Reuters - U.S. telecom equipment maker Lucent Technologies and its French rival Alcatel confirmed late on Thursday they are discussing a potential merger of equals.

AP - Lucent Technologies Inc. and French telecom equipment maker Alcatel SA are discussing a merger in what could be the start of consolidation among the companies that help power telephone and Internet networks.

AFP - German pharmacy group Celesio has appealed against a decision to approve a multi-billion-dollar merger of health and beauty retailer Boots and pharmacy chain Alliance UniChem.

AP - Ed Whitacre Jr., the chief executive of AT&T Inc., dismissed critics who say its planned merger with BellSouth Corp. will form a near-monopoly for Internet access and give it the clout to dictate terms to Web sites if they want to remain reachable.

AFP - The European Union Commission took a firm line towards France in a row over a merger of two key companies which critics claim is a thinly veiled bid to stop the sale abroad of a major asset.

AP - Ed Whitacre, the chief executive of AT&T Inc., dismissed criticism that its planned merger with BellSouth Corp. will form a near-monopoly for Internet access and give it the clout to dictate terms to Web sites if they want to remain reachable.

Reuters - St. Paul Travelers Cos. on Sunday denied reports that it's been in merger discussions with Zurich Financial Services Group , according to a report in the online version of the Wall Street Journal.

AFP - Rumours of a potential takeover of Zurich Financial Services by St. Paul Travelers Companies of the United States drove a surge in the Swiss insurance group's shares.

AP - London's benchmark stock index broke through the 6,000 barrier Friday for the first time in five years, spurred on by strong commodity prices and a burst of merger and acquisition activity.

AFP - German pharmacy group Celesio said it would appeal against a decision to approve a multi-billion-dollar merger of health and beauty retailer Boots and pharmacy chain Alliance UniChem.

Reuters - St. Paul Travelers Cos. is discussing the possibility of a merger with Zurich Financial Services of Switzerland in what could be one of the largest acquisitions by a U.S. company in Europe, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

AP - German stock-exchange operator Deutsche Boerse AG said Wednesday it plans to enter talks with the four-nation Euronext exchange on a possible merger and said it would make no more bids for the London Stock Exchange.

AP - Lawmakers told oil executives Tuesday that a "merger mania" in their industry has significantly diminished competition and allowed soaring oil and gasoline prices.

Reuters - Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Tuesday said quarterly profit surged on record revenue from robust merger and underwriting activity, merchant banking gains and stronger-than-expected trading results.

InfoWorld - Bigger may be better if AT&T’s $67 billion offer for BellSouth gets past government watchdogs, which it is expected to do. According to several industry analysts, a key benefit to AT&T’s enterprise customers will come from the convergence of wired and wireless networks.

AP - The maker of BlackBerry e-mail devices, fresh from settling a lawsuit that threatened its very business, is buying a company that will allow it to marry BlackBerries with corporate phone systems.

AP - Wall Street surrendered early gains and closed lower Thursday as a higher U.S. trade deficit and questions about the labor market squelched enthusiasm over a policy change at the Bank of Japan.

Reuters - French utility group Suez set a 25 percent dividend hike on Thursday, boosting the payout to investors ahead of a planned merger with Gaz de France .

AP - Stocks turned positive Wednesday afternoon as investors shrugged off worries about higher interest rates and focused instead on lower oil prices.

AFP - Poland's banking watchdog put off a decision on whether Italian bank UniCredit should be allowed to merge its Polish units, as the European Commission slammed Poland for blocking the merger it had already approved.