IBT Staff Reporter

The European Commission proposed on Tuesday to cut the administrative burden for companies by 25 percent by 2012 which will result in an estimated 1.5 percent increase in EU GDP.

China supply levels are in line with demand needs, noted a report released on Tuesday, however policymakers remain concerned over its short term macro imbalance which results from its swelling trade surplus which skyrocketed to$24 billion in October and has urged reforms to be implemented.

In spite of the issues video on demand (VOD) has faced, on-demand services still offer the potential for a major revenue stream for distributors, with an expected reach of 65.9 million homes within the next 10 years, according to one researcher.

Halloween was a significant driver of Internet traffic for October, inspiring strong growth in visits to online greetings and costume seller sites, a new report indicates.

Nokia, the world's largest cell phone manufacturer has carried out the first WCDMA/HSDPA data call on the 900 MHz band of Finnish telecom operator Elisa on Monday.

The market for small to medium sized displays is continuing to see falling prices, pushing some analysts to believe consolidation between manufacturers may be necessary in the future.

An inclusive relationship with Turkey can help Europe mitigate global risks posed by energy security and demographics, a new report said on Monday.

Semiconductor firm Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is gaining ground over its cross-town rival, Intel Corp., as the company's processors posted the largest gain in supercomputing applications in the past year.

Perrigo Co.'s (PRGO) announcement last week recalling around 11 million bottles of Acetaminophen 500 mg caplets affected over 130 retailers nationwide, however the generic drug maker won't face a large hit on its earnings for the next quarter.

As crowds lined up for the first time in stores across Japan this weekend for the highly anticipated Sony Playstation 3 gaming console, many prospective buyers were sure to be disappointed as company expected to struggle in meeting demand well into next year.

Russian officials threatened to sue global petrochemical giant Royal Dutch Shell for billions of dollars on Saturday over allegations of environmental violations at the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas development project.

The German Chancellor urged security and trade co-work ahead of her nation's EU presidency.

Intel (INTC) announced new hardware and software products on Thursday, paving the way for system manufacturers and software developers to create higher performing supercomputers without taking up more space.

Internet communications provider Yahoo Messenger (YHOO), and network equipment maker Linksys, are teaming up to bring lower cost telephony solutions to consumers, announcing a new phone on Thursday capable of making calls over the internet as well as traditional land-lines.

Two billionaire businessmen from Southern California submitted a joint bid on Wednesday to buy the Tribune Co. (TRB), according to reports.

Oil exports were among the few bright spots for an otherwise darkening picture for global trade expansion in 2005, according to a new report released on Thursday by the World Trade Organization.

The latest generation of Dell Computer's (DELL) server and workstation lines will feature quad-core processors for the first time, promising higher performance over previous models while using less power.

One of every 20 US web users in September visited an online social networking site with MySpace.com leading the way. The site received 82 percent of all social networking visitors, according to a new report released on Wednesday.

Boeing Co. (BA) shares continued to rally on Wednesday after air transport firm FedEx announced Tuesday that it had switched to Boeing freighters in response to the delay of the Airbus A380 Super Jumbo Jet.

Software development firm, Adobe Systems (ADBE), announced on Tuesday that it will contribute source code of its ActionScript product to the Mozilla foundation, seeking to bolster standardized web technologies.

FedEx became the first company to cancel an order placed with Airbus for the A380 super-jumbo jet on Tuesday, due in part to two-year production delays by the aircraft manufacturer. In addition, the company turned to rival Boeing to order 15 new 777 freighter aircraft with a $3.5 billion list price.

Emerson Electric Co. (EMR) announced on Tuesday that its net profit for the third quarter rose on Tuesday, allowing it to increase dividend payments to shareholders.

OSI Restaurant Partners Inc., which owns Outback Steakhouse announced Monday that it had a buyout deal with a private consortium.

The Four Seasons Hotel announced today that it has been approached by a consortium of investors to take the company private.

Abbott Laboratories announced on Monday that it will purchase Kos Pharmaceuticals Inc., to strengthen its presence in the lucrative cholesterol treatment market.

The average employment rate for the EU climbed 0.5 percent last year to 63.8 percent which is similar to the increase recorded in 2004 following the increase of skilled workers, the commission said on Monday.

Microsoft Corp. announced on Monday that it has finalized development on its Office 2007 productivity software, and expects to release the new package to corporate customers by the end of the month.

DaimlerChrysler said its U.S. Chrysler division is “not-for-sale,” after the company released a poor third-quarter earnings report results which indicated a 51 percent drop in operating profit. Analysts went on to speculate that Chrysler could by up for sale.

Over the course of the summer, the world's largest semiconductor firm, Intel Corp., updated its whole line of computer processors, brining new technologies, and using new manufacturing techniques. The firm can now produce parts for several markets on a single process, cutting costs and raising margins, however some experts believe the move could potentially be dangerous.