1.   The conflict between Chilperic and his half-brothers began on the death of their father Chlothar I.

2.   The bid follows protracted negotiations between the two groups about a possible merger.

3.   That bid follows a spate of similar sports rights agreements secured by News Corp. worldwide to draw viewers to its growing television empire.

4.   The bid follows a Daewoo acquisition in the Czech Republic and expansion of its U.K. vehicle design and development center.

5.   The bids follow other mergers after a law passed last year stopped construction of giant stores.

6.   The bid follows a spate of similar sports rights agreements secured by News Corp. worldwide to draw viewers to its expanding television empire.

7.   The bids follow other mergers after passage of a law intended to stop the construction of giant stores.

8.   The European bid follows a spate of similar sports rights agreements secured by News Corp. worldwide to draw viewers to its growing television empire.

9.   The increased bid for Xpedite follows discussions this week between the would-be purchasers and a committee set up to evaluate bids.