26 Apr 2005 12:20 PM

The EU main document depends on the approvement by each of 25 member nations. France seems to be one to vote against it.

26 Apr 2005 11:37 AM

Lien Chan, chairman of Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang, on Tuesday started his visit to China that could become the first step towards cross-Strait political dialogue.

26 Apr 2005 11:30 AM

President Vladimir Putin’s wide-ranging state of the nation address to parliament has drawn an equally diverse spread of comment in Tuesday’s Russian press.

26 Apr 2005 11:28 AM

Germany’s economy growth will be cut this year in half, according to Germany’s six leading economic institutes forecast.

26 Apr 2005 11:22 AM

Syria completed official pull-out of its troops on Monday, indicating the end of a 29-year invasion in Lebanon that demanded the withdrawal of troops after the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri that took place February 14.

26 Apr 2005 11:19 AM

Chinese-Indonesian relations are expected to be improved after the agreement signed by the leaders of the two countries on Monday.

26 Apr 2005 11:00 AM

Three jurors participating in the suit against Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley brought by financier Ron Perelman reported that a client of one of Mr. Perelman’s top litigators approached them with queries about the matter. This was revealed in the note sent to Florida State Judge Elizabeth Maass from jurors numbered 6,8 and 9 in the court records. The fact could lead to a mistrial.

26 Apr 2005 10:56 AM

Deloitte & Touche LLP will probably settle with the Securities and Exchange Commission today, paying a $50 million fine on civil charges connected to the auditor’s failure to prevent massive fraud at Adelphia Communications Corp.

26 Apr 2005 10:54 AM

The internal report by lawyers for American International Group Inc. about the insurer’s accounting raises questions about the lack of control in the company. The report doesn’t contain straightforward accusations but signifies that the management ran the company without implementing internal controls.

26 Apr 2005 10:54 AM

Syria completed official pull-out of its troops on Monday, indicating the end of a 29-year invasion in Lebanon that demanded the withdrawal of troops after the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri that took place February 14.

26 Apr 2005 10:33 AM

U.S. consumer confidence fell to 97.7 in April, the third straight month of falling, according to the Conference Board. Economists were expecting 98. The present situation index fell to 113.6 from 117.0, the expectations index slipped to 87.2 from 93.7.

26 Apr 2005 09:29 AM

BP Plc, the world’s second-largest oil company, reported today that its first-quarter profit rose 29% to a new record because of higher oil prices.

26 Apr 2005 09:12 AM

Schlumberger reported on Tuesday that its first-quarter profit more than doubled due to high energy prices. Profit rose to $523 million, or 86 cents a share, from $220 million, or 37 cents a share, in the previous year. Excluding charges and credits, the company earned 65 cents a share. Analysts were forecasting 61 cents a share

26 Apr 2005 09:05 AM

DuPont Co., the No. 2 U.S. chemicals maker, reported today its first-quarter results. Profit rose to $967 million, or 96 cents per share, from $668 million, or 66 cents a share, last year. Analysts

26 Apr 2005 08:59 AM

Lockheed Martin, the No. 1 U.S. defense contractor, reported on Tuesday that its first-quarter profit rose 27% due to strong sales at its electronic systems and space systems units.