IN BRIEF (Page 15)

'Dodgy deals'

An internal probe at the German engineering group Siemens has raised the amount of suspicious transactions the company is investigating to about 1.6 billion euros, a press report said yesterday.

The amount is almost four times what the German conglomerate disclosed in December, when it said it had uncovered 420 million euros in questionable transactions spanning seven years at its telecommunications equipment unit, the Wall Street Journal Europe said.

Tightlipped on bid

Japan Tobacco Inc, the world's third-largest traded cigarette maker, declined to comment on a newspaper report it planned to bid about $1.5 billion for Tekel, Turkey's state-owned cigarette maker.

Japan Tobacco may make the offer in the next six weeks, the London-based Times reported yesterday, citing unnamed people close to the Tokyo-based company.

BA goes shopping

British Airways Plc, Europe's third-largest airline, agreed to buy 36 Airbus SAS and Boeing Co aircraft valued at $8.2 billion at list prices as it replaces older models and adds seating capacity.

The London-based carrier will buy 24 Boeing 787 planes and 12 Airbus A380 superjumbos for long-distance routes, with deliveries spanning 2010 to 2014, it said yesterday.

Pub earnings

Mitchells & Butlers Plc, the owner of the O'Neill's pub chain, said annual earnings will be at the higher end of its forecasts as more people ate out in bars after a smoking ban was imposed in England in July.

Sales at outlets open at least a year rose 2.6 percent in the 18 weeks to September 15, the London-based company said yesterday.

Bloomberg News-AFP

(China Daily 09/28/2007 page15)