11.   The European Commission said it opened an investigation into how a German unit of Elf Aquitaine SA used subsidies earmarked for its operations in Eastern Germany.

12.   The Republican bill would use government subsidies to encourage private companies to offer drug policies to the elderly.

13.   The vouchers allow low-income families to find their own housing, and to use government subsidies to help pay the costs.

14.   Those families would be required to use subsidies to buy private insurance.

15.   Parents can use the subsidies to send their children to a child care center or to pay a neighbor, friend or relative to care for them.

16.   But that effort is opposed by countries that hardly use agricultural subsidies, including Australia, Canada, Brazil and Vietnam.

17.   Countries that barely use agricultural subsidies, including Australia, Canada, Brazil and Vietnam, are opposed to that effort.

18.   Ever since the New Deal, the federal government has used subsidies to prop up agricultural prices, paying farmers not to grow certain crops.

19.   In addition, Alitalia agreed not to use the subsidy to overly boost its capacity in terms of number of seats and passenger miles.

20.   The Danish business daily, Borsen, reported Wednesday that SAS had complained Air France was using the subsidies to undercut competitors.