPORE, July 29, 2008 (AFP) - Singapore's state-linked investment firm Temasek Holdings, the largest shareholder in troubled US investment bank Merrill Lynch, confirmed on Tuesday it was increasing its stake.

The move is the latest Singapore investment in global financial houses battered by a crisis that began in the US subprime, or higher-risk, mortgage sector.

BEIJING, July 29, 2008 (AFP) - Bank of China, one of the country's big four state-owned commercial banks, has bought a 30 percent stake in Switzerland's Heritage Fund Management (HFM), state media reported Tuesday.

FRANKFURT, July 22, 2008 (AFP) - The German auto parts group Continental has bought 89.66 percent of Oltas SPA, a Turkish distributor of passenger and commercial vehicle tyres, Continental said on Tuesday.

Continental did not say how much it would pay for the holding, but reported that Istanbul-based Oltas had sales last year of 39.5 billion dollars (24.8 billion euros).

FRANKFURT, July 22, 2008 (AFP) - The biggest German power company, EON, is set to invest 800 million euros (1.3 billion dollars) in a Siberian power plant that would become one of the biggest in the world, the company said on Tuesday.

EON's investment in gas turbines would add 800 megawatts (MW) of capacity to its Surgutskaya GRES-2 plant, a statement said.

FRANKFURT, July 21, 2008 (AFP) - Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov has pulled even with Norwegian John Fredriksen at a 15-percent stake in TUI as they bicker over a roadmap for the leading European travel group.

Mordashov boosted his stake in TUI to 15.03 percent, a statement by his Cyprus-based S-Group said on Monday.

FRANKFURT, July 21, 2008 (AFP) - Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov has increased his stake in TUI, one of the leading European travel and shipping groups, to 15.03 percent, a statement to the stock market said on Monday.

FRANKFURT, July 21, 2008 (AFP) - The biggest German power group, EON, and Dong Energy of Denmark have bought additional stakes in the London Array wind park from the Anglo-Dutch energy company Shell, an EON statement said Monday.

EON and Dong will own the world's biggest offshore installation equally, the statement said, without providing financial details.