The FINANCIAL -- German carmaker Volkswagen AG said on November 20 that it has approved the contracts relating to its planned multi-stage takeover of rival Porsche.

The FINANCIAL -- This week, Daimler AG started production of the smart fortwo electric drive at the smart plant in Hambach, France.

The FINANCIAL -- According to RIA Novosti, shareholders of AvtoVAZ, Russia's largest auto manufacturer, will meet on November 20 to elect a new board of directors, as the company struggles amid mounting debt and low sales.

The FINANCIAL -- Statoil (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO) today, 19 November, announced that the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) the company entered into as a part of the settlement of  the Horton case, has expired as scheduled.

The FINANCIAL -- According to RIA Novosti, Maxim Barsky was appointed the chief executive of the Russian-British joint venture TNK-BP on November 19, the TNK-BP board of directors said.

The FINANCIAL -- The Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year, having first blazed to victory on the world’s racetracks back in 1934.

The FINANCIAL -- According to RIA Novosti, European Union countries are well prepared to deal with any gas supply shortages, the EU gas coordination group said after its Wednesday's meeting in Brussels.

The FINANCIAL -- WARSAW, Polish President Lech Kaczynski said in a letter to the country's premier he was worried about the country's energy security and gas supplies from Russia.

The FINANCIAL -- According to RIA Novosti, the decrease in Russian natural gas sales to Europe this year is will cause problems for energy giant Gazprom, the country's largest company, an energy analyst said on November 18.